Everest Base Camp

Everest Base Camp (EBC) at 5,364 metres is the ultimate trekking goal for adventurers worldwide. Reached via the iconic Khumbu Valley trail from Lukla, the route passes through Sherpa villages, Buddhist monasteries, and dramatic glacial terrain. The base camp sits at the edge of the Khumbu Icefall and offers a close view of Mount Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse towering overhead. The classic round trip trek from Lukla takes 12 to 14 days and is one of Nepal's most rewarding Himalayan experiences.

Everest itself is barely visible from Base Camp: the summit sits behind Nuptse and the West Shoulder, which is why almost every itinerary includes the climb to Kala Patthar at about 5,545m, where the mountain stands clear. Two permits are needed, one for Sagarmatha National Park and one for the Khumbu rural municipality, and both are bought on the way in rather than in Kathmandu. The acclimatisation days at Namche and Dingboche are not padding; the whole itinerary is built around them. Through the busy weeks of spring and autumn, Lukla flights leave from Manthali rather than Kathmandu, which adds a pre dawn road transfer at each end.

HSJ runs this route from Lukla as the 15-day Everest Base Camp Trek, with the climb to Kala Patthar. The 19-day Everest Three Passes Trek reaches Base Camp on a longer loop over Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La, and the north side in Tibet, reached by road, is on the Everest Base Camp Tibet Tour.