Everest Base Camp Trek with Chitwan Jungle Safari in 16 Days: Route, Cost and Who It Suits

Last updated 15 October 2026.

Short answer: Yes, you can walk to Everest Base Camp and finish in the Chitwan jungle, and we run it as one trip. The Everest Base Camp Trek with Chitwan Jungle Safari, 16 Days is our classic 12-day Everest Base Camp route with one spare day at Lukla, followed by three easy days at Chitwan National Park: a jeep safari, a dugout canoe on the Rapti river, a jungle walk, birdwatching and a Tharu stick dance. It costs from USD 2,605 per person (Budget, two to four guests), USD 3,470 on Standard and USD 6,255 on Luxury. It is graded Strenuous: you sleep at Gorak Shep (5,164 m) and climb Kala Patthar (5,545 m). This is a real trek with a soft landing.

I am Shreejan. Many people want Base Camp but also something green and warm at the end. I built this trip for them. Prices and days are read from the live package page on 15 October 2026.

The 16-day Everest Base Camp and Chitwan trip at a glance

Kathmandu hotel nights are not in the price. Our family homestay is USD 15 per person a night, or I can book you a hotel. Plan to land in Kathmandu the day before day 1.

What do the 16 days look like?

The first twelve days are the same Everest route as my day-by-day Everest Base Camp guide, with the one change at day 12. Day 8 is the long one: Lobuche to Gorak Shep, then on with a daypack to Base Camp and back to Gorak Shep to sleep. On day 9 you wake in the dark for Kala Patthar. The climb takes 60 to 90 minutes in the cold, and then you walk a long way down the valley to Pangboche, where the air is thicker and the legs are tired.

Why is the spare day at Lukla in the plan?

Lukla has a short runway and it needs clear weather. Flights are often held for a day or more. If the flight back is delayed and there is no spare day, the safari days are the first to be lost. So I put a spare day in the itinerary after you reach Lukla. If you do not need it, it is a rest day. I would still keep one more spare day before your flight home. In the busy weeks, roughly 15 March to 15 May and 25 September to 30 November, flights may leave from Manthali instead of Kathmandu, and the road transfer is included. My Ramechhap versus Lukla guide shows what to expect.

What do you do at Chitwan after Base Camp?

The Terai is a different world after eleven days of cold, thin air. On day 13 you fly back to Kathmandu and sleep in your own hotel. On day 14 you drive south along the Trishuli river for five to six hours. The hills give way to warm lowland, and in the evening the Tharu people, the indigenous community of the Terai, perform their stick dance by firelight with bamboo staves and madal drums.

Day 15 is the full day. You start early, when the birds are loudest, with a walk at the edge of the forest with a naturalist guide, looking for hornbills, kingfishers and animal tracks. After breakfast you go into the park by 4x4 jeep along sal forest tracks and grassland clearings. The greater one-horned rhinoceros is the star. You may also see deer, wild boar and crocodiles on the river banks. Tigers live in the park, but they are rarely seen and I cannot promise one. After lunch at the lodge you board a dugout canoe on the Rapti and drift downstream, watching birds and crocodiles on the banks. On day 16, if you are awake early, a short walk around the lodge grounds in the first light is the best birdwatching of the trip, and then you drive back to Kathmandu, arriving in the afternoon.

We do not sell animal rides of any kind. Our Chitwan days are the jeep, the canoe, the walk, the birds and the Tharu evening. My guide to things to do in Chitwan has more. On the safari you follow your naturalist, keep to the jeep and the canoe, and never walk into the forest alone.

Who is this trip for, and who should choose something else?

It suits a walker who is fit, wants Base Camp, and would like the second half of the trip to be easy. Trail days are 5 to 8 hours at altitude, so start training about twelve weeks ahead. Your guide checks your oxygen level every day, and if you are not acclimatising we do not go higher. Tell me before you book about any heart, lung or blood-pressure condition.

It does not suit someone who wants a gentle week. The 16 days sit on top of a Strenuous trek. If you want Chitwan with less altitude, see my shorter trek and Chitwan combinations. If you want to add Pokhara as well, my 21-day itinerary does that.

What does the 16-day trip cost?

Prices are per person, the same for a private trip and for a group of that size, and a child pays the same as an adult. They are read from the live package page on 15 October 2026, and the page says one price applies all year.

If you only want the mountain, our Everest Base Camp Trek, 12 Days is the same route without the spare day and without Chitwan. For two to four guests it costs USD 1,399 on Budget, USD 2,499 on Standard and USD 4,999 on Luxury. The 16-day trip adds the Chitwan lodge nights, the private vehicle, the safari activities and the park fee. For the full picture of what the Everest part costs on its own, see my Everest Base Camp cost guide.

What is the difference between Budget, Standard and Luxury?

If you travel alone on Standard you have no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg of your gear. A solo Luxury trekker still has a dedicated porter. An extra porter is USD 25 a day plus 13 per cent VAT and the 3.5 per cent bank charge on top.

What is not in the price?

International flights, Kathmandu hotel nights, travel insurance, tips, personal spending, and your Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, paid in cash on arrival; your passport must be valid for at least six months). Budget also leaves out meals on the trail and lunch and dinner at the Chitwan lodge.

When should you go in 2027?

Chitwan is best from October to March, and the Everest trail is best in October, November, March and April. So October, November and March suit both ends. The figures are station averages and modelled night lows, not a forecast.

My Everest Base Camp best time guide has the month-by-month detail for the mountain.

What permits do you need?

We apply for every permit and pay for all of them, so I need your passport details early. For this trip they are Sagarmatha National Park entry (NPR 3,000, or NPR 1,500 for SAARC citizens), the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee (NPR 3,000), a TIMS card (NPR 2,000, or NPR 1,000 for SAARC) and the Chitwan National Park entrance fee (NPR 2,000 per entry for foreigners). All four are in the price.

Do you need insurance?

Yes. Buy it at home, not in Nepal. It must cover trekking to 5,500 m and helicopter evacuation.

Questions people ask

Can you combine Everest Base Camp with a Chitwan jungle safari? Yes. Ours is a 16-day trip: the Everest Base Camp trek with a spare day at Lukla, then two nights at Chitwan with a jeep safari, a dugout canoe, a jungle walk and a Tharu cultural evening.

Why is Chitwan after the trek and not before? After eleven days of cold, thin air the warm lowland is a real rest.

Will we see a tiger at Chitwan? Tigers are rarely seen and I cannot promise one. The greater one-horned rhinoceros is common on a jeep safari. No sighting is guaranteed.

Is the trip suitable for a first-time trekker? It is graded Strenuous, with 5 to 8 hour days at altitude. You need no technical skill, but you do need good fitness. If you are unsure, message me.

Can I do it solo? Yes. Solo prices are in the table. A solo Standard trekker has no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg. See my guide to the solo Everest Base Camp trek for how solo travel works on the mountain.

What if the Lukla flight is delayed? The spare day on day 12 is there for that.

Do you offer animal rides at Chitwan? No. We do not sell animal rides of any kind.

What are the terms for this trek?

Group size is 1 to 20, and you can also trek solo. The deposit is 10 per cent and it is non-refundable, with no refund if you cancel. You can reschedule free of charge with at least 72 hours notice to any date within one year. The balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu in USD or EUR, cash or by card. Card carries 3.5 per cent and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients.

How do you plan this with us?

Message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300 with your dates, how many of you there are and how many days you can spare. I will tell you which tier and which month I would choose, and send you the exact quote.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.