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

Last updated 7 October 2026. Flights are for Hong Kong International (HKG), checked on 7 October 2026. Hong Kong dollars use the European Central Bank reference rate of 6 October 2026, about HK$7.85 to the US dollar. The Hong Kong dollar is tied to the US dollar, so this rate barely shifts. Invoices are in US dollars or euros.

Hong Kong is one of the easier starting points for Everest Base Camp: Cathay Pacific flies to Kathmandu nonstop, about five and a half hours. What the nonstop costs, and what the cheaper connections cost you in time, is below.

Per person, in a group of two to four, the 12-day Base Camp trek costs US$1,399 (Budget), US$2,785 (Standard) or US$4,999 (Luxury), roughly HK$10,980, HK$21,860 and HK$39,230. Prices are unchanged for 2027. A solo Budget trekker pays US$2,275, about HK$17,860. Counting everything, flights from Hong Kong included, one person pays about HK$29,100 to HK$36,220, HK$31,770 to HK$37,980 or HK$50,090 to HK$56,770; the Standard figure is for someone travelling alone.

What the fares look like from Hong Kong

I ran the search twice, once with one change of plane allowed each way and once for nonstop flights only. Economy, one adult, a cabin bag and a checked bag, Sunday 25 October 2026 out, Wednesday 11 November back, one ticket, no self-transfer.

With one change allowed each way, there were 15 itineraries from HK$6,694 to HK$9,029. Hong Kong has a nonstop to Kathmandu: Cathay Pacific's CX603 leaves Hong Kong at 18:25 and lands at 21:30, about 5 hours 20 minutes, and CX640 leaves Kathmandu at 22:55 and arrives at 05:20 the next morning, about 4 hours 10 minutes.

The cheapest fare, HK$6,694, is not the quick one. Air China goes out through Chengdu with an overnight wait (Hong Kong 13:40, Kathmandu 10:55 on 26 October, about 23 hours 30 minutes), and Thai Airways comes back through Bangkok (Kathmandu 00:25, Hong Kong 11:45 the same morning, about 9 hours). Air India out through Delhi, reaching Kathmandu at 16:10 that afternoon, with that Thai return was HK$8,007.

Mixing one nonstop with one change was HK$8,743 (Air China out, CX640 home) or HK$8,853 (CX603 out, Thai Airways home through Bangkok). The second search, nonstop only, found one itinerary: Cathay Pacific both ways at HK$10,902, about 9 hours 30 minutes of flying in total. Every result included a cabin bag, a personal item and a checked bag.

The all-in table in Hong Kong dollars

Each row is one traveller. The ticket range is the lowest to the highest fare found. The extras column adds a 30-day visa, insurance, tips and either trail meals (Budget) or spending money (Standard, Luxury). Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately in every tier; our family homestay is US$15 per person per night, about HK$120.

Only Budget pays for meals on the trek, about US$25 to US$40 a day (US$300 to US$480 in all). Standard and Luxury have meals in the price and need 20,000 to 30,000 rupees, roughly US$130 to US$195, for showers, charging and snacks, drawn from a machine in Kathmandu. Tips for the last day: US$15 to US$20 per day of guiding, US$10 to US$15 per porter day.

What the Hong Kong government says about Nepal

The Security Bureau's Outbound Travel Alert for Nepal is at amber. The Bureau issues these alerts when there are signs of a threat that may affect the personal safety of Hong Kong residents, and the page says the current alert was issued on 26 April 2016. Its advice is to monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid large gatherings and follow local announcements. It also lists the floods and landslides of 26 August 2026 in Rasuwa district, in the north of Nepal, away from the Khumbu valley where we walk, and the protests that began in September 2025.

Two numbers to save: the Immigration Department's 24-hour line for Hong Kong residents in trouble abroad, (852) 1868, and the Chinese Embassy in Nepal's consular protection line, (977) 1 4531511. The department also runs Registration for Outbound Travel Information, which lets it contact you if something happens. Register before you leave.

Visa on a Hong Kong passport

Nepal's list of visa-exempt passports names only diplomatic and official holders from a few countries, and Hong Kong is not on it, so plan to take a visa on arrival: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days or US$125 for 90 days. The online form saves time at the desk. Hong Kong is not among the twelve countries that must apply beforehand. See the visa on arrival guide and e-visa guide.

Insurance

Hong Kong's public hospitals are for residents at home. Buy travel cover before you go. Look for trekking to 6,000 m in the wording, helicopter evacuation (US$3,000 to US$5,000, about HK$23,500 to HK$39,200 if you pay it yourself) and sickness as well as injury. I explain the rest in helicopter cover to 6,000 m, and I will read a policy if you send it.

The three tiers side by side

Here is what changes between the tiers. Bag: Budget walkers carry their own; on Standard a porter takes the load of two people (or the guide takes up to 10 kg if you are alone); on Luxury a porter is yours alone. Food: you buy it on Budget; Standard and Luxury include all meals, and Luxury adds fruit, nuts and unlimited soft drinks. Bed: shared on Budget, private on Standard, deluxe private with a bathroom on Luxury. Lukla: a fixed-wing plane on the first two, a helicopter both ways on Luxury. The licensed guide, the permits (NPR 3,000, 3,000 and 2,000), airport transfers and the loan of a down jacket and minus 15 sleeping bag come with all three. Kathmandu hotels are not included. More on Nepal trekking from Hong Kong, and the route is on the trek page.

Prices by group size

The price per person is the same for private and group trips. The size of the party puts you in a band.

Time off, holidays and clocks

Hong Kong's paid annual leave runs from seven days, rising by one a year to a maximum of 14 days, according to the Labour Department, and it counts after each twelve months of continuous work. The trek and the travel need about 14 days in all, so most people combine leave with a holiday. Chung Yeung Festival is on Sunday 18 October 2026, with the holiday on Monday 19 October, so no Hong Kong holiday falls between 25 October and 11 November. For spring 2027 the government calendar shows Easter from Friday 26 to Monday 29 March, Ching Ming on Monday 5 April, Labour Day on Saturday 1 May and the Buddha's Birthday on Thursday 13 May.

Hong Kong is 2 hours 15 minutes ahead of Nepal, with no clock changes. Dashain (17 to 23 October 2026) and Tihar (8 to 12 November) close Nepali offices, and permits take 48 hours of government working days. In the busy weeks the Lukla flights depart from Manthali, a four to five hour drive from Kathmandu with a pick-up between midnight and 2 am; Luxury avoids it by helicopter.

Paying and cancelling

A 10 per cent deposit books it. The balance is due in Kathmandu in US dollars or euros: cash costs no extra, a card carries 3.5 per cent, and Hong Kong dollars are not accepted. A change of date is free to any date inside a year with 72 hours' notice (seven days for Tibet, Kailash or restricted areas). If you cancel yourself instead, the deposit stays with us and nothing is refunded. If we cannot run the trek, we return what you paid minus taxes, bank and card charges and any permit and flight money already spent.

Check before you commit

The Everest Holiday has been registered in Kathmandu since 2016, with three generations of guiding in my family behind it. We are TAAN member 1586 and over 300 travellers have reviewed us on TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot. Anyone can look up the company registrar, TAAN, the tourism licence and the forex certificate. Even so, licensed companies have been involved in scams, so book a video call with us first. Part of each booking goes to the Nagarjun Learning Center.

To talk through your dates and group, message me on WhatsApp +977 9810351300 or [email protected].

Also on this topic: the day-by-day itinerary, permits and fees and travelling solo.

Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday. TAAN 1586.