Trekking through the foothills of the world’s peak has become quite popular these days. People call it the Everest Base Camp trek. Such treks take you through various trails of the Khumbu region of Nepal. Although primarily based in Khumbu, you can find many variations to the Everest Base Camp trek. This means that the Everest Base Camp trek map also has different variations. Your Everest Base Camp trek map can change based on your desired trek.
There are three major variations of the Everest base camp trek. They constitute the regular Everest Base Camp trek, the Everest Base Camp trek through Gokyo Ri, and the Three pass trek. These treks more or less cover similar type of trails. The Sagarmatha National Park area encompasses most parts of the trails for these EBC treks. The government of Nepal actively protects the region and houses rare wildlife and vegetation.
Despite most of the landscapes being in the same vicinity, the Everest base camp trek map varies for each trek. We at Eco Holidays Nepal have trek packages for all three variations of the EBC trek. Our itinerary and Everest Base camp trek map are more or less similar yet unique for them. Let us dissect and see how these treks vary from each other.
Regular Everest Base Camp trek map
Highest altitude - 5545 meters at Kala Patthar viewpoint
Days taken - 16 days maximum, 10 days minimum
Difficulty level - Moderate
Best time - Autumn, Spring
The regular Everest Base Camp trek is the most followed trekking route. It is one of the easiest and shortest Everest Base Camp trek variations This variation of the Everest Base Camp trek takes anywhere from 10 to 16 days. We have several packages with varied itineraries ranging from short 10-day treks to 16-day long treks. Despite the varied itinerary, the map for this trek is standard. The Everest Base camp trek map for this variation goes as follows:
Stop 1 - Kathmandu
Altitude - 1400 meters
Travel by - Plane to the Tribhuwan International Airport
Overnight stay - At a hotel in Kathmandu
The first step to starting your Everest Base Camp will be by reaching Nepal. You will do so by boarding a flight heading to Kathmandu. Upon your arrival at the Tribhuwan International Airport, we will receive you. You will be checked into a hotel in Kathmandu for the day. This will be the overnight stop for the day.
We might stay a day more in Kathmandu for a short sightseeing or leave the next day. This depends on your trek package and itinerary.
Stop 2 - Lukla
Altitude - 2820 meters
Travel by - Plane to the Lukla Airport
After your arrival in Kathmandu, you will head towards Solukhumbu next. It starts with boarding a flight to the Lukla airport. The flight will seem a little scary, but the pilots here are quite skilled and will land the plane very safely. The flight will be quite scenic, and you’ll get beautiful vistas of the nearby mountains. Vistas of Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Everest, etc., can be visible through this flight.
Observing the Himalayas from the sky will be a tremendously beautiful sight.
Stop 3 - Phakding
Altitude - 2657 meter
Travel by - Foot
After you arrive at Lukla, you will have to head to Phakding to continue the Everest Base Camp trek. This usually happens the same day you arrive at Lukla. You will walk through the alpine Himalayan forest for the trek. The trails will slightly descend from Lukla, passing through varied landscapes. You will encounter the Dudh Koshi River through this walk.
There will also be some suspension bridges to cross during this trek. The clear milk-like water flowing below the suspension bridges will give you the thrill of kicking off this trek. After around four hours of trek, you will arrive at Phakding. This is the usual stop for an overnight stay. You will check into a local lodge of Phakding and get a well-deserved good night’s sleep.
Stop 4 - Namche Bazaar
Altitude - 3440 meter
Travel by - Foot
The next stop at your Everest Base Camp trek will be Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is popularly known as the gateway to Everest. It is a beautiful Sherpa town that houses a lot of amenities on the remote trails of Khumbu. You will find many restaurants and even pubs here. The world’s highest-altitude pub lies in Namche Bazaar too.
Moving to Namche Bazaar from Phakding will require a few hours of uphill hiking. You will again encounter the Dudh Koshi River and pass some suspension bridges throughout the trek. Walking past a few Sherpa hamlets, you will arrive at Monjo. Here, you will enter the Sagarmatha National Park region and have to check in your permits.
After you enter the national park region, the trek takes you through an alpine jungle. A few suspension bridges past you will finally reach Naamche Bazaar. The town will welcome you with mesmerizing vistas of the Himalayas. People stop here for their overnight stay and check into a lodge. Another day is also usually spent here for acclimatization and exploration during the EBC trek.
Stop 5 - Tengboche
Altitude - 3867 meters
Travel by - Foot
After Namche, you will continue your route of the EBC trek by heading to Tengboche. It is a little higher than Namche but will not have many ascents. You will walk through certain sandy trails and come across a sight full of mountains. You will get beautiful vistas of mountains like Ama Dablam and Everest.
Further on your walk, you will make a small descent and find the Imja Tse River. This takes you into the Imja Valley. Entering the valley, you will pass along many hamlets, including one called Phunki Tenga. This place is usually a stop for lunch.
From Punki Tenga, you will now make an uphill walk through a winding trail. This region will have Rhododendron trees along the trail, especially during spring. After a total of 5 hours' worth of walking, you will reach a village with a monastery. This will be the fifth major stop of the EBC trek. The village is called Tengboche, and it is marked by the famous Tengboche monastery. The place again offers you beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountains.
People stay in Tengboche as one of their overnight stops. There are several overnight lodges or tea houses available here.
Stop 6 - Dingboche
Altitude - 4410 meters
Travel by - Foot
After Tengboche, the next stop for your Everest Base Camp trek will be Dengboche. You will have to make a slight descent from Tengboche and pass along a lush jungle. The trails along the forest house several Rhododendron trees. You can find it covered in flowers during spring. You will then pass through the vicinity of the Imja Tse River. You have to use a hanging suspension bridge to cross the river.
Crossing the Imja Tse River will take you to the Pangboche village. This is usually a stop for rest and food. Pangboche is also a traditional Sherpa hamlet like Tengboche and Dingboche. After a short rest, you have to make uphill hikes to reach the destination of Dingboche. The trail will give you clear vistas of Mt Ama Damblam throughout this hike. You will pass through a village called Shomare and then pass through a winding path. Then you will cross a suspension bridge to set foot on the fifth stop of your EBC trek at Dingboche.
This spot will be your next stop for an overnight stay before further continuing your EBC trek. It has plenty of tea houses for a comfortable night’s stay.
Stop 7 - Lobuche
Altitude - 4910 meters
Travel by - Foot
After Dingboche comes Lobuche. You must do a slight uphill climb toward a place with prayer flags and monuments. From this point, you will make descents along the trails walking with sights of mountains Taboche and Cholatse on the horizon. A few hours' worths of walking will then lead you to a hamlet called Thugla. This spot is a lunch stop for most EBC trekkers.
After resting in Thugla, the route takes you to another ascent leading to a hilltop. This place also has player flags and serves as a memorial for people who lost their lives in the mountains. From this point, you will just have to make a short uphill climb to reach Lobuche. You will have to walk for about 5 hours total, starting from Dingboche to reach Lobuche.
The village welcomes you with stunning views of the peak Lobuche. It lies just at the foothills of Mount Lobuche. This is another overnight stay spot at the Everest Base Camp trek.
Stop 8 - Everest Base Camp
Altitude - 5364 meters
Travel by - Foot
The next stop on the EBC trek will be the main destination, the Everest Base Camp. After your overnight stay at Lobuche, you will head for the Everest Base Camp. The walk today will be a little different that usual. You will walk up to the Base camp and retrace your steps back a little to Gorakshep. There are no tea houses available in the base camp, so you will have to return to Gorakhshep.
The walk today will consist of hikes through the moraines of the Himalayas. You will reach Gorakshep and stop for lunch. Along with rest and lunch, people also leave their luggage in the tea house to return back at. After all this business, you ought to continue your walk. You will find the Khumbu glacier as you aim for the base camp. This will be one of the major stops for your Everest Base Camp trek.
Stop 9 - Gorakshep
Altitude - 5180 meters
Travel by - Foot
After you reach the base camp, you will retrace your steps back to Gorakshep. You will walk through the same moraines as you came through. A short descent from the base camp will lead you right back to Gorakshep.
You will check into your overnight stay tea house for much-needed rest and food.
Stop 10 - Kala Patthar
Altitude - 5545 meters
Travel by - Foot
One of the other major attraction points in the Khumbu region is the Kala Patthar viewpoint. After you are done reaching the main destination of the base camp, you can visit Kala Patthar. This place is the best region to get panoramic views of Mount Everest. To reach Kala Patthar, you will have to do a short climb from Gorakshep. You will have to walk through the Khumbu glacier to reach the viewpoint.
A few steps will take you to Kala Patthar, which will be the highest point throughout this trek. Here, you will see the best vistas of Everest. It is best to visit the viewpoint during sunrise or sunset.
Stop 11 - Pangboche
Altitude - 3900 meters
Travel by - Foot
After viewing the mountain from Kala Patthar's viewpoint, you will retrace your steps back home. You will walk back to Gorakshep, gradually descending from the viewpoint. You will follow the same route and return to your tea house. After having your meal, you will head to the village of Periche.
From Periche, you will head downhill to another stop at Pangboche.
Stop 12 - Namche Bazaar
Altitude - 3400 meters
Travel by - Foot
The next step back will be returning to the good old town of Namche Bazaar. You will continue retracing the same trail you had taken in the earlier parts of the trek. It will be a long day of trekking throughout the trails of Khumbu. You will walk for about 6 to 7 hours, but it will not be very tiring. You will mostly make a lot of descends to make your way to Naamche Bazaar.
The town will welcome you back. You will find the busy, hustling life of the city refreshing after spending days in remote villages. The town will have plenty of amenities for you. Enjoy your stay at Namche with good food and some drinks after such a tiring trek. You will take a room in one of the lodges of the town.
Stop 13 - Lukla
Altitude - 2840 meters
Travel by - Foot
You will now make a short trip to Lukla to catch a flight to get back home. It will be the same as how you first hiked from Lukla. You will make hikes leaving Namche behind and walking through lush forests. Encountering the Dudh Koshi River once again, you will pass through several suspension bridges. You will also pass the hamlet of Phakding, where you had stopped before.
After around 6 to 7 hours worth of walking, you will reach the destination of Lukla.
Stop 14 - Kathmandu
Altitude - 1400 meters
Travel by - Flight
You will now take a flight from Lukla to get back home. People mostly catch a flight back to Kathmandu. It will take the same 35 minutes it took for you to arrive here. The vistas will be unchanged, you will see the same mesmerizing views of the mountains from the sky.
After arrival in Kathmandu, you can easily get a flight back to your home country from the Tribhuwan airport. This will mark the end of the Everest Base Camp trek.
This is the aggregate idea of your general Everest Base Camp trek map.
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Everest Base Camp trek Map via other routes
There are two other major Everest Base Camp trek routes. They are the Gokyo and Three Pass routes. These treks are a little tougher and longer than the regular Everest Base Camp routes.
Everest Base Camp trek Map via Gokyo
Highest altitude - 5545 meters at Kala Patthar viewpoint
Days taken - 20 days maximum, 15 days minimum
Difficulty level - difficult
Best time - Autumn, Spring
The Everest Base Camp trek via Gokyo is very similar to the Everest Base Camp trek. The major difference is that it takes you to visit Gokyo Lake and Gokyo Ri.
The map begins the same way. You will first arrive at the Kathmandu international airport. Then you will take a beautiful scenic flight from Kathmandu Airport to Lukla. This flight will be quite beautiful, with amazing aerial views of the mountain. After landing in Lukla, the next stop on your Everest Base Camp trek map will be Phakding. The trek involves passing through lush alpine forests and suspension bridges. You will walk alongside the Dudh Koshi River.
From Phakding, you will take the road to Namche Bazaar. The trails will be more or less similar with a little altitude gain. After Namche, however, you will divert from the regular EBC trek map. You will make an uphill hike to the hilltop of Mong and slightly descend to a hamlet called Phortse Tenga. You will then do a gradual climb to the next spot, known as Dole.
You will now walk climbing up a small ridge to get to a village called Machhemara. After Machhemara, your next stop will be the most awaited Gokyo Lake. The vicinity of the lake shows you amazing views of the surrounding mountains. Find mountains like Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Makalu from here.
The trail also takes you to Gokyo Ri from Gokyo Lake. You can spend a day trekking there and return to Gokyo Valley. Then you have to head higher to Thangnak to trek to the toughest part of the trek. From Thangnak, you will cross the Tsho La pass to reach Dzongla. The pass is the primary connection of the Gokyo trek route with the EBC trails. The trail from Dzongla will take you downhill to the Sherpa hamlet of Lobuche.
The route from Lobuche now converges with the regular Everest Base Camp trek map. You will trek to the Everest Base Camp, passing through Gorakshep. This will be another major destination of this trek. Then you will return back to Gorakshep for overnight stays and regular amenities.
Another major destination you ought to visit during the EBC trek is Kalapatthar. You have to ascend higher than Gorakshep to reach this point. It is the best viewpoint to observe Everest in its entirety. From Kalapatthar, you will retrace your steps to head back to Namche via Pangboche. Then follow the same route you started earlier - Namche to Phakding to Lukla.
From Lukla, you will catch a flight back to Kathmandu, marking the official end of the trek.
Everest Base Camp trek Map via Three Pass
Highest altitude - 5545 meters at Kala Patthar viewpoint
Days taken - 22 days maximum, 18 days minimum
Difficulty level - very difficult
Best time - Autumn, Spring
The Everest Base Camp trek via the Three Pass is another variation of the EBC trek. It has the same basic outline as any other Everest Base Camp trek map. However, this trek takes a few steps further, adding more challenging destinations.
You will begin the trek by arriving at the Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu. Then you'll fly from Kathmandu to Lukla on a magnificent scenic journey. This flight will be breathtaking, with incredible aerial views of the mountain. Following your arrival in Lukla, the next stop on your Everest Base Camp trek itinerary will be Phakding. The route includes gorgeous alpine woods and suspension bridges. You'll be walking along the Dudh Koshi River.
Take the road to Namche Bazaar from Phakding. The trails will be similar, passing uphill alongside Dudh Koshi. From Namche, continue through the regular route of the Everest Base Camp trek. You will head for the Sherpa hamlet, Dingboche walking past Tengboche and Pangboche. From Pangboche, you will trek further, crossing the Imja Tse valley to reach Chukkung.
You will head to Lobuche from Chukking, crossing the Kogma La pass. It will be the first of the three passes you ought to traverse in this trek. The trail consists of descents leading to the Khumbu Glacier and blocks of ice. You will find ponds with Himalayan rocks and moraines.
The Lobuche route now connects with the standard Everest Base Camp trek map. You will trek to Everest Base Camp via Gorakshep. This will be another significant location on this journey. Then you'll return to Gorakshep for overnight lodgings and regular facilities.
Kalapatthar is another important stop on the EBC journey. You must climb a little more than Gorakshep to reach this location. It is the best vantage point for viewing Everest in its entirety. The trail for the trek continues from Kalapatthar to Dzongla. From Dzongla, you will traverse yet another pass to reach Thagnak. This will be the Tsho La pass.
You will then aim to walk towards Gokyo main Third Lake from Thangnak. Leaving the Gokyo Valley, you will traverse through the final pass of the EBC trek. You will cross the Renjo La Pass and descend to Lungdhen. From Lungdhen, you can converge back to the regular EBC trek trails to Namche Bazaar via Thame. Now you follow a regular path retracing your way back home. Head to Lukla, passing through the Dudh Koshi trails via Phakding.
Now take a flight from Lukla to get back to Kathmandu. From Kathmandu, you can board an international flight back to your home country.
Final Say
The Everest Base Camp trek comes in different forms. Their range varies based on difficulty level, route, and destination. Trekking through any of these regions will require you to travel with certified guides. People mostly travel with the help of trekking agencies for such treks. Traveling through such agencies allows for a safer and more comfortable trek. Your amenities, like food, transportation, accommodation, etc., are covered by the agencies.
If you are planning to do any of these variations of the Everest Base Camp trek, do remember us. In Eco Holidays, you can trust. We have specifically curated packages for many variations of the Everest base camp trek, especially do check out our top recommended trek package-Short Everest Trek Package. From range in trekking duration to treks of different difficulty levels, we have it all.
Contact us for more info or to book your Everest Base Camp trek.