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Everest Base Camp: a still from my film

Khumbu, Nepal · October 2021

Everest Base Camp

84.7 KM · 9 DAYS · 5,271 M

9 days on foot from Lukla to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

Watch the film 36:55 · 913K views

At a glance

Where
Khumbu, Nepal
Distance
84.7 km (52.6 miles)
Days
9 days
Climbing
About 17,290 ft (5,271 m) up and 11,510 ft (3,509 m) down
Season
October to November or March to May. I walked in late October
Difficulty
Not technical, but high: the last three nights are above 13,900 ft (4,240 m)
Route
Lukla to Everest Base Camp on Day 8
When I went
October 2021
Relief map of the Everest Base Camp route: 9 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Lukla, Everest, Pheriche, Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar.
12345679Highest 17,620 ft (5,370 m)

Elevation, start to finish: highest 17,620 ft (5,370 m), lowest 8,370 ft (2,551 m).

My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.

Everything I made about it

The films

Photos

  • Lukla's airstrip and the town, on the afternoon Day 1 starts.
    Lukla's airstrip and the town, on the afternoon Day 1 starts.
  • A stupa on the ridge above Khumjung on Day 4, with Ama Dablam on the left.
    A stupa on the ridge above Khumjung on Day 4, with Ama Dablam on the left.
  • Ama Dablam and the valley below Pheriche on the morning of Day 6.
    Ama Dablam and the valley below Pheriche on the morning of Day 6.
  • The peaks above Thukla on the way down on Day 9.
    The peaks above Thukla on the way down on Day 9.
Everest and Nuptse above the Khumbu Glacier, from the slope of Kala Patthar on the afternoon of Day 7.
Everest and Nuptse above the Khumbu Glacier, from the slope of Kala Patthar on the afternoon of Day 7.

The guide · 62-page PDF + GPX files · 2027 season edition

Do it yourself

9 days on foot from Lukla to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

  • All nine days
  • My GPX files
  • Permits and fees
  • Altitude, explained
  • Getting there and home

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The whole Day 7, Pheriche to Gorak Shep page from the guide as a PDF, plus my hut-to-hut packing list: the 35 things I carry, with a note on each. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

Gear on this trip

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What I carried in 2021

  • Day baga day bagKeep your glasses or contacts in it: the morning after Day 1 I had neither.
  • Duffela duffel of trekking gear from the organizersIt went up on porters or yaks. I had the lightest duffel in the group.
  • Jacketa warm jacket with a hoodI wore it up high.
  • Headlampa headlampI needed it on Day 1, when we arrived in Phakding after dark.

Filming kit

  • CameraSony a7S IIIFor my locked-down tripod shots.
  • LensSony FE 20mm f/1.8 GNew on this trip, after the 16-35. A fixed prime: when I want a shot I just point and physically move instead of zooming.
  • DroneDJI Air 2SWith extra batteries, because I didn't know how much charging there would be on the trek.
  • Tripodmy tripodI'd set it up, walk through the shot and come back for the camera.
  • PhoneApple iPhone 12 Pro Max

What I'd take now

My current kit

Everything I use, in Tools

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Short answers

How many days do you need for the Everest Base Camp trek?
I walked 9 days on foot from Lukla to Everest Base Camp in October 2021, 52.6 miles on my GPS up to Base Camp and down to Pheriche, and flew out by helicopter. I skipped a night most people spend at Lobuche or Dingboche. Plan on about 13 or 14 days for the round trip on foot from Lukla, plus spare days in Kathmandu for the Lukla flights.
How high is Everest Base Camp?
Everest Base Camp is published at 17,598 ft (5,364 m). My highest night was Gorak Shep, 16,996 ft (5,181 m) on my GPS, and my high point was 17,618 ft (5,370 m) on the slope of Kala Patthar. Lukla, where the trek starts, is about 9,400 ft (2,860 m).
Do you need a guide for Everest Base Camp?
It's disputed. Since March 31, 2023, the Nepal Tourism Board has required foreign trekkers on the Everest Base Camp trek to go with a licensed guide and carry an agency TIMS card. The Khumbu municipality says a guide isn't mandatory in its area and issues its own Trek-Card. I found no settlement as of October 2026; hiring a licensed guide through a registered agency is the safe choice.
What permits do you need for Everest Base Camp?
Two in 2026: the Sagarmatha National Park entrance permit, NPR 3,000 for foreigners, and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Trek-Card, NPR 3,000 for most foreigners, issued in Lukla. In 2021 I paid NPR 3,000 and NPR 2,000. They're checked on the trail.
How do you avoid altitude sickness on the Everest Base Camp trek?
Go slowly. The CDC's guidance is not to raise your sleeping height by more than 500 m (1,650 ft) a night above 3,000 m, with an extra night for every 1,000 m. On this trail that means two nights in Namche and in Pheriche or Dingboche, and nights at Thukla and Lobuche before Gorak Shep. I went from Pheriche straight to Gorak Shep; don't copy that.
When is the best time to hike to Everest Base Camp?
October to November or March to May. December to February is cold with snow, and June to September is the monsoon. I walked in late October: mostly clear, cold mornings, and the busy season on the trail.

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