Trek Guide

Everest Base Camp Itinerary 2026: Day-by-Day 14-Day Plan

The classic 14-day Everest Base Camp itinerary, day by day — from the Lukla flight to Kala Patthar sunrise — with altitudes, walking hours…

By Travel Himalaya Nepal · May 24, 2026

Read the full story

The classic Everest Base Camp itinerary is 14 days including two non-negotiable acclimatisation days at Namche (3,440m) and Dingboche (4,410m). You reach Base Camp (5,364m) on day 8 and climb Kala Patthar (5,545m) for the iconic Everest sunrise on day 9…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

The classic 14-day EBC itinerary

This is the standard, well-acclimatised Everest Base Camp itinerary. The two acclimatisation days are non-negotiable — they are what keep you safe and get you to Base Camp.

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day by day

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 1 — Fly to Lukla (2,840m), trek to Phakding (2,610m) · 3–4 hrs

Read this part before you book anything. In peak season — October–November and April–May — Lukla flights do not leave from Kathmandu. They leave from Ramechhap , a four to five hour drive away, and you start that drive at one or two in the morning. Operators…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 2 — Phakding → Namche Bazaar (3,440m) · 6 hrs

The day of the suspension bridges, strung high over the Dudh Koshi with prayer flags snapping across them. The last one, the Hillary Bridge, comes right before the sting: a 600m climb up to Namche that takes two to three hours and is the first genuinely hard…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 3 — Acclimatisation day at Namche

You do not rest. You climb to the Everest View Hotel at 3,880m, look at Everest and Ama Dablam over breakfast, and come back down to sleep at 3,440m. Climb high, sleep low — that is what the day is for. Namche is the last real town: bakeries, gear shops, ATMs…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 4 — Namche → Tengboche (3,860m) · 5 hrs

An easy contouring path with Ama Dablam ahead of you nearly the whole way, then a steep drop to the river at Phunki Thenga and a 600m climb back out. Tengboche monastery is the spiritual centre of the Khumbu, and the afternoon prayers are open to visitors —…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 5 — Tengboche → Dingboche (4,410m) · 5–6 hrs

The trees end today. You pass through Deboche, cross the river at Pangboche, and the landscape turns brown, rocky and open. It stops looking like a walk in the mountains and starts looking like high altitude.

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 6 — Acclimatisation day at Dingboche

A climb up Nangkartshang ridge to around 5,083m, then back down to sleep. This is usually where people first feel the altitude properly — headache, poor sleep, no appetite. That is normal. Not being able to walk straight is not, and your guide is watching for…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 7 — Dingboche → Lobuche (4,940m) · 5 hrs

The hardest day emotionally rather than physically. Above Thukla the trail crosses a pass lined with stone memorials to climbers who died on Everest — Scott Fischer, Babu Chiri Sherpa, and many with no name a foreigner would recognise. Most people go quiet…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 8 — Lobuche → Gorak Shep → Everest Base Camp (5,364m) · 7–8 hrs

The longest, highest day. You reach Gorak Shep by late morning, drop your pack, and walk out along the Khumbu Glacier moraine to Base Camp. Know what you are getting. You cannot see Everest's summit from Base Camp — Nuptse and Lhotse hide it. What you get is…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Day 9 — Kala Patthar (5,545m) at dawn, then descend to Pheriche · 7 hrs

The coldest morning of your life, probably. You leave Gorak Shep before sunrise for a slow, breathless climb to 5,545m at around −15°C to −20°C. This is where the Everest photograph comes from — the whole south-west face, lit first. Then you turn around and…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Plan your trek

Trek Nepal with local guides

NMA-certified guides · permits sorted · 5,000+ treks since 1998.

Plan this trek

Free guide

Get the free Nepal Trek Insider Guide

Permits, costs, seasons and routes — the essentials we send every traveller, plus a free, no-obligation trip quote.

↑ Swipe up

Your free Nepal trek kit

Read the full report and grab the free Nepal Trek Insider Guide — or ask our Pokhara team for a tailored, no-obligation quote.

Read more & get the free guide Plan my trip — free quote