Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Finland: Euro Prices, Flights, Visa and Insurance

Last updated 3 October 2026. Trek prices are read from our own booking system. Euro figures use the European Central Bank reference rate of 2 October 2026, 1 euro = 1.1225 US dollars (the bank does not publish on weekends), so 1 US dollar is about 0.89 euro. Flight prices are snapshots from one day, and I say so wherever they appear.

Finnish trekkers who write to me tend to ask the same thing in the first line: what will Everest Base Camp really cost from Helsinki, in euros, door to door? The honest answer has three parts. The trek price I can give you to the dollar. The flight I can only show you a snapshot of, and from Helsinki that snapshot is not cheap. And the euro is not the currency you pay us in, so every euro figure below is a guide that will move a little.

This page is one trek, one budget and the arithmetic done in full: the fares I found, the visa, the permits, the health card that will not cover you, the Finnish holiday law, and the Nepali public holidays that fall in the trekking season. If you would rather ask a person, you do not need to call Nepal. We have someone in Finland.

If you want me directly, my WhatsApp is +977 9810351300. I answer it myself.

Is there a direct flight from Helsinki to Kathmandu?

Not that I could find. On 3 October 2026 I ran live searches from Helsinki to Kathmandu on Kiwi.com: leaving 19 October and returning 5 November, one sorted by price, one limited to a single change of plane in each direction with a cabin bag and a checked bag and no self-transfer, and, for comparison, searches for spring 2027 leaving 12 April and returning 29 April. I ran the main ones twice on the same day and the fares matched. Every result needed at least one change, and the cheapest ones needed two or three. I have no source for a nonstop, so I will not tell you one exists.

Finnair is the airline most Finns look at first, so I checked. Wikipedia's list of Finnair destinations has Delhi and Doha as current routes and no Kathmandu, and in my searches Finnair appeared only as the last leg of two cheap itineraries home from Frankfurt. I could not read Finnair's own timetable, so I am not claiming anything about it beyond that. If you hold Finnair Plus points, ask whether they can be used on a partner itinerary to Kathmandu.

What did the flights actually cost on one day?

This is where travel pages invent numbers, so here is exactly what I saw on Kiwi.com on 3 October 2026, in euros, return, one adult, leaving Helsinki on 19 October and coming back on 5 November. The hours are the total of both directions, waiting time included. The bag column is what Kiwi.com listed as included: personal item, cabin bag, checked bag.

Route and airlines	Return fare	Notes
Out via Istanbul and Kuwait with Pegasus and Jazeera; back via Mumbai, Muscat and Istanbul with IndiGo and Pegasus	EUR 825	Two changes out, three back, separate tickets joined by the booking site, about 63 hours in total, no bags included
Out via Munich, Istanbul and Delhi with Lufthansa and IndiGo; back via Delhi and Frankfurt with Air India and Finnair	EUR 843	Three changes out, two back, about 57 hours in total, personal item only
Qatar Airways both ways via Doha	EUR 1,436	One change each way, about 52 hours in total including long waits in Doha, personal item, cabin bag and one checked bag included
Out with Emirates via Dubai; back with Qatar Airways via Doha	EUR 1,478	One change each way, about 56 hours in total, cabin bag and one checked bag included, no personal item
Out with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul; back with Qatar Airways via Doha	EUR 1,625	One change each way, about 51 hours in total, including a wait of about 8 hours 50 minutes in Istanbul on the way out, personal item, cabin bag and one checked bag included
Turkish Airlines both ways via Istanbul	EUR 1,717	One change each way, about 46 hours in total, personal item, cabin bag and one checked bag included

Read that table carefully. The two cheapest fares are not what they look like. They stitch together several airlines, and some of the pieces are likely to be separate tickets, so a late first flight can strand you at an airport with no one obliged to rebook you. The two cheapest fares in the price-sorted search listed no checked bag. When I searched again asking for a cabin bag and one checked bag, limited to one change each way and no self-transfer, the cheapest fare was the Qatar Airways return at EUR 1,436: QR302 leaves Helsinki at 17:15 on Monday 19 October and reaches Doha at 23:50, and QR644 leaves Doha at 10:30 the next morning and lands in Kathmandu at 17:45 on Tuesday 20 October. The way home is QR651 from Kathmandu at 11:05 on 5 November, reaching Doha at 13:20, and QR301 from Doha at 08:25 on 6 November into Helsinki at 13:35. Kiwi.com showed a second version of the same price with a 09:35 departure from Kathmandu. For a trekker with boots and a duffel, the realistic Helsinki figure is that one. Baggage allowances are as Kiwi.com listed them, so confirm the weight on the airline's own page before you pay.

Notice what the numbers say about Finland. Doha is the connection that works, and on these dates it means a wait of about ten and a half hours there overnight on the way out and about nineteen hours on the way home, so check whether you would sleep at the airport or need a hotel. Look at the hours too: 52 hours in total for the fare I would look at first. Helsinki is a long way from Kathmandu in practice, and that has to go into your leave calculation below.

Is spring cheaper than autumn from Helsinki?

I ran the same search for a spring trek: leaving Helsinki on 12 April 2027 and returning 29 April 2027, one change at most each way, no self-transfer, with a cabin bag and one checked bag. This was a snapshot taken on 3 October, six months ahead, so treat it as a signal, not a promise. Hours are the total of both directions, waiting time included.

Route and airlines	Return fare	Notes
Out with Qatar Airways via Doha; back with Emirates via Dubai	EUR 979	About 38 hours in total, lands in Kathmandu 13 April at 16:45, leaves Kathmandu at 00:35 on 29 April. A second version at the same price leaves Kathmandu at 19:55 and takes about 43 hours. Cabin bag and one checked bag, no personal item
Emirates both ways via Dubai	EUR 1,157	About 36 hours in total, back leaves Kathmandu at 00:35, cabin bag and one checked bag
Out with Qatar Airways via Doha (short wait); back with Emirates via Dubai	EUR 1,192	About 30 hours in total, the shortest trip I found, back leaves Kathmandu at 00:35, cabin bag and one checked bag
Out with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul; back with Emirates via Dubai	EUR 1,211	About 32 hours in total, back leaves Kathmandu at 00:35, cabin bag and one checked bag
Out with Qatar Airways via Doha; back with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul	EUR 1,266	About 35 hours in total, back leaves Kathmandu at 07:40, personal item, cabin bag and one checked bag

The cheapest spring fare with a checked bag was EUR 979 against EUR 1,436 for the autumn dates, about 457 euros less, and the journey was shorter by about fourteen hours. For about 213 euros more than the cheapest you could save a further eight hours in the air. Most of these fares leave Kathmandu at 00:35, which means leaving your hotel the evening before, so check the time and not only the date. I would not build a plan on one pair of dates. What I would take from it is that the flight is the part of the bill that moves, so if your budget is tight, search two or three date pairs before you choose the month. The trek price does not change between spring and autumn.

How much does a trek package to Everest Base Camp cost?

A 12-day Everest Base Camp trek package with us costs US$1,399 on Budget, US$2,499 on Standard and US$4,999 on Luxury, per person, which is about 1,246, 2,226 and 4,453 euros. It includes a licensed guide, all permits, transport to and from Lukla and the teahouse nights. It does not include your flight to Nepal, the visa, insurance, tips or your Kathmandu hotel. These come straight out of our booking system. They are the same for 2026 and 2027 departures, and the same whether you go privately or in a group.

Everest Base Camp, 12 days	USD per person	EUR, approximate
Budget	US$1,399	about 1,246 euros
Standard	US$2,499	about 2,226 euros
Luxury	US$4,999	about 4,453 euros

The difference between the tiers is not marketing, and I want you to be able to check it. On Budget you carry your own bag, rooms are shared and meals are not included. On Standard you get a porter shared between two trekkers, all meals and a private room. On Luxury you get your own dedicated porter, a private deluxe ensuite room, all meals with fruit, nuts and unlimited soft drinks, and the Lukla legs by helicopter both ways instead of a fixed-wing flight.

What is inside every tier: a licensed guide, the permits, airport pickup and drop-off in Kathmandu, the flights to and from Lukla on the fixed-wing tiers, the teahouse nights, a first aid kit and pulse oximeter, and a farewell dinner. What is outside every tier: your flight to Nepal, the visa, travel insurance, tips, your Kathmandu hotel and anything you buy on the trail. Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately, though you can stay in our own family homestay at US$15 per person per night, which helps fund the learning centre my family runs.

Our cost guide's rule of thumb is that a trek far below US$1,200 is paying its guide badly, skipping a permit or leaving out the flight, so ask any company what is in its price. The Lukla flights are a large part of a Budget price. A Kathmandu to Lukla ticket is about US$253 one way and about US$506 return, according to our own domestic flights guide, so a good part of US$1,399 is simply getting you to the trail and back. The full day-by-day route is on the Everest Base Camp Trek 12 Days page, and our Everest Base Camp cost guide has every line of the price.

If you want to skip the Lukla flight, or worry about it, there is one honest alternative. A shared helicopter seat from Kathmandu to Lukla is about US$640 per person, and about US$710 from Lukla back to Kathmandu, including government tax, bank charges and the fuel supplement. Luxury includes the helicopter both ways. Helicopter seats are shared and depend on availability and weather on the day, and the prices are a guide. The flights guide above has the full detail.

Kathmandu to Lukla and back	Price
Fixed-wing flight, one way (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$253
Fixed-wing flight, return (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$506
Shared helicopter seat, Kathmandu to Lukla	about US$640
Shared helicopter seat, Lukla to Kathmandu	about US$710
Both helicopter legs bought separately (my sum)	about US$1,350
Helicopter both ways (included on Luxury)	included

Do you need a guide, and what does a porter cost?

Yes, you need a licensed guide. Our own guide to trekking without one explains the rule as it applies since 2023: foreign trekkers entering a national park must be accompanied by a licensed guide from a TAAN-registered company, and the checkpoint at Monjo checks. I have not found the regulation text myself, so confirm it with the Nepal Tourism Board if you are thinking of going alone. Every trek we run includes a licensed guide, and a guide is also your safety: ours carry a first aid kit and a pulse oximeter.

The porter question is where the three tiers differ most. On Budget there is no porter and you carry your own bag. On Standard there is one porter for every two trekkers, carrying about 20 kg between you, so pack to about 10 kg in the duffel and keep a daypack. On Luxury you have a dedicated porter of your own. If you travel solo on Standard there is no porter, because porters are shared one to two, and your guide carries up to 10 kg of your gear instead. On Luxury a solo trekker still has a dedicated porter. If you want an extra porter on any tier, it is US$25 a day, with 13 per cent VAT and a 3.5 per cent bank charge on top, so ask us for the exact figure for your dates.

How much luggage can you take to Lukla?

Less than you think. On the mountain flights the allowance is about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, and every airline sets its own limit, so your ticket is the final word. Excess is paid by the kilo at the airport, and our flights guide says no airline publishes a Lukla excess rate. If the aircraft is at its weight limit, the extra bag flies later, so pack as if your duffel might arrive a day behind you. Camera and drone batteries count towards your hand carry. What you do not need on the trail stays at a Kathmandu hotel in Thamel, which we arrange. This matters for Finns in particular, because the large bag you check from Helsinki is not the bag you take on the Lukla plane.

What permits do you need, and are they included?

The Khumbu is not a restricted area, so there is no special trekking permit. You need three things, and we arrange and pay for all of them in every tier:

• Sagarmatha National Park entry: NPR 3,000 for foreigners.
• Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee: NPR 3,000.
• TIMS card: NPR 2,000.

That is NPR 8,000 in total, about US$52 or roughly 46 euros at the market rate on 3 October. None of it is added to your bill. I read the park and TIMS figures on the Nepal Tourism Board's own pages. The municipality fee was raised from NPR 2,000 to NPR 3,000 in September 2024, and I have no primary web page for it; it is collected on the trail, and our guides pay it for you.

You will see lower totals elsewhere. Some pages quote the permits at US$45 to US$60 and some say the TIMS card is no longer needed. We arrange TIMS for every trekker. It is run jointly by the Nepal Tourism Board and the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, and its purpose is to record who is on the trail in case of an accident or a natural disaster. Our permits guide covers the rest.

Do Finnish citizens need a visa for Nepal?

Yes, but it is simple. Finland is not on the list of twelve countries whose citizens must apply at a Nepali embassy before travelling, so you can get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan airport or apply online beforehand. The twelve are Afghanistan, Cameroon, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Syria and Zimbabwe. The fees published by the Nepal Department of Immigration are US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days. That is about 27, 45 and 111 euros.

Almost every Everest trekker needs 30 days, so budget US$50 and carry it in US dollars cash. Your passport must have at least six months of validity left on the day you travel. That is the one item on the list you cannot fix at the airport, so look at the date in your passport today. If you apply online, the payment gateway adds a convenience fee, and the approved visa is emailed to you to print. Our e-visa guide and our visa on arrival guide walk through both routes.

Does the Kela card or your Finnish insurance cover you in Nepal?

This is where Finnish trekkers get caught, so I am going to be blunt.

The European Health Insurance Card that Kela issues is for temporary stays in other countries, and Kela says you can use it in EU and EEA countries, in Switzerland and in Great Britain. Nepal is not on that list, so the card gives you nothing there. Kela itself says the card and travel insurance complement each other, and that it is a good idea to have both. Even inside Europe, the EU's own page says the card will not help with rescue and repatriation, and that it does not cover private healthcare. It gives the example of a Swedish skier who was rescued off a mountain in France and received a large bill, because search and rescue costs are not covered by the card.

So you need a private policy, and you need to read it. I have not read any Finnish insurer's full policy terms, so I cannot tell you which policy is good. What I can tell you is that a standard holiday policy is usually written for ordinary holidays, not for a 12-day trek to 5,000 metres, so do not assume it applies. Ask.

What I would ask for in writing before you buy: cover for trekking to at least 6,000 metres, because Kala Patthar is 5,545 metres, and helicopter evacuation for illness as well as accident. Altitude sickness is an illness, and a policy that pays only for accidents will not lift you off the mountain. Get the answer in an email from the insurer, and buy the policy at home before you fly. For scale, our main cost guide puts trekking cover at roughly US$50 to US$180 for two to three weeks, which is about 45 to 160 euros, and a helicopter evacuation from Base Camp to Kathmandu at US$3,000 to US$5,000. I have not priced Finnish insurers, so get a quote. Our insurance guide goes through what to look for.

Our cost guide gives three bands for two to three weeks: basic trekking cover up to 6,000 metres at US$50 to US$100, full travel plus trekking cover at US$100 to US$180, and premium cover with trip cancellation at US$150 to US$250. That is roughly 45 to 90, 90 to 160 and 135 to 225 euros. We check your policy before departure, and without one you cannot trek. Buy it at home, not in Nepal, and confirm in writing that it covers trekking above 5,000 metres and helicopter evacuation, because some ordinary travel policies exclude both.

What will you spend on the trail?

On Budget, where meals are not included, our cost guide says to add roughly US$25 to US$40 a day for meals, so US$300 to US$480 across twelve days, or roughly 267 to 428 euros. That is before showers, charging and wifi. On Standard and Luxury every meal is already paid for, so the money you carry goes much further. Prices rise with altitude because everything is carried up on a porter's back or by yak. These are the ranges from our own price list for the Everest trail, in Nepali rupees with dollars in brackets:

Item	Lukla to Namche	Namche to Dingboche	Above Dingboche
Dal bhat (rice and lentils, refills)	NPR 500 to 600 (US$4 to 5)	NPR 600 to 800 (US$5 to 6)	NPR 800 to 1,000 (US$6 to 8)
Pizza or pasta	NPR 600 to 700 (US$5 to 6)	NPR 700 to 900 (US$6 to 7)	NPR 900 to 1,200 (US$7 to 10)
Fried rice or noodles	NPR 400 to 500 (US$3 to 4)	NPR 500 to 700 (US$4 to 6)	NPR 700 to 900 (US$6 to 7)
Tea or coffee	NPR 80 to 100 (US$0.60 to 0.80)	NPR 100 to 150 (US$0.80 to 1.20)	NPR 150 to 250 (US$1.20 to 2)
Bottled water, 1 litre	NPR 150 to 200 (US$1.20 to 1.50)	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 500 (US$2.50 to 4)
Chocolate bar	NPR 150 to 200 (US$1.20 to 1.50)	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 400 (US$2.50 to 3)

Then the extras that surprise people: wifi, charging, hot showers and laundry. These are charged per use, and they jump above Namche:

Item	Lukla to Namche	Above Namche
Wifi, per device	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 500 (US$2.50 to 4)
Phone charging	free to NPR 200	NPR 200 to 500 (US$1.50 to 4)
Hot shower	NPR 200 to 300 (US$1.50 to 2.50)	NPR 300 to 500 or more (US$2.50 to 4 or more)
Laundry, per kilo	NPR 300 to 500 (US$2.50 to 4)	not available

A tip from our cost guide: buy an Everest Link wifi card in Namche for NPR 500 to 1,000. It works at most teahouses from Namche to Gorak Shep and is faster than teahouse wifi. A 20,000 mAh power bank saves roughly US$20 to US$30 in charging fees over the trek. A day at the top of the route with a shower, one charge, a litre of water and one wifi session comes to NPR 1,100 to 2,000, about US$7 to US$13. That is my own sum of the ranges above. Dal bhat is the best value on any teahouse menu, and our dal bhat guide explains why every guide in Nepal eats it twice a day.

Cash matters. Our cost guide says the only cash machines on the route are in Namche and they are often empty, so bring your trail money from Kathmandu. For Standard or Luxury, where meals are included, it suggests about NPR 20,000 to 30,000 (US$130 to US$195 at today's rate) for showers, charging, wifi, snacks and tips over the twelve days. On Budget, add the daily food money to that.

Tipping is customary and is not included in any price. Our cost guide's suggested figures are US$15 to US$20 a day for the lead guide, US$180 to US$240 over twelve days, and US$10 to US$15 a day for a porter, US$120 to US$180 over twelve days. Together that is US$300 to US$420. Tips are usually given at the end of the trek in Kathmandu, in a sealed envelope, and a group pools them. Cash in rupees is preferred, but dollars are accepted. On Budget there is no porter, so a solo trekker is looking at the guide's share only.

What does gear cost, rent or buy?

Gear is smaller money than people fear. On every tier we provide a down jacket and a sleeping bag rated to minus 15 at no cost, and a duffel bag on Standard and Luxury, so the most expensive items on a kit list are covered. For everything else, here are the ranges from our cost guide. The "at home" prices are that guide's general figures, not Finnish shop prices, which I have not checked. Divide by 1.1225 for euros.

Item	Rent in Kathmandu, per day	Buy in Kathmandu	Buy at home
Down jacket (we provide one free)	US$1 to 2	US$30 to 80	US$150 to 400
Sleeping bag, minus 15 (we provide one free)	US$1 to 2	US$40 to 100	US$200 to 500
Trekking poles, pair	US$1	US$10 to 25	US$50 to 150
Duffel bag, 65 litres	US$0.50 to 1	US$5 to 15	US$30 to 80
Fleece jacket	US$0.50 to 1	US$10 to 25	US$40 to 100
Waterproof jacket	US$1 to 2	US$25 to 60	US$100 to 300

Finns who already own good winter layers will find most of this table is a pair of poles and a rental. The one item I would buy at home and break in before you fly is your boots. Our cost guide has the full kit list.

What is the full cost from Finland?

One person, Budget tier, twelve days, flying with Qatar Airways from Helsinki at EUR 1,436, one change each way and a checked bag included. This table is the Budget column of the budget table further down, without tips, insurance and trail extras:

Item	USD	EUR, approximate
Trek, Budget tier (permits included)	US$1,399	1,246
Return flight, Helsinki, Qatar Airways snapshot, checked bag included	about US$1,612	1,436
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	45
Food on the trail, US$25 to US$40 a day for twelve days	US$300 to US$480	267 to 428
Total	about US$3,360 to US$3,540	about 2,995 to 3,155

If you take Standard or Luxury, the same flight, visa and trek arithmetic comes to this, before tips, insurance, Kathmandu hotels and your own spending money:

Tier	Trek + flight + visa, USD	EUR, approximate
Budget (plus US$300 to US$480 for meals on the trail)	about US$3,060	about 2,725
Standard (meals included)	about US$4,160	about 3,705
Luxury (meals and helicopter included)	about US$6,660	about 5,935

Three things sit outside those totals on purpose. Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately. Insurance is yours to buy, for the reasons above. And your spending money for the days either side of the trek is yours too.

If you took the cheapest fare in the flight table, EUR 825, the Budget arithmetic gives about US$2,675 to US$2,855, or about 2,385 to 2,545 euros, with the same food range. That is roughly 610 euros less, and it buys you five changes, about 63 hours of travel and no bags. I will not tell you which to choose, but you should see both numbers.

How expensive is it to hike to Everest Base Camp?

From Helsinki, a solo trekker on our Budget tier should plan on about US$3,590 to US$3,960 (roughly 3,200 to 3,530 euros) for the whole trip, before a Kathmandu hotel. Of that, the trek is US$1,399, the flight about US$1,612 on the autumn snapshot, and the rest is the visa, food on the trail, a tip for the guide and insurance. Standard comes to about US$4,390 to US$4,580 and Luxury about US$7,010 to US$7,260, and showers, charging and wifi can add up to about US$150 to any of them. The flight is the part that moves most, and the cheapest spring fare I found was about 457 euros under the autumn one. The table below shows every line.

What is the budget for a 12-day trek to Everest Base Camp?

The trek is twelve days, but you will be away from Finland for about nineteen. Here is the whole budget for one person travelling alone, with every line from a source above. Tips are the suggested figures from our cost guide, and insurance is the basic-to-full range from the same guide. Kathmandu hotels are not in it, because they are quoted separately.

Line	Budget	Standard	Luxury
Trek, 12 days, permits included	US$1,399	US$2,499	US$4,999
Return flight Helsinki to Kathmandu, Qatar Airways autumn snapshot	about US$1,612	about US$1,612	about US$1,612
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	US$50	US$50
Meals on the trail	US$300 to US$480	included	included
Tips, suggested figures	US$180 to US$240 (guide only)	US$180 to US$240 (guide only, solo)	US$300 to US$420 (guide and dedicated porter)
Travel insurance	US$50 to US$180	US$50 to US$180	US$50 to US$180
Total, USD	about 3,590 to 3,960	about 4,390 to 4,580	about 7,010 to 7,260
Total, EUR at 1.1225	about 3,200 to 3,530	about 3,910 to 4,080	about 6,245 to 6,470
Showers, charging, wifi (not in the totals)	up to about US$150 more	up to about US$150 more	up to about US$150 more

How the totals are built: Budget low is 1,399 + 1,612 + 50 + 300 + 180 + 50 = 3,591, and high is 1,399 + 1,612 + 50 + 480 + 240 + 180 = 3,961. Standard low is 2,499 + 1,612 + 50 + 180 + 50 = 4,391 and high 2,499 + 1,612 + 50 + 240 + 180 = 4,581. Luxury low is 4,999 + 1,612 + 50 + 300 + 50 = 7,011 and high 4,999 + 1,612 + 50 + 420 + 180 = 7,261. The extras line is my own sum: a shower, charging, a litre of water and wifi on a day at the top of the route cost NPR 1,100 to 2,000, about US$7 to 13, so US$150 is a safe ceiling for twelve days, and most days cost less. Solo Standard has no porter, so its tip is the guide's alone. Groups pay less per head than the table shows, because of the group prices below.

What can move the number. The flight can go either way by several hundred euros. A cancelled Lukla flight adds Kathmandu nights or a helicopter seat. A card payment of the balance carries 3.5 per cent. None of those is in the totals, and the next section lists them.

What else costs money that no package price shows?

• Delays. A grounded Lukla flight means extra nights in Kathmandu, from US$15 a night at our family homestay, or a shared helicopter seat from Lukla to Kathmandu at about US$710 if you must be home on a date.
• Card charge and bank margin. Paying the balance by card carries 3.5 per cent. Your own bank may add a currency margin on top, so ask it.
• The online visa fee. If you apply online, the payment gateway adds a convenience fee to the US$50.
• Laundry. About NPR 300 to 500 a kilo, and not available above Namche.
• Charging and wifi. Free to NPR 500 per charge depending on altitude, and a wifi card in Namche for NPR 500 to 1,000. A 20,000 mAh power bank saves about US$20 to US$30 of charging fees, according to our cost guide.
• An extra porter. Explained in the porter section above, with the taxes on top.
• Excess baggage on the Lukla flight. Our flights guide says no airline publishes a Lukla excess rate, so ask us for the current figure before you fly. It is paid by the kilo at the airport.
• Closures. Government offices and many shops close during Dashain and Tihar, so sort cash and paperwork before the holiday starts.

Does it get cheaper as a group?

Yes, and only by group size. Here is the whole table from the live trek page.

Group size	Budget	Standard	Luxury
1 to 4 people	US$1,399	US$2,499	US$4,999
5 to 8 people	US$1,299	US$2,449	US$4,949
9 to 12 people	US$1,199	US$2,399	US$4,899
13 to 20 people	US$999	US$2,349	US$4,849

The price is the same whether you book privately or as a group, and we never add strangers to a private booking. Six friends from the same hiking club pay less each than six separate travellers would, simply because you are six. Solo trekkers are welcome, and there is no single supplement on Everest Base Camp because your guide joins you from Lukla.

How many days off do you need, and what does Finnish law say?

Ask for nineteen days away from Finland, not seventeen. That is two days of travel each way, which the 52-hour fare above makes realistic, twelve on the trek and three spare in Kathmandu. Those spare days are not a luxury. The Lukla flight is weather dependent and delays are routine, and a trekker with no buffer is a trekker who misses the flight home. During the peak months, March to May and October to November, fixed-wing flights to Lukla leave from Manthali rather than Kathmandu, which means a drive of four to five hours with a hotel pick-up at 1 or 2 in the morning. We tell every client this before they book. We confirm the road is open 48 hours before departure, and if it is not, we find an alternative. Helicopters are not affected.

Now the Finnish side. I read the English translation of the Annual Holidays Act (162/2005) on Finlex. Section 5 gives an employee two and a half weekdays of holiday for each full holiday credit month, and two weekdays per month if the employment has lasted less than a year at the end of the holiday credit year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. For a full year that is 30 weekdays. The detail that helps a trekker is how the Act counts a weekday: it is any day other than Sundays, church festivals, Independence Day, Christmas Eve, Midsummer Eve, Easter Saturday and the first of May. Sundays do not use up your leave, so a nineteen-day trip with two or three Sundays in it costs about sixteen or seventeen weekdays, not nineteen.

The catch is timing. Section 20 says holiday is granted at a time determined by the employer, unless you and the employer agree otherwise. The Act also says 24 weekdays of the holiday must be taken in the holiday season, 2 May to 30 September, and the rest, the winter holiday, must be granted by the start of the next season. A trek in October or November is therefore a winter-holiday conversation, and an April trek is not summer holiday at all. Either way, it needs your employer's agreement, so have that talk early. I am not a lawyer, and the Finnish text is the binding one, so check your own contract and any collective agreement.

The Finnish calendar helps a little. In 2027, Good Friday is 26 March, Easter Sunday 28 March and Easter Monday 29 March, which sits right at the start of the spring trekking season. May Day, 1 May, falls on a Saturday, and Ascension Day is Thursday 6 May. For autumn 2027, All Saints' Day is the Saturday between 31 October and 6 November, which is 6 November. I computed these from the Easter rules on the public holidays list and have not checked them against an official 2027 calendar.

One more small thing: time. Nepal is on UTC+5:45 all year. Finland moves its clocks back on the last Sunday of October, which in 2026 is 25 October, so Nepal is 2 hours 45 minutes ahead of Helsinki until then and 3 hours 45 minutes ahead afterwards. That matters when you ring home from the trail.

Does Nepal close for Dashain and Tihar?

For government offices, yes, and Finnish trekkers rarely hear about it until they land. Nepal's government publishes its public holidays each year in the Nepal Gazette (Nepal Rajpatra). The Ministry of Home Affairs notice for the year 2083, dated 18 Falgun 2082, says:

• Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain, is on Asoj 25, a Sunday, which is 11 October 2026.
• The Dashain holiday runs from Asoj 31 (Saturday) to Kartik 6 (Friday), which is 17 to 23 October 2026.
• The Tihar holiday runs from Kartik 22 (Sunday) to Kartik 26 (Thursday), which is 8 to 12 November 2026.
• Chhath is on Kartik 29, a Sunday, which is 15 November 2026.

The notice gives the dates in the Nepali calendar. I converted them to the Western calendar myself, using the Saturdays the same notice lists (Asoj 31 is a Saturday, and 17 October 2026 is a Saturday), so the match is consistent. The example flight above, leaving Helsinki on 19 October, lands in Kathmandu on 20 October, inside the Dashain holiday. Government offices and many shops are closed. This is not a reason to avoid October, which is the best month for views, but it is a reason to tell us your dates early so permits and paperwork are sorted before the closures. The 2027 dates will be in the notice for the year 2084, which has not been published yet.

When should you go, autumn or spring?

October is the most reliable month and the busiest. Mid-November into early December is cold at night, very clear and much quieter. March and April are warmer, with the rhododendrons in flower, and are the second busiest season. June to mid-September is the monsoon and I will talk you out of it. Late October can bring the tail of a Bay of Bengal cyclone, so build a spare day into your flights home. Our month-by-month guide goes deeper.

Is Everest Base Camp hard, and how do you prepare?

If you can walk five to seven hours a day on consecutive days, you have the fitness for it. Finns who hike in Lapland or spend weekends in the national parks usually already have the habit, and anyone who has skied all day in a Finnish winter knows what cold feels like. What no Finnish landscape can give you is the altitude. Finland's highest point is on a spur of Halti at 1,324 metres, on the border with Norway, and the summit itself, at 1,365 metres, is just across the line in Norway. Base Camp is 5,364 metres, about four times Finland's highest point, so you will spend days sleeping higher than you have ever been. That is a reason to walk slowly and take the acclimatisation days seriously, not a reason to stay home.

Our guides carry an oximeter, not bottled oxygen. If you want a canister available we can arrange it at cost, and I will tell you honestly that most trekkers who walk slowly and listen to their guide never need it. Our fitness guide shows what the days really demand.

Can a beginner do the Everest Base Camp trek?

Yes, if you are healthy and can walk five to seven hours a day on consecutive days. The route needs no ropes, crampons or climbing skill. What stops people is altitude, not technique, and fitness does not protect you from it: a very fit trekker can get altitude sickness while a slower walker does not. That is why the itinerary has acclimatisation days and why I tell beginners to walk slowly, drink water and tell the guide about every headache. Our guides carry an oximeter, so they can check you instead of guessing.

For a first big trek, my suggestion is to spend the two months before you fly on long walks with a loaded pack, on back-to-back days, and on stairs if your part of Finland is flat. See your doctor first if you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition. Insurance matters more for a beginner, not less, for the reasons in the Kela section above.

What does Finland have to do with Everest?

According to Wikipedia, Veikka Gustafsson became the first Finn to reach the summit of Everest in 1993, with bottled oxygen. In 1997 he climbed it again without bottled oxygen, the first Finn to do so, and he went on to summit all fourteen of the world's eight-thousand-metre peaks. A Base Camp trek is a different undertaking from a summit, and I will not pretend it is the same. But it walks into the same mountain's shadow, and for many Finnish trekkers that is reason enough.

From our guides: what a price list will not tell you

A price list is the easy part. Here is what this page adds for a Finnish trekker, and what we know first-hand.

• The checked-bag gap. From Helsinki, the two cheapest autumn fares I found listed no checked bag, and the cheapest fare with one was EUR 1,436, about EUR 610 above the cheapest headline price. A trekker needs boots and a duffel, so the headline price is not the real price. In spring the same comparison was about five euros.
• Two bag limits, not one. You can check a full bag from Helsinki, but the mountain flights allow about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, and the extra goes on a later flight if the aircraft is full. Pack for the small plane, not the big one, and leave the rest at a Thamel hotel, which we arrange.
• The real journey time. The fare I would look at first takes about 52 hours both ways in total. That changes how many days off you ask for.
• A midnight departure home. The cheapest spring fare leaves Kathmandu at 00:35, so you leave your hotel the evening before. Check the departure time, not only the date.
• The road to Manthali. In the busy windows, fixed-wing Lukla flights leave from Manthali, a four to five hour drive with a hotel pick-up at 1 or 2 in the morning. We tell every client before they book and confirm the road is open 48 hours before departure.
• Trail costs by altitude, summed. A day at the top of the route with a shower, charging, a litre of water and wifi costs NPR 1,100 to 2,000 (US$7 to 13) from the ranges in our price list, and the total is in the budget table. Few pages add it up.
• Finnish leave, counted properly. Sundays do not use up your leave under the Annual Holidays Act, and the employer chooses the timing unless you agree otherwise.
• Dates, from the Gazette. A 19 October departure lands inside the Dashain holiday, which runs 17 to 23 October 2026. Guides rarely mention it.
• Permits from the official figures. NPR 8,000 in total, and TIMS is still part of it.
• Insurance questions in writing. Altitude limit, helicopter evacuation for illness, and whether the insurer pays the helicopter directly or reimburses you afterwards. A helicopter from Base Camp to Kathmandu costs US$3,000 to US$5,000.
• Our refund terms in plain words. They are in the payment section below, so you can read them before you pay.

How do you pay from Finland?

A 10 per cent deposit confirms your booking, and the balance is due when you reach Kathmandu. We bill in US dollars only, by card or cash. Card payments carry a 3.5 per cent bank charge, and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We cannot take Nepali rupees from foreign clients. Your own bank may add a currency margin when it converts from euros, so ask it before you pay.

Please be clear on the terms before you pay. The deposit is non-refundable, and if you cancel there is no refund. What we do offer is free rescheduling, with at least 72 hours' notice, to any date within one year. For restricted areas and Tibet the notice is seven days. If we are the ones who cannot run your trip, we refund what you paid, less taxes, bank and card charges and any money already spent on permits and flights.

Check us before you pay

You are sending money to a company in another country, so verify us rather than trusting a nicely written page. We are The Everest Holiday Pvt. Ltd., registered in Nepal on 8 April 2016, TAAN member number 1586. You can check any Nepali operator through the Office of the Company Registrar, TAAN, the Department of Tourism licence register and the Nepal Rastra Bank forex certification. Ask any operator for those numbers and check them yourself. You can also read our over 300 reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot. Our Europe representative also attended the MATKA 2026 travel fair in Helsinki for us, and you can reach her on the Finnish number above.

I will also say what most operators leave out. Even fully licensed companies have been involved in scams. A licence is a floor, not a guarantee. Talk to us, ask hard questions, and see whether the answers are specific.

The questions Finnish clients ask me

Is there a direct flight from Helsinki? Not in my search, and I have no source for one. Every fare I found needed at least one change.

Does my Kela card work in Nepal? No. Kela says it is for EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and Great Britain, and it never covers rescue or repatriation. You need a private policy that covers trekking to altitude, in writing.

Do I need a guide? Yes. Our guide to trekking without one explains the rule in force since 2023: a licensed guide from a TAAN-registered company for foreign trekkers in national parks. I have not found the regulation text myself, so confirm with the Nepal Tourism Board. Every trek we run includes a licensed guide, and on restricted-area routes one is mandatory.

Can I bring a full suitcase to Lukla? No. Mountain flights allow about 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry, and our flights guide says no airline publishes a Lukla excess rate. Leave the rest at your Kathmandu hotel.

How much cash do I need on the trail? The only cash machines are in Namche and are often empty, so bring your trail money from Kathmandu. On Budget, plan US$25 to US$40 a day for food; on Standard and Luxury meals are included.

What if the Lukla flight is cancelled? That is what your spare days in Kathmandu are for. We rebook you, and on Luxury you are on a helicopter anyway.

Are permits included? Yes, in every tier. Sagarmatha National Park, the Khumbu municipality fee and the TIMS card, NPR 8,000 in total.

Is autumn or spring better? Autumn for weather and atmosphere, spring for cost and flowers. Both are good.

Can I talk to someone in Finland? Yes. Shradha Simkhada is our Europe representative, based in Espoo. Phone and WhatsApp: +358 45 353 8606.

If you want the numbers run for your dates and your group size, message me or Shradha on WhatsApp, or email [email protected]. I will give you the real figure, including the parts that are not in our favour. You may also want our country guides for other European markets, from Germany, from Poland and from the UK.

Lyhyesti suomeksi

Everestin perusleirin vaellus kestää 12 päivää, ja hinta on 1 399, 2 499 tai 4 999 Yhdysvaltain dollaria henkilöä kohti (noin 1 246, 2 226 tai 4 453 euroa EKP:n viitekurssilla 2.10.2026). Hintaan kuuluvat lisensoitu opas, luvat ja yöpymiset vaellusmajoissa. Hintaan eivät kuulu lennot Nepaliin, viisumi, matkavakuutus, Katmandun hotelli eivätkä juomarahat.

Suoraa lentoa Helsingistä Katmanduun en löytänyt. Hakuni 3.10.2026 näyttivät paluulennon hinnaksi noin 1 436 euroa syksyn päivämäärille (19.10.-5.11.2026, ruumaan menevä laukku mukana) ja 979 euroa kevään 2027 päivämäärille (12.-29.4.2027). Matka-aika oli noin 52 tuntia syksyllä ja noin 38 tuntia keväällä. Kelan Eurooppalainen sairaanhoitokortti ei kata Nepalia, joten tarvitset yksityisen matkavakuutuksen, joka kattaa vaelluksen vähintään 6 000 metriin ja helikopterikuljetuksen myös sairauden vuoksi. Budjettitason kokonaisbudjetti Helsingistä on noin 3 200-3 530 euroa ennen Katmandun hotellia.

Voit kysyä lisää Euroopan edustajaltamme Shradha Simkhadalta Espoosta: +358 45 353 8606 (puhelin ja WhatsApp).

About The Everest Holiday

We are a family company in Kathmandu, three generations of family guides, registered in 2016 and a member of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, number 1586. When you book with us you deal with the family, not a call centre, and the guide who meets you at the airport works for the same people who answered your first message.

Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center. We fully run the centre at Saldum, where 70 children learn with a teacher I pay for personally, and we have helped build and still support other community learning centres. It is where a real part of what you pay ends up.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation family guide. TAAN Member #1586.