Planning a Nepal Trek From Ireland in 2026: Flights, Costs in Euros and a 12-Day Everest Itinerary

Ask an Irish hillwalker who has done the Wicklow Way or climbed Carrauntoohil what stops them booking Nepal, and it is almost never the walking — it is the sense that the Himalaya are impossibly far and complicated to reach. They are not. There is no direct flight from Ireland to Nepal, but a single connection through the Gulf, Istanbul or Amsterdam puts you in Kathmandu inside a day, and the trek itself is more attainable than most first-timers expect. Here is exactly how to plan it, and what it costs in euros.

Getting there: one stop, roughly a day

No airline flies nonstop between Dublin and Kathmandu, so your first decision is the hub. The quickest, most reliable one-stop routings run via Doha (Qatar Airways), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Dubai (Emirates) and Abu Dhabi (Etihad); KLM via Amsterdam is the main European alternative. Total travel time lands around 15–20 hours with a single well-timed layover — longer if you take a cheaper multi-stop fare. Return economy tickets typically run €600–950 depending on season and how far ahead you book; the September–November peak and the Christmas break are dearest, so lock autumn flights two to three months out.

What a Nepal trek actually costs, in euros

These are our own published rates, converted at roughly €1 = $1.09. Group size moves the number more than anything else, because a guide and porter cost the same whether they walk with one trekker or eight.

Those figures cover guide, porter, permits, teahouse lodging and meals on the trail; flights, the Nepal visa and personal gear are extra. Irish passport holders get a visa on arrival — $30/$50/$125 for 15/30/90 days — and the full document checklist is in our Nepal visa guide for Irish citizens, so we won’t repeat it here.

A sample 12-day Everest Base Camp trek

A fortnight of annual leave covers it comfortably. Fly Kathmandu to Lukla (via Manthali in autumn — see our autumn Lukla flights report) and walk to Phakding on day one; up to Namche Bazaar with an acclimatisation day; on through Tengboche and Dingboche (a second rest day) to Lobuche and Gorak Shep; the push to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) and a dawn climb of Kala Patthar (5,545m) for the classic sunrise; then a fast descent to Lukla and the flight back to Kathmandu, with a buffer day for weather. The two acclimatisation days are not padding — they are the reason the itinerary works. For the exact checkpost permit costs, see our Everest Base Camp permit guide.

Sources: flight routings and indicative fares via major booking aggregators (Skyscanner, momondo, Expedia), current 2026; Nepal visa-on-arrival fees from Nepal’s Department of Immigration; trek prices are our own published rates.

Cover photo: Clinton Weaver via Pexels (Pexels License).