Self-Launched Everest Base Camp Trek (Teahouse Version)

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and grab a pre-paid airport taxi to Thamel (£3–4, or a metered Pathao/InDrive ride). Check into a Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel. Spend the afternoon sorting essentials: buy your TIMS card and Sagarmatha National Park permit at the Nepal Tourism Board office (Bhrikutimandap), and arrange your Kathmandu–Lukla flight (Sita Air, Tara Air or Yeti Airlines, roughly £150–180 return — book well ahead, flights sell out and weather cancels them). Pick up or rent any gear you're missing (down jacket and sleeping bag rentals are £2–4/day each in Thamel). Evening: dal bhat and momos near Thamel Marg.

🚌Airport taxi ~£3–4; everything else on foot in Thamel

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (~£15–20)

• →Buy TIMS card and Sagarmatha National Park permit
• →Book/confirm Kathmandu–Lukla flights
• →Rent trekking gear in Thamel

Self-guided day around the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO sites. Start early at Kathmandu Durbar Square (£1 entry for SAARC-free foreigners is around 1,000 NPR, ~£6), then walk or take a cheap local bus/taxi to Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple, ~£1.50), Boudhanath Stupa (~£2.50) and Pashupatinath (~£6). Buy a multi-site ticket if you want to save. In the evening, finalise your pack, load offline maps (Maps.me or Gaia GPS with the Everest base map), and if you want a guide, meet candidates through your guesthouse or a Kathmandu trekking agency for a day rate of £20–25 (no need to pre-book through an operator).

🚌Local buses/taxis between sites ~£4 total

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (~£15–20)

• →Kathmandu Durbar Square
• →Swayambhunath Stupa
• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Meet a freelance guide (optional)

Early 35-minute STOL flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (Tenzing-Hillary Airport) — sit on the left for Himalayan views. Flights are weather-dependent, so build in a spare day if you can. From Lukla, walk north through Chaurikharka and along the Dudh Koshi, crossing your first long suspension bridges, to Phakding (2,610 m, 3–4 hrs). Standard teahouses here are perfectly comfortable; the operator's Yeti Mountain Home is the upgrade version of the same village.

🚌Scheduled Kathmandu–Lukla flight (included in return airfare ~£150–180); ~8 km walk

🛏Standard teahouse, Phakding (~£6–10 with meals purchased)

• →Scenic mountain flight to Lukla
• →Trek to Phakding via Dudh Koshi suspension bridges

A big day: 5–6 hours uphill through Sagarmatha National Park entrance (permit checked at Monjo), past Jorsale, over the high Hillary Suspension Bridge, and up the switchbacks to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m). Take it slowly — this is your first real altitude day. Teahouse owners in Namche are used to independent trekkers and will feed you well (dal bhat, garlic soup, yak cheese).

🚌On foot, ~10 km / 5–6 hrs

🛏Standard teahouse, Namche Bazaar (~£8–12)

• →Sagarmatha National Park checkpoint
• →Sherpa villages of Monjo and Jorsale
• →Hillary Suspension Bridge

Rest day at altitude — do NOT skip it. Hike up to the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m, 1.5 hrs) for your first proper look at Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse; you can buy a tea on the terrace for ~£4 rather than staying there. Back in Namche, visit the Sagarmatha National Park visitor centre and museum (small fee ~£2), browse the Saturday market if timing works, and stock up on snacks and cash (there are ATMs in Namche but they're unreliable — bring rupees from Kathmandu).

🚌On foot, ~4 hrs round trip

🛏Standard teahouse, Namche Bazaar (~£8–12)

• →Everest View Hotel viewpoint hike
• →Sagarmatha National Park museum
• →Namche market and bakeries

A beautiful contouring walk high above the Dudh Koshi valley, past Kyangjuma and Phunki Tenga (steep river descent and climb), to Tengboche (3,860 m, 5 hrs). Visit Tengboche Monastery, the largest in the Khumbu — afternoon prayers are usually around 3–4 pm and are free to attend (small donation appreciated). Sunset on Ama Dablam from the monastery courtyard is the highlight of the day.

🚌On foot, ~10 km / 5 hrs

🛏Standard teahouse, Tengboche (~£8–12)

• →Trek Namche to Tengboche
• →Tengboche Monastery and afternoon prayers

Descend to the Imja Khola, cross the bridge, and pass through Pangboche village (oldest gompa in Khumbu) before climbing gradually into the treeless upper valley to Dingboche (4,410 m, 4–5 hrs). Dingboche is where the altitude really bites — drink 3–4 litres of water, eat even if you're not hungry, and go to bed early. Note: electric blankets are typically not available this high, so bring your sleeping bag.

🚌On foot, ~12 km / 4–5 hrs

🛏Standard teahouse, Dingboche (~£8–12)

• →Imja Khola valley walk
• →Pangboche village and gompa

Acclimatisation day with a hike up Nangkartshang (Nagarjuna) ridge — the operator lists it as ~5,100 m; realistically most trekkers top out around 5,000 m in 3–4 hrs round trip. Go at your own pace and turn around if you feel a headache building. The ridge gives enormous views of Makalu, Island Peak and the Imja valley. Descend for a lazy afternoon of tea and cards in the teahouse.

🚌On foot, ~4 hrs round trip

🛏Standard teahouse, Dingboche (~£8–12)

• →Nangkartshang / Nagarjuna viewpoint hike

A shorter but high day: climb over the Thukla Pass (4,830 m), where you'll pass the memorial chortens to climbers lost on Everest, then drop to Lobuche (4,940 m, 4–5 hrs). Some trekkers detour to Dughla or Pheriche; the main trail is straightforward and well-marked. Lobuche's teahouses are basic — expect shared bathrooms, yak-dung stoves and thin air. Sleep low and slow.

🚌On foot, ~8 km / 4–5 hrs

🛏Basic teahouse, Lobuche (~£8–12)

• →Thukla Pass and climbers' memorial chortens
• →Dughla and Pheriche trail

The big one. Walk 2–3 hrs over the Khumbu Glacier moraine to Gorakshep (5,140 m), drop your bag at a teahouse, then continue 2–3 hrs to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) — the true highlight, with the Khumbu Icefall and the south face of Everest ahead of you. Return to Gorakshep for the night. This is the longest, hardest day; start before sunrise. The operator's optional helicopter out (USD 900) is genuinely available from Gorakshep if you're spent — book through a Kathmandu agent in advance or ask your teahouse owner to radio.

🚌On foot, ~10 km / 7–8 hrs

🛏Basic teahouse, Gorakshep (dorm/shared, ~£10–15)

• →Trek to Everest Base Camp
• →Khumbu Icefall viewpoint
• →Optional helicopter return (USD ~900 extra)

Up at 4:30 am for the 2-hr climb to Kala Patthar (5,545 m) for sunrise over Everest — the best view of the mountain you'll get on the whole trek. Back down for breakfast at Gorakshep, then a long descent via Lobuche and Thukla to Pheriche (4,270 m, 6–7 hrs), where the air is noticeably thicker. If you have a guide, this is a good day to mention a possible heli pickup from Pheriche if altitude sickness hits.

🚌On foot, ~14 km / 7–8 hrs

🛏Standard teahouse, Pheriche (~£8–12)

• →Kala Patthar sunrise hike
• →Descent to Pheriche

A satisfying, fast-feeling descent through Orsho, Somare, Pangboche and Tengboche, crossing the Dudh Koshi and climbing the long hill back to Namche (3,440 m, 7 hrs). Reward yourself with a slice of Namche's famous bakeries' cake and a hot shower (most Namche teahouses charge £2–3 for hot water).

🚌On foot, ~18 km / 7 hrs

🛏Standard teahouse, Namche Bazaar (~£8–12)

• →Descent through Pangboche and Tengboche

The last trekking day: 7–8 hrs down through Jorsale, Monjo and Phakding to Lukla (2,840 m). Celebrate at a Lukla lodge bar — the 'Starbucks of Lukla' and the Irish pub are both real. Confirm your return flight at the airline counter in town and remember: flights out of Lukla are early morning, and weather delays are common.

🚌On foot, ~19 km / 7–8 hrs

🛏Lukla lodge/guesthouse (~£8–12)

• →Final descent to Lukla
• →Confirm return flight

Morning flight back to Kathmandu (included in your return airfare). If weather cancels the flight, the fallback is a shared jeep to Salleri/Surke and a bus to Kathmandu (~£25, 12+ hrs) — or wait it out. Back in Thamel, treat yourself to a proper shower, a steak or a Nepali thali, and shop for handicrafts, pashmina and jewellery in the Thamel and Asan Tole markets.

🚌Lukla–Kathmandu flight (part of ~£150–180 return airfare)

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (~£15–20)

• →Flight to Kathmandu
• →Thamel handicraft shopping
• →Celebration dinner

Taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport for your international flight. If you have a late departure, squeeze in a final momo breakfast or a Boudhanath kora walk before heading to the airport.

🚌Airport taxi ~£3–4

🛏—

• →Departure transfer