Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return
- Duration
- 12 days
- Max altitude
- 5,555 m
- Difficulty
-
Strenuous
Difficulty scale
- Easy Short walking days on good trails below about 3,000 m. Suitable for anyone in ordinary health, including families.
- Moderate 5 to 6 hours a day with some steep sections, reaching up to about 4,000 m. A reasonable level of fitness and a few weeks of preparation walking recommended.
- Strenuous 6 to 8 hours a day, high passes or altitudes above 5,000 m, and remote stretches. Good fitness, prior trekking experience and proper acclimatisation days are essential.
- Very strenuous Long days, multiple high passes or technical sections, sustained time above 5,000 m. For experienced, well-conditioned trekkers only.
- Best season
- Autumn (Sep–Nov) · Spring (Mar–May)
- Group
- Private
- From
- $2,300.00
Overview
The Base Camp trek walked in and flown out. You walk the whole way up, with both acclimatisation days, then take a shared helicopter from Gorak Shep down to Lukla instead of spending three days retracing the same trail. The full trip takes 12 days instead of 14.
Every departure is private and led by a government-licensed Nepali guide, so the plan flexes to your party and to the mountain. Permits, park fees and local taxes are inside the price you see.
Trip highlights
- The full walk in, no shortcut on the way up
- Shared helicopter from Gorak Shep to Lukla
- Two days shorter than walking out
- An aerial view of the route you just walked
Day by day
The itinerary
-
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu (1,400 m) and transfer to your hotel 1,400 m Hotel
One of our team meets you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drives you to your hotel in a private vehicle. Later we hold the pre-trip meeting, where you meet your guide.
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Day 2: Fly to Lukla (2,840 m), trek to Phakding (2,610 m) 2,840 m 3-4 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
In March to May and September to November the Lukla flight usually operates from Ramechhap (Manthali), so we leave Kathmandu between 1 and 3 am for the four to five hour drive and a 20-minute flight. In the other months it usually flies direct from Kathmandu in about 35 minutes; the airline decides. Breakfast in Lukla while your porters are assigned, one for every two trekkers, then three to four hours down the Dudh Koshi, past Chaurikharka and Ghat, to Phakding.
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Day 3: Trek to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) 3,440 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
Along the Dudh Koshi over suspension bridges to the Sagarmatha National Park gate at Monjo, where permits are checked, then a long, steep climb with prayer flags, mani stones and the first mountain views to Namche Bazaar.
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Day 4: Acclimatisation day in Namche. Hike to Hotel Everest View (3,880 m) 3,880 m 4-5 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
The first acclimatisation day. A visit to the Sherpa Culture Museum, then a hike past Syangboche airstrip to Hotel Everest View, once listed as the highest-placed hotel in the world, for views of Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse. Back down to sleep in Namche, where you can also pick up any gear you are missing.
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Day 5: Trek to Tengboche (3,860 m) 3,860 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A rocky trail that contours above the Dudh Koshi, drops through rhododendron forest to Phunki Tenga and then climbs to Tengboche, with Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse ahead. We visit the monastery to watch the monks at prayer, in the evening or the next morning.
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Day 6: Trek to Dingboche (4,410 m) 4,410 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
Through forest to Debuche, over the Imja Khola on a suspension bridge, past long mani walls and up through Pangboche, with Ama Dablam close above, into the Imja valley and a final climb to Dingboche.
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Day 7: Acclimatisation day in Dingboche. Hike to Nangkartshang (5,083 m) 5,083 m 4-5 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
The second acclimatisation day. A climb up the Nangkartshang ridge for the altitude and an exceptional view of Ama Dablam, then back to Dingboche to rest.
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Day 8: Trek to Lobuche (4,910 m) 4,910 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A gentle climb to Thukla with Taboche and Cholatse above, then the steep moraine of the Khumbu Glacier to the memorials for climbers lost on Everest, and on to Lobuche, with Nuptse and Pumori ahead.
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Day 9: Trek to Gorak Shep (5,164 m), then Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) 5,364 m 8-9 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
Along the Khumbu Glacier to Gorak Shep, then over rough moraine to Everest Base Camp below the Khumbu Icefall, with Everest, Nuptse, Pumori and Khumbutse around you and, in spring, expedition teams in camp. Back to Gorak Shep for the night.
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Day 10: Kala Patthar (5,555 m) at sunrise, shared helicopter to Lukla (2,840 m) 5,555 m 4-5 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A pre-dawn climb to Kala Patthar, the highest point of the trek, for sunrise on Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori. Back to Gorak Shep for breakfast, then a shared helicopter flight of 15 to 20 minutes down to Lukla. It is not a private charter; ask us for a private price if you want one. Above 4,500 m a helicopter can only take off with about three passengers, so larger parties are shuttled in two lifts, usually via Pheriche.
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Day 11: Fly back to Kathmandu (1,400 m) 1,400 m Hotel B
A morning flight, weather permitting: 35 minutes direct to Kathmandu, or 20 minutes to Manthali and a four to five hour drive in a shared tourist vehicle, depending on the month. Lukla flights are weather-dependent, so keep a buffer day in Kathmandu before your international flight home.
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Day 12: Departure 1,400 m B
One of our team takes you to Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight home.
Altitude profile
The climb, day by day
Comfort tiers
Choose your level of comfort
| Amenity | Standardfrom $2,760.00 | Comfortfrom $3,256.80 | Luxuryfrom $4,002.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu hotel | 3★ | 4★ | 5★ |
| Trail accommodation | Standard teahouse | Best lodge in each village | Premium lodge where the route has one |
| Porter support | Shared porter | Private porter, lighter load | Extra porter, carry almost nothing |
| Transfers | Shared | Private | Private, throughout |
What's included
Included
- Included: In Kathmandu: two nights in a three-star hotel with twin-sharing rooms and breakfast (single rooms at extra cost)
- Included: Teahouse accommodation for 9 nights on the trek, with attached bathrooms in Lukla, Phakding and Namche
- Included: Full board on the trek (9 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 9 dinners), each with tea or coffee
- Included: Fresh seasonal fruit after dinner on the trek
- Included: Purified drinking water on the trek, by filter or purification tablets
- Included: All international and domestic airport transfers in a tourist vehicle
- Included: Round-trip airfare between Kathmandu or Manthali and Lukla
- Included: Kathmandu to Manthali and back by shared tourist vehicle when flights operate from Manthali
- Included: Shared helicopter flight from Gorak Shep to Lukla
- Included: Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park permit
- Included: Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entry permit
- Included: A government-licensed, English-speaking guide, with wages, food, accommodation and insurance
- Included: One porter for every two trekkers, with wages, food, accommodation and insurance
- Included: Duffel bag, trekking map, sun hat and neck gaiter
- Included: First aid kit with an oximeter to check pulse and oxygen levels daily
- Included: Trip completion certificate
- Included: All administrative expenses and government taxes
Not included
- Not included: Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu
- Not included: International flight fare and airport departure tax
- Not included: Nepal Entry Visa (Visa can be acquired easily after your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu with a fee of USD 30 for 15 days visa, USD 50 for 30 days visa and USD 125 for 90 days visa)
- Not included: Travel insurance along with high-altitude emergency evacuation coverage
- Not included: Any beverages including bottled and boiled water
- Not included: Tips to trekking staff and driver
- Not included: Personal trekking gear and equipment
- Not included: Any expenses other than the Price Include section
Your team
Led by a licensed guide
Every route is led by a government-licensed guide from our team. Licences are on record with us before departure, and you'll meet your guide once your trip is confirmed.
Guide language(s): English, Nepali
Group-size pricing
Walk together, pay less
Every trip is private, so the guide, permits and transfers cost the same however many walk. Sharing them is why the per-person price falls: arithmetic, not a sale.
| Group size | per person | You save each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 traveller | $2,760.00 | base rate |
| 2 to 3 travellers | $2,300.00 | $460.00 |
| 4 to 6 travellers | $2,160.00 | $600.00 |
| 7 or more | $2,025.00 | $735.00 |
Per person, including permits, park fees and taxes. Nothing is added at checkout.
Weather
What to expect, month by month
- Autumn (Sep–Nov)The most reliable trekking season: clear air, stable weather and cold nights, right after the monsoon clears.
- Spring (Mar–May)Warmer than autumn, with rhododendron forests in flower and slightly hazier mountain views as the season goes on.
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