Self-Launched Everest Base Camp Trek: 16 Days Independently

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid airport taxi to Thamel (~NPR 800-1,000 / £5-6) rather than a private transfer. Check into a Thamel guesthouse, buy a local Ncell or NTC SIM (~£2-3 with data), and spend the afternoon sorting permits: get your TIMS card and Sagarmatha National Park entry permit from the Nepal Tourism Board office or a licensed agency in Thamel (combined roughly £35-45). Confirm your Lukla flight or bus/jeep booking for tomorrow. Pack your duffel, rent or buy any missing gear on Thamel's trekking shops (down jacket and sleeping bag rentals ~£1-2/day each).

🚌Prepaid airport taxi to Thamel ~£5-6

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room with hot shower (~£12-18)

• →Prepaid airport taxi to Thamel
• →Buy local SIM card
• →Arrange TIMS card and Sagarmatha National Park permit
• →Gear rental and packing in Thamel

Self-guided tour of the Kathmandu Valley's key sites rather than a private guided city tour. Start early at Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), then take a local bus or Pathao ride to Pashupatinath, walk to Boudhanath for lunch and the afternoon kora circuit, and finish at Kathmandu Durbar Square. Entry fees total roughly £10-12 (Swayambhunath ~£2, Pashupatinath ~£10, Boudhanath ~£3, Durbar Square ~£10 — buy the combined Kathmandu Durbar Square ticket if you plan to visit Patan too). Eat momos and Newari food in Thamel tonight.

🚌Local buses and Pathao/inDrive rides across the valley ~£4-6

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£12-18)

• →Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple)
• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Boudhanath Stupa kora
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square

Take the early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (Tenzing-Hillary Airport) — book directly with Tara Air, Summit Air or Sita Air (~£160-190 one way). Flights are weather-dependent, so build in a buffer day if possible; the alternative is a bus to Salleri or Jiri plus 3-4 days of walking. From Lukla, walk the straightforward 3-4 hour trail down to Phakding along the Dudh Koshi River. Register your permits at the Sagarmatha National Park checkpost at Monjo tomorrow. Teahouse dinner and early night.

🚌Kathmandu–Lukla flight ~£170

🛏Phakding teahouse, twin room (~£4-6, often free or discounted with meals)

• →Flight to Lukla
• →Trek Lukla to Phakding (~3-4 hrs)
• →Dudh Koshi River trail

A big day: roughly 6-7 hours up through Monjo (permit check), across the Hillary Suspension Bridge, and up the notorious Namche hill. Walk at your own pace, drink plenty of water and take the zig-zag ascent slowly. Arrive in Namche Bazaar (3,440m) by mid-afternoon. If you want a porter or guide, Namche is the easiest place to hire one locally for the rest of the trek (~£15-20/day for a porter, ~£25-30/day for a guide, shared if you team up with other trekkers).

🚌On foot ~5-6 hrs

🛏Namche Bazaar teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Trek Phakding to Namche Bazaar
• →Hillary Suspension Bridge
• →Sagarmatha National Park permit checkpost at Monjo
• →Optional local porter/guide hire in Namche

Rest and acclimatise. Visit the free Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre museum for Everest history and a good view of the range, then take a short acclimatisation hike up to the Everest View Hotel or the Khunde/Khumjung villages (2-3 hours, climb high, sleep low). In the afternoon, browse the Saturday market if your timing lines up, stock up on snacks and cash (there are ATMs in Namche, but they're unreliable — bring rupees from Kathmandu).

🚌On foot

🛏Namche Bazaar teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre
• →Acclimatisation hike to Everest View Hotel or Khumjung
• →Namche Bazaar market and bakeries

A scenic 5-6 hour walk with the best Ama Dablam views of the trek. Follow the ridge out of Namche, drop to the Dudh Koshi at Phunki Tenga for lunch, then climb steadily through rhododendron forest to Tengboche (3,860m). Visit Tengboche Monastery, the largest in the Khumbu, and try to catch the late-afternoon prayer ceremony (usually around 4pm, small donation appreciated).

🚌On foot ~5-6 hrs

🛏Tengboche teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Trek Namche to Tengboche
• →Tengboche Monastery and prayer ceremony
• →Ama Dablam viewpoints

Around 5-6 hours through Pangboche and the yak pastures below Pheriche. The trail is gentler but you're now above 4,000m, so pace yourself. Arrive in Dingboche (4,410m) early afternoon, drink plenty of fluids and get an early meal — this is where altitude often starts to bite. Ginger tea and garlic soup are the local remedies of choice.

🚌On foot ~5-6 hrs

🛏Dingboche teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Trek Tengboche to Dingboche
• →Pangboche village and gompa
• →Pheriche valley views

Second acclimatisation day. Climb to Nangkartshang Gompa (approx. 4,800m) or continue to the ridge at ~5,000m for views of Makalu and Ama Dablam — 3-4 hours round trip, then descend to sleep low in Dingboche. This is a self-guided hike on a clear trail; don't push beyond how you feel. Rest, rehydrate and prep for the push toward Lobuche tomorrow.

🚌On foot

🛏Dingboche teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Nangkartshang Gompa hike
• →Optional ridge viewpoint at ~5,000m
• →Makalu and Ama Dablam views

A 5-hour walk over the Thukla Pass (4,830m) — the climb is short but steep at altitude. Stop at the Chupki Lhara memorial cairns to the climbers who died on Everest, then continue down to Lobuche (4,940m). Facilities are basic up here and prices for food and charging rise, so carry cash and a power bank.

🚌On foot ~5 hrs

🛏Lobuche teahouse, twin room (~£6-9)

• →Trek Dingboche to Lobuche
• →Thukla Pass
• →Chupki Lhara memorial cairns

The big one. Walk 2-3 hours to Gorak Shep (5,164m), drop your bag at the teahouse, then continue roughly 3-4 hours each way along the Khumbu Glacier moraine to Everest Base Camp (5,364m). Pass the Indian mountaineers' memorial and spend time at Base Camp taking it all in — the Khumbu Icefall is right there. Return to Gorak Shep for the night. This is the toughest day; start early and turn back if altitude symptoms appear.

🚌On foot ~7-8 hrs total

🛏Gorak Shep teahouse, twin room (~£8-12)

• →Trek to Gorak Shep
• →Everest Base Camp (5,364m)
• →Khumbu Icefall views
• →Indian mountaineers' memorial

Set off around 4:30-5am with a headtorch for the 2-hour climb to Kala Patthar (5,545m) for sunrise over Everest — the best close-up view of the summit you'll get on this trek. Return to Gorak Shep for breakfast, then descend through Lobuche and Thukla and on to Pangboche (3,985m), roughly 7-8 hours walking. You'll feel the oxygen return fast.

🚌On foot ~8-9 hrs

🛏Pangboche teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Pre-dawn hike to Kala Patthar
• →Everest sunrise viewpoint
• →Long descent to Pangboche

Retrace the trail down the Imja Khola, up through Tengboche (stop in at the monastery again if you missed the prayer ceremony), then down to Phunki Tenga and back up the ridge to Namche Bazaar. About 6-7 hours. Celebrate with a proper coffee and a slice of cake from one of Namche's bakeries — a well-known trekker ritual.

🚌On foot ~6-7 hrs

🛏Namche Bazaar teahouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Trek Pangboche to Namche Bazaar
• →Tengboche Monastery
• →Namche bakeries

A long but mostly downhill final walking day of 7-8 hours back over the Namche hill, past Monjo and Phakding to Lukla. Reconfirm your flight out at the airline office and enjoy an evening celebration beer at one of Lukla's bars (Starbucks Lukla and the Irish Pub are the classics).

🚌On foot ~7-8 hrs

🛏Lukla guesthouse, twin room (~£5-8)

• →Trek Namche to Lukla
• →Reconfirm Lukla flight
• →Evening celebration in Lukla

Morning flight back to Kathmandu (~£160-190 booked direct with the airline). If weather grounds flights, the fallback is a shared jeep to Salleri and a bus to Kathmandu (~£15-25, 1-2 days). Check back into a Thamel guesthouse, take a long hot shower, and spend the afternoon on souvenir shopping and café-hopping in Thamel and Patan.

🚌Lukla–Kathmandu flight ~£170

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£12-18)

• →Flight to Kathmandu
• →Thamel shopping and cafés

A free day for laundry, a massage, and anything you missed — Patan Durbar Square or Bhaktapur are both easy half-day trips by taxi or local bus (~£3-5). In the evening, book a table yourself at a traditional Nepali restaurant with cultural dance performances, such as Bhansaghar or Nepali Chulo in Thamel (~£12-18 for a set meal and show).

🚌Local taxi or bus ~£4-6

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£12-18)

• →Optional Patan or Bhaktapur day trip
• →Nepali cultural dinner show
• →Thamel evening

Prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport, leaving about three hours before your international departure. If you have a long wait, the Garden of Dreams café near Thamel is a good spot to kill time before the airport run.

🚌Prepaid airport taxi ~£5-6

🛏N/A

• →Airport transfer