Luxury Everest Base Camp Trek

This itinerary applies a carefully stratified accommodation structure that is an honest representation of the available facilities at each stage of the trek. In Kathmandu, enjoy 2 nights at the 5 Marriott Hotel Kathmandu or 5 Yak & Yeti Hotel (or similar) on a bed and breakfast basis, giving a high quality launch and landing pad to your trip. These are globally recognized 5* luxury hotels, offering superior service, fine dining, and luxury amenities for after your long-haul flight and on return. On Days 2 through to Days 5 and returning Days 11 and 12 (i.e. On the ground to Phakding, Namche, Deboche, back up to Namche and on to Lukla) we utilize the best luxury mountain lodges on the Everest Base Camp trek; the Khumbu's premium lodge network offers rooms for either private use or with very few other occupants. They have quality duvets, bedding and sleeping mats, private ensuite facilities for all, solar heated water for your shower, highly trained kitchen teams and provide an elevated level of comfort far above the standard trekking tea-house lodges. 

Nepal Adventure Holidays chooses lodges based on consistent high standards of hygiene and service and their premier position commanding mountain views. For Days 6 through to Day 10 (i.e. As you trek to and explore the higher altitudes, from Dingboche 4,410m, through Lobuche, Gorakshep, Base Camp, Kala Patthar, and Pangboche) accommodation will be in the best available, most comfortable of the basic mountain lodges. There are no "luxury" lodge networks at this altitude offering a similar standard to the lower Khumbu, Nepal Adventure Holidays remains up front about this from the start and, frankly, they all offer an almost identical basic level of comfort, are well cleaned, run by efficient teams and provide a solid level of service, all include an evening dinner. Breakfasts are provided at all accommodation, lunch and dinner will be as per your own choice and expense from the menu of the lodge and tea house you are staying in. This flexibility also allows you to tailor your daily food budget and choices in the mountains.

You begin with a quick, thirty-five minute domestic flight from Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu (Tribhuvan International Airport) to the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla (2,850 m). These flights are exclusively run by Tara Air or Summit Air, and take off very early in the morning (usually between 6 and 8 AM) as clouds often obscure the runway later in the morning. All arrangements for domestic flight reservations, check-in, and private vehicle transfers from/to the airport are handled by Nepal Adventure Holidays. Once you’ve settled into your 5-star hotel in Kathmandu (as planned on your itinerary), a private vehicle will pick you up on the morning of Day 2, around 5 AM, for the short transfer to the domestic terminal.

Return flights from Lukla back to Kathmandu (Day 13) are of the same duration, just in reverse. Be aware that weather delays can occur on both legs of the flight into/out of Lukla, so always book your international connection one day beyond the day of your Lukla departure, if possible. Flights from Lukla may fly into/out of Ramechhap during certain times of the year due to local conditions, but Nepal Adventure Holidays handles all the arrangements for this if required. All Kathmandu private vehicle transfers are covered in the package price..

All the accommodation on this package is on a bed and breakfast basis - this means your breakfast at the luxury 5 star hotel in Kathmandu, luxury mountain lodges (Days 2 - 5 and Days 11 & 12), and our simpler mountain lodges (Days 6 - 10) is provided, and all your lunches and dinners on the trail are paid for locally at the time. You will order meals directly from the menus at each lodging point and are therefore free to manage your own dietary preferences and spending. 

The menus in the luxury mountain lodges are a much more extensive and higher quality affair than at basic teahouses, with more choice in the proteins and food, freshly baked bread is available on most menus and presentation quality is much higher, the menus in the higher lodging points (e.g. Lobuche, Dingboche and Gorakshep) can be a little restricted but they remain sufficient. Please allow for around US$ 25 - US$ 50 per day for lunches and dinners at these lodges and restaurants on the trek. Purification tablets for water are included - use these to clean water instead of buying bottled water at altitude.

All trekking permits are included in the package and prepared by Nepal Adventure Holidays before departure:

• Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit — checked at the official Monjo gate between Phakding and Namche Bazaar

• Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entry Permit — checked at Lukla and at various points along the route

• TIMS Card (Trekkers' Information Management System) — included for all Nepal Adventure Holidays package trekkers

• Carry all permits on your person at all times — do not store them in the porter's duffel bag

Permit checks occur at Monjo, Namche, and at higher trail checkpoints — all coordinated by your guide

Rating The Luxury Everest Base Camp Trek is rated as tough. While luxury lodging helps immeasurably in providing a comfortable place to recover, the physically challenging aspects of reaching 5,545 m on Kala Patthar remain in effect. At this height, the air has approximately half the oxygen as at sea level and you are subject to continuous physiological stress from Day 6 of the itinerary onwards. The path to Gorakshep, Base Camp, and the pre-dawn trip to Kala Patthar, is over difficult glacial moraine requiring careful foot placing and physical fitness. 

You should expect walking times ranging from 3 hours on acclimatization days to 7-8 hours on the long downhill stages. It is critical that anyone attempting this trek should have a dedicated training plan over 10-12 weeks to improve their cardiovascular health, carry a load for some time walking up and down hills and strengthen their leg muscles. We have expert guides in Nepal who can assess your fitness and your reaction to altitude all the way up the mountain; we don't let anyone go to the top against our judgment, no matter what their desires may be.

There are two designated acclimatization days, where we stay in the same location or just up the trail to rest and allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude. These occur on day 4 in Namche Bazaar (3,440m) with a trek to Everest View Hotel (3,880m) and again on day 7 in Dingboche (4,410m) with a trek to circa 4,700m - 5,000m. These both follow the ‘climb high sleep low’ system. The Dingboche acclimatization day is the key day in many ways. 

This is your practice day for the approaches to Lobuche, Gorakshep, Base Camp and Kala Patthar and this should not be cut short. With the luxury lodges in Namche and Deboche, the acclimatisation days are made much more effective and recuperative than would be the case with normal teahouses. You get quality sleep, good nutrition and warm common areas which assist the body's adaptation. Guides at Nepal Adventure Holidays check each trekker individually from Namche onwards.

Who Gets AMS? AMS affects anyone traveling above 2,500m regardless of their fitness level, age, previous trekking experience or history of the condition. Anyone trekking up Kala Patthar (5,545m) and EBC (5,364m) faces a real possibility of the illness, and it must be taken seriously. What is AMS? Common mild AMS symptoms (headache, nausea, fatigue, sleep disturbance) are very normal at 4,000m, and a night’s rest at the same elevation will clear them up. If you get more severe symptoms like water filling your lungs (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, or HAPE) or brain (High Altitude Cerebral Edema, or HACE) you must descend immediately or be evacuated by helicopter to an emergency hospital. 

Our guides are skilled at detecting altitude sickness and administering the appropriate first response treatment. The helicopter landing sites are located in Namche, Pheriche, and Tengboche. Travel insurance with helicopter rescue to an altitude of 6,000m is mandatory for trekking in the region. We do not offer optional insurance for this; you must arrange your own. Talk to your doctor prior to the trek about possibly using Diamox (Acetazolamide) to prevent altitude sickness.

This trekking needs comprehensive travel insurance policy and it isn't supplied as part of this trekking deal. Make certain your policy has provisions for high altitude trekking up to and over 6,000m, and also includes emergency helicopter get-away. For instance, the price to charter a helicopter from Gorakshep up to Kathmandu is USD4,000-USD6,000 if you don't have an insurance policy. Keep in mind to bring printed policy details and also your emergency situation help number with you. Give a duplicate to Nepal Adventure Holidays prior to you leaving Lukla - we will assist facilitate the get-away on your behalf and need authorisation from your insurer without delay if a situation emerges. 2 Great, trusted suppliers include World Nomads, Covermore and Battleface.

The luxury lodges on the lower section of the trek provide better conditions than standard teahouses, but the high-altitude gear requirements above Dingboche are identical to any EBC route. Pack for a wide temperature range — warm Namche afternoons and pre-dawn temperatures well below zero at Kala Patthar. Porter carries the main duffel (max 12 kg). Daypack under 8 kg.

Clothing

• Moisture-wicking base layers, top and bottom — 2 sets

• Mid-layer fleece or lightweight down jacket

• Heavy insulated down jacket rated to -15 to -20 degrees C — essential above Lobuche

• Waterproof and windproof outer shell jacket

• Waterproof trekking pants or softshell

• Thermal leggings for Gorakshep, Base Camp, and Kala Patthar

• Wool or synthetic trekking socks — 5 to 6 pairs

• Warm hat and balaclava

• Wide-brimmed sun hat or cap

• Lightweight liner gloves and heavy insulated mittens

• Neck gaiter or buff — essential above 4,500 m

• Smart casual clothing for 5-star hotel dinners in Kathmandu

Trekking Gear

• Waterproof trekking boots, well broken in before arrival — ankle support essential above Lobuche

• Light shoes or lodge slippers for luxury lodge evenings

• Collapsible trekking poles with rubber tips and snow baskets

• Sleeping bag rated to -15 to -20 degrees C — luxury lodges provide quality bedding but personal bag essential above Dingboche

• Daypack 25 to 30 litres for daily essentials

• Duffel bag 70 to 80 litres for the porter

• Headlamp with spare batteries — essential for 4 AM Kala Patthar start

• UV400 glacier sunglasses — mandatory above 4,500 m

Documents and Money

• Original passport valid at least 6 months beyond return date

• Nepal tourist visa — on arrival at Kathmandu airport

• Travel insurance documents with emergency assistance number — printed copy

• Credit cards for 5-star hotel extras and restaurant meals in Kathmandu

• USD cash for visa, trail expenses, tips, and personal items

• Photocopies of all documents stored separately

Personal Items and Medicine

• Sunscreen SPF 50 or higher — UV at Base Camp and Kala Patthar is extreme

• Lip balm with SPF — lips crack badly above 5,000 m

• Hand sanitizer and biodegradable soap

• Personal toilet paper and wet wipes

• Microfiber towel

• Diamox (Acetazolamide) — consult your doctor before the trek

• Ibuprofen or paracetamol for headaches

• Oral rehydration salts

• Antidiarrheal medication

• Blister plasters and moleskin

• Antiseptic cream and adhesive bandages

• Personal prescription medications with adequate supply

Electronics

• Camera or smartphone with ample memory — the Kala Patthar sunrise deserves serious photography

• Power bank 20,000 mAh minimum — solar charging above Dingboche is unreliable

• Universal travel adapter — Nepal uses Type C, D, and M plugs

The Luxury Everest Base Camp Trek spans 14 days, from a luxury five-star hotel in Kathmandu to a trek to 5,545m Kala Patthar, and then back to luxury five-star Kathmandu. On the trail, you get some of the very best lodging money can buy at each stage of the trail. Those lower down, pre-climb days are truly restorative with high quality lodges making your preparatory days truly restorative. 

The body will thank you for the well timed acclimatisation days and, throughout the trek, you will have the expertise of a qualified Nepal Adventure Holidays Sherpa Guide. At the end of the trek you have your choice of the Marriott or the Yak & Yeti back in Kathmandu.The altitude is still a factor of course. The 5,545 m Kala Patthar has to be respected in all lodge situations. 

Nevertheless for those trekkers who seek the whole Everest Package - the trek to Base camp itself, and the phenomenal sunrise view from Kala Patthar - but don’t want to forfeit luxurious surroundings, this itinerary is for you.Nepal Adventure Holidays has flexible departure dates, small group trekking numbers, the services of an accredited Sherpa Guide, and clear what you see is what you get package. Chat to us now to check pricing, available dates or discuss if this is the right trek for you.