Everest Climbing ToursEverest Base Camp Trek 14 Days
The Everest Base Camp Trek 14 Days run by Ace the Himalaya is the classic lodge-to-lodge walk from Lukla to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar, sold on Viator at $1,800 per person. It is the most reviewed listing on this site, with a 5.0 score from 1,656 verified reviews. Flights to Lukla, both trekking permits, three meals a day on the trail and a licensed guide are inside the price. This page sets out what that money buys, what you still pay for, the day-by-day route and the honest reasons some trekkers should book a different trip. Browse the full range of Everest climbing tours before you decide. See all Everest climbing tours side by side.
About This Tour
Ace the Himalaya runs this 14-day group trek from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp at 5,365 m and up Kala Patthar at 5,555 m, the highest point of the trip. You fly to Lukla, walk the Dudh Kosi valley through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche and Dingboche, and return the same way. The group caps at 14 trekkers with a government-licensed English-speaking guide and one porter for every two clients for 11 days.
The $1,800 per person price is based on two people booking and covers the Kathmandu to Lukla flights both ways, the national park permit and the Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, twin-share guesthouses, three meals a day on the trail and a 3-star hotel for two nights in Kathmandu. Insurance, visa, Kathmandu lunches and dinners and tips are extra.
$1,800 per person, based on two people booking. A USD 250 single surcharge is paid in Nepal if no group or room share exists for your date, or if you want a solo departure.
14 days, starting and ending in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu. A representative meets you at Tribhuvan International Airport holding an Ace the Himalaya signboard.
Kala Patthar at 5,555 m and Everest Base Camp at 5,365 m, as the listing gives them. Other sources put them at about 5,545 m and 5,364 m.
Flights are included, Kathmandu to Lukla and back with airport departure tax, and so are both permits. Travel insurance with high-altitude rescue, the Nepal visa, Kathmandu lunches and dinners, drinks, personal gear and tips are not. The USD 250 single surcharge may apply.
Full refund 6 or more days before departure, 50% from 2 to 6 days out, nothing within 2 days.
Check Dates and Availability
The group takes up to 14 trekkers. Starting times are shown once you check a date.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Price, route and verdict in brief
This Everest Base Camp trek over 14 days costs $1,800 per person with Ace the Himalaya and carries a 5.0 rating from 1,656 reviews on Viator.
Key takeaways
- Lukla flights, both trekking permits, a licensed guide and full board on the trail are in the price, so the main gap is insurance, visa and tips. See what the price covers.
- The route climbs in steps with acclimatisation days at Namche Bazaar and Dingboche before base camp at 5,365 m. Read the route day by day.
- Want a shorter or cheaper version? The Everest Base Camp 12 Days trek starts at $955.
- Not sure about 14 days on foot? Compare every option on Everest climbing tours before booking.
What the Price Actually Covers
The listing is unusually complete for the trail stage, which is why it is the pick among base camp treks. The gaps sit in Kathmandu and in your paperwork.
Included
Round-trip airfare on the Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu sector including airport departure tax, the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, airport and hotel transfers in a private tourist vehicle, two nights in a 3-star twin-share hotel in Kathmandu with breakfast, twin-sharing guesthouses on the trek with attached toilets in Lukla, Phakding and Namche, all standard meals on the trek with seasonal fruits and filtered water run through a Katadyn Pocket Water Filter, a first-aid trained government-licensed English-speaking guide, one porter for every two clients for 11 days, a comprehensive first-aid kit and arrangements for emergency medical evacuation in a worst scenario, government taxes and service charges, and a duffel, trekking map and sun hat you keep.
That covers most of what other listings leave out. The Everest Base Camp 12 Days trek at $955 also includes flights and permits but runs a shorter itinerary, and the EBC Trek with Helicopter Return at $2,250 swaps the walk out for a helicopter from Gorakshep, though no meals on the trek are in that price and all sales are final.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lukla flights | Yes | Kathmandu to Lukla and back, departure tax included |
| Permits | Yes | Sagarmatha National Park entry and Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee |
| Accommodation | Yes | 2 nights 3-star hotel in Kathmandu, twin-share guesthouses on the trek |
| Meals | On the trek | Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the trail. Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu are not included |
| Guide and porter | Yes | Licensed English-speaking guide, 1 porter per 2 clients for 11 days |
| Insurance | No | Travel insurance with high-altitude rescue and evacuation is your own purchase |
| Visa | No | Nepal visa on arrival |
| Tips | No | Tipping the guide and porter is expected |
| Single surcharge | Sometimes | USD 250 paid in Nepal if no group or room share, or on a solo departure |
What You Still Pay for
Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu, international airfare and its departure tax, the Nepal visa, alcoholic and other drinks on the trail, personal trekking equipment and tips. The domestic luggage allowance is 15 kg, so weigh your duffel before the Lukla check-in. No hotel pickup outside the stated airport transfer is promised.
Bring your passport, three passport photos and a readable copy of your insurance policy to the pre-trip meeting.
Sources: Wikipedia, Mount Everest, Wikipedia, Sagarmatha National Park
Everest Base Camp on the Khumbu Glacier. Photo: Nirojsedhai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route Day by Day
The listing's own itinerary runs from an airport pickup in Kathmandu to base camp and back, with two acclimatisation days built in and the heights it states printed here. Weather and altitude decide what you actually see on any given day.
Walking Stages
Day 1 is arrival in Kathmandu at 1,400 m with an airport transfer and a pre-trip meeting, or a briefing after 4 pm if you land late. Day 2 flies to Lukla at 2,804 m in about 35 minutes, or drives first to Manthali in peak months, then treks 3 to 4 hours down to Phakding at 2,610 m, passing Ghat at 2,550 m and Chaunrikharka at 2,713 m. From there the trail climbs through the national park to Namche Bazaar at 3,441 m on day 3 in 5 to 6 hours.
Day 4 is the Namche acclimatisation day with a hike to Syangboche Airport and the Everest View Hotel, where Everest views depend on cloud. Day 5 walks 5 to 6 hours to Tengboche at 3,860 m and its monastery, day 6 continues 5 to 6 hours to Dingboche at 4,350 m, and day 7 is the second acclimatisation day with a 4 to 5 hour hike to Nangkartshang Peak at 5,083 m.
| Day | Route | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive Kathmandu, airport transfer and briefing | 1,400 m |
| 2 | Fly to Lukla, trek to Phakding, 3-4 hours | Lukla 2,804 m, Phakding 2,610 m |
| 3 | Trek to Namche Bazaar, 5-6 hours | 3,441 m |
| 4 | Acclimatisation day, hike to Syangboche and Everest View Hotel | Namche 3,441 m |
| 5 | Trek to Tengboche, 5-6 hours | 3,860 m |
| 6 | Trek to Dingboche, 5-6 hours | 4,350 m |
| 7 | Acclimatisation hike to Nangkartshang Peak, 4-5 hours | 5,083 m |
Base Camp and the Walk Out
The itinerary continues from Dingboche up to Everest Base Camp at 5,365 m and the climb of Kala Patthar at 5,555 m, the trip's high point, before retracing the valley through Namche and back to Lukla for the flight to Kathmandu. The listing prints no clock times for the upper stages and no separate weather days, so if flights are delayed at Lukla the schedule can stretch. The full round trip from Lukla is roughly 130 km by independent estimates, and most trekkers take 12 to 18 days for the journey including acclimatisation, which fits this 14-day frame.
If you would rather walk the high circuit as well, the Everest Three Passes Trek adds Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La over 17 days.
Who This Trip Rules Out
The booking age band, the fitness requirement and the twin-share pricing all exclude some travellers. Here is the honest list and where to go instead.
Limits and Alternatives
The age band runs from 8 to 75, the listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness, and it is not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries, pregnant travellers or anyone with poor cardiovascular health. The price assumes two people booking, so a traveller with no group or room match on the date pays a USD 250 surcharge on arrival in Nepal. The visa and insurance covering high-altitude rescue are your own purchases, and tips are expected at the end. Cancellation is not a 24-hour window: nothing comes back inside 2 days.
If any of that bites, look elsewhere. The Everest Base Camp Trek Lodge to Lodge runs 15 to 70 and costs $1,475, but it needs at least 2 people per booking. Travellers who want a lighter trip to 3,870 m can take the Everest Panorama Trek over 8 days, and anyone short on time or budget can compare the 12-day option from $955. For the north side without the walking, the Tibet Everest Base Camp Tour drives to base camp at 5,200 m from Lhasa.
Namche Bazaar facing Kongde Ri. Photo: Nirojsedhai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Altitude, Season and Paperwork
Facts from published sources, not from the operator: when to go, how to acclimatise, how Lukla flying works and which permits and visas apply.
Season
The Everest region has two trekking seasons, March to May in spring and September to November in autumn. The monsoon from June to August brings most of Nepal's rain and visibility closes Lukla about half the time then, cancelling roughly half of flights. Kandoo Adventures lists base camp night lows of -8C in May and -9C in October, and other sources differ by several degrees.
Winter is much colder and high-pass treks close.
Altitude
Symptoms of altitude sickness typically appear above 2,500 m, often within ten hours of ascent. Standard advice is to gain no more than about 300 to 500 m of sleeping altitude per day above 3,000 m and to use climb high, sleep low days, which is exactly what the Namche and Dingboche acclimatisation days in this itinerary are for. This trek reaches 5,555 m at Kala Patthar, so turn around if symptoms worsen rather than pushing on.
Read more in the guide to Namche Bazaar.
Lukla Flights
Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla has a 527 m runway with an 11.7% gradient, served only by small STOL aircraft, and flights are scheduled early because winds usually close the strip from mid to late morning. In the peak months the Kathmandu flights shift to Manthali in Ramechhap district, which adds a 4 to 6 hour drive to Manthali, as this listing states. G Adventures suggests keeping about USD 500 one way available in case weather forces a helicopter leg.
The full picture is in the guide to Lukla airport.
Permits, Visa and Insurance
This trek needs the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, both included in the price. Published figures put the park permit at NPR 3,000 for foreigners, and the rural municipality fee at NPR 2,000 to 3,000 depending on the source. Nepal's visa on arrival costs 30 USD for 15 days, 50 USD for 30 days and 125 USD for 90 days and is not in the price.
Buy insurance covering high-altitude rescue before you fly: helicopter evacuation from Namche runs about $3,000 to $5,000 and above 5,000 m from $6,000 to $10,000 or more, and one operator's advice for base camp trekkers is cover to at least 6,000 m. More on costs is in the page on Sagarmatha National Park.
Trip Phases
Phases drawn from the listing's own 14-day itinerary, with the heights and walking times it states.
-
Arrival
Kathmandu and the briefing
A representative meets you at Tribhuvan International Airport and transfers you to the 3-star hotel. Bring passport, three photos and your insurance copy to the pre-trip meeting, or take the briefing after 4 pm if you land late.
-
Day 2
Fly to Lukla and walk to Phakding
A 35-minute flight lands at Lukla at 2,804 m, unless peak-season routing sends you via Manthali first. Then 3 to 4 hours of easy walking down to the Dudh Kosi and Phakding at 2,610 m.
-
Trek in
Namche Bazaar and the acclimatisation days
Climb 5 to 6 hours to Namche at 3,441 m, rest and hike high to the Everest View Hotel on day 4, then continue to Tengboche at 3,860 m and Dingboche at 4,350 m with a second acclimatisation hike to Nangkartshang Peak at 5,083 m.
-
Base camp
Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar
The trail continues to Everest Base Camp at 5,365 m, then up Kala Patthar at 5,555 m for the trip's highest point. Weather decides the views, and no summit or panorama is guaranteed.
-
Return
Walk out and fly home
Descend the same valley through Namche to Lukla for the flight back to Kathmandu. Lukla weather can delay that flight, so keep buffer time before any international connection.
Pros and Cons
What this listing does well and where it falls short against the rest of the catalog.
What we genuinely like
- The most reviewed base camp trek here, with 1,656 reviews and a 5.0 score
- Lukla flights with departure tax and both trekking permits are in the $1,800 price
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the trail plus filtered water
- A real acclimatisation plan with days at Namche and Dingboche before 5,365 m
- Attached toilets at the guesthouses in Lukla, Phakding and Namche
The honest downsides
- Kathmandu lunches and dinners, insurance, visa and tips are all extra
- A USD 250 single surcharge applies if no group or room share exists on your date
- Cancellation tightens to nothing within 2 days, unlike the 24-hour windows on most other listings
- Peak-season Lukla flights may route through Manthali, adding a 4 to 6 hour drive
- The price assumes two people booking
Who it's NOT for: Solo trekkers who refuse the USD 250 surcharge, or anyone who needs a lenient cancellation policy, should look at a 24-hour-cancellation listing instead.
FAQ
How much does the 14-day Everest Base Camp trek cost?
The catalog price is $1,800 per person on Viator with Ace the Himalaya, based on two people booking, and a USD 250 surcharge can apply for solo departures. For a cheaper option compare the Everest Base Camp 12 Days trek at $955.
Are Lukla flights included in this Everest base camp trek 14 days price?
Yes, the listing includes round-trip airfare on the Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu sector including airport departure tax, though peak-season flights may route through Manthali with a 4 to 6 hour drive. Details of the airstrip are in the guide to Lukla airport.
Which permits do I need and are they covered?
The price includes the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee. The park and its rules are described on the Sagarmatha National Park page.
How high does this trek go?
Everest Base Camp sits at 5,365 m and the highest point of the trip is Kala Patthar at 5,555 m. Read more in the guide to Kala Patthar.
What is not included that I should budget for?
Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu, travel insurance with high-altitude rescue, the Nepal visa, drinks, personal trekking equipment and tips for the guide and porter. General costs of the walk are covered in the Everest Base Camp trek guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
Full refund 6 or more days before departure, 50% from 2 to 6 days out and nothing within 2 days. The EBC Trek with Helicopter Return has a stricter all-sales-final policy, so check terms before any booking.
What if 14 days is too long for me?
The trek itself runs Lukla to base camp and back with two acclimatisation days, and the format suits most first-time high trekkers. If you want a shorter trip to the same park, the 8-day Everest Panorama Trek tops out at Tengboche at 3,870 m.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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