Everest Base Camp Trek
The classic trek through the Khumbu region of Nepal, from the Lukla airstrip up the Dudh Koshi valley to the foot of Mount Everest.
At a glance
- Starts in
- Lukla
- Ends in
- Everest Base Camp
- Length
- 54 km
- On foot
- ≈ 2–3 days
- Countries
Nepal
About the trail
The trek to Everest Base Camp follows the valleys of the Khumbu, home of the Sherpa people, to the camp used by expeditions at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. Most of the route lies in Sagarmatha National Park, among villages, monasteries and some of the highest peaks on Earth.
From the airstrip at Lukla the trail follows the Dudh Koshi river to Namche Bazaar, the trading centre of the region, then climbs past the monastery at Tengboche to Dingboche or Pheriche, Lobuche and Gorak Shep. The last stretch crosses the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier to the base camp, while the viewpoint of Kala Patthar above Gorak Shep gives the classic view of Everest.
The Nepal Tourism Board describes a trek of about two weeks that starts and finishes at Lukla, with a gentle two days to Namche and a slow climb beyond it to allow for acclimatisation. A national park entry permit and the trekking registration required by Nepal are needed, and lodges are found in every village along the way.
Length measured on the OpenStreetMap line; no official figure checked yet.
No source gives the days on foot, so they are worked out from the length at 20–25 km a day.