Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from South Korea: Prices in KRW, Flights, Visa and Leave

Last updated 7 October 2026. Flights are for Seoul Incheon (ICN) return, checked on 7 October 2026. Won amounts use the European Central Bank reference rate of 6 October 2026, US$1 = KRW 1,339, which moves daily. We are paid in US dollars or euros.

The cheapest Seoul fare I found, KRW 942,549, comes with a catch: both the flight out and the flight home stop overnight in Chengdu, with about 23 hours 15 minutes in transit going out and 22 hours 30 minutes coming home. Paying more mostly buys shorter connections. The dearest, KRW 1,644,626, is Air India out and China Southern home, about 11 hours 50 minutes plus 10 hours 30 minutes. That is the trade-off for a Korean traveller. The trek price is fixed.

Per person, for a party of two to four, the 12-day Everest Base Camp trek costs US$1,399 (Budget, about KRW 1,870,000), US$2,785 (Standard, about KRW 3,730,000) or US$4,999 (Luxury, about KRW 6,690,000). The 2027 prices are the same. A solo Budget trekker pays US$2,275, about KRW 3,050,000. With an Incheon return, the visa, insurance and tips on top, one person is looking at about KRW 4,770,000 to KRW 5,960,000 on Budget, KRW 5,220,000 to KRW 6,260,000 on Standard alone and KRW 8,340,000 to KRW 9,470,000 on Luxury.

Is there a nonstop from Incheon?

None appeared. The query was for one adult in economy, with a hold bag, flying out on 25 October 2026 (a Sunday) and back on 11 November (a Wednesday), a single ticket and one stop at most each way. There were 15 itineraries from KRW 942,549 to KRW 1,644,626. A direct flight may exist with an airline our check did not show; check Korean carriers' own sites on your dates.

The options, by price. Air China out via Chengdu (14:55 from Incheon, in Kathmandu at 10:55 the next morning) with Sichuan Airlines home through Chengdu: KRW 942,549. The same Air China outbound with China Southern home via Guangzhou, leaving Kathmandu at 23:30 and arriving in Seoul at 13:15, about 10 hours 30 minutes: KRW 1,175,299. With Thai Airways home through Bangkok (about 11 hours 45 minutes): KRW 1,263,596. Batik Air Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur out (06:50 from Incheon, 20:35 in Kathmandu, about 17 hours) with Sichuan Airlines home: KRW 1,285,633. Air India through Delhi out (12:05, in Kathmandu at 20:40, about 11 hours 50 minutes) started at KRW 1,411,876.

What a Korean traveller should budget

The sums below are for a single traveller. Flights run from the lowest fare to the highest one found. Beside them is a column for the 30-day visa, insurance and tips, plus meals if you chose Budget or spending money if you chose Standard or Luxury. Rooms in Kathmandu are not part of the price. The family homestay we run is US$15 a night per person, about KRW 20,000.

Budget guests pay for food themselves, around US$25 to US$40 a day (US$300 to US$480 over the trek). On Standard and Luxury the food is in the price. What remains is spending money for showers, charging and snacks, about US$130 to US$195. In rupees that is 20,000 to 30,000, drawn in Kathmandu. Tipping runs to US$15 to US$20 a day for the guide and US$10 to US$15 for each porter.

A Korean passport and the Nepal visa

Korea is not among the twelve countries whose citizens must apply before arrival. Fifteen days cost US$30, thirty days cost US$50 (roughly KRW 67,000) and ninety days cost US$125, paid in US dollars, multiple entry. You need a passport with six months of validity and a photo, and you can complete the form online before you fly. See the visa on arrival guide.

National Health Insurance does not travel with you

Korea's National Health Insurance covers treatment in Korea, not in Nepal, so you need a private travel policy, bought in Korea before you go. Ask three questions of any policy. How high does it go? The answer should be at least 6,000 m, because Kala Patthar is 5,545 m. Does it send a helicopter? Paid by you, the flight is US$3,000 to US$5,000, about KRW 4,020,000 to KRW 6,690,000. Does it cover sickness, not just injuries? Our helicopter cover to 6,000 m shows how to check. Send me the wording and I will look through it.

The Korean foreign ministry's channels

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs a 24-hour consular call centre, +82 2 3210 0404, and the 0404.go.kr overseas travel safety site. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kathmandu is at Ravi Bhawan, Kalimati. Check both before you travel and save the number in your phone.

Our three tiers

On Budget, your own bag is yours to carry, rooms are shared, meals are yours to buy and the Lukla flight is a fixed-wing plane. Standard has all meals, a private room and a porter for each pair of trekkers. Luxury has your own porter, private deluxe rooms with bathrooms, fruit, nuts and endless soft drinks, and helicopter flights to and from Lukla. Each includes a licensed guide, three permits (NPR 3,000, 3,000 and 2,000), airport transfers, plus a loan of a down jacket and a minus 15 sleeping bag. A lone Standard traveller has no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg. Kathmandu hotels are quoted separately. On Budget, a solo Everest Base Camp trekker pays US$2,275 instead of US$1,399. The route is on the trek page, and the Korea guide has more on hiking prices.

From Hallasan to Gorak Shep

Hallasan on Jeju, at 1,947 m, is the highest mountain in South Korea. Jirisan reaches 1,915 m. Lukla, where the walk starts, is 2,860 m, and Gorak Shep, the highest night, is 5,164 m. So Korean hikers will find the steps familiar and the altitude new. Plan for five to seven hours a day, and two acclimatisation days within the 12. Weekend ascents with a loaded pack and a slow pace are the best training. Read how fit you need to be.

Group prices in won

• 2 to 4 people: Budget KRW 1,870,000, Standard KRW 3,730,000, Luxury KRW 6,690,000, which is US$1,399, US$2,785 and US$4,999.
• 5 to 8 people: Budget KRW 1,740,000, Standard KRW 3,370,000, Luxury KRW 6,630,000, which is US$1,299, US$2,520 and US$4,949.
• 9 to 12 people: Budget KRW 1,610,000, Standard KRW 3,310,000, Luxury KRW 6,560,000, which is US$1,199, US$2,470 and US$4,899.
• 13 to 20 people: Budget KRW 1,340,000, Standard KRW 3,280,000, Luxury KRW 6,490,000, which is US$999, US$2,450 and US$4,849.

A private trip and a group trip cost the same per person; the number of travellers is what moves the price.

Leave, time zone and the Nepali calendar

Nepal is 3 hours 15 minutes behind Korea all year, since neither changes its clocks. The Labour Standards Act gives 15 days of annual leave after a year of service, with extra days for long service up to 25. With flights and a spare day, the trek needs about 14 days. On the Nepali side, remember that Dashain runs from 17 to 23 October 2026 and Tihar from 8 to 12 November. Offices close and permits need 48 working hours of the government's days. At the busiest time of year, the Lukla flights for Budget and Standard leave Manthali, four to five hours' drive away, with a pick-up between midnight and 2 am. The Luxury tier flies by helicopter from Kathmandu and avoids the road.

How to pay

A deposit of 10 per cent reserves the trek; Kathmandu is where the balance is settled, using US dollars or euros. Cash costs nothing extra, cards carry 3.5 per cent, and won or rupees cannot be used. Rescheduling is free, though, to any date up to a year away, if you tell us three days before (seven days for Tibet, Kailash and restricted areas). The deposit itself is not refunded if you cancel. If we have to call off the trek ourselves, the refund is whatever you paid, less taxes, card or bank fees and expenses already made on permits and flights.

Verify the company

Registered in 2016, in Kathmandu, and carried by three generations of guiding in one family. Membership of TAAN is 1586. Over 300 reviews are on TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot. Four things can be checked: the company registrar, TAAN, the tourism licence and the forex certificate. Even a fully licensed operator can be a scammer, so speak to us on video before paying. Part of every booking helps fund the Nagarjun Learning Center.

Need numbers for your own dates? Message me on WhatsApp +977 9810351300 / [email protected].

Also read the cost guide and the Manthali flight guide.

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