Everest Base Camp Trek Cost is the most loved moderate type of trekking in Nepal. Don’t you want to reach the base camp of Mt. Everest (8,848m), which is the highest peak in the world? Whether you are a beginner or experienced in the Himalayas trekking, you indeed want to do the Everest Base Camp Trek, am I not right?
Before planning to do this epic trip, you want to know “How much does Everest Base Camp Trek cost?” If you know the price of Everest Base Camp Trek, you can plan the trip more confidently.
The Everest Region is popular for the Mighty Himalayas, glaciers, and glacial lakes such as Khumbu Icefall. Trekking to the base camp of Mount Everest is a lifetime opportunity to experience the Sherpa culture, religious shrines, and lifestyle. The biodiversity of Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Nepal makes your Himalayan Journey more memorable.
Through this blog, we want to help you find the answer to the question “How much is the cost of Everest Base Camp Trek?” For this purpose, we have included every factor responsible for determining Everest Base Camp Hike price. We hope this article helps you decide on planning this classic trek in the Nepalese Himalayas.
What factors determine the cost of Everest Base Camp Trek?
The overall price to trek Everest Base Camp (5,364m) is determined by various factors. Everest Base Camp Hike Price includes the factors from Nepal Visa Cost to Miscellaneous Costs. However, the two-way flight cost to Nepal from and back your home country is not included in the list.
We can breakdown the cost of Everest Hiking as follows,
Nepal Visa Cost
The first factor to determine the cost of the Everest Base Camp Trek is the Nepal Visa cost. Nepal Immigration Office grants three types of visa for foreigners. The cost of visa is different for these types such as.
S.N. | Visa Type | Cost |
1 | 15 Days Multiple Visa | USD30 |
2 | 30-days multiple visa | USD 50 |
3 | 90-days multiple visa | USD 100 |
Note: Everest Base Camp Trek itinerary ranges from 12 to 15 days. You had better purchase the visa type as per your vacation in Nepal.
Travel Insurance Cost
It is difficult to trek in the Himalayas at an altitude above 2,500m. Altitude sickness, accident, theft or loss of luggage, and flight cancellation might be some of the trekking difficulties.
Moreover, Everest Base Camp Trekking in Nepal takes to an altitude above 5,000m. Hence, in such travel insurance can compensate any kind of unwanted consequences.
Make sure your Everest Base Camp Trek travel insurance includes Helicopter Rescue and coverage up to 6,000m at the least.
The travel insurance cost of Everest Base Camp Trek is around USD 50 for a 30-day duration. However, your age, nationality, and trekking duration influence the cost of travel insurance in Nepal.
We don’t sell or arrange travel insurance, so we recommend you to purchase it in your home country. You can easily get a travel insurance company near your area. Make sure you purchase it before traveling to Nepal.
Everest Trekking Equipment Cost
The price of Everest Base Camp Trek is influenced by the cost of trekking equipment or trekking gears. While trekking in Nepal especially, in the Himalayas, it is important to arrange the right packing list.
Everest Base Camp Trek difficulty is classified as moderate type. Thus, you don’t require climbing gears such as crampons, ice axe, ropes, harness, etc.
But, you need duffel bag, warm sleeping bag, fleece sleeping bag liner, trekking poles, daypack and thermosets besides your personal stuffs. Therefore, the average EBC trekking gears cost around USD 250 to USD 350.
However, if you want to do Everest Three High Passes Trek, Everest Gokyo Cho La Pass Trek, etc., you require climbing gears.
Cost of Everest Base Camp Trekking Permits
You need a couple of permits that determine Everest Base Camp Trek Price. Everest Region Nepal is a free individual trekking (FIT) area that doesn’t require restricted area permit. It means even a solo trekker in Nepal can make this trip by arranging the essentials by themselves.
However, you have to pay some price to Everest Base Camp Trek permits. You require the following permits for EBC Trek:
S.N. | Trekking Permit | cost |
1 | Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit | NPR 3,000 per person per entry |
2 | Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality | NPR 2,000 per person per entry |
Where to find Everest Base Camp Trek Permits?
Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit can be purchased in Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Kathmandu. Alternatively, you can find it at Monjo, the national park office.
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entrance Permit can be purchased at Lukla or Monjo as per your convenience.
Do I need TIMS Card for Everest Base Camp Trek?
No, not at all! Previously, you would also require Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS) Card for trekking to Everest Base Camp. However, TIMS Card was replaced by Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entrance Permit after 2020.
Transportation Cost
You have a few choices on beginning Everest Base Camp Trek. You can start it from Lukla after a flight from Kathmandu. Likewise, you can drive to either Jiri or Salleri from Kathmandu to begin this trek.
To begin EBC Trek from Salleri, you must spare a couple of more days to the itinerary. From Salleri, you need two days to trek to Lukla, the gateway to Everest Base Camp Trek.
Similarly, Jiri to Everest Base Camp Trek allows you to follow in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
Therefore, roadway transportation is appropriate if you have more than 5 days to spend in Nepal. Otherwise, taking a flight to Lukla from Kathmandu is the best way.
The two-way flight ticket cost between Lukla and Kathmandu is around USD 360 and USD 380 per person. You can take only 10 kg of luggage, so we advise you to leave the unwanted items at the hotel in Kathmandu.
Flight cost is cheaper in off-season trekking in Nepal while it is higher in peak seasons. So, you can book the flight tickets in the off-season to reduce the Everest Trek cost.
Contrarily, you can take roadway transportation to minimize the Everest Base Camp Trek price.
Everest Hiking Accommodation Cost
Everest Base Camp Trek is completely a teahouse trekking in Nepal. Accommodation cost of depend upon the season you trek in Nepal and the standard of services lodges provide. Moreover, the higher the altitude you trek, the higher the accommodation cost you have to pay.
A basic teahouse provides you with clean bed sheets, blanket, pillow, and attached bathroom in most of the locations. They have a large dining hall which has a fireplace to keep the hall warm. Eating in the group is really nice because it lets you share your experience with other trekkers.
A basic teahouse charges you around USD 3 for a single bed per person per night. Contrarily, a double bedroom costs USD 5 on average.
There is variation on accommodation cost as well. A basic teahouse in Lobuche charges you USD 7 to 20 whereas a Gorakshep teahouse charges you USD 10 to 25 per person per night.
Do I need to afford additional accommodation cost?
Yes, of course. You need pay extra cost for additional services such as hot showers, electric blanket or electric heater, battery charging and the Internet. Similarly, if you want to have meal in different place from the teahouse, you’ll have to pay additional accommodation cost up to USD 25 per night.
Nepal Trekking Food and Water Cost
Like accommodation cost, food and water cost also varies from lower place to higher altitude. Teahouses in higher altitude have fewer dishes on their menus but the cost is higher.
The typical Nepali food Daal Bhaat is found along the Nepal Trekking Route from Lukla to Gorakshep. The food cost ranges between USD 5 and USD 12.
Likewise, the bottled water cost ranges from USD 1 to USD 5. In such a way, average food and water cost on Everest Base Camp Trek comes around USD 30 to USD 50.
Nonetheless, you have options to minimize food and water cost. To minimize price of water, you can use water purification methods. For this, using chlorine tablets and iodine drops to sterilize the water is the best way.
Additionally, having vegetarian dish helps you cut food cost in the Himalayas.
Nepal Trekking Guide and Porter Cost
While trekking in Nepal, it is always wise to hire a guide and porter. Hiring a porter has several benefits such as:
- Porters carry your load so that you can walk freely along higher altitude trails.
- They speak local language and know teahouse owners.
- They give you information about cultural and natural heritage sites along the Nepal trekking routes.
- They help you in difficult situations such as attacks from wild animals (although very rarely), loss of Nepal trekking trails and acute mountain sickness (AMS)
An average Nepal trekking guide cost is around USD 30 to USD 40 while a professional one charges as high as USD 50 per day. In addition to this, a porter carries your load up to 20 kg in the Himalayas. A porter cost ranges from USD 20 to USD 25.
Value Added Tax (VAT) Cost
VAT refers to an additional charge that is levied on every good and service from production to sale. Governments of all countries in the world add up VAT to every good and services bought and sold in their countries.
As it is a source of revenue, the government adds to the product of tourism industry of Nepal as well. Without any doubt, the Nepal Government also charges 13% VAT to every Everest Base Camp Trek operator.
VAT Cost also contributes to the overall cost of Everest Base Camp Trek.
Miscellaneous Cost
Miscellaneous cost includes the cost you are obliged to pay to good and services other than specified in your Everest Base Camp Trek itinerary.
For beverage items such as water and drinks plus extra services like hot showers, charging gadgets, etc. refer to this cost.
Similarly, although not mandatory, tips and incentives to your guide and porters are subject to miscellaneous cost. Moreover, in some local cultural heritage sites such as temples, monasteries, museums, public washrooms, etc. there might be donation boxes. You can donate any amount of your choice as well.
Miscellaneous cost is not mandatory for international trekkers in the Everest Region Hiking or any other local destinations. Thus, you can act accordingly to minimize the price to trek Everest Base Camp (5,364m). we do have some other treks are Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return, Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour, Gokyo Lake Trek and Ghorepani Ghandruk Trek.
Conclusion: Everest Base Camp Trek Cost
There are various factors that determine Everest Base Camp tour Cost. We have discussed on every such factor in this blog. Therefore, we hope it will help you plan to trek to the base camp of Mt. Everest for your lifelong experience while trekking in Nepal.