Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Portugal: Prices in EUR, Flights, Visa and Insurance

Last updated 4 October 2026. Trek prices are read from our own booking system. Euro figures use the European Central Bank reference rate of 2 October 2026 (the bank does not publish on weekends): 1 euro = 1.1225 US dollars, so 1 US dollar is about 0.89 euro. Portugal uses the euro, so there is no third currency to juggle. Flight prices are snapshots from one day, and I say so wherever they appear.

Portuguese trekkers who write to me tend to ask the same thing in the first line: what will Everest Base Camp really cost from Lisbon, 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 Lisbon that snapshot is higher than I would like, with a long journey and a connection through the Gulf or Istanbul. And dollars and euros are different currencies, 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, what the Portuguese foreign ministry says about Nepal, the health card that will not cover you, Portuguese leave 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 Europe. If you want the same numbers worked out for another European country, we have written them for the UK, Germany, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Austria too.

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

Is there a direct flight from Lisbon to Kathmandu?

Not that I could find. On 4 October 2026 I ran live searches from Lisbon (LIS) to Kathmandu on Kiwi.com: leaving 19 October and returning 5 November, limited to a single change of plane in each direction, with a cabin bag and a checked bag, on a single ticket (no self-transfer). Every result needed a change of plane in the Gulf or Istanbul. I have no source for a nonstop, so I will not tell you one exists.

The three connecting hubs were Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar Airways, which Iberia also sells under its own flight number) and Istanbul (Turkish Airlines). Emirates flies from Dubai International (DXB), and Kiwi.com labels it Dubai. I also ran the search from Porto (OPO) as a check. It returned only two itineraries, both with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, at EUR 1,776 and EUR 1,990, with waits so long that the whole journey came to about 65 and 60 hours, so Lisbon was the better start on these dates. All times in the table are local airport times.

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 euros, return, one adult, leaving Lisbon on 19 October and coming back on 5 November, one change each way at most, a cabin bag and one checked bag included, no self-transfer. I ran the search more than once that day, and the lowest fare moved: it was EUR 1,952 on an earlier run and EUR 1,787 on the last, so treat every figure here as one moment, not a price list. The last run returned 15 itineraries, and the hours below are the total of both directions, waiting time included. The table shows eight of the 15, from the cheapest to the fastest. Kiwi.com lists a personal item as well as a cabin bag and a checked bag on the Qatar Airways fares, but only a cabin bag and a checked bag on the Emirates fares.

Route and airlines	Return fare	Notes
Emirates both ways via Dubai (long wait out, early arrival back)	EUR 1,787 (about US$2,006)	About 45 hours 30 minutes in total, the cheapest fare I found. Out 19 October at 21:25, Dubai at 08:05, a wait of 17 hours 45 minutes, on at 01:50, Kathmandu at 08:05 on 21 October. Home 5 November from Kathmandu at 09:20, Dubai at 12:45, on at 14:30, Lisbon at 19:10 the same day. The same fare is also listed with a home flight a day later (Lisbon at 12:00 on 6 November, about 62 hours in total)
Emirates both ways via Dubai (night flight home)	EUR 1,856 (about US$2,083)	About 47 hours in total, the quickest of five Emirates itineraries at this fare, which differ in the flight home (the other four run from about 52 to about 59 hours). Home from Kathmandu at 00:30 on 5 November, Lisbon at 12:00 the same day
Out with Emirates via Dubai; back with Qatar Airways via Doha (overnight wait)	EUR 1,952 (about US$2,191)	About 56 hours 25 minutes in total. Home 5 November from Kathmandu at 09:35, Doha at 11:50, a wait of about 13 hours 30 minutes, then on at 01:20 on 6 November, Lisbon at 06:20
Out with Emirates via Dubai; back with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul (same-day connection)	EUR 2,027 (about US$2,275)	About 46 hours 20 minutes in total. Home 5 November from Kathmandu at 12:45, Istanbul at 18:25, on at 21:20, Lisbon at 23:25 the same evening
Qatar Airways both ways via Doha (short wait out, long wait home)	EUR 2,097 (about US$2,354)	About 39 hours 50 minutes in total, the quickest of the 15 and the fare I use below. Out 19 October at 18:40, Doha at 04:10, a wait of 2 hours 50 minutes, on at 07:00, Kathmandu at 14:15 on 20 October. Home 5 November from Kathmandu at 11:05, Doha at 13:20, a wait of 12 hours, on at 01:20 on 6 November, Lisbon at 06:20. A personal item, a cabin bag and a checked bag are listed
Qatar Airways both ways via Doha (later connection out)	EUR 2,097 (about US$2,354)	About 41 hours 50 minutes in total. The same flights as the row above, but on from Doha at 09:00 and Kathmandu at 16:15 on 20 October
Qatar Airways out and back (earlier flight home)	EUR 2,099 (about US$2,356)	About 41 hours 20 minutes in total. Out as in the first Qatar row, Kathmandu at 14:15 on 20 October. Home from Kathmandu at 09:35, Doha at 11:50, a wait of about 13 hours 30 minutes, Lisbon at 06:20 on 6 November
Iberia ticket on Qatar Airways flights	EUR 2,108 (about US$2,366)	About 41 hours 50 minutes in total. The first flight is sold by Iberia as IB6295 and operated by Qatar, then on from Doha at 09:00, Kathmandu at 16:15 on 20 October. Home as in the first Qatar row, Lisbon at 06:20 on 6 November

The headline figure for a trekker with boots and a duffel is the fifth row, EUR 2,097, about US$2,354, and that is the fare I use for the budget below. It is not the cheapest, and I chose it on purpose. The cheapest row, EUR 1,787 (about US$2,006), saves EUR 310 (about US$348), but the whole journey takes about 5 hours 40 minutes longer, and 17 hours 45 minutes of the way out is spent waiting in Dubai, so you land in Kathmandu at 08:05 on 21 October, a day after the Qatar fare lands at 14:15 on 20 October. The Qatar fare has its own cost: a 12-hour wait in Doha on the way home, landing in Lisbon at 06:20 on 6 November. If that wait puts you off, the Emirates row at EUR 1,787 also gets you home earlier, at 19:10 on 5 November, with a connection of only 1 hour 45 minutes in Dubai. Baggage allowances are as Kiwi.com listed them, so confirm the weight on the airline's own page before you pay, and check the transit rules for the country where you change planes.

Notice what the numbers say about Lisbon. Fares for the 15 itineraries I saw ran from EUR 1,787 to EUR 2,111, and none was a nonstop. Look at the hours too: the quickest trip takes about 40 hours in total and the slowest I list about 56, so the journey is a long one whichever you choose, and that has to go into your leave calculation below. If you live nearer Porto, price that airport yourself on your dates, because on mine it offered very little.

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 (about 13 euros), 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 1,070 euros) 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 570 euros), and about US$710 from Lukla back to Kathmandu (about 633 euros), 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, 225 euros
Fixed-wing flight, return (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$506, 451 euros
Shared helicopter seat, Kathmandu to Lukla	about US$640, 570 euros
Shared helicopter seat, Lukla to Kathmandu	about US$710, 633 euros
Both helicopter legs bought separately (my sum)	about US$1,350, 1,203 euros
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 guide is also your safety: ours carry a first aid kit and a pulse oximeter. The Portuguese foreign ministry's page on Nepal does not say anything about guides, so I will not cite it for a rule either way. I have not found the Nepali regulation text myself, so I cannot tell you how a rule applies on each route, and I will not quote one or a date here. 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 22 euros), 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 Lisbon 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 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. The Portuguese foreign ministry's Nepal page does not mention TIMS or give a permit fee, so the figures above rest on the Nepal Tourism Board's pages alone. Our permits guide covers the rest, and our Everest permits and fees page is the one to read for this route.

Do Portuguese citizens need a visa for Nepal?

Yes, but it is simple. Portugal 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.

The Portuguese foreign ministry (Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, MNE) has a travel advice page for Nepal on the Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, which I read on 4 October 2026. It was marked as last updated on 28 August 2026. It says your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry. It describes three ways to get the visa: online, as a visa on arrival, applied for up to 15 days before; at the airport, where US dollars in cash are preferred; or at a Nepali mission. It adds that the Nepali embassy in Lisbon, recently opened, did not yet issue visas, though the text looks dated, so check before you plan around it. Border staff may ask for travel insurance that covers health and repatriation and for proof of where you are staying, and cash above US$2,000 must be declared. The page lists no fees, so the fees above are from the Nepali immigration department.

Almost every Everest trekker needs 30 days, so budget US$50 and carry it in US dollars cash. Look at the validity date in your passport today, because the six months is the one item on the list you cannot fix at the airport. 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.

What does the Portuguese foreign ministry say about Nepal?

You should read the page yourself before you book, because it changes. These are the points that matter for a trekker, in my paraphrase of the ministry's text. The page I read was the MNE's travel advice for Nepal, marked as last updated on 28 August 2026. It gives no numbered security level, so I cannot give you one.

• Floods. It reports floods on 26 August 2026 in Rasuwa (Timure and Syabrubesi), Nuwakot and Chitwan (Muglin), and tells travellers to avoid affected areas and follow the Nepal Tourism Board's travel updates. Rasuwa is the Langtang side of the country, not the Everest route, but check before you fly, because conditions change.
• Curfews and unrest. It mentions curfews linked to communal tension in Sunsari, Dhanusha and Siraha, which are in the southern lowlands. Strikes and road closures can still happen elsewhere at short notice, so keep a spare day in Kathmandu.
• Flights to Lukla. It says landings at Lukla are by sight only, that flights are suspended for days at a time, and that in October and November thousands of people can be stranded. Its advice is to leave as much time as you can between the end of the trek and your international flight. I agree, and it is the main reason to build a buffer into your leave.
• Altitude. It advises against gaining more than 400 metres of sleeping height per night above 2,500 metres, and it names the high-altitude rescue posts at Pheriche (Khumbu) and Manang.
• Rescue and who pays. It says travel is at your own risk and that hospital and repatriation costs are yours. Rescue helicopters fly only when payment is guaranteed, some policies cover accidents but not altitude sickness, and the snow-and-mountain cover that comes with some Visa cards does not advance rescue costs. It tells you to keep your policy number and the insurer's phone number to hand.
• Who to call. The page lists Nepal's emergency numbers 1234 and 1144, and gives the Portuguese consular contact for Nepal as the Embassy of Portugal in New Delhi ([email protected]). It also describes a free, voluntary traveller registration app, the Registo Viajante. Save the contacts in your phone before you fly, and give them to the person at home who has your itinerary.

Does the European health card cover you in Nepal?

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

The European Health Insurance Card, which in Portugal is the Cartão Europeu de Seguro de Doença (CESD), gives you treatment on the same terms as the residents of the country you are visiting, but only in the EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. That is what the European Union's Your Europe page says, and it adds that the card gives access to public providers only and does not cover private healthcare or rescue and repatriation costs. I could not find a date on that page. The Portuguese foreign ministry's Nepal page says the CESD is not an alternative to travel insurance and is not valid in Nepal. Nepal is not on the list, so the card gives you nothing there.

The same page says that social security benefits do not work abroad and that hospitalisation and repatriation costs are yours. It recommends travel insurance, and it is blunt about the mountains: helicopters operate only if payment is guaranteed, and helicopter evacuation to Kathmandu is for extremely urgent cases. The card is free and worth having for Europe. It is just no use on this trip.

So you need a private policy, 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 Portuguese insurer's full policy terms, or the terms of any bank-card cover, 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 2,670 to 4,450 euros. I have not priced Portuguese 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 89, 89 to 160 and 134 to 223 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. 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 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, or 6 to 12 euros. 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 116 to 174 euros) 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 (about 160 to 214 euros), and US$10 to US$15 a day for a porter, US$120 to US$180 over twelve days (about 107 to 160 euros). Together that is US$300 to US$420, about 267 to 374 euros. 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 Portuguese shop prices, which I have not checked. Multiply the dollar figures by about 0.89 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

Trekkers who already own a good shell, poles and boots from walking in the Serra da Estrela or the Gerês will find most of this table is 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 Portugal?

One person, Budget tier, twelve days, flying from Lisbon at EUR 2,097 (Qatar Airways both ways via Doha), 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, Lisbon, EUR 2,097 snapshot, checked bag included	about US$2,354	2,097
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$4,103 to US$4,283	about 3,655 to 3,816

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$3,803	about 3,388
Standard (meals included)	about US$4,903	about 4,368
Luxury (meals and helicopter included)	about US$7,403	about 6,595

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, EUR 1,787, every total above comes down by about US$348.

How expensive is it to hike to Everest Base Camp?

From Lisbon, a solo trekker on our Budget tier should plan on about US$4,333 to US$4,703 (roughly 3,860 to 4,190 euros) for the whole trip, before a Kathmandu hotel. Of that, the trek is US$1,399, the flight about US$2,354 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$5,133 to US$5,323 and Luxury about US$7,753 to US$8,003, 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 Portugal for about eighteen nights. 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 Lisbon to Kathmandu, EUR 2,097 autumn snapshot	about US$2,354	about US$2,354	about US$2,354
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 4,333 to 4,703	about 5,133 to 5,323	about 7,753 to 8,003
Total, EUR at 1.1225	about 3,860 to 4,190	about 4,573 to 4,742	about 6,907 to 7,130
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 + 2,354 + 50 + 300 + 180 + 50 = 4,333, and high is 1,399 + 2,354 + 50 + 480 + 240 + 180 = 4,703. Standard low is 2,499 + 2,354 + 50 + 180 + 50 = 5,133 and high 2,499 + 2,354 + 50 + 240 + 180 = 5,323. Luxury low is 4,999 + 2,354 + 50 + 300 + 50 = 7,753 and high 4,999 + 2,354 + 50 + 420 + 180 = 8,003. 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 euros, and on 4 October it moved by EUR 165 between two runs of the same search. 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 when it converts euros to dollars, 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.
• A hotel in Dubai, Doha or Istanbul. The cheapest fares wait many hours between flights: the cheapest fare waits 17 hours 45 minutes in Dubai on the way out, and the fare I use waits 12 hours in Doha on the way home. If you will not sleep at the airport, add a night.
• 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 Portuguese law say?

Ask for about eighteen nights away from Portugal. The fare I use takes about 40 hours of travel in total, counting both directions and the waits, so more than a day of your leave goes on the journey alone, and the trek itself is twelve days, which leaves a few spare days in Kathmandu. Those spare days are not a luxury. The Lukla flight is weather dependent and delays are routine, and the Portuguese foreign ministry itself advises leaving as much time as possible before your international flight. 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 Portuguese side. I read the Código do Trabalho (Lei n.º 7/2009), in the current version on the Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa site, which shows the latest amendment as Lei n.º 32/2025 of 27 March. Article 238 n.º 1 says: "O período anual de férias tem a duração mínima de 22 dias úteis." That is the legal minimum of 22 working days of leave a year. Article 238 n.º 2 defines the word: dias úteis are the days from Monday to Friday, except public holidays. So the count is simple: a Monday to Friday week is the unit. Article 238 n.º 3 deals with people whose rest days fall on weekdays, and I have not worked through it, so ask your employer how it applies to you.

Now my autumn example. Leave Lisbon at 18:40 on the evening of Monday 19 October and be home at 06:20 on Friday 6 November, which is the fare I use. The weekdays you must cover are Tuesday 20 October to Friday 6 November, which is 14 weekdays (4 + 5 + 5). No Portuguese public holiday falls on a weekday in that window. That is 14 of your 22 dias úteis, or 15 if you also take the Monday off to get to the 18:40 flight. On the cheapest fare, home on 5 November, it is 13, or 14 with the Monday. Treat all of this as my reading, not legal advice.

The rules on when you take the leave matter more than the count. As I read Article 241, the dates are agreed between you and your employer, and only without agreement may the employer set them, and then only between 1 May and 31 October. Our trek runs past 31 October, so get the dates agreed with your employer in writing. If you want to split your leave, the article requires agreement and at least 10 consecutive dias úteis in one block, which a twelve-day trek fits. The employer draws up the leave calendar (mapa de férias) by 15 April, so do not leave it late in the year. I read the public holidays in Article 234: 1 January, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, 25 April, 1 May, Corpo de Deus, 10 June, 15 August, 5 October, 1 November, 1, 8 and 25 December. In 2026 the first one after the trek starts is 1 November, which is a Sunday, so it costs you nothing, and 5 October had already passed. Your contract or collective agreement may give you more than the statute, and how leave carries over from one year to the next is a separate question.

A spring trek works too. I worked out Easter 2027 with the standard church calendar rules: Easter Sunday is 28 March and Good Friday, which is a Portuguese public holiday, is 26 March. Easter Monday is not on the Article 234 list. A trek from Monday 22 March to Friday 9 April 2027 is 19 calendar days and 15 weekdays, one of which is Good Friday, so it uses 14 dias úteis of leave, because a public holiday is not counted. Corpo de Deus, 60 days after Easter, is Thursday 27 May 2027, 25 April 2027 is a Sunday and 1 May 2027 is a Saturday. I worked these out from the usual rules and have not checked them against an official Portuguese 2027 calendar.

One more small thing: time. Nepal is on UTC+5:45 all year. Lisbon is on summer time (UTC+1) until Sunday 25 October 2026, when the clocks go back to UTC+0, so Nepal is 4 hours 45 minutes ahead of Lisbon until then and 5 hours 45 minutes ahead afterwards. If you live in the Azores, whose clocks differ from Lisbon, adjust by that difference. Finland, where Shradha is, is two hours ahead of Lisbon all through, because both countries change their clocks on the same day. That matters when you ring home from the trail.

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, leaving Lisbon on 19 October, land 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?

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. Portugal's hills give you a start: you can train with a loaded pack on back-to-back days, on the Serra da Estrela or any long coastal path. What the hills cannot give you is the air. According to Wikipedia, the highest mountain in Portugal is Pico, on Pico Island in the Azores, at 2,351 metres, and the highest point on the mainland is the Serra da Estrela, at 1,993 metres. Base Camp is 5,364 metres, about 3,013 metres higher than Pico and about 2.3 times its height, and Everest itself is 8,848.86 metres, about 3.8 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.

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 or hill paths. 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 health card section above.

How does Everest compare with the highest point in Portugal?

The only Portuguese connection to Everest that I can source is a measuring one, so I will not dress it up as more. Wikipedia gives Pico, in the Azores, as the highest mountain in Portugal at 2,351 metres, and the Serra da Estrela as the highest point on the mainland at 1,993 metres. It gives 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, and we will carry your bag if you pay for a porter. But it walks into the shadow of a mountain nearly four times as high as anything in your home country, and for many Portuguese 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 Portuguese trekker, and what we know first-hand.

• The cheapest fare is not the one to book. With a checked bag, one change each way and a single ticket, the lowest return I found on 4 October was EUR 1,787, and the one I would look at first was EUR 2,097, because the cheaper one takes about 5 hours 40 minutes longer and spends nearly 18 hours waiting in Dubai on the way out.
• Two bag limits, not one. You can check a full bag from Lisbon, 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 use takes about 40 hours in total, with a connection of 2 hours 50 minutes in Doha on the way out and 12 hours in Doha on the way home. The cheapest fare takes about 45 hours 30 minutes. That changes how many days off you ask for.
• The arrival day. The Qatar fare lands in Kathmandu at 14:15 on 20 October, early enough for a hotel pick-up. The cheapest fare lands at 08:05 on 21 October. Tell your hotel or us in advance so someone is waiting.
• Dubai, Doha or Istanbul. 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.
• Portuguese leave, counted carefully. The Código do Trabalho gives at least 22 dias úteis, and an eighteen-night trip from Monday 19 October uses 14 of them on my reading, or 15 if you also take the Monday. Our dates run past 31 October, so agree them with your employer in writing.
• 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, and the Portuguese ministry warns that helicopters fly only when payment is guaranteed.
• 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 Portugal?

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 is reachable 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 Portuguese clients ask me

Is there a direct flight from Lisbon? Not in my search, and I have no source for one. Every fare I found needed a change, in Dubai, Doha or Istanbul.

Does my CESD, the European health card, work in Nepal? No. The card is valid in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and does not cover rescue or repatriation anywhere. The Portuguese foreign ministry says the CESD is not valid in Nepal and is no substitute for travel insurance. You need a private policy that covers trekking to altitude and helicopter rescue, in writing.

How many days of leave will the trip use? The Código do Trabalho gives at least 22 dias úteis a year. On my reading, the 19 October to 6 November example uses 14 of them, or 15 if you also take the Monday. Agree the dates with your employer well ahead, and in writing, because our dates run past 31 October.

Do I need a guide? Every trek we run includes a licensed guide. The Portuguese foreign ministry's page does not mention guides, and I have not found the regulation text myself, so confirm the current rule with the Nepal Tourism Board if you are thinking of going alone.

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.

Can I talk to someone in Europe? Yes. Shradha Simkhada is our Europe representative, based in Espoo, Finland. 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 the UK, from Germany, from Poland, from Finland, from Sweden, from Norway, from Denmark and from Austria.

Resumo em português

O trekking até ao Campo Base do Evereste dura 12 dias e custa 1399, 2499 ou 4999 dólares americanos por pessoa (cerca de 1246, 2226 ou 4453 euros, ao câmbio de referência do Banco Central Europeu de 2 de outubro de 2026). O preço inclui um guia licenciado, todas as licenças e as noites nas casas de chá. Não inclui o voo para o Nepal, o visto, o seguro de viagem, o hotel em Katmandu nem as gorjetas.

Não encontrei nenhum voo direto de Lisboa para Katmandu. Na pesquisa de 4 de outubro de 2026 (ida a 19 de outubro, regresso a 5 de novembro, no máximo uma escala por sentido, um só bilhete, bagagem de porão incluída), o voo mais barato custava 1787 euros, com a Emirates via Dubai, mas demora cerca de 45 horas e meia no total. Tomei como referência o voo da Qatar Airways via Doha, a 2097 euros (cerca de 2354 dólares), com cerca de 40 horas de viagem. É a fotografia de um só dia e os preços mudam. O Cartão Europeu de Seguro de Doença não vale no Nepal, e o Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros avisa que as despesas de hospitalização e repatriamento são por conta do viajante. O seguro deve cobrir o trekking até pelo menos 6000 metros e o resgate de helicóptero, também em caso de doença, como o mal de altitude.

O Código do Trabalho garante no mínimo 22 dias úteis de férias por ano (artigo 238.º). A minha viagem de exemplo, de segunda-feira, 19 de outubro, a sexta-feira, 6 de novembro de 2026, ocupa 14 desses dias úteis, ou 15 se também tirar a segunda-feira, e nenhum feriado nacional cai num dia útil desse período. As datas combinam-se com a entidade patronal, e as nossas passam de 31 de outubro, por isso convém ter o acordo por escrito. O orçamento total na variante Budget a partir de Lisboa ronda os 3860 a 4190 euros, sem hotel em Katmandu. Para esclarecer dúvidas, fale com a nossa representante na Europa, Shradha Simkhada, em Espoo: +358 45 353 8606 (telefone e WhatsApp, em inglês).

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.