Self-Launched Everest Base Camp Trek (13 Days)

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid taxi or ride-share to Thamel (~£3-5; negotiate before getting in). Check into a Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel (£12-20/night). Spend the afternoon organising the practicalities: visit the Nepal Tourism Board office or a Thamel trekking agency to get your Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality permit (NPR 3,000, ~£18) and Sagarmatha National Park entry (NPR 3,000, ~£18); book your Kathmandu-Ramechhap-Lukla flights or, in peak season, ask your agency about shared jeep to Ramechhap (Manthali) and the early morning flight from there. Buy or rent a down jacket and -15°C sleeping bag in Thamel (£30-50 for the trek, or rent for ~£1.50/day), get a Nepali SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3-5), and draw out plenty of cash — there are no reliable ATMs above Namche. Eat dinner at a local dal bhat spot (£3-4).

🚌Prepaid airport taxi to Thamel ~£3-5

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (£12-20)

• →Permit paperwork at Nepal Tourism Board / trekking agency
• →Rent down jacket and sleeping bag in Thamel
• →Buy Ncell/NTC SIM card
• →Optional: Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) sunset walk — entry ~£1

Early shared taxi or agency transfer to Ramechhap/Manthali airport (4-5 hours) if your flight departs there — in peak season most Lukla flights operate from Ramechhap. The 20-minute flight to Lukla (Hillary Tenzing Airport) is the classic mountain-landing experience; book directly through Tara Air, Sita Air or Summit Air or via a Thamel agency, ~£110-140 one-way. Note that Lukla flights are weather-dependent, so build a buffer day into your plans and budget for an extra night if grounded. From Lukla, walk north along the Dudh Kosi river through pine and rhododendron forest, passing Chaunrikharka and Ghat, to Phakding (2,610m) — about 3-4 hours. Stay in a teahouse (rooms ~£4-8, meals extra). Order dal bhat for dinner (£3-4).

🚌Shared jeep/taxi Kathmandu-Ramechhap ~£8 + Ramechhap-Lukla flight ~£110-140

🛏Teahouse in Phakding, twin room (£4-8)

• →Lukla mountain flight
• →Dudh Kosi river valley trek (~3-4 hrs)

A longer day: 5-6 hours of walking with the famous high suspension bridges over the Dudh Kosi at Larja Dobhan, then the long climb up through the Sagarmatha National Park checkpoint at Monjo (have your permits ready). The final hour is a steep switchback slog into Namche Bazaar (3,440m). Expect to pay a little more for rooms and food from here up (~£5-10 room). Take it slow, hydrate and skip alcohol. Namche has bakeries, gear shops, an ATM (unreliable) and money changers — this is your last real resupply point.

🚌On foot (~5-6 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar, twin room (£5-10)

• →Cross high suspension bridges
• →Sagarmatha National Park entry checkpoint
• →Namche Bazaar bakeries and gear shops

Non-negotiable rest day — it dramatically reduces your risk of altitude sickness. Do the classic 'climb high, sleep low' hike up to the Everest View Hotel at Syangboche (3,880m), around 90 minutes up, for your first sight of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam (tea on the terrace ~£4). On the way back, stop at the Sagarmatha National Park visitor centre and Sherpa museum in Namche. Afternoon free for laundry, a hot shower (£2-3) and charging devices (per-hour charge fee ~£1-2).

🚌On foot (day hike ~2-3 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar, twin room (£5-10)

• →Hike to Syangboche / Everest View Hotel
• →Sherpa Culture Museum and national park visitor centre
• →First Everest viewpoint

A beautiful but undulating 5-hour day: contour high above the Dudh Kosi past Kyanjuma and the Tenzing Norgay memorial, drop to Phunki Tenga for lunch, then climb steadily through rhododendron forest to Tengboche (3,860m). Visit Tengboche Monastery, the largest in Khumbu, and if you time it right (usually late afternoon) you can sit in on the monks' prayer ceremony for a small donation. Cold night — expect to sleep in your down jacket.

🚌On foot (~5 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Tengboche, twin room (£5-10)

• →Tengboche Monastery visit and prayer ceremony
• →Ama Dablam and Everest views
• →Rhododendron forest trail

Around 5 hours through Debuche and Pangboche (home to the oldest monastery in Khumbu — worth a 15-minute stop), crossing the Imja Khola on a suspension bridge and then traversing mani stone fields up to Dingboche (4,410m). The landscape shifts from forest to treeless alpine. Rooms here are basic and cold (£5-8); hot showers cost ~£2-3 and charging ~£2-3 per device. Eat a big, high-carb dinner and keep drinking water.

🚌On foot (~5 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche, twin room (£5-8)

• →Pangboche Monastery
• →Imja Khola suspension bridge
• →Mani stone fields

Option A: take an extra acclimatisation morning hiking to Nangkartshang Peak (5,083m, ~3 hrs up and back) before moving on the following day — strongly recommended. Option B (as per the operator's itinerary): press on to Lobuche (4,940m) in about 4-5 hours, passing the Khumbu Glacier lateral moraine and the mountaineer memorials at Thukla Pass (4,830m) — a sobering and beautiful spot to rest. This is a short but high, breathless day. Bring layers; the wind here is bitter. Teahouse dinner is basic but filling (£5-7).

🚌On foot (~4-5 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Lobuche, twin room (£6-10)

• →Thukla Pass mountaineer memorials
• →Khumbu Glacier moraine walk
• →Optional Nangkartshang Peak acclimatisation hike

The big day. Walk 2-3 hours to Gorak Shep (5,164m), drop your bag at a teahouse, then continue along the glacier moraine for another 2-3 hours to Everest Base Camp (5,365m) — the actual goal. You won't see Everest's summit from Base Camp itself, but you'll be standing at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall among expedition tents (in spring). Return to Gorak Shep for the night. This is the highest and coldest sleep of the trip — expect £8-12 for a room and elevated food prices; keep your water bottle inside your sleeping bag so it doesn't freeze.

🚌On foot (~5-6 hrs total)

🛏Teahouse in Gorak Shep, twin room (£8-12)

• →Everest Base Camp (5,365m)
• →Khumbu Icefall views
• →Expedition camp life (spring season)

Set an alarm for 4:30am and climb Kala Patthar (5,555m) in the dark — 1.5-2 hours up — to catch sunrise on the Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse wall. This is the best summit view you'll get of Everest itself. Back to Gorak Shep for breakfast, then descend to Pheriche (4,270m) via Lobuche and Thukla, about 5-6 hours. Descending feels great: instant oxygen. Pheriche has a Himalayan Rescue Association clinic worth noting, plus a couple of bakeries.

🚌On foot (~6-7 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Pheriche, twin room (£5-8)

• →Kala Patthar sunrise hike (5,555m)
• →Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse panorama
• →Descent via Thukla

A long but satisfying descent of 6-7 hours back through Pangboche, Tengboche and the rhododendron forests, with the climb back up to Namche from Phunki Tenga the only real effort of the day. Reward yourself with a slice of Namche's famous chocolate cake and a hot shower. Consider a rest day here if your legs (or the weather) demand it — the operator's 13-day pace is tight, and most independent trekkers find 14-16 days more comfortable.

🚌On foot (~6-7 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar, twin room (£5-10)

• →Descent through Tengboche and Pangboche
• →Namche bakery stop

The final full trekking day: 7-8 hours retracing the trail down past Monjo and Phakding, over the suspension bridges and back to Lukla (2,840m). Book or reconfirm your return flight for the next morning at the airline office in Lukla, and keep a buffer day in mind — weather cancellations are common, and unlike a guided package nobody will pay for your extra night. Celebrate with a beer (Everest-branded, obviously) and dal bhat with your trekking companions.

🚌On foot (~7-8 hrs)

🛏Teahouse/lodge in Lukla, twin room (£5-10)

• →Final descent along the Dudh Kosi
• →Reconfirm return flight
• →Celebratory dinner in Lukla

Morning flight from Lukla to Ramechhap/Manthali (~£110-140 one-way), then a shared jeep or bus back to Kathmandu (4-5 hours, ~£8-10). Check back into a Thamel guesthouse (£12-20). Spend the afternoon on the cheap: wander the old town and Durbar Square, pick up souvenirs in Asan Tole, and eat a proper meal — momos and Newari food at a local spot (£4-6). If you want a guided Kathmandu Valley day (Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, Patan), a GetYourGuide or local guide costs ~£35-50 — much less than a private car-and-guide package.

🚌Lukla-Ramechhap flight ~£110-140 + shared jeep Ramechhap-Kathmandu ~£8-10

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (£12-20)

• →Kathmandu Durbar Square and old town wander
• →Asan Tole market
• →Optional guided Boudhanath/Pashupatinath half-day ~£35-50

Breakfast, a last Thamel coffee, and a prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport (~£3-5). If your flight is late, Boudhanath stupa is 20 minutes away and free to walk around (stupa entry is free; monastery entry small). Depart with the Khumbu in your camera roll.

🚌Prepaid taxi to airport ~£3-5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional Boudhanath stupa morning walk
• →Departure