The trek to Mount Everest Base Camp or the EBC can be done from Nepal towards the South EBC and from Tibet towards North EBC.
The South EBC is situated at an altitude of 5,364 m, while the North EBC is situated at an altitude of 5,200 m, above sea level.
From Nepal, there are no proper roadways, hence you need to trek all the way up to the EBC. While trekking from Jiri for around 20 days, you will be able to encounter mesmerizing sherpa villages, spellbinding landscapes, and Himalayan ranges.
However, the other way to the EBC is to fly over to Lukla and trek for 12 days to reach the EBC.
Travel from Kathmandu to EBC in Nepal
Option 1: Take a trek to EBC.
There are two ways to reach Mount Everest Base Camp: ‘Walk -In’ and ‘Fly – In.’
For the Walk-In, you need to take a bus from Kathmandu to Jiri, followed by approximately 21 days of trekking. This is known as the classic ever base camp trek which is the path followed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa
Whereas, for Fly-In you need to take a to Lukla from Kathmandu airport, followed by 12 days of trekking.
This hiking trail is 130 kilometres long and has a maximum elevation of 5,634 meters. EBC trek is a round-trip route with Mount Everest Base Camp/Kalapathar as the destination.
It is a straightforward, frequent, and most known hiking route in the Himalayas.
All essential facts about Mount Everest Base Camp Trek are as follows.
- Walk to the world’s highest peak base camp.
- Mount Everest Base Camp, the highest point in the world
- Breakfast or tea at Everest View Hotel, Namche Bazaar
- Monastery of Tengboche
- Sherpa people, culture, and lifestyle
- Views of the sunrise and mountains from Kalapatthar
- Mountain views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Makalu, Mt. Cho-Oyu, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Thamserku, and Mt. Tawache.
Cost of Mount Everest Base Camp Trek Permits
You will require two permits: Entry Permit to the Sagarmatha National Park and Khumbhu Pasang Lhamu Gaupalika, to trek any route in the Mount Everest Region (including the Gokyo Lakes and Three Passes tour).
You are needed to pay a total of $50 per person. Out of which, $20 if for the Solukhumbhu’s regional fee that can be made either in Monjo or in Lukla, while $30 is for the entry permit to the National Park (inclusive of 13 % VAT) and can be made either at Monjo or Kathmandu.
Initially, trekkers were required to purchase the TIMS Card ( Trekker’s Information Management System), but that was phased out in 2020 in favor of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Gaupalika entry permit.
Cost of Mount Everest Base Camp Trek Permit via Jiri
The conservation region includes an 8-hour length of road between Shivalaya and Kinja. Hence, you will require an additional ‘Gaurishankar Conservation Area Permit.’ With 13% VAT and a 30-day permit validity, this would cost roughly around $17.
It is available at Nepal Tourism Board’s DNPWC Counter – Tourist Service Center Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu. Or, in Shivalaya, the Gaurishankar Conservation Area Permit (GSCAP) checkpoint.
Spring (March to May) and Autumn (September to November) are considered the right time to trek to Mount Everest Base Camp. Majorly, as the weather during these seasons are dry and clear and the October season could give you a chance to witness and be a part of the famous festival Mani Rimdu.
It is a Buddhist festival which is celebrated for 19 days, especially in Tengboche Monastery. This festival mostly begins between 20 to 22nd of October, every year.
In the contrary, Winters and Monsoon are considered relatively poor seasons to visit EBC as winters will be extremely cold and monsoon will be extremely wet with very low chances of having a clear sky.
As a result, hiking during the late winter and early monsoon seasons is not advised.
The lodges along the way to Mount Everest Base Camp are clean and comfortable.
You will be accommodated on a twin-sharing basis, with a shared bathroom. You need to bring you own sleeping ba. Along the route, the local currency, Nepalese rupees, is accepted. Furthermore, USD is widely accepted.
Option 2: Fly by helicopter from Kathmandu to EBC.
The 4-hour helicopter flight from Kathmandu to EBC started to gain popularity because of a shared helicopter shuttle to EBC from Kathmandu. It was limited to an expensive private helicopter tour. Now, several companies in Nepal offer the fixed shared shuttle from Kathmandu
EBC Helicopter Tour from Kathmandu to Kala Patthar or EBC takes a total of 4-hour helicopter ride.
The EBC Helicopter Flight Landing Tour departs from the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport and lands at Lukla for refuelling.
After refuelling, the helicopter will take off from Lukla and enter the Sagarmatha National Park. Once it reaches Namche Bazaar, the aerial views will be much better than before.
At this point, Ama Dablam will most likely be the most visible among several other peaks such as Kusum Kanguru, Thamserku, and Kwangde.
Flying further past famous Sherpa villages such as Syangboche (known for superb views of the Everest range as well as the Everest View Hotel), Gorak Shep (the region’s final settlement), and Tengboche (home to the Tengboche monastery, the largest monastery in the Khumbu region), you will eventually arrive at your primary destination, the EBC.
Kala Patthar may be an even better option for those who want to take in the scenery. Kala Patthar is a photographer’s paradise and one of the best viewpoint to see Everest
The Helicopter Tour travels to Syangboche after departing from the Kala Patthar. The helicopter will return you to Kathmandu completing the Mount Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour.
Conclusion
The distance from Lukla to Mount Everest Base Camp is approximately 65 kilometres, which may not seem like much over a minimum of 8 days.
Still, other complex factors will provide a more significant challenge than the walking distance, such as altitude and weather conditions. That is where the real difficulties lie.
Because the EBC journey is at a high altitude, at least six days at more than 4,000 meters above sea level, joining the trekking tour led by an experienced guide is extremely important if you are not a professional mountaineering expert!
