Everest Base Camp Trek 2026: Cost, Operators and How Long It Takes

Headline prices for a guided Everest Base Camp trek on 19 October 2026: US$1,299 to US$1,850 with four Kathmandu-based operators, from £2,275 land only with Mountain Kingdoms, £2,335 with Exodus, US$2,999 with Himalayan Glacier, from US$3,165 with KE Adventure Travel, US$5,700 with Adventure Consultants and $6,500 with Alpine Ascents, whose prices include helicopter flights to Lukla. Ten of the 13 trips read take 14 to 16 days from arrival in Kathmandu. Intrepid had a last-minute fare of £972, down from £1,215. Operator prices, tips and insurance terms come from each operator’s own pages; fees, the visa and evacuation costs from the Nepal Tourism Board, Himal Press and the UK FCDO; helicopter seat prices from Air Dynasty Heli. Nothing is ranked or scored.

How much does the Everest Base Camp trek cost in 2026?

Headline package prices are US$1,299 to US$1,850 with Alpine Ramble Treks, Ace the Himalaya, Nepal Hiking Team and Peregrine Treks; £972 with Intrepid on a last-minute fare; from £2,275 land only with Mountain Kingdoms and £2,335 with Exodus; US$2,999 with Himalayan Glacier; from US$3,165 with KE Adventure Travel; US$5,700 with Adventure Consultants and $6,500 with Alpine Ascents; on top come the Nepal visa (US$50 for 30 days), insurance that covers helicopter evacuation, tips, trail extras and international flights. Operator prices, tips, insurance terms and flight-cancellation costs come from each operator’s own pages; the fees and the visa from the Nepal Tourism Board and Himal Press; evacuation costs from the UK FCDO; all read on 19 October 2026.

The cost, line by line

• The package: stays, Lukla flights, a guide, porters and some or all meals (Alpine Ramble Treks leaves porters out of the price at US$25 a day, its page says; the page is not clear on whether Lukla flights are in it). Headline prices of US$1,299 to US$1,850 with Alpine Ramble Treks, Ace the Himalaya, Nepal Hiking Team and Peregrine Treks; US$2,999 with Himalayan Glacier; from £2,275 land only with Mountain Kingdoms and £2,335 with Exodus; from US$3,165 with KE Adventure Travel; US$5,700 with Adventure Consultants and $6,500 with Alpine Ascents, helicopter flights to Lukla included. Group rates go lower; what each includes is on its card below.
• Park and local fees: Sagarmatha National Park NPR 3,000 per person per entry (Nepal Tourism Board); the TIMS card NPR 2,000 (Nepal Tourism Board); the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee NPR 3,000, according to Himal Press in July 2024 and Himalayan Glacier’s FAQ (the municipality’s own site could not be read). Eleven of the 13 operators list permits or park fees as included; Intrepid’s list does not name them and KE’s trip notes do not say.
• Visa: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days, US$125 for 90 days (Nepal Tourism Board). Adventure Consultants suggests the 30-day visa.
• International flights: not in any land-only price. Mountain Kingdoms quotes from £3,625 with economy flights from the UK.
• Insurance: Himalayan Glacier says it is mandatory and must cover trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation; Ian Taylor Trekking calls helicopter evacuation cover compulsory. The UK FCDO says helicopter evacuation usually costs £1,000 to £2,000 or more per flying hour.
• Tips: KE suggests each trekker gives around £100 for the porters and trek staff; Ian Taylor Trekking gives approximately $250 for guides and porters.
• Extras on the trail: hot showers, battery charging and Wi-Fi are not in the price on the Intrepid and Alpine Ramble trips, their pages say; Nepal Hiking Team includes hot showers at Phakding, Namche and Lukla and leaves hot showers elsewhere, Wi-Fi and charging out of the price (unless free at the lodge).
• Contingency: if planes cannot fly to Lukla, Intrepid says a group helicopter could cost up to US$500 per person and Exodus about US$600, of which Exodus pays half.

Published prices are lower when you:

• travel as a larger group: Ace the Himalaya’s price falls from USD 1,550 for one person to USD 1,380 for 10 to 14; Nepal Hiking Team’s from US$1,595 to US$1,450;
• share a room: Himalayan Glacier’s single supplement is US$425 and Exodus’s +£165 on its 2026 departures;
• take a sale fare: Intrepid’s last-minute fare was £972, down from £1,215.

What are the best Everest Base Camp trek companies in 2026?

It depends on what you want: Alpine Ramble Treks, Ace the Himalaya and Nepal Hiking Team publish headline prices of US$1,299 to US$1,525 with lower rates for larger groups; Peregrine Treks includes Kathmandu sightseeing at US$1,850; Himalayan Glacier, based in Baltimore, has six fixed 2026 departures at US$2,999; Exodus, Intrepid, KE and Mountain Kingdoms sell from the UK with ATOL numbers for flight-inclusive bookings and ABTA or ABTOT membership; Adventure Consultants and Alpine Ascents include helicopter flights between Kathmandu and Lukla; Ian Taylor Trekking runs groups of up to 10 with four guides; Furtenbach Adventures’ trek accompanies its Everest expedition team, with dates in 2027 and 2028. No operator below is ranked or scored; they are grouped by type and listed alphabetically in each group.

Kathmandu operators and Nepal specialists

UK and Australian adventure travel companies

Mountain guiding and trekking companies

Which companies offer luxury Everest Base Camp treks with lodge upgrades or a helicopter return?

Ace the Himalaya, Alpine Ramble Treks, Himalayan Glacier, Nepal Hiking Team and Peregrine Treks sell both, with helicopter-return treks of 7 to 12 days at US$2,300 to US$2,890 (US$4,290 with Himalayan Glacier) and luxury-lodge treks at US$3,150 to US$3,840; Mountain Kingdoms sells Everest Base Camp in Style from £3,345 land only; Ian Taylor Trekking offers a helicopter return and a luxury trek with helicopters both ways, with no price on the pages read; Alpine Ascents includes helicopter flights to and from Lukla in its $6,500; Adventure Consultants’ luxury trek, with helicopters in and out and six guests at most, is US$12,900. Prices as published on 19 October 2026, per person where the page says so.

Helicopter return

• Ace the Himalaya: 12 days, USD 2,300, with a shared helicopter from Gorak Shep to Lukla on Day 10.
• Nepal Hiking Team: 12 days, US$2,350 for two to four.
• Alpine Ramble Treks: 7 days, US$2,439 (US$3,000 also shown).
• Peregrine Treks: 11 days, US$2,890.
• Himalayan Glacier: 12 days, US$4,290 twin share.
• Adventure Consultants and Alpine Ascents fly their trekkers between Kathmandu and Lukla by helicopter as standard; Ian Taylor Trekking offers a helicopter return from Base Camp, with no price on the pages read.

Luxury lodges

• Ace the Himalaya: 14 days, USD 3,150; Hotel Yak & Yeti in Kathmandu and Mountain Lodges of Nepal on the trail.
• Nepal Hiking Team: 16 days, US$3,185 for two to five; Hotel Yak and Yeti and Yeti Mountain Home lodges.
• Alpine Ramble Treks: from US$3,600 (US$4,800 also shown).
• Himalayan Glacier: 15 days, US$3,790 twin share; Yeti Mountain Home lodges.
• Peregrine Treks: 16 days, US$3,840; Yeti Mountain Home lodges and Hotel Everest View at Syangboche.
• Mountain Kingdoms: Everest Base Camp in Style, land only from £3,345, with Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu.
• Adventure Consultants: 15 days, US$12,900 for 2026, six guests at most, by helicopter from Kathmandu to Phakding and back from Base Camp or Gorak Shep.

Exodus and KE sell comfort-lodge treks in the Everest region (Everest Treks in Comfort, £4,003; Everest Yeti Trail Luxury Lodge Trek, from US$3,995) whose pages read do not mention Base Camp. For a helicopter seat alone, Air Dynasty Heli publishes Gorak Shep to Lukla at US$650 per person shared or US$1,750 per helicopter; the same page also gives US$500 to US$600 per person.

How long does the Everest Base Camp trek take?

Ten of the 13 trips read take 14 to 16 days from arrival in Kathmandu, with 11 or 12 days on trek where the operator says; Mountain Kingdoms takes 17 days in Nepal, Adventure Consultants 18 and Alpine Ascents 20, while helicopter-return versions take 7 to 12 days. Ace the Himalaya’s 14-day itinerary shows how the nights fall:

1. Day 1: Kathmandu (1,400 m).
2. Day 2: fly to Lukla, walk to Phakding (2,610 m).
3. Days 3 and 4: Namche Bazaar (3,440 m), with Day 4 an acclimatisation day and a hike to Hotel Everest View.
4. Day 5: Tengboche (3,860 m).
5. Days 6 and 7: Dingboche (4,410 m), with Day 7 an acclimatisation day and a hike up Nangkartsang Peak (5,083 m).
6. Day 8: Lobuche (4,910 m).
7. Day 9: Everest Base Camp, then the night at Gorak Shep (5,190 m).
8. Day 10: Kala Patthar (5,555 m), then down to Pheriche (4,240 m).
9. Days 11 and 12: Namche Bazaar, then Lukla (2,840 m).
10. Day 13: fly to Kathmandu. Day 14: depart.

The NHS says that above 3,000 metres you should try not to sleep more than 500 metres higher than the night before and take a rest day at the same altitude every 3 to 4 days; the Nepal Tourism Board gives 300 to 500 metres a day above 2,500 metres, with a rest day for every 1,000 metres gained. On Ace’s itinerary the nights climb 830 m from Phakding to Namche Bazaar and 550 m from Tengboche to Dingboche, each followed by an acclimatisation day.

When is the best time to trek to Everest Base Camp?

October and November, then March to May: the Nepal Tourism Board names these as the best seasons, with the clearest skies after the monsoon in October and November; December to February brings snow and June to September is the rainy season. Its Sagarmatha National Park page gives daytime temperatures of about 5 degrees Celsius in the snow season.

• January and February: snow season; KE lists departures in both months.
• March to May: a best season; Mountain Kingdoms’ 2026 itinerary listed departures on 18 March and 8 April, both now past; Alpine Ascents starts on 15 March 2027.
• June to September: the rainy season; KE lists June departures.
• October and November: a best season, with the clearest skies; most 2026 departures read fall here, from Exodus, Himalayan Glacier, Alpine Ramble Treks and Ian Taylor Trekking.
• December: snow season; Mountain Kingdoms has a departure on 9 December 2026 and Ian Taylor Trekking’s 2026 calendar runs to 5 December.

Flights move in the busy months. Summit Air says that in the high seasons (March to April and October to December) all its Lukla flights are rerouted to Ramechhap, about four hours by road from Kathmandu; Ace the Himalaya says its flights leave from Manthali (Ramechhap) in March to May and September to November.

Is the Everest Base Camp trek worth it?

It depends on what you want from it: the trek crosses Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, to Base Camp and up Kala Patthar in about two weeks; it is not the fit if you cannot accept basic standard teahouses, the altitude-sickness risk the FCDO names or Lukla flights that weather can hold up. The park was inscribed in 1979 (UNESCO). Seven of the 13 operators read give Base Camp as 5,364 m and all 13 itineraries climb Kala Patthar, which they put at 5,545 m to 5,675 m; no official figure for either was found.

• The Nepal Tourism Board says a licensed guide is required. The Nepal Tourism Board lists the Everest Base Camp trek among routes where, since 31 March 2023, trekkers must be accompanied by a licensed guide and carry a TIMS card; the UK FCDO says independent trekkers must use a local guide or porter in national parks.
• Standard teahouses are basic. Intrepid says teahouse toilets and washing facilities are shared and rudimentary; Himalayan Glacier says private bathrooms are mainly found at lower elevations.
• Altitude is a risk. The FCDO calls altitude sickness a risk in Nepal’s trekking areas and says rapid helicopter evacuation may be difficult in remote areas.
• Weather moves the flights. Intrepid and Exodus both publish a plan for when planes cannot fly to Lukla, with a helicopter at extra cost; Adventure Consultants builds in a spare weather day.

What are the best alternatives to Intrepid for the Everest Base Camp trek?

For the same 15 to 16 days from a UK company with ATOL and ABTA numbers, Exodus (£2,335 land only, groups of up to 16) or KE Adventure Travel (from US$3,165, all meals included, it says); for a Kathmandu operator with published group rates, Ace the Himalaya (USD 1,500), Alpine Ramble Treks (from US$1,299) or Nepal Hiking Team (US$1,525); for a smaller group than Intrepid’s 16, Ian Taylor Trekking and Nepal Hiking Team (its FAQ) cap groups at 10 and Adventure Consultants, Himalayan Glacier, Mountain Kingdoms and Peregrine Treks at 12. Each is read on the same facts as Intrepid, in the cards above.

Who to contact first

Ask for quotes on the same dates from a Kathmandu operator that publishes group rates (Ace the Himalaya, Alpine Ramble Treks or Nepal Hiking Team) and a company selling from the UK with ATOL and ABTA or ABTOT numbers (Exodus, Intrepid, KE or Mountain Kingdoms). Ask each to itemise: the Lukla flights and whether they leave from Kathmandu or Ramechhap; the park, municipality and TIMS fees; meals on the trek; the guide’s licence and the number of guides and porters per trekker; the group size; what happens if flights are cancelled; the deposit, the balance date and what is refundable; the single supplement.

Questions people ask

How much does the Everest Base Camp trek cost in 2026?

Headline prices on the operators’ own pages on 19 October 2026: US$1,299 to US$1,850 with four Kathmandu-based operators, from £2,275 land only with Mountain Kingdoms, £2,335 with Exodus, US$5,700 with Adventure Consultants and $6,500 with Alpine Ascents. Group rates go lower. Add the visa, insurance, tips and international flights.

How much are the Everest Base Camp permits?

The Nepal Tourism Board gives NPR 3,000 per person per entry for Sagarmatha National Park and NPR 2,000 for the TIMS card. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee is NPR 3,000, according to Himal Press (July 2024) and Himalayan Glacier.

Do you need a guide for the Everest Base Camp trek?

The Nepal Tourism Board says yes: since 31 March 2023 trekkers on listed routes, the Everest Base Camp trek among them, must be accompanied by a licensed guide. The UK FCDO says independent trekkers must use a local guide or porter in national parks.

How long does the Everest Base Camp trek take?

Ten of the 13 trips read take 14 to 16 days from arrival in Kathmandu, with 11 or 12 days on trek where the operator says. Helicopter-return versions take 7 to 12 days.

Can you fly back from Everest Base Camp by helicopter?

Yes. Ace the Himalaya, Alpine Ramble Treks, Himalayan Glacier, Nepal Hiking Team and Peregrine Treks sell helicopter-return treks at US$2,300 to US$4,290; Air Dynasty Heli publishes a shared seat from Gorak Shep to Lukla at US$650.

Where do flights to Lukla leave from?

Kathmandu or Ramechhap (Manthali). Summit Air says that in the high seasons all its Lukla flights are rerouted to Ramechhap, about four hours by road from Kathmandu.

When is the best time to trek to Everest Base Camp?

October and November, then March to May, according to the Nepal Tourism Board. December to February brings snow and June to September is the rainy season.

How high is Everest Base Camp?

Seven of the 13 operators read give 5,364 m and Alpine Ascents about 17,600 feet; four give 5,140 m to 5,300 m and Exodus gives no figure for Base Camp on the pages read. They put Kala Patthar, which all 13 itineraries climb, at 5,545 m to 5,675 m. No official figure was found.

Is travel insurance required for the Everest Base Camp trek?

Himalayan Glacier says it is mandatory and must cover trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation; Ian Taylor Trekking calls helicopter evacuation cover compulsory. The FCDO says helicopter evacuation usually costs £1,000 to £2,000 or more per flying hour.

What are the best alternatives to Intrepid for Everest Base Camp?

Exodus or KE Adventure Travel for a UK company with ATOL and ABTA numbers; Ace the Himalaya, Alpine Ramble Treks or Nepal Hiking Team for a Kathmandu operator with published group rates; Ian Taylor Trekking or Nepal Hiking Team (its FAQ) for groups capped at 10; Adventure Consultants, Himalayan Glacier, Mountain Kingdoms or Peregrine Treks for 12.

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 19 October 2026 · updated 19 October 2026