Everest Base Camp Trek Day by Day: Your 14-Day Plan from Lukla to Kala Patthar
So you want to walk to the foot of the tallest mountain on Earth. Good call. This isn't a summit — you won't need ropes or crampons — but you will spend two weeks climbing through Sherpa villages, over swaying suspension bridges, and up glacier moraine to a boulder field at 5,364m where every Everest expedition begins.
Here's exactly how the classic 14-day route unfolds, day by day. Follow it and you give your body the time it needs to handle the thin air. Rush it and altitude sickness ends your trip early. The trek works precisely because it's paced with two full acclimatization days baked in.
Let's walk it.
Day 1: Land in Kathmandu (1,400m)
You fly into Tribhuvan International (KTM). Grab your visa on arrival — 15 days runs about $30 USD in cash, and you can pre-fill the online form to skip the queue. Then it's a 45-minute transfer to Thamel, Kathmandu's tangle of trekking shops and momo joints.
Spend the afternoon sorting gear. You'll want a down jacket, a -20°C sleeping bag, trekking poles, a headlamp, hand warmers, and a duffel your porter can carry. Rent what you don't own at Shona's — roughly $1-2 per item per day. Buy Diamox at a pharmacy too (talk to a doctor first). Then meet your agency to confirm your licensed guide — mandatory since 2023 — your porter, and the Lukla flight.
Day 2: Fly to Lukla (2,845m), trek to Phakding (2,610m)
The famous part. A 30-40 minute dawn flight drops you onto Tenzing-Hillary Airport's steep 527m runway, carved straight into the mountainside. (In peak season the flight leaves from Ramechhap instead, after a 4-5 hour pre-dawn drive from Kathmandu — build buffer days.) The package fare is around $180-220 one way.
Once you land, buy your two permits: the Sagarmatha National Park entry (~3,000 NPR) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee (~2,000 NPR). The old TIMS card isn't used here anymore.
Then an easy 3-4 hour walk. You'll descend about 200m along the milky Dudh Koshi, cross your first prayer-flag suspension bridges, and pass through Cheplung. Sleep low tonight in Phakding — dal bhat is around 500-700 NPR, and it primes your body for tomorrow's big climb.
Day 3: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440m)
The hard day. You'll walk 2-3 hours of gentle riverside trail to the park checkpost at Monjo, then cross the towering Hillary Suspension Bridge — the highest and most photographed on the route, strung with prayer flags high above the river confluence at Larja Dobhan.
Then the grind. A relentless 600m climb through pine forest to Namche. Go slow. This is where altitude starts to bite. About halfway up, on a clear morning, you'll catch your first glimpse of Everest itself.
Namche is the Sherpa capital, built into a natural amphitheater. Hit the ATMs here — they're the last reliable ones, they charge steep fees, and they often run dry. Everything above Namche is cash-only, and prices climb with the altitude.
Day 4: Namche acclimatization day (3,440m)
Mandatory rest day. Don't treat it as a lie-in. The rule is climb high, sleep low — you hike up, then return to sleep at 3,440m so your red blood cells catch up.
Don't skip the acclimatization hike. Climb the ~400m to the Everest View Hotel at 3,880m, where on a clear morning you'll get your first grand view of Everest, Lhotse, and the fluted spire of Ama Dablam over a coffee. It's the highlight of the day. Afterward, visit the Sherpa Culture Museum (entry ~100 NPR), and if it's Saturday, wander the open-air market that draws traders from across the Khumbu. Drink 3-4L of water and self-check for headache and nausea.
Day 5: Namche to Tengboche Monastery (3,867m)
The most beautiful walking day. A near-level contour trail to Kyangjuma with panoramas of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam — watch for Himalayan tahr on the slopes. Then you drop to the river at Phunki Tenga (water-powered prayer wheels) and climb a steep 600m through rhododendron forest.
Tengboche is the spiritual heart of the Khumbu — the largest monastery in the region, framed by Everest and Ama Dablam. Attend the monks' evening prayer ceremony (free; remove shoes, no flash). It's arguably the finest setting on the entire trail. Warm up by the yak-dung stove and try the bakery's cinnamon rolls before the cold sets in.
Day 6: Tengboche to Dingboche (4,410m)
Now you cross above the tree line into true high alpine. Descend to Deboche, cross the Imja Khola, and pass Pangboche (3,930m) — home to the region's oldest gompa; ask to see the relics. Then climb into the broad Imja valley where the trees vanish and stone-walled potato fields take over. Dingboche is windswept at 4,410m. The bakery here does surprisingly good pizza. Take a short flat stroll to keep your legs moving, then rest.
Day 7: Dingboche acclimatization day (4,410m)
Your second essential rest day. Climb the Nangkartshang ridge — about 600m up to roughly 5,000m — for views of Makalu (the world's fifth-highest peak), Lhotse, and Island Peak. Turn back if AMS symptoms appear. Back down, eat well: yak steak, garlic soup (a local altitude remedy), and endless tea. Keep drinking 3-4L a day.
Day 8: Dingboche to Lobuche (4,940m)
A serious altitude day. Climb gradually to Thukla (4,620m) for tea, then a steep pull to the Thukla Pass ridge — lined with stone memorial cairns and prayer flags for climbers lost on Everest, including Scott Fischer and Babu Chiri Sherpa. A humbling place. Then follow the Khumbu Glacier's lateral moraine to the cold cluster of lodges at Lobuche. Nights here freeze. Eat, hydrate, rest — tomorrow is the big one.
Day 9: Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164m) and Everest Base Camp (5,364m)
The goal. Three hours of undulating moraine trail beside the glacier brings you to Gorak Shep, the last settlement. Drop your pack, grab lunch, then push out 2-3 hours across the moraine to Everest Base Camp at 5,364m — a boulder field marked by prayer flags and a rock cairn at the foot of the tumbling Khumbu Icefall.
Here's the honest bit: Everest's peak is hidden behind Nuptse from Base Camp itself. But standing beneath the icefall, where every summit attempt on Earth's highest mountain begins, is unforgettable. In April-May it becomes a tent city of expeditions. Then retrace to Gorak Shep to sleep — there's no lodge at Base Camp. Move slowly; you're now higher than you've ever slept.
Day 10: Kala Patthar sunrise (5,644m), descend to Pheriche (4,240m)
The real prize. A bitterly cold pre-dawn climb — 1.5 to 2 hours in thin air — up Kala Patthar at 5,644m, the trek's high point. From here, not from Base Camp, you get the definitive full view of Everest. Bring your headlamp, down jacket, and hand warmers. At dawn Everest, Nuptse, and Pumori blaze gold. This is the photograph most people come to Nepal for.
Then a big, rewarding descent to Pheriche (4,240m). Every meter down eases your lungs. If you've time, catch the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic's altitude talk — it's excellent.
Days 11-14: The descent and Kathmandu buffer
Day 11 takes you back below the tree line to Namche — hot showers, bakeries, easy sleep. Day 12 is the long descent to Lukla via the Hillary Bridge and Phakding; celebrate with your guide and porter, and tip them (~$10-15/day guide, ~$8-10/day porter). Day 13 flies you back to Kathmandu — a deliberate buffer day so a Lukla weather delay never threatens your flight home. Day 14 is departure, with optional stops at Boudhanath Stupa or Swayambhunath if your flight is late — and if you've built extra days into the trip, the Taj Mahal at Agra is a short hop south for a very different bucket-list wonder.
Why this trek works
Two weeks. Two acclimatization days. A steady climb that respects the altitude. That's the whole formula. You don't need to be a mountaineer — you need to be reasonably fit, patient on the uphills, and willing to walk slow when everything in you wants to hurry.
Stand at 5,364m beneath that icefall, then watch the sun hit Everest from Kala Patthar, and you'll understand why people spend years planning this walk. Book the buffer days, hire the guide, drink the water. The mountain does the rest.
