Everest Region Treks Compared: EBC, Gokyo, Three Passes and Everest View, Which to Book in 2027

Last updated 15 October 2026.

Short answer: If this is your first Everest trek, book the Everest Base Camp Trek, 12 Days: USD 1,399 (Budget), USD 2,499 (Standard) or USD 4,999 (Luxury) per person for 2 to 4 people. If you would rather have lakes, quiet trails and a wide view than reach Base Camp itself, book the 10-day Gokyo Valley Lakes Trek, from USD 1,225. If you want both, the 15-day Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Ri Trek costs USD 300 more than the 12-day at every tier. The Three Passes is for people who have already slept above 4,500 m, and the Everest View treks are for people with a week or less.

I am Shreejan. Every week someone asks me Gokyo or Base Camp, ten days or fifteen, or whether the Three Passes is too much. This page puts our ten Everest-region treks side by side, with figures read from the live itineraries and package pages on 15 October 2026.

Which Everest region treks do we run, and how do they compare?

The insurance column is my rule: cover trekking and helicopter evacuation up to the highest point of the trip, rounded up to the next 500 m. Kala Patthar (5,545 m) becomes 6,000 m, Gokyo Ri and Renjo La (5,357 m and 5,360 m) become 5,500 m, and the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) becomes 4,000 m. Buy at home, never in Nepal.

How much does each Everest region trek cost?

These are the live prices per person for 2 to 4 people. A private trip and a group of the same size pay the same, and the prices hold for 2027.

Budget means shared rooms, no meals on the trail and no porter, so you carry your own bag. Standard means private rooms, all meals and one porter for every two trekkers. Luxury means private deluxe rooms, all meals with fruit and nuts and soft drinks, and one porter for each trekker. Solo on Luxury still gets a porter; solo on Standard has the guide help with a light bag. Kathmandu hotels are not in any trek price, and flights, visa, insurance and tips are extra. An extra porter is USD 25 a day, plus 13 per cent VAT and the 3.5 per cent bank charge. See what each tier includes and the full Base Camp cost guide.

The helicopter return costs more because of the helicopter. Our page and itinerary name different pick-up points, so I confirm the plan before you pay a deposit.

Gokyo or Everest Base Camp: which should you book?

Book Base Camp if the name matters to you. Kala Patthar at sunrise puts Everest close in front of you. Book Gokyo if the view matters more than the sign. You get turquoise lakes, a long glacier and four 8,000 m peaks from Gokyo Ri, and the trail is quieter.

The two share the first three days to Namche Bazaar, then split. Gokyo is two days shorter and USD 174 cheaper on Budget, USD 200 on Standard and USD 867 on Luxury. You never sleep above 4,790 m, against 5,164 m at Gorak Shep, but it still has a climb of around 570 m to Gokyo Ri. I compare the two in Everest Base Camp versus Gokyo Lakes, and the two viewpoints in Gokyo Ri versus Kala Patthar.

Should you do Gokyo and Base Camp together, or add a pass?

If you have fifteen days, yes, and you have two ways to do it. The Base Camp with Gokyo Ri trek goes to Base Camp first, then walks round to Gokyo through Pheriche, Phortse and Machhermo, with no pass. The Gokyo and Cho La version crosses Cho La (5,420 m) from east to west and is graded Very Strenuous. The pass version is day by day in the 15-day combination guide.

The Gokyo Lakes and Renjo La trek is different: it leaves the Base Camp trail at Namche for the Thame valley, crosses Renjo La (5,360 m) into Gokyo and never visits Base Camp. See the 12-day Renjo La guide has the route.

Is the Three Passes trek worth it, and who should do it?

The Everest Three Passes Trek joins all of this in a loop: Renjo La (5,360 m), Cho La (5,420 m) and Kongma La (5,535 m), plus Gokyo, Base Camp and Kala Patthar in 17 days. The highest point is still Kala Patthar, but the pass days are long, six to eight hours, and the passes can hold snow and ice. Your guide decides on the morning whether to cross.

It is the quietest of the big routes, and not a first-trek choice. If you have never slept above 4,000 m, do Base Camp first and come back. Compare it in Base Camp versus the Three Passes and read about the three passes themselves.

Which Everest trek suits you best?

On crowds, no Everest-region trail is empty in October. Gokyo and the Thame valley are quieter than the Base Camp path, but the Lukla flights and the lodges at Namche are busy for everyone. For photographers, Kala Patthar and Gokyo Ri give different pictures, and one dawn can be cloudy.

For anyone over sixty I would start with the 14-day trek. My page on Base Camp for seniors and families says who it suits. I decide case by case and will ask about your recent walking first.

Which is better, a 10-day or a 15-day Everest trek?

With ten days you can do Gokyo, or Base Camp with a helicopter return that costs a lot more. With twelve you can walk Base Camp, or Gokyo with Renjo La. With fifteen you can have Base Camp and Gokyo together. Seventeen is the Three Passes.

With five to seven days, take an Everest View trek, compared in Everest View in 5 or 7 days. See also the best trek for the days you have. I would not shorten Base Camp on foot below 12 days, because the rest days are what make it work.

When is the best time to book each Everest trek?

Longer guides: the best time for Base Camp and for Gokyo. In the busy weeks, about 15 March to 15 May and 25 September to 30 November, the Lukla flight leaves from Manthali, and I pick you up between midnight and 2 am for a four to five hour drive. Keep a spare day before your flight home.

Questions people ask

Is Gokyo better than Everest Base Camp? It depends what you want. Gokyo gives you lakes, a wide view and a quieter trail. Base Camp gives you the goal itself and Kala Patthar. Gokyo Ri is 5,357 m and Kala Patthar 5,545 m, so neither is easy.

Which Everest trek is best for a first-timer? The 12-day Base Camp trek, if you are fit and can walk five to eight hours a day. If you have only a week and no altitude experience, take the Everest View Trek instead.

Which Everest trek has the fewest crowds? The Gokyo Lakes and Renjo La trek and the Three Passes leave the Base Camp path early, so they are quieter. Namche and the Lukla flights are busy in October.

Is the Three Passes harder than Base Camp? Yes, a full grade harder on our site. It adds three passes above 5,300 m and five more days.

What is the cheapest Everest region trek? The 10-day Gokyo trek at USD 1,225 on Budget for 2 to 4 people, then Base Camp at USD 1,399 and the 5-day Everest View at USD 1,405. Budget includes no meals on the trail and no porter.

What insurance do I need for each trek? Cover for trekking and helicopter evacuation to 4,000 m for the Everest View treks, 5,500 m for the Gokyo treks and 6,000 m for anything that goes to Kala Patthar. Buy it at home.

Can I trek alone? Yes, solo is welcome, with a guide. The 12-day Base Camp and both 15-day prices apply to one to four people. Other treks have a separate solo price, which I will send you.

What are the terms for these treks?

We take groups of 1 to 20, so solo is fine. You book with a 10 per cent deposit. You can move your trip free within a year, with at least 72 hours notice (7 days for restricted areas), but the deposit is not refunded if you cancel. You pay the balance when you arrive in Kathmandu, in USD or EUR, cash or card. Paying by card adds 3.5 per cent, and cash in Kathmandu adds nothing. Foreign clients cannot pay in Nepali rupees.

How do you plan this with us?

Write to me on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300. Tell me when you want to go, how many of you are coming, how many days you have and the highest you have trekked. I will tell you which trek and which tier 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.