Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Israel: Prices in ILS, Flights and Visa

Last updated 7 October 2026. Ben Gurion fares were searched on 7 October 2026. Shekels are converted at US$1 = ILS 3.048 (European Central Bank, 6 October 2026), and that rate shifts.

Passover in Kathmandu is something Israeli travellers already know about: the Chabad house there runs a huge seder every spring, and Passover 2027 starts at sundown on Wednesday 21 April and ends on 28 April in Israel. That sits inside the spring trekking season, which is why many Israelis plan around it.

Three generations of my family have guided in the Himalayas, and The Everest Holiday has been a registered company since 2016. Per person in a group of two to four, the trek is US$1,399 on Budget, US$2,785 on Standard and US$4,999 on Luxury, about ILS 4,250, ILS 8,490 and ILS 15,250. A solo traveller pays US$2,275 on Budget instead of US$1,399, about ILS 6,930. Prices hold for 2027. With flights from Tel Aviv, a visa, insurance and tips, one traveller pays about ILS 16,060 to ILS 19,200 on Budget, ILS 17,120 to ILS 19,900 on Standard travelling alone and ILS 24,250 to ILS 27,150 on Luxury.

The total, in shekels

One traveller per row. The flights column is the lowest and highest Tel Aviv fare, and the column after it adds the 30-day visa, insurance, tips, and either trail meals (Budget) or spending money (Standard, Luxury). Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately in every tier; our own family homestay is US$15 per person per night, about ILS 50.

On the trail, Budget means buying meals, US$25 to US$40 a day, or US$300 to US$480 in all. Standard and Luxury include them, leaving NPR 20,000 to 30,000 (US$130 to US$195) for showers, charging and snacks. Take your rupees out in Kathmandu, since the two Namche ATMs sometimes work and sometimes do not.

Flying from Ben Gurion

Nothing flew nonstop in my search (economy, one checked bag, out Sunday 25 October 2026, back Wednesday 11 November, at most one change each way). Etihad via Abu Dhabi carried the cheapest results and El Al plus Thai Airways via Bangkok the others.

The cheapest, ILS 7,378, was Etihad both ways. Leaving Tel Aviv at 06:20 you reach Abu Dhabi at 11:15 but wait until 03:10 for the Kathmandu leg, so the day stretches to about 23 hours. Leaving at 19:20 you reach Kathmandu at 09:10 the next morning, about 10 hours in total, for ILS 7,939. The way home on Etihad leaves Kathmandu at 09:55 and lands in Tel Aviv at 16:05 the same day, about 9 hours 55 minutes. An Etihad outbound with Thai Airways home via Bangkok cost ILS 7,956 to ILS 8,517. El Al to Bangkok then Thai to Kathmandu, with Etihad home, was ILS 8,782, and El Al and Thai both ways ILS 9,361.

That is a range of ILS 7,378 to ILS 9,361. Because the evening Etihad flight cuts the day so sharply, the extra ILS 561 is often worth paying. I priced Tel Aviv only.

Entry from Israel

One stamp and you are in: Israeli passport holders buy the tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport. Department of Immigration fees are US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days (about ILS 150) and US$125 for 90 days, in US dollars. The online form can be done first, and you print the receipt. Keep six months of validity and bring one photo. Israel is not one of the 12 nationalities that must apply in advance. See the visa on arrival guide. Before you book, read the current Israeli government travel guidance for Nepal.

Insurance: your health fund is not enough

Your Israeli health fund does not follow you into the Khumbu, and it pays for no helicopter. Buy a travel policy in Israel before you fly, not in Nepal.

Ask for an extreme or high-altitude extension and look in writing for trekking to 6,000 metres (Kala Patthar is 5,545 m), helicopter rescue, illness cover and repatriation. Ordinary travel policies often stop at 3,000 or 4,000 metres or treat trekking as a risky sport. A Base Camp to Kathmandu helicopter costs US$3,000 to US$5,000, about ILS 9,000 to ILS 15,000. Basic trekking cover for two to three weeks is typically US$50 to US$100 and a full policy US$100 to US$180. See helicopter cover to 6,000 m.

The three packages

Budget has you carrying your own bag, in shared rooms, buying meals, flying fixed-wing to Lukla. Standard includes meals, private rooms and one porter for two. Luxury includes a personal porter, private deluxe ensuite rooms, fruit, nuts and soft drinks, and helicopter flights both ways. Every tier brings a licensed guide, permits (NPR 3,000, 3,000 and 2,000), airport transfers and a loaned down jacket and minus 15 sleeping bag. Alone on Standard the guide carries up to 10 kg. Meals are mostly vegetarian dal bhat and teahouse food, so tell us dietary rules at booking and we will say honestly what is possible on the trail. Highest night: Gorak Shep, 5,164 m. See the trek page.

Is it hard, and how do you prepare?

No point in Israel is as high as Lukla (2,860 m), so altitude is the unknown. Long loaded days in the Negev or Galilee build leg strength; the two acclimatisation days handle the rest. We grade the trek strenuous, five to seven hours a day. Read how fit you need to be.

Group prices in shekels

Private or group, the shekel figure changes only with group size.

Israeli time zone and calendar

Israel moves its clocks back on 25 October 2026. Until then Nepal is 2 hours 45 minutes ahead of Israel, and after it, 3 hours 45 minutes. Sukkot ended on 2 October. For spring 2027 the Passover window above is the one to plan around, and a trek after the seder could start from about 29 April. Nepal's own Dashain runs 17 to 23 October and Tihar 8 to 12 November 2026, when offices close; permits need 48 hours in government working days.

Paying us

We take a 10 per cent deposit to hold your dates and collect the balance in Kathmandu in US dollars or euros, cash or card; the card route costs an extra 3.5 per cent. Shekels and Nepali rupees are not accepted. You can reschedule free, with 72 hours notice (seven days for Tibet, Kailash and restricted areas), to any date within a year. If you cancel instead, the deposit and anything else you have paid are not refunded. When we cannot run a trip, we refund what you paid less taxes, bank or card charges and money already spent.

The embassy

The Embassy of Israel in Kathmandu lists its contact details online; its phone is +977 1 4290500. Consular applications go through VFS Kathmandu.

Check us first

We registered in 2016 and hold TAAN membership 1586. More than 300 travellers have reviewed us on TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot. Check the company registrar, TAAN, the tourism licence and our forex certificate yourself. Even licensed operators have been involved in scams, so ask for a call before you pay. Our Nagarjun Learning Center is supported by bookings.

To price your own dates, message me on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300 or email [email protected]. I answer myself.

See also the cost guide and permits and fees.

Shreejan Simkhada, CEO, The Everest Holiday. Three generations of guiding in the family; TAAN member 1586.