Everest Base Camp Trek Cost from Thailand: Prices in Baht, Nonstop Flights and Visa

Last updated 4 October 2026. Trek prices are read from our own booking system. Baht figures use a rate of 1 US dollar = 33.6 Thai baht. That sits between the 2 October 2026 reference rate published by Frankfurter (33.595; it uses European Central Bank data, and the bank does not publish on weekends) and the 4 October rate on Exchange Rate API (33.56). Rates move every day, so treat every baht figure as a guide and the dollar as the price you actually pay. Flight prices are snapshots from one day, and I say so wherever they appear.

Thai trekkers who write to me tend to ask the same thing in the first line: what will Everest Base Camp really cost from Bangkok, door to door, in baht? 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, but from Bangkok I did find a nonstop. And we bill in US dollars, so every baht figure below is a guide that will move a little.

This page is about one trek only, Everest Base Camp, with the arithmetic done in full: the fares I found, the visa, the permits, the time difference, and the Nepali public holidays that fall in the trekking season. We already have a wider guide to trekking in Nepal from Thailand, 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 the UK, Germany, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria and Portugal too.

If you want me directly, my WhatsApp is +977 9810351300. I answer it myself. Nepal is 1 hour 15 minutes behind Thailand all year, so a message you send at 9 am in Bangkok arrives at 7:45 am in Kathmandu, and I will usually reply within your working day. Neither country changes its clocks, as far as I know.

Is there a direct flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu?

Yes, in my search. On 4 October 2026 I ran a live search from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Kathmandu on Kiwi.com: leaving 19 October and returning 5 November, with a cabin bag and a checked bag, on a single ticket (no self-transfer). A search limited to nonstop flights returned four itineraries, all on Thai Airways. Out, flight TG309 leaves Bangkok at 21:15 and lands in Kathmandu at 23:25 (3 hours 25 minutes), and TG319 leaves at 10:15 and lands at 12:25. Back, TG320 leaves Kathmandu at 13:30 and lands in Bangkok at 18:15 (3 hours 30 minutes), and TG310 leaves at 00:25 and lands at 05:10. All times are local airport times. That is a snapshot for those dates only, so check the airline's own timetable for yours.

I also ran the wider search, allowing one change of plane in each direction. Its 15 results all had at least one change on the way out, in Delhi or Kunming, though several used the nonstop Thai Airways flight on the way home. The cheapest fares in that search were cheaper than the nonstop, and I show them below, so you can decide what a saved evening is worth to you. Two more airports as a check, with the same limits and one change at most: from Don Mueang (DMK) the lowest return fare I found was US$1,112, with no nonstop, and from Chiang Mai (CNX) it was US$1,484, with an overnight wait in Guangzhou on the way out and a change in Bangkok on the way home. If you live in the north, price the Chiang Mai to Bangkok leg yourself against the CNX fare, because I have not.

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, leaving Bangkok on 19 October and coming back on 5 November, a cabin bag and one checked bag included, no self-transfer. The first search (one change at most) returned 15 itineraries, and I logged the lowest fares and the shortest journey. The nonstop-only search returned four. The table shows seven of them. 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
IndiGo out via Delhi; Air India home via Delhi	US$613 (about ฿20,600)	The cheapest fare I found, about 26 hours 15 minutes in total. Out 19 October at 20:15, Kathmandu at 13:05 on 20 October (18 hours in all). Home from Kathmandu at 21:40 on 5 November, Bangkok at 07:05 on 6 November
China Eastern out via Kunming; Air India home via Delhi	US$622 (about ฿20,900)	About 22 hours 5 minutes in total. Out 19 October at 02:25 (so you leave the night of 18 October), Kathmandu at 15:05 (13 hours 55 minutes in all). Home as in the row above
China Eastern out via Kunming, later flight; Air India home via Delhi	US$672 (about ฿22,600)	About 16 hours 40 minutes in total. Out 19 October at 07:50, Kathmandu at 15:05 the same day (8 hours 30 minutes in all). Home from Kathmandu at 21:40 on 5 November, Bangkok at 07:05 on 6 November
IndiGo out via Delhi; Thai Airways nonstop home	US$674 (about ฿22,600)	About 21 hours 35 minutes in total. Out as in the first row. Home on nonstop TG320, Kathmandu 13:30 to Bangkok 18:15 on 5 November, or TG310 at 00:25 on 5 November
China Eastern out via Kunming; Thai Airways nonstop home	US$735 (about ฿24,700)	About 12 hours in total, the shortest of the 15 results in the first search. Out 19 October at 07:50, Kathmandu at 15:05. Home on TG320 at 13:30 on 5 November
Thai Airways nonstop both ways, evening flight out	US$775 (about ฿26,000)	The fare I use below. About 6 hours 55 minutes in the air in total. Out on TG309, Bangkok 21:15, Kathmandu 23:25 on 19 October. Home on TG320 at 13:30 on 5 November (or TG310 at 00:25), Bangkok 18:15
Thai Airways nonstop both ways, morning flight out	US$855 (about ฿28,700)	The same flying time. Out on TG319, Bangkok 10:15, Kathmandu 12:25 on 19 October. Home on TG320 or TG310 as above

The fare I use for the budget below is the nonstop at US$775, about ฿26,000. It is not the cheapest, and I chose it on purpose. The cheapest fare, US$613, saves US$162 (about ฿5,400), but you pay for it with a change of plane in Delhi on both legs and a landing in Kathmandu at 13:05 on 20 October, the day after the nonstop. If you can live with that, take it, and every total below comes down by US$162. The nonstop has its own cost: TG309 lands at 23:25, so someone has to meet you at a late hour, and 19 October is inside the Dashain holiday, which is covered below. If you would rather land in daylight, TG319 at 10:15 is the same nonstop for US$80 more (about ฿2,700). Baggage allowances are as Kiwi.com listed them. Check the transit rules for the country where you change planes too, because I have not.

Notice what the numbers say about Bangkok. A nonstop costs about US$160 more than the cheapest one-stop fare, and it takes the journey from about 26 hours in total to under 7. That is a good trade for anyone who has only a few days of leave to spend on travel, and it goes into the days-off calculation below.

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 ฿47,000, ฿84,000 and ฿168,000 at 33.6 baht 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	THB, approximate
Budget	US$1,399	about ฿47,000
Standard	US$2,499	about ฿84,000
Luxury	US$4,999	about ฿168,000

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 ฿500), 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 ฿40,300) 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 ฿21,500), and about US$710 from Lukla back to Kathmandu (about ฿23,900), 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, ฿8,500
Fixed-wing flight, return (included on Budget and Standard)	about US$506, ฿17,000
Shared helicopter seat, Kathmandu to Lukla	about US$640, ฿21,500
Shared helicopter seat, Lukla to Kathmandu	about US$710, ฿23,900
Both helicopter legs bought separately (my sum)	about US$1,350, ฿45,400
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 ฿840), 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 Bangkok 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 ฿1,700 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 Thai citizens need a visa for Nepal?

Yes, but it is simple. Thailand 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. I also read the Department of Immigration's visa exemption page on 4 October 2026: Thailand appears on it only for holders of diplomatic, official or service passports, so an ordinary Thai passport takes the normal visa. 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 ฿1,000, ฿1,700 and ฿4,200.

Almost every Everest trekker needs 30 days, so budget US$50 and carry it in US dollars cash. Check your passport's validity date today and check the current document requirements on the Department of Immigration's site, because I did not find a passport validity or photo rule on the pages I read, so I will not state one. 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 Thai foreign ministry say about Nepal?

I looked for it and could not find it. On 4 October 2026 I opened the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages I could reach, and I did not find a Nepal travel advisory on any of them. So I have not checked it, and I will not guess at what it says. Please read the ministry's own advice for Nepal before you book, because advisories change, and conditions in Nepal can change after any notice. Lukla landings are by sight, flights can be grounded for days, and the best protection is a buffer in your plans, which is the next point.

Will Thai health insurance cover you in Nepal?

I have not checked what any Thai public or employer health scheme 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 Thai insurer's policy terms, 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 ฿100,800 to ฿168,000. I have not priced Thai 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 ฿1,700 to ฿3,400, ฿3,400 to ฿6,000 and ฿5,000 to ฿8,400. 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 ฿10,100 to ฿16,100. 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 ฿200 to ฿400. 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 ฿4,400 to ฿6,600) 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 ฿6,000 to ฿8,100), and US$10 to US$15 a day for a porter, US$120 to US$180 over twelve days (about ฿4,000 to ฿6,000). Together that is US$300 to US$420, about ฿10,100 to ฿14,100. 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, and it matters more if you live somewhere warm. 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 Thai shop prices, which I have not checked. Multiply the dollar figures by about 33.6 for baht.

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 Bangkok. 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 Thailand?

One person, Budget tier, twelve days, flying nonstop from Bangkok at US$775 (Thai Airways both ways), a checked bag included. This table is the Budget column of the budget table further down, without tips, insurance and trail extras:

Item	USD	THB, approximate
Trek, Budget tier (permits included)	US$1,399	฿47,000
Return flight, Bangkok nonstop, US$775 snapshot, checked bag included	US$775	฿26,000
Nepal visa, 30 days	US$50	฿1,700
Food on the trail, US$25 to US$40 a day for twelve days	US$300 to US$480	฿10,100 to ฿16,100
Total	about US$2,524 to US$2,704	about ฿84,800 to ฿90,900

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	THB, approximate
Budget (plus US$300 to US$480 for meals on the trail)	about US$2,224	about ฿74,700
Standard (meals included)	about US$3,324	about ฿111,700
Luxury (meals and helicopter included)	about US$5,824	about ฿195,700

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, US$613, every total above comes down by US$162, about ฿5,400.

How expensive is it to hike to Everest Base Camp?

From Bangkok, a solo trekker on our Budget tier should plan on about US$2,754 to US$3,124 (roughly ฿92,500 to ฿105,000) for the whole trip, before a Kathmandu hotel. Of that, the trek is US$1,399, the flight US$775 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$3,554 to US$3,744 and Luxury about US$6,174 to US$6,424, 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 Thailand for about seventeen nights on the fare I use. 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 Bangkok to Kathmandu, US$775 autumn snapshot	US$775	US$775	US$775
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 2,754 to 3,124	about 3,554 to 3,744	about 6,174 to 6,424
Total, THB at 33.6	about ฿92,500 to ฿105,000	about ฿119,400 to ฿125,800	about ฿207,400 to ฿215,800
Showers, charging, wifi (not in the totals)	up to about US$150 more (฿5,000)	up to about US$150 more	up to about US$150 more

How the totals are built: Budget low is 1,399 + 775 + 50 + 300 + 180 + 50 = 2,754, and high is 1,399 + 775 + 50 + 480 + 240 + 180 = 3,124. Standard low is 2,499 + 775 + 50 + 180 + 50 = 3,554 and high 2,499 + 775 + 50 + 240 + 180 = 3,744. Luxury low is 4,999 + 775 + 50 + 300 + 50 = 6,174 and high 4,999 + 775 + 50 + 420 + 180 = 6,424. 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$613 to US$855 in the Bangkok rows I list alone, and Don Mueang and Chiang Mai were higher. 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 ฿500) 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 baht 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 on a long change of plane. The cheapest fares wait many hours between flights, in Delhi or Kunming. If you will not sleep at the airport, add a night.
• A late-night arrival. The TG309 nonstop lands at 23:25, so you want your Kathmandu hotel booked for the night of 19 October, 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 baht, multiply by about 33.6.

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 ฿43,600), which is US$100 each 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?

Ask for about seventeen nights away from Thailand. On the nonstop fare I use you fly out on the evening of Monday 19 October and land back in Bangkok at 18:15 on Thursday 5 November. The weekdays you must cover, counting the Monday, are Monday 19 October to Thursday 5 November, which is 14 weekdays (5 + 5 + 4). The flying itself is about seven hours in total, and the trek is twelve days, which leaves a few spare days around it. 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 Thai side, and here I have to be plain about what I did not do. I tried to read Thai annual leave rules and the Thai public holiday calendar from official Thai government pages, and I could not reach a page I could verify. So I am not quoting a number of leave days, and I am not telling you which Thai holidays fall between 19 October and 5 November. Count your own leave balance against the 14 weekdays, check the holiday calendar your employer uses, 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 Thailand on UTC+7, so Nepal is 1 hour 15 minutes behind Thailand. A 07:00 call from the trail is 08:15 in Bangkok. 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, leaving Bangkok on 19 October, 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. Thailand's northern hills give you a start: you can train with a loaded pack on back-to-back days on steep forest trails. What they cannot give you is the air. According to Wikipedia, Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai province is 2,565 metres and is the highest mountain in Thailand. Base Camp is 5,364 metres, about 2,799 metres higher than Doi Inthanon and about 2.1 times its height, and Everest itself is 8,848.86 metres, about 3.4 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.

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 with no hills, 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 hot 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 Doi Inthanon?

The only Thai connection to Everest that I can source is a measuring one, so I will not dress it up as more. Wikipedia gives Doi Inthanon as 2,565 metres, the highest mountain in Thailand, and 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 more than three times as high as anything in your home country, and for many Thai 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 Thai trekker, and what we know first-hand.

• There is a nonstop, and it costs about US$160 more. With a checked bag and a single ticket, the lowest return I found on 4 October was US$613 with a change in Delhi each way, and the nonstop was US$775. For a short leave allowance, the nonstop is the one I would look at first.
• Two bag limits, not one. You can check a full bag from Bangkok, 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 nonstop is about 3 hours 25 minutes out and 3 hours 30 minutes back. The cheapest fare takes about 26 hours in total. That changes how many days off you ask for.
• The arrival day. The evening nonstop lands in Kathmandu at 23:25 on 19 October. The morning nonstop lands at 12:25. The cheapest fare lands at 13:05 on 20 October. Tell your hotel or us in advance so someone is waiting.
• Delhi or Kunming. 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. 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.
• 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 Thailand?

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 Thai baht. Your own bank may add a currency margin when it converts from baht, 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 Thai clients ask me

Is there a direct flight from Bangkok? Yes, in my search: Thai Airways TG309 (evening) and TG319 (morning) out, TG310 and TG320 back, about 3 hours 30 minutes each way. The nonstop return fare I saw on 4 October for 19 October to 5 November was US$775, and it is a one-day snapshot.

Does my Thai health insurance cover me in Nepal? I have not checked, and I would not assume it covers rescue or repatriation. 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 19 October to 5 November example uses 14 weekdays. I have not verified Thai 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 1 hour 15 minutes behind Thailand, 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 Thailand, read our Nepal trekking from Thailand guide.

สรุปภาษาไทย

เส้นทางเทรกกิ้งเอเวอเรสต์เบสแคมป์ 12 วัน ราคาต่อคน 1,399 ดอลลาร์สหรัฐ (ระดับประหยัด), 2,499 ดอลลาร์ (ระดับมาตรฐาน) และ 4,999 ดอลลาร์ (ระดับหรู) คิดที่อัตรา 1 ดอลลาร์ = 33.6 บาท เท่ากับประมาณ 47,000 บาท, 84,000 บาท และ 168,000 บาท ราคานี้รวมไกด์ที่มีใบอนุญาต ค่าบัตรอนุญาตทั้งหมด และที่พักแบบทีเฮาส์ตามเส้นทาง แต่ไม่รวมตั๋วเครื่องบิน วีซ่า ประกันการเดินทาง โรงแรมในกาฐมาณฑุ และทิป อัตราแลกเปลี่ยนเปลี่ยนทุกวัน ตัวเลขเป็นบาทจึงเป็นเพียงแนวทาง เราเรียกเก็บเป็นดอลลาร์สหรัฐเท่านั้น

จากการค้นหาเมื่อวันที่ 4 ตุลาคม ค.ศ. 2026 พบเที่ยวบินตรงของการบินไทยจากกรุงเทพฯ ไปกาฐมาณฑุ (TG309 ช่วงค่ำ และ TG319 ช่วงเช้า) ตั๋วไปกลับเที่ยวบินตรงราคาต่ำสุดที่พบสำหรับ 19 ตุลาคมถึง 5 พฤศจิกายน คือ 775 ดอลลาร์ (ประมาณ 26,000 บาท) ส่วนตั๋วที่ถูกที่สุดคือ 613 ดอลลาร์ (ประมาณ 20,600 บาท) แต่ต้องต่อเครื่องที่เดลีทั้งขาไปและขากลับ ราคาตั๋วเป็นข้อมูลของวันเดียวและเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ งบประมาณทั้งทริปสำหรับระดับประหยัด หนึ่งคน ไม่รวมโรงแรมในกาฐมาณฑุ ประมาณ 2,754 ถึง 3,124 ดอลลาร์ (ประมาณ 92,500 ถึง 105,000 บาท)

คนถือหนังสือเดินทางไทยทั่วไปขอวีซ่าเมื่อมาถึงสนามบินตรีภูวันได้ ค่าธรรมเนียม 30 ดอลลาร์ (15 วัน), 50 ดอลลาร์ (30 วัน) หรือ 125 ดอลลาร์ (90 วัน) ส่วนกฎหมายวันลาของไทยและคำแนะนำการเดินทางของกระทรวงการต่างประเทศไทยเกี่ยวกับเนปาล ผู้เขียนยังไม่ได้ตรวจสอบ กรุณาตรวจสอบกับฝ่ายบุคคลและกระทรวงการต่างประเทศก่อนจอง ติดต่อสอบถามได้ทาง WhatsApp +977 9810351300 หรือ [email protected] (ภาษาอังกฤษ)

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.