Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Hong Kong: Prices in HKD, Nonstop Flights and Visa

Last updated 4 October 2026. Trek prices are read from our own booking system. Hong Kong dollar figures use a rate of 1 US dollar = 7.85 Hong Kong dollars. That is a rounding of the 2 October 2026 reference rate published by Frankfurter (7.8471; it uses European Central Bank data, and the bank does not publish on weekends) and the 4 October rate on Exchange Rate API (7.8469). The Hong Kong Monetary Authority says the Linked Exchange Rate System keeps the Hong Kong dollar within a band of HK$7.75 to HK$7.85 to one US dollar, so for this page the exchange rate hardly moves, and the dollar is the price you actually pay. Flight prices are snapshots from one day, and I say so wherever they appear.

Hong Kong trekkers who write to me usually open with the same question: what will Everest Base Camp really cost from Hong Kong, door to door, in Hong Kong dollars? 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, but I did find a nonstop from Hong Kong, and it did not appear on the date I first searched. And we bill in US dollars, so every Hong Kong dollar figure below is a conversion.

This page is about one trek only, Everest Base Camp, with the arithmetic done in full: the fares I found, the visa questions I could and could not answer, the permits, the time difference, and the holidays on both sides that fall in the trekking season. We already have a wider guide to trekking in Nepal from Hong Kong, and you can read it here. I wrote this page because Everest Base Camp deserves its own numbers. If you want the same sums for another country, we have written them for Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, the UK and Finland too.

If you want me directly, my WhatsApp is +977 9810351300. I answer it myself. Nepal is on UTC+5:45 and Hong Kong on UTC+8, so Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind Hong Kong all year. Neither place changes its clocks, according to Wikipedia. A message you send at 9 am in Hong Kong arrives at 6:45 am in Kathmandu, and I will usually reply within your working day.

Is there a direct flight from Hong Kong to Kathmandu?

Yes, but not on the date I first tried. On 4 October 2026 I ran a live search from Hong Kong (HKG) to Kathmandu on Kiwi.com: leaving 19 October and returning 5 November, with a cabin bag and a checked bag, on a single ticket (no self-transfer). A search limited to nonstop flights on those exact dates returned nothing. So I searched again, one way at a time, and found a Cathay Pacific nonstop. Out, CX603 leaves Hong Kong at about 18:55 and lands in Kathmandu at 21:45, which is about 5 hours 5 minutes in the air. Back, CX640 leaves Kathmandu at 22:55 and lands in Hong Kong at 05:20 the next morning, about 4 hours 10 minutes. All times are local airport times. The one-way searches also showed CX603 on most days from 20 to 30 October, at US$631 to US$844 one way. It also showed a single Nepal Airlines flight, RA410, on 24 October, leaving Hong Kong at 18:45 and landing at 21:45. I saw that one date only, so check the airline's own timetable for yours.

The return nonstop I use on this page is a day later than the dates I first picked: out on Tuesday 20 October, back on 5 November. Kiwi.com returned one itinerary for that pair of dates, at US$1,179. Booking the two one-way nonstops separately cost more: US$631 out on 20 October plus US$663 back on 5 November is US$1,294, so the return ticket was the better price in my search.

I also ran the wider search on the original dates, allowing one change of plane in each direction. It returned 15 itineraries, from US$969 to US$1,276. None of them was a nonstop. I show the main ones below, so you can decide what a saved day is worth to you.

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 4 October 2026, in US dollars, return, one adult, a cabin bag and one checked bag included, no self-transfer. The first six rows are the one-stop search, leaving Hong Kong on 19 October and returning on 5 November; the last row is the nonstop, leaving on 20 October. The hours are the total of both directions, waiting time included. Kiwi.com did not state baggage weights, so confirm them on the airline's own page before you pay.

Route and airlines	Return fare	Notes
Out via Kuala Lumpur (overnight there); home via Bangkok	US$969 (about HK$7,600)	The cheapest fare I found, about 38 hours 55 minutes in total. Out 19 October at 15:15, Kathmandu at 12:50 on 20 October (23 hours 50 minutes in all). Home from Kathmandu at 00:25 on 5 November, Hong Kong at 17:45 the same day, changing at Bangkok
China Eastern out via Kunming; home via Bangkok	US$989 (about HK$7,800)	Out 19 October at 21:15, Kathmandu at 15:35 on 20 October (20 hours 35 minutes in all). Home as in the row above
Air India out via Delhi (overnight there); home via Bangkok	US$1,107 (about HK$8,700)	Out 19 October at 08:20, Kathmandu at 06:35 on 20 October. Home as above
Air India out via Delhi (overnight there); a later Bangkok to Hong Kong flight home	US$1,152 (about HK$9,000)	Same outbound. Home from Kathmandu at 00:25 on 5 November, Hong Kong at 11:45 the same day. About 33 hours 35 minutes in total
Air India same-day connection via Delhi; home via Bangkok	US$1,276 (about HK$10,000)	The shortest of the 15 results, about 23 hours 10 minutes in total. Out 19 October at 08:20, Kathmandu at 20:10 the same day (14 hours 5 minutes in all). Home from Kathmandu at 00:25 on 5 November, Hong Kong at 11:45
Cathay Pacific nonstop both ways, out 20 October	US$1,179 (about HK$9,300)	The fare I use below. About 9 hours 15 minutes in the air in total. Out on CX603, 20 October, Hong Kong 18:55, Kathmandu 21:45. Home on CX640, 5 November, Kathmandu 22:55, Hong Kong 05:20 on 6 November

Look at what the numbers say. On the original dates the cheapest fare was US$969, but it takes about 39 hours of travel and puts you in Kathmandu at lunchtime on 20 October. The one-stop fare that gets you in the same evening, US$1,276, costs US$97 more than the nonstop I found a day later. If you can leave on the 20th, the nonstop looks like the better buy, and it saves a night of broken sleep in Kuala Lumpur or Delhi. If you must leave on the 19th, or you want the lowest fare and have the days to spare, US$969 saves US$210 (about HK$1,650) against the nonstop, and every total below comes down by that amount.

The nonstop has its own cost. CX603 lands at 21:45, so someone has to meet you late, and your Kathmandu hotel must be booked for the night of 20 October. Our team can arrange the pick-up. 20 October is also inside the Dashain holiday, which is covered below. And the return flight leaves Kathmandu at 22:55, so ask your hotel for a late check-out on 5 November. Check the transit rules for the country where you change planes on the cheaper fares too, because I have not.

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 HK$11,000, HK$19,600 and HK$39,200 at 7.85 Hong Kong dollars to the dollar. 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 prices 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	HKD, approximate
Budget	US$1,399	about HK$11,000
Standard	US$2,499	about HK$19,600
Luxury	US$4,999	about HK$39,200

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 (about HK$120), 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 (about HK$9,400) 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 (about HK$5,000), and about US$710 from Lukla back to Kathmandu (about HK$5,600), 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, HK$2,000
Fixed-wing flight, return (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$506, HK$4,000
Shared helicopter seat, Kathmandu to Lukla	about US$640, HK$5,000
Shared helicopter seat, Lukla to Kathmandu	about US$710, HK$5,600
Both helicopter legs bought separately (my sum)	about US$1,350, HK$10,600
Helicopter both ways (included on Luxury)	included

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

Every trek we run includes a licensed guide, and I would not walk this route without one. A licensed guide and agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023; the Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide. A guide is also your safety: ours carry a first aid kit and a pulse oximeter. Our own guide to trekking without one explains the situation, and the Nepal Tourism Board is the place to confirm the current position before you plan anything alone.

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 (about HK$200), 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. If you are travelling alone, our guide to the solo cost and the single supplement works through that case.

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. Lukla sits at 2,860 metres, on a short mountain runway, and the plane is small. What you do not need on the trail stays at a Kathmandu hotel in Thamel, which we arrange. This matters because the large bag you check from Hong Kong 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, roughly HK$410 at the same dollar rate. 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, and our Everest permits and fees page is the one to read for this route.

Do Hong Kong passport holders need a visa for Nepal?

I can tell you what the Nepal Department of Immigration publishes, and I can tell you what it does not say. I read its pages on 4 October 2026. Hong Kong is not on the list of twelve countries whose citizens must apply at a Nepali embassy before travelling: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Eswatini (listed by the Department as Swaziland), Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Syria and Zimbabwe. The Department says all other passport holders may get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan airport, and you can also apply online beforehand. The fees it publishes are US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days. That is about HK$240, HK$390 and HK$980.

Here is what I could not confirm. The Department's pages do not name the Hong Kong SAR passport or the British National (Overseas) passport anywhere I read, so I cannot tell you in the Department's own words how each is treated. They also list "Chinese nationals" among the groups who get a free visa, and say Chinese nationals may stay up to five months a year without paying. They do not say whether a Hong Kong or Macao passport counts as Chinese for that purpose, so do not assume it does. The only exemption list I found names the People's Republic of China for diplomatic, official and service passports, not ordinary ones. Passports from China itself, Hong Kong, Macao and the British National (Overseas) category are different documents, and I am not going to guess at any of them. Before you book, ask the Department of Immigration or a Nepali embassy or consulate which rule applies to your passport, and get the answer in writing. I would rather you read that here than discover it at the airport.

What the pages do say for everyone: your passport must be valid for at least six months before the date of travel, the maximum tourist stay is 150 days in a calendar year, and the online application asks for a recent photo on a white background and a scan of your passport. Online payment is by card in US dollars. Almost every Everest trekker needs 30 days, so budget US$50, and carry some US dollars in cash in case you pay at the airport. Our e-visa guide and our visa on arrival guide walk through both routes.

What does the Hong Kong government say about travel to Nepal?

I looked for it and could not find it. On 4 October 2026 I tried to open the Hong Kong Security Bureau's outbound travel alert pages, and the addresses I tried did not load, so I have not read any alert for Nepal and I will not guess at what it says. Please read the government's own advice for Nepal before you book, because alerts change, and conditions in Nepal can change after any notice. Lukla landings are by sight, flights can be grounded for days, and the best protection is a buffer in your plans, which is the next point.

Will your Hong Kong health insurance cover you in Nepal?

I have not checked what any Hong Kong employer or personal medical plan pays for treatment abroad, and I am not going to guess. What I can say is general: no ordinary insurance you hold at home should be assumed to pay for a helicopter rescue from the mountains or to bring you home from Nepal. Ask your insurer, and get the answer in writing.

So you need a policy that is written for trekking, and you need to read it. 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. I have not read any Hong Kong insurer's policy terms, so I cannot tell you which policy is good. Ask.

What I would ask for in writing before you buy: cover for trekking to at least 6,000 metres, because Kala Patthar is over 5,500 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 cost guide puts a helicopter evacuation from Base Camp to Kathmandu at US$3,000 to US$5,000, about HK$23,600 to HK$39,300. I have not priced Hong Kong 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 HK$400 to HK$800, HK$800 to HK$1,400 and HK$1,200 to HK$2,000. 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. The question of what a policy pays for a helicopter is covered at more length in our guide to insurance with helicopter cover.

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 HK$2,400 to HK$3,800. 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, or about HK$55 to HK$100. 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, or about HK$1,000 to HK$1,500) for showers, charging, wifi, snacks and tips over the twelve days. On Budget, add the daily food money to that. Remember that Nepali rupees are for you to spend on the trail; we bill foreign clients in US dollars only.

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 (about HK$1,400 to HK$1,900), and US$10 to US$15 a day for a porter, US$120 to US$180 over twelve days (about HK$900 to HK$1,400). Together that is US$300 to US$420, about HK$2,400 to HK$3,300. 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 cold-weather items on a kit list are covered, and you may own few of them. For everything else, here are the ranges from our cost guide. The "at home" prices are that guide's general figures, not Hong Kong shop prices, which I have not checked. Multiply the dollar figures by about 7.85 for Hong Kong dollars.

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

Most of this table is a rental, so you do not need to buy a mountain wardrobe in Hong Kong. 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 Hong Kong?

One person, Budget tier, twelve days, flying the Cathay Pacific nonstop at US$1,179 (out 20 October, back 5 November), a checked bag included. This table is the Budget column of the budget table further down, without tips, insurance and trail extras:

Item	USD	HKD, approximate
Trek, Budget tier (permits included)	US$1,399	HK$11,000
Return flight, Hong Kong nonstop, US$1,179 snapshot, checked bag included	US$1,179	HK$9,300
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	HK$390
Food on the trail, US$25 to US$40 a day for twelve days	US$300 to US$480	HK$2,400 to HK$3,800
Total	about US$2,928 to US$3,108	about HK$23,000 to HK$24,400

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	HKD, approximate
Budget (plus US$300 to US$480 for meals on the trail)	about US$2,628	about HK$20,600
Standard (meals included)	about US$3,728	about HK$29,300
Luxury (meals and helicopter included)	about US$6,228	about HK$48,900

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 take the cheapest fare I found instead, US$969, every total above comes down by US$210, about HK$1,650.

How expensive is it to hike to Everest Base Camp?

From Hong Kong, a solo trekker on our Budget tier should plan on about US$3,158 to US$3,528 (roughly HK$24,800 to HK$27,700) for the whole trip, before a Kathmandu hotel. Of that, the trek is US$1,399, the flight US$1,179 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$3,958 to US$4,148 and Luxury about US$6,578 to US$6,828, and showers, charging and wifi can add up to about US$150 to any of them. The flight is the part that moves most. 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 Hong Kong for about sixteen days on the fare I use. 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 Hong Kong to Kathmandu, US$1,179 autumn snapshot	US$1,179	US$1,179	US$1,179
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 3,158 to 3,528	about 3,958 to 4,148	about 6,578 to 6,828
Total, HKD at 7.85	about HK$24,800 to HK$27,700	about HK$31,100 to HK$32,600	about HK$51,600 to HK$53,600
Showers, charging, wifi (not in the totals)	up to about US$150 more (HK$1,200)	up to about US$150 more	up to about US$150 more

How the totals are built: Budget low is 1,399 + 1,179 + 50 + 300 + 180 + 50 = 3,158, and high is 1,399 + 1,179 + 50 + 480 + 240 + 180 = 3,528. Standard low is 2,499 + 1,179 + 50 + 180 + 50 = 3,958 and high 2,499 + 1,179 + 50 + 240 + 180 = 4,148. Luxury low is 4,999 + 1,179 + 50 + 300 + 50 = 6,578 and high 4,999 + 1,179 + 50 + 420 + 180 = 6,828. 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 a few hundred dollars: the fares I saw on one day ranged from US$969 to US$1,276 on the original dates, and the nonstop sat inside that range at US$1,179 on a different date. 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 (about HK$120) 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 or card issuer may add a currency margin on top when it converts Hong Kong dollars to US dollars, so ask it.
• 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.
• A hotel on a long change of plane. The cheapest fares wait many hours between flights, in Kuala Lumpur, Delhi or Kunming. If you will not sleep at the airport, add a night.
• A late-night arrival. The CX603 nonstop lands at 21:45, so you want your Kathmandu hotel booked for the night of 20 October, not the next.
• 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, in US dollars. For Hong Kong dollars, multiply by about 7.85.

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 office or hiking club pay less each than six separate travellers would, simply because you are six. A group of five on Budget pays US$1,299 each (about HK$10,200), which is US$100 each (about HK$800) less than going alone. 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?

On the nonstop fare I use, you fly out on the evening of Tuesday 20 October and land back in Hong Kong at 05:20 on Friday 6 November. The weekdays you must cover, counting the Friday you land, are Tuesday 20 October to Friday 6 November, which is 14 weekdays (4 + 5 + 5). The flying itself is about nine hours in total, and the trek is twelve days. If the trek starts the morning after you land, that leaves about four spare days before the flight home. Those spare days are not a luxury. The Lukla flight is weather dependent and delays are routine, and the best protection against a grounded flight is a buffer before your flight home. In the busy windows, roughly 15 March to 15 May and 25 September to 30 November by our working dates, 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 between midnight and 2 am. Our Manthali guide has the detail. 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 Hong Kong side. I read the Hong Kong government's list of general holidays for 2026 on 4 October 2026. The Chung Yeung Festival falls on Sunday 18 October, so Monday 19 October is a general holiday in its place. The list shows no other general holiday between then and Christmas Day, so none falls inside 20 October to 6 November. That also means that if you take the one-stop fare that leaves Hong Kong on the afternoon of Monday 19 October, your first day away is a public holiday, and the weekdays you need drop to 13 (Tuesday 20 October to Thursday 5 November, as the cheapest fare lands back in Hong Kong at 17:45 that day). What I did not do is read Hong Kong's annual leave rules: I could not open the Labour Department pages I tried, so I am not quoting a number of leave days. Count your own leave balance against the weekdays above, and ask your employer to agree the dates in writing, well ahead.

One more small thing: time. Nepal is on UTC+5:45 all year and Hong Kong on UTC+8, so Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind. A 07:00 call from the trail is 09:15 in Hong Kong. That matters when you ring home.

Does Nepal close for Dashain and Tihar?

For government offices, yes, and 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 flights above land in Kathmandu on 19 or 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?

We grade Everest Base Camp Strenuous. If you can walk five to seven hours a day on consecutive days, you have the fitness for it. Hong Kong's hills give you a start: you can train with a loaded pack on back-to-back days on steep stairs and trails. What they cannot give you is the air. According to Wikipedia, Tai Mo Shan is the highest peak in Hong Kong at 957 metres. Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side is 5,364 metres, about 4,407 metres higher than Tai Mo Shan and about 5.6 times its height, and Everest itself is 8,848.86 metres, about 9.2 times higher. 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.

Fitness does not protect you from altitude, and I say that to every strong hiker who writes to me. A very fit trekker can get altitude sickness while a slower walker does not. 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. 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 or hill paths. If you live in a city flat, stairs and a weighted daypack do the job. 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 insurance section above. And if you come from a warm, humid climate, expect to feel the cold: the nights are cold, and that is why we provide the down jacket and sleeping bag.

How does Everest compare with Tai Mo Shan?

The only Hong Kong connection to Everest that I can source is a measuring one, so I will not dress it up as more. Wikipedia gives Tai Mo Shan as 957 metres, the highest peak in Hong Kong, and Everest as 8,848.86 metres after the 2020 survey by Nepali and Chinese authorities. A Base Camp trek is a different undertaking from climbing Everest, and I will not pretend it is the same. You can fly in, and we will carry your bag if you pay for a porter. But it walks into the shadow of a mountain more than nine times as high as anything in Hong Kong, and for many Hong Kong hikers 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 Hong Kong trekker, and what we know first-hand.

• There is a nonstop, but not on every date. On 4 October the original dates (19 October out) had no nonstop in my search. A day later, 20 October, there was one, and the return fare was US$1,179. The lowest one-stop fare on the original dates was US$969. For a short leave allowance, the nonstop is the one I would look at first.
• Two bag limits, not one. You can check a full bag from Hong Kong, 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 nonstop is about 5 hours 5 minutes out and 4 hours 10 minutes back. The cheapest fare takes about 39 hours in total. That changes how many days off you ask for.
• The arrival day. The nonstop lands in Kathmandu at 21:45 on 20 October. The cheapest fare lands at 12:50 the same day. Tell your hotel or us in advance so someone is waiting.
• Kuala Lumpur, Delhi or Kunming. If you plan to leave the airport during a long wait, check the transit rules for that country first.
• 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 between midnight and 2 am. 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.
• Dates, from the Gazette and the Hong Kong government. Your flight lands inside the Dashain holiday, which runs 17 to 23 October 2026, and Monday 19 October is a Hong Kong general holiday. Guides rarely mention either.
• Permits from the official figures. NPR 8,000 in total, and TIMS is still part of it.
• The visa answer I could not give. The Nepal Department of Immigration does not name the Hong Kong SAR or British National (Overseas) passports on the pages I read. Ask it, in writing, before you book.
• 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 Hong Kong?

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, and we do not take Hong Kong dollars. Your own bank may add a currency margin when it converts Hong Kong dollars to US dollars, 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.

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 Hong Kong clients ask me

Is there a direct flight from Hong Kong? Yes, in my search: Cathay Pacific CX603 out and CX640 back, about 5 hours 5 minutes out and 4 hours 10 minutes back. It did not show for 19 October. The return nonstop fare I saw on 4 October for 20 October to 5 November was US$1,179, and it is a one-day snapshot. I also saw one Nepal Airlines flight, RA410, on 24 October.

Do I need a visa with a Hong Kong passport? Hong Kong is not on the Department of Immigration's list of twelve countries that must apply in advance, and the Department says all other passport holders may get a visa on arrival. But its pages do not name the Hong Kong SAR or BN(O) passports, so I could not confirm your exact case. Ask the Department or a Nepali embassy, in writing.

Does my Hong Kong health insurance cover me in Nepal? I have not checked, and I would not assume it covers rescue or repatriation. You need a policy that covers trekking to altitude and helicopter rescue, in writing.

How many days of leave will the trip use? The 20 October to 6 November example uses 14 weekdays, with no Hong Kong general holiday inside it. I have not read Hong Kong leave law, so check your own balance with your employer. Agree the dates well ahead, in writing.

Do I need a guide? Every trek we run includes a licensed guide. A licensed guide and agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023; the Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide.

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.

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

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.

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

What is the time difference? Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind Hong Kong, all year.

If you want the numbers run for your dates and your group size, message me on WhatsApp, or email [email protected]. I will give you the real figure, including the parts that are not in our favour. For other treks and general planning from Hong Kong, read our Nepal trekking from Hong Kong guide.

繁體中文摘要

珠穆朗瑪峰基地營12天徒步，每人收費：經濟級1,399美元、標準級2,499美元、豪華級4,999美元，以1美元兌7.85港元計算，約為11,000港元、19,600港元及39,200港元。收費包括持牌嚮導、所有許可證，以及沿途茶屋住宿；不包括往返尼泊爾的機票、簽證、旅遊保險、加德滿都酒店及小費。我們只以美元收費，港元數字只供參考。

我們在2026年10月4日於Kiwi.com查詢：10月19日出發、11月5日回程的來回機票，轉一次機最便宜為969美元（約7,600港元），但該日期搜尋不到直航。改為10月20日出發，可選乘國泰航空直飛加德滿都，來回票價1,179美元（約9,300港元），單程飛行約5小時。機票價格只是一天的快照，會隨時改變。以經濟級計算，單人全程預算約為3,158至3,528美元（約24,800至27,700港元），未計加德滿都酒店。

簽證方面：尼泊爾移民局列出12個必須事先向使領館申請的國家，香港不在其中，並表示其他護照持有人可在機場辦理落地簽證；但移民局網頁沒有明確寫出香港特區護照或BN(O)護照的安排，我無法確認，請在出發前向尼泊爾移民局或使領館查詢。落地簽證費用：15天30美元、30天50美元、90天125美元；護照有效期須最少六個月。香港的年假規定及保安局外遊警示，我未能查證，請自行向僱主及政府查詢。如有疑問，可透過WhatsApp +977 9810351300 或 [email protected] 與我聯絡（英文）。

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, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586.