Everest Base Camp and Island Peak in 18 Days: The Combination, Its Cost and Who It Suits

Last updated 13 October 2026.

Short answer: Our Everest Base Camp and Island Peak Climbing, 18 days walks the classic trail to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) and Kala Patthar (5,545 m), then turns east at Dingboche and climbs Island Peak, 6,165 m. It costs USD 4,420 (Budget), USD 5,835 (Standard) or USD 11,670 (Luxury) per person for 2 to 4 guests, and USD 6,040, USD 6,890 or USD 12,025 for one guest. The royalty, technical gear, climbing Sherpa, base camp food, emergency oxygen with the team and the USD 500 garbage fee are all in the price. The best months are April and May, then October and November.

I am Shreejan. Most people who write to me about Everest are asking two things at once. Do you want to see the mountain, and do you want to stand on something yourself? This trip answers both, in an order I chose on purpose. If you are planning 2027, this page covers how the 18 days run, the fitness you need, what each tier changes and when a shorter trip is the better choice.

Everest Base Camp and Island Peak at a glance

Why combine Everest Base Camp with Island Peak?

The order is the point. You spend the first nine days on the Everest trail, with a rest day in Namche Bazaar and another in Dingboche. By the time you walk up to Chhukung you have slept at 4,410 m, 4,940 m and 5,164 m, and you have stood on Kala Patthar at 5,545 m. Your body has had a long, slow lesson in altitude, and that is the best preparation I know for a summit day.

It also saves money against doing the two separately. At the 1 to 4 price, our 12-day Everest Base Camp trek plus our 14-day Island Peak climb add up to USD 4,898 on Budget, USD 7,498 on Standard and USD 14,998 on Luxury, and you would walk the same first days twice. The combination is USD 4,420, USD 5,835 and USD 11,670.

How do the 18 days run?

The first eight days are the Base Camp trail that I describe in my Everest Base Camp cost guide. Day 10 is where the trip changes character. You turn east into the Imja valley, away from the crowds, and Island Peak comes into view. My notes on Chhukung cover the last village you sleep in.

On day 11 you walk along the moraine of the Imja glacier to base camp, where our camp crew has put up the tents. In the afternoon your climbing Sherpa teaches you fixed-rope ascent with a jumar, descent with a figure-of-eight, crampon technique and ice-axe arrest, in daylight, on ground where a mistake is safe. If you want a picture of that camp, read what to expect at Island Peak Base Camp.

What is summit day like?

The alarm goes off at one in the morning. You leave camp at about two with a head torch, cross the glacier in roughly two hours, climb the steep headwall on fixed rope and reach the narrow summit ridge. At the top you see Lhotse, Makalu, Ama Dablam and Baruntse. Then you come back down to base camp. The hours depend on snow and weather and are set on the mountain.

Your climbing Sherpa decides whether and when we turn back, and his decision is final, whatever the reason: weather, snow conditions or how you feel. That is why day 13 exists. If conditions stopped you on day 12, you get a second attempt. If you summited, it is a rest day. Emergency oxygen stays with the climbing team. The price does not change if the summit is not reached. For the risk picture, read Is Island Peak dangerous?

Who is this trip for?

You do not need to have climbed before, because your Sherpa teaches the technique at base camp. You do need to be very fit and to have trekked at altitude. Trail days are 5 to 8 hours and summit day is longer. If you have never slept above 3,000 m, choose a shorter trek first. My guides to whether a beginner can climb Island Peak and the Island Peak training plan set out what to do, and I will tell you straight if I think you need more experience first.

What does it cost?

Prices are per person and are the same whether you travel privately or in a group of the same size. All climbs are private, and a child pays the same as an adult.

What you pay for on top: international flights, the Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, cash on arrival; see my visa guide, and for 18 days take the 30-day visa), Kathmandu hotel nights before and after, travel insurance bought at home, tips and personal spending. Insurance must cover climbing to 6,200 m and helicopter evacuation. We do not recommend insurance bought in Nepal. Our family homestay in Kathmandu is USD 15 per person per night.

What is included in the permits and fees?

The Nepal Mountaineering Association royalty for Island Peak is USD 350 in spring and USD 175 in autumn, winter and summer, and we cost the spring figure, so you pay the same in any month. The Sagarmatha National Park entry (NPR 3,000), the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee (NPR 3,000), the TIMS card (NPR 2,000) and the USD 500 garbage fee are all included too.

We apply for every permit. Climbing permits need 48 hours, counted in government working days, so Nepali weekends and public holidays do not count.

What do the three tiers change?

All three climb the same mountain with the same Sherpa, gear and permits. What changes is how you live on the trail and how you reach Lukla. An extra porter is USD 25 a day plus 13 per cent VAT and the 3.5 per cent bank charge. Kathmandu hotels are not included in any tier.

When is the best time to go?

My Everest region guide has the station averages behind these notes. Between roughly 15 March and 15 May and 25 September and 30 November the Lukla flights may leave from Manthali instead of Kathmandu, and we include the road transfer. Read Ramechhap versus Lukla, and keep a spare day before your flight home.

When should you choose a shorter trip instead?

If you only want the summit, our Island Peak climb, 14 days is shorter and cheaper: USD 3,499, USD 4,999 or USD 9,999 for 1 to 4 guests. It has the same Sherpa and gear but no Everest Base Camp and no reserve day at base camp. If you want Everest and no climbing, our Everest Base Camp trek, 12 days is USD 1,399, USD 2,499 or USD 4,999. If you cannot decide between Island Peak and another 6,000 m summit, read my comparison of Lobuche East and Island Peak, and for a first climb in a different valley, Mera Peak versus Island Peak.

Questions people ask

How much does Everest Base Camp with Island Peak cost? From USD 4,420 per person on Budget for 2 to 4 guests, USD 5,835 on Standard and USD 11,670 on Luxury. One guest pays USD 6,040, USD 6,890 or USD 12,025. Flights home, visa, Kathmandu hotels and insurance are extra.

How many days do you need for Everest Base Camp and Island Peak? Eighteen days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu, with a reserve day at base camp and a spare day at Lukla. Add a spare day before your flight home.

Can a beginner climb Island Peak after Everest Base Camp? You can if you are very fit and have trekked at altitude. You do not need earlier climbing experience, because your Sherpa teaches the skills at base camp. Tell me what you have done and I will say honestly if it is right.

What is the best month for Island Peak? April and May, then October and November. Spring has stable snow on the summit slope, and autumn has the clearest skies.

Is oxygen included? Emergency oxygen is kept with the climbing team on every tier.

What if the weather stops the summit? Day 13 is a reserve day for a second attempt. If neither attempt works, the permit, staff and flights are already spent, so there is no refund for an unclimbed summit.

How are the terms for this trip?

Group size is 1 to 20, and you can also climb alone. The deposit is 10 per cent and it is non-refundable, with no refund if you cancel. You can reschedule free of charge with at least 72 hours notice to any date within one year. The balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu in USD or EUR, cash or by card. Card carries 3.5 per cent and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients.

How do you plan this with us?

Message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300 with your dates, how many of you there are and what you have trekked or climbed before. I will tell you which tier and which route I would choose, and send you the exact quote.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.