Everest Region Guide

Introduction

The Khumbu is the most developed trekking region in Nepal and the most uncompromising in altitude terms. Understanding both facts before you book is the difference between a fortnight you enjoy and a fortnight you endure.

Getting there

Almost everyone flies to Lukla. In the October and April peaks, flights depart not from Kathmandu but from Manthali in Ramechhap, a four-hour drive that starts around 1 a.m. Confirm which airport your ticket uses before booking a Kathmandu hotel.

The alternative is to drive to Salleri or Phaplu and walk in over three to four days. It costs less, cannot be cancelled by cloud, and improves your acclimatisation — at the price of a week's round trip.

Where to stay

Lodges run the length of every main trail. Below Namche they are comfortable, with private bathrooms and heated dining rooms; above Dingboche they become basic — plywood partitions, a yak-dung stove lit at six, no heating in the rooms. Prices for beds stay low throughout because the lodges make their money on food.

Costs

Budget $30–45 per person per day independently. Food prices roughly double between Lukla and Gorak Shep. Add $400–450 for the return Lukla flight, $40 for permits, and $30–40 a day if you hire a guide.

Altitude

The standard EBC route reaches 5,364 m in eight walking days from 2,860 m. That is achievable with two acclimatisation days and is not achievable without them. Every serious itinerary in this region includes nights at Namche (3,440 m) and Dingboche (4,410 m) with an active climb on the intervening day.