Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Taiwan: Prices in TWD, Flights and Visa

Last updated 4 October 2026. Trek prices are read from our own booking system. Taiwan dollar figures use a rate of 1 US dollar = 31.85 Taiwan dollars, a rounding of the 4 October 2026 rate on Exchange Rate API (31.854) and the 3 October rate on a free currency data set published on jsDelivr (31.822). The European Central Bank data that I used for other countries has no Taiwan dollar, so I could not use it here. Unlike some currencies the Taiwan dollar moves from day to day, so every NT$ figure below is an approximation and the US dollar is the price you actually pay. Flight prices are snapshots from one day, and I say so wherever they appear.

Taiwanese trekkers who write to me usually open with one question: what will Everest Base Camp really cost from Taiwan, door to door, in Taiwan dollars? The honest answer has three parts. The trek price I can give you to the dollar: US$1,399 on Budget, US$2,499 on Standard and US$4,999 on Luxury, about NT$44,600, NT$79,600 and NT$159,200. The flight I can only show you a snapshot of, and in my search there was no nonstop from Taipei, so the cheapest fare was US$1,206 return (about NT$38,400) with a change of plane in Bangkok. We bill in US dollars, so every Taiwan dollar figure 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 Taiwan, 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 Taiwan on UTC+8, so Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind Taiwan all year. According to Wikipedia, Taiwan last changed its clocks in 1979, and Nepal does not change them either. A message you send at 9 am in Taipei arrives at 6:45 am in Kathmandu, and I will usually reply within your working day.

Is there a direct flight from Taipei to Kathmandu?

Not in my search. On 4 October 2026 I ran live searches from Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) to Kathmandu on Kiwi.com, with a cabin bag and a checked bag, on a single ticket (no self-transfer). I tried a return leaving 19 October and coming back on 5 November, then one-way searches from Taipei on 19 to 30 October and one-way from Kathmandu on 3 to 8 November, each limited to nonstop flights. All of them returned nothing. So the question for a Taiwanese trekker is not whether to change planes, but where, and how long you wait.

I then ran the return search on the same dates, allowing one change of plane in each direction. It returned 15 itineraries, from US$1,206 to US$1,384. Eight of them were the same US$1,206 fare on Thai Airways via Bangkok, with different departure times and different waits, and the whole trip took between about 29 hours 50 minutes and about 45 hours 30 minutes. An earlier search the same day, with the same settings, showed higher fares (the cheapest was US$1,318, and the dearest was US$1,709), which is why I call all of this a snapshot. Look at the table before you book, and look again on the day.

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, leaving Taipei on 19 October and returning from Kathmandu on 5 November. 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
Thai Airways both ways via Bangkok (the cheapest group)	US$1,206 (about NT$38,400)	Cheapest, with the shortest of the eight versions at about 29 hours 50 minutes in total. Out on TG635, 19 October at 18:50, to Bangkok at 21:35; a night there; TG319 at 10:15 on 20 October, Kathmandu 12:25 (19 hours 50 minutes in all). Home on TG310, Kathmandu 00:25 on 5 November, then TG632 from Bangkok at 08:10, Taipei 12:40. Other versions of the same fare leave Taipei at 07:55 or 14:05, or wait longer in Bangkok, and take up to about 45 hours 30 minutes
Thai Airways both ways, later flight home from Bangkok	US$1,243 (about NT$39,600)	Same outbound as above. Home from Bangkok at 17:30 (TG636), Taipei 22:20 on 5 November. Two itineraries at this price, about 39 hours 30 minutes and 44 hours 15 minutes in total
Cathay Pacific out via Hong Kong, Thai Airways home via Bangkok	US$1,318 (about NT$42,000)	Out on CX469, Taipei 22:20 on 19 October, Hong Kong 00:25 on 20 October; CX603 from Hong Kong at 18:55, Kathmandu 21:45 (25 hours 40 minutes in all). Home as in the first row. About 35 hours 40 minutes in total
China Southern both ways via Guangzhou, same-day arrival	US$1,323 (about NT$42,100)	Out on 19 October at 14:50, Kathmandu 22:30 the same day (9 hours 55 minutes in all). Home from Kathmandu at 23:30 on 5 November, Taipei 14:15 on 6 November. About 22 hours 25 minutes in total. A second version at the same price waits overnight in Guangzhou and lands in Kathmandu at 11:30 on 20 October
China Southern out via Guangzhou, Thai Airways home via Bangkok	US$1,384 (about NT$44,100)	The shortest of the 15 results, about 19 hours 55 minutes in total. Out as in the row above, Kathmandu 22:30 on 19 October. Home from Kathmandu at 00:25 on 5 November, Taipei 12:40. A second version at this price waits longer at home and takes about 24 hours 35 minutes

Look at what the numbers say. The cheapest fare, US$1,206, puts you in Kathmandu at lunchtime on 20 October after a night in Bangkok. The fastest, US$1,384, costs US$178 more (about NT$5,700) and saves about 10 hours in total, and it lands you in Kathmandu on the evening of the day you leave. If your leave is short, that is the one I would look at first. If you have the days to spare, the cheapest one saves you the US$178, and the totals below come down by that amount. The Cathay Pacific route through Hong Kong costs US$112 more than the cheapest and does not save time on the way out, because the Kathmandu flight leaves Hong Kong in the evening, so I would not pick it unless the schedule suits you.

Each route has its own small costs. Three of these fares arrive late in the evening or at night (Kathmandu 21:45, 22:30 or 23:25 in some versions of the Thai fare), so someone has to meet you, and your Kathmandu hotel must be booked for that night. Our team can arrange the pick-up. The home flights leave Kathmandu at 00:25 or 23:30, so ask your hotel for a late check-out on the last day. 19 and 20 October are also inside the Dashain holiday, which is covered below. Check the transit rules for the place where you change planes, whether that is Bangkok, Hong Kong or Guangzhou, because I have not read them for a Taiwan passport. A change of plane in mainland China may have its own entry rules, so ask the airline before you choose that fare.

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 NT$44,600, NT$79,600 and NT$159,200 at 31.85 Taiwan 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	TWD, approximate
Budget	US$1,399	about NT$44,600
Standard	US$2,499	about NT$79,600
Luxury	US$4,999	about NT$159,200

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 NT$480), 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 NT$38,200) 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 NT$20,400), and about US$710 from Lukla back to Kathmandu (about NT$22,600), 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, NT$8,100
Fixed-wing flight, return (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$506, NT$16,100
Shared helicopter seat, Kathmandu to Lukla	about US$640, NT$20,400
Shared helicopter seat, Lukla to Kathmandu	about US$710, NT$22,600
Both helicopter legs bought separately (my sum)	about US$1,350, NT$43,000
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 NT$800), 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 Taipei 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 NT$1,650 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 Taiwan passport holders need a visa for Nepal?

Yes, a tourist visa, and there are two official sources that do not say quite the same thing, so I will show you both. I read them on 4 October 2026.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs country page for Nepal says, in my translation, that holders of Taiwan passports can apply for a visa on arrival, but must register online beforehand, and only for tourism, with stays of 15, 30 or 90 days. That page carries the date 21 June 2022, so it is old. The Nepal Department of Immigration says all passport holders other than twelve listed countries may get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan airport, and that you can also apply online beforehand. Taiwan is not among the twelve (Afghanistan, Cameroon, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Syria and Zimbabwe). But the Department's pages I read do not name Taiwan or the Taiwan passport anywhere, so I cannot show you its own words about your passport. The fees it publishes are US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days. That is about NT$960, NT$1,590 and NT$3,980.

My advice, from those two pages: apply online before you fly, using the Department's portal, rather than hoping to sort it out at the desk. The Taiwanese page asks for online registration, and an online application also asks for a recent photo on a white background, a scan of your passport and payment by card in US dollars. Print the approval. 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 almost every Everest trekker needs 30 days, so budget US$50. Carry some US dollars in cash in case you pay at the airport. Because the two sources differ, ask the Department of Immigration to confirm in writing how it treats a Taiwan passport, and keep the reply with your papers. Our e-visa guide and our visa on arrival guide walk through both routes.

Two more notes from the Taiwanese page. The visa is for tourism only. And the page says Nepal controls foreign currency strictly: if you bring in more than US$5,000 in foreign currency you must declare it, and money that is not declared can be confiscated, with a fine of the same amount. That bears on how you pay us. A Luxury balance in cash after the 10 per cent deposit is about US$4,499 on its own, and with your other money you could pass the line, so for large sums pay the balance by card, or ask us how to split it.

Will your Taiwan health insurance cover you in Nepal?

I have not checked what Taiwan's National Health Insurance or any employer 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 Taiwanese insurer's policy terms or prices, so I cannot tell you which policy is good. Ask, and ask the question from the first section too: does the cover still apply when the government advises against travel to Nepal?

What I would ask for in writing before you buy: cover for trekking to at least 6,000 metres, which gives a margin above the highest point on this trek, 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 NT$95,600 to NT$159,300. 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 NT$1,600 to NT$3,200, NT$3,200 to NT$5,700 and NT$4,800 to NT$8,000. 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 NT$9,600 to NT$15,300. 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 NT$220 to NT$410. 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 NT$4,100 to NT$6,200) 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 NT$5,700 to NT$7,600), and US$10 to US$15 a day for a porter, US$120 to US$180 over twelve days (about NT$3,800 to NT$5,700). Together that is US$300 to US$420, about NT$9,600 to NT$13,400. 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 Taiwan shop prices, which I have not checked. Multiply the dollar figures by about 31.85 for Taiwan 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 Taipei. 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 Taiwan?

One person, Budget tier, twelve days, on the cheapest return fare I found, US$1,206 (out 19 October, back 5 November), a checked bag included. This table leaves out tips, insurance and trail extras:

Item	USD	TWD, approximate
Trek, Budget tier (permits included)	US$1,399	NT$44,600
Return flight, Taipei to Kathmandu via Bangkok, US$1,206 snapshot, checked bag included	US$1,206	NT$38,400
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	NT$1,590
Food on the trail, US$25 to US$40 a day for twelve days	US$300 to US$480	NT$9,600 to NT$15,300
Total	about US$2,955 to US$3,135	about NT$94,100 to NT$99,800

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	TWD, approximate
Budget (plus US$300 to US$480 for meals on the trail)	about US$2,655	about NT$84,600
Standard (meals included)	about US$3,755	about NT$119,600
Luxury (meals and helicopter included)	about US$6,255	about NT$199,200

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 fastest fare, US$1,384, instead of the cheapest, every total above goes up by US$178, about NT$5,700.

How expensive is it to hike to Everest Base Camp?

From Taiwan, a solo trekker on our Budget tier should plan on about US$3,185 to US$3,555 (roughly NT$101,400 to NT$113,200) for the whole trip, before a Kathmandu hotel. Of that, the trek is US$1,399, the flight US$1,206 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$3,985 to US$4,175 and Luxury about US$6,605 to US$6,855, and showers, charging and wifi can add up to about US$150 (about NT$4,800) 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 Taiwan for about seventeen days on the cheapest fare. 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 Taipei to Kathmandu, US$1,206 autumn snapshot	US$1,206	US$1,206	US$1,206
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 3,185 to 3,555	about 3,985 to 4,175	about 6,605 to 6,855
Total, TWD at 31.85	about NT$101,400 to NT$113,200	about NT$126,900 to NT$133,000	about NT$210,400 to NT$218,300
Showers, charging, wifi (not in the totals)	up to about US$150 more (NT$4,800)	up to about US$150 more	up to about US$150 more

How the totals are built: Budget low is 1,399 + 1,206 + 50 + 300 + 180 + 50 = 3,185, and high is 1,399 + 1,206 + 50 + 480 + 240 + 180 = 3,555. Standard low is 2,499 + 1,206 + 50 + 180 + 50 = 3,985 and high 2,499 + 1,206 + 50 + 240 + 180 = 4,175. Luxury low is 4,999 + 1,206 + 50 + 300 + 50 = 6,605 and high 4,999 + 1,206 + 50 + 420 + 180 = 6,855. 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$1,206 to US$1,384, and an earlier search the same day showed US$1,318 to US$1,709. 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 NT$480) 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 Taiwan 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 Bangkok or Guangzhou. If you will not sleep at the airport, add a night.
• A late-night arrival. Some of these fares land in Kathmandu after 21:00, so book your Kathmandu hotel for the night you arrive, 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 Taiwan dollars, multiply by about 31.85.

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 NT$41,400), which is US$100 each (about NT$3,200) 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?

Take the cheapest fare. You fly out on the evening of Monday 19 October (TG635 at 18:50) and land back in Taipei at 12:40 on Thursday 5 November. The flying itself is about 30 hours in total, and the trek is twelve days. If the trek starts the morning after you land in Kathmandu, that leaves about three spare days before the 00:25 flight home on 5 November, which means you leave your hotel on the evening of 4 November. 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 Taiwan side. I read a calendar of Taiwan's 2026 holidays on 4 October 2026. It is a community-maintained data set based on the government's calendar, not the government's own page, which I could not open, so check the official calendar before you ask for leave. It shows Sunday 25 October (Taiwan Retrocession Day) with Monday 26 October as the make-up holiday, so 26 October is not a working day. On the cheapest fare, the working days you need are Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 October (4), Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 October (4) and Monday 2 to Thursday 5 November (4), which is 12 days, counting the 5th because you land at lunchtime. If you leave Taipei on the afternoon of Monday 19 October on the faster China Southern fare, count part of that day too. The same calendar shows Friday 9 October as a make-up day and Saturday 10 October as National Day, both before these dates. What I did not do is read Taiwan's annual leave rules: I could not open the Labor Standards Act page, 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 Taiwan on UTC+8, so Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind. A 07:00 call from the trail is 09:15 in Taipei. 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. Taiwan's mountains give you a good start, and many Taiwanese hikers already know long days on steep stairs and trails. What they cannot give you is the air. According to Wikipedia, Yushan is the highest mountain in Taiwan at 3,952 metres. Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side is 5,364 metres, about 1,412 metres higher than the top of Yushan and about 1.4 times its height, and Everest itself is 8,848.86 metres, about 2.2 times higher. So you will spend days sleeping higher than the highest point you have ever walked in Taiwan. 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 Yushan?

The comparison I can source is a measuring one, so I will not dress it up as more. Wikipedia gives Yushan as 3,952 metres, the highest mountain in Taiwan, and Everest as 8,848.86 metres after the 2020 survey by Nepali and Chinese authorities, a difference of about 4,897 metres. 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 twice as high as anything in Taiwan, and for many Taiwanese 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 Taiwanese trekker, and what we know first-hand.

• There was no nonstop in my search. On 4 October every nonstop-only search from Taipei to Kathmandu, and back, returned nothing. The lowest return fare was US$1,206 via Bangkok, and the fastest was US$1,384 via Guangzhou and Bangkok at about 19 hours 55 minutes in total.
• Two bag limits, not one. You can check a full bag from Taipei, 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 cheapest fare takes about 30 hours in total across both directions, and the longest version of it about 45. That changes how many days off you ask for.
• The arrival day. The cheapest fare lands in Kathmandu at 12:25 on 20 October. The fastest lands at 22:30 on 19 October. Tell your hotel or us in advance so someone is waiting.
• Bangkok or Guangzhou. 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 Taiwan calendar. Your flight lands inside the Dashain holiday, which runs 17 to 23 October 2026, and Monday 26 October is a make-up holiday in Taiwan. Guides rarely mention either.
• Permits from the official figures. NPR 8,000 in total, and TIMS is still part of it.
• The visa answer, from two sources. Taiwan's consular page says register online first; the Nepal Department of Immigration does not name the Taiwan passport. Apply online, print the approval, and ask the Department to confirm in writing.
• Cash limits. Foreign currency above US$5,000 must be declared on entry, according to the Taiwanese page. For a Luxury balance, pay by card or ask us.
• Insurance questions in writing. Altitude limit, helicopter evacuation for illness, 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 Taiwan?

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 Taiwan dollars. Your own bank may add a currency margin when it converts Taiwan 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 Taiwanese clients ask me

Is there a direct flight from Taipei? Not in my search on 4 October 2026: every nonstop-only search returned nothing. The cheapest return fare was US$1,206 via Bangkok on Thai Airways, about 30 hours in total, and the fastest was US$1,384 via Guangzhou and Bangkok, about 19 hours 55 minutes. They are one-day snapshots.

Do I need a visa with a Taiwan passport? Yes, a tourist visa. Taiwan's consular page says you can get one on arrival but must register online first. The Nepal Department of Immigration says everyone outside twelve listed countries may get one on arrival, and it does not name the Taiwan passport. Apply online, print the approval, and ask the Department to confirm in writing.

Does my Taiwan 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 5 November example on the cheapest fare uses 12 working days, because 26 October is a make-up holiday. I have not read Taiwan's 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 Taiwan, 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 Taiwan, read our Nepal trekking from Taiwan guide.

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.