Everest Base Camp Trek with Chitwan Jungle Safari, 16 Days is a 16-day trek and jungle safari for fit walkers who want Everest Base Camp and a warm, flat finish. It reaches 5,545 m (Kala Patthar) and is graded Strenuous: eleven trail days at altitude, then three easy jungle days. It costs from USD 2,605 per person (Budget, couple). The price per person is the same for a private trip and a group of the same size, and it falls as the group grows.
Everest Base Camp with Chitwan at a glance
| Duration | 16 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu (13 days on the Everest trail, including one spare day at Lukla, then 3 days at Chitwan) |
|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | 5,545 m / 18,192 ft (Kala Patthar). Everest Base Camp 5,364 m, Gorak Shep 5,164 m |
| Grade | Strenuous. Trail days of 5 to 8 hours at altitude. No technical skill needed |
| Best months | October and November, and March to April |
| Group size | 1 to 20, always private |
| Starts and ends | Kathmandu. Fly to Lukla (Manthali in the busy weeks), fly back, then road to Chitwan and back |
| Wildlife | Jeep safari, dugout canoe, jungle walk, birdwatching and Tharu culture. No animal rides |
| Permits | Sagarmatha National Park, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, TIMS, Chitwan National Park fee. All included |
| Hotels | 2 nights at a Chitwan jungle lodge are included. Kathmandu nights are not |
| From price | USD 2,605 per person, Budget, couple. Standard USD 3,580, Luxury USD 6,255 |
Why I built it this way
Many people tell me they want Everest Base Camp but also something soft at the end: green, warm, easy on the legs. This trip does that. You walk to Everest Base Camp and up Kala Patthar in the classic way, then take a flight and a drive to Chitwan National Park for two nights of rhinos, birds and jungle. I put the jungle after the mountain on purpose. After eleven days of cold, thin air, the Terai feels like a gift.
The EBC part is our standard route, the same as our Everest Base Camp day-by-day guide, with one change: a spare day at Lukla, so a delayed flight does not eat into the Chitwan days. You sleep at Gorak Shep, 5,164 m, on day 8, and stand on Kala Patthar at 5,545 m on day 9. That is a serious altitude, so read How Hard Is Everest Base Camp? What Nobody Tells You Until You Are Already There and EBC Altitude Profile: Where Trekkers Struggle and Why before you book.
We do not sell animal rides. Our Chitwan days are a jeep, a dugout canoe, a walk with a naturalist, Tharu culture and birds. If you would like to add a day of white-water rafting on the Trishuli, ask me and I will price it as an extra.
Hotel nights in Kathmandu are not included, so you choose your own (our family homestay is USD 15 per person per night). Every booking helps pay the teacher's salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum. The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
Best time to go, month by month
Rain and temperatures on the trail are published station averages from our Everest weather guide. The Chitwan notes come from our Chitwan seasonal guide. Neither is a forecast.
| Month | What it is like | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| January | Coldest month on the trail. Dingboche lows near -15 C (modelled), some high lodges shut. Chitwan is cool with foggy mornings. | Only if cold and quiet are the point |
| February | Same cold as January. Dingboche lows near -14 C (modelled). Chitwan is cool, with good rhino sightings. | Only if cold and quiet are the point |
| March | Cold early, warming. The spring season begins. Chitwan is getting hot. | Good, with a warm sleeping bag |
| April | Warm days, rhododendrons below Namche, strong views, busy. Chitwan can reach 35 to 40 C. | Good, hot in Chitwan |
| May | Warmest trekking month, hazier afternoons, rain building at Lukla (127.6 mm). Chitwan is hot. | Not my first choice for Chitwan |
| June | Monsoon. Lukla gets 324.8 mm, flights are unreliable and Chitwan has floods. | No |
| July | Monsoon. Lukla gets 529.8 mm. | No |
| August | Wettest month. Lukla gets 641.8 mm. | No |
| September | The monsoon is clearing but Lukla still gets 419.0 mm. | Late September only, with spare days |
| October | The first properly dry month, the busiest on the trail. Chitwan is lush and clear at 25 to 30 C. The last week can bring a late storm. | Best, with November |
| November | Almost no rain, clear and colder. Dingboche lows near -11 C (modelled). Quieter as the month goes on. Peak season in Chitwan. | Best, with October |
| December | Dry and very cold on the trail. Early December is the gentlest. Chitwan is cool, with near-certain rhino sightings. | Good, if you pack for it |
Chitwan is best from October to March and the Everest trail is best in October, November, March and April, so October, November and March are the months that suit both. One price applies all year. See also Best Time to Trek to Everest Base Camp in 2027: An Honest Month-by-Month Guide.
Permits and costs
We apply for every permit and pay for all of them. You send us your passport details early.
| Permit or fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sagarmatha National Park entry | NPR 3,000 (NPR 1,500 SAARC) | Included |
| Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality | NPR 3,000 | Included |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 (NPR 1,000 SAARC) | Included, we issue it through our agency |
| Chitwan National Park entrance | NPR 2,000 | Included, on top of the lodge and activities |
The price per person falls as the group grows, and a child pays the same as an adult. Private or group, the price per person is the same. Here is the full table.
| Group size | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest (solo) | USD 4,090 | USD 4,905 | USD 9,610 |
| 2 to 4 guests | USD 2,605 | USD 3,580 | USD 6,255 |
| 5 to 8 guests | USD 2,425 | USD 3,330 | USD 6,055 |
| 9 to 12 guests | USD 2,295 | USD 3,155 | USD 5,945 |
| 13 to 20 guests | USD 2,190 | USD 3,010 | USD 5,895 |
Not included: international flights, your Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, paid in cash on arrival), Kathmandu hotel nights, travel insurance, tips, personal spending and any extra porter (USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge). You pay a 10% deposit to book and the balance in Kathmandu. We take US dollars or euros, in cash or by card. We cover the card fee on the deposit. A balance paid by card carries a 3.5% bank charge, and cash in Kathmandu carries none.
Getting there and getting back
You fly from Kathmandu to Lukla, a flight of about 40 minutes. Between roughly 15 March and 15 May and 25 September and 30 November the flights may leave from Manthali instead, and we include the road transfer. Luxury flies to Lukla and back by helicopter, on a shared seat. Read our Is the Lukla Flight Safe? An Honest Answer from Someone Who Flies It and Manthali (Ramechhap) Airport: Where Your Lukla Flight Leaves From in Peak Season before you choose your dates.
After the trek you fly back to Kathmandu, sleep in your own hotel, and drive to Chitwan the next morning, five to six hours by road. The last day is the drive back, arriving in the afternoon. Keep at least one spare day before your international flight. Visa on arrival is USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least six months.
Safety and altitude
This trek goes higher than most people have been. You sleep at Gorak Shep (5,164 m) on day 8 and climb to 5,545 m on day 9. Your guide checks your oxygen level and how you feel every day with a pulse oximeter. If you are not acclimatising, we do not go higher. The Himalayan Rescue Association aid post at Pheriche is a few hours from the main trail. Buy travel insurance at home that covers trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation.
On the safari you follow your naturalist, keep to the jeep and the canoe and never walk into the forest alone. Wildlife is wild, and no sighting is guaranteed.
What to pack
- Broken-in trekking boots and sandals for the lodge
- A warm sleeping bag rated to about -15 C, or ask us to lend one
- A down jacket, a fleece, thermal base layers and a windproof shell
- Warm gloves plus a thin pair, a warm hat, a buff and sunglasses with side shields
- Sun cream SPF 50 and lip balm
- A head torch and spare batteries (cold drains them)
- Light neutral clothes in greens and browns for Chitwan, and insect repellent
- A daypack of about 30 litres. Your duffel goes with the porter
- Binoculars if you have them
- Our full list is in What to Pack for Everest Base Camp: The Only List You Actually Need
Budget, Standard or Luxury
All three tiers do the same route and activities. What changes is how you sleep, what you eat, who carries your bag and how you get to Lukla.
| Budget | Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | Shared rooms in simple teahouses | Private twin rooms, attached bathroom where the lodge has one | Private deluxe rooms, ensuite where the lodge has one |
| Porter | None. You carry your own pack. An extra porter is USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge | One porter for every two trekkers, 20 kg each in total. A solo guest has no porter: the guide carries up to 10 kg | One dedicated porter for every trekker |
| Meals | Not included on the trail. Breakfast at the Chitwan lodge | Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, tea or coffee and seasonal fruit once a day | All meals, fruit and nuts, tea, coffee, soft drinks, juice and water whenever you want |
| Chitwan lodge | Simple jungle lodge, twin share | 3-star jungle lodge, private room | Deluxe jungle lodge, ensuite |
| Lukla flight | Fixed-wing, Kathmandu or Manthali to Lukla and back | Fixed-wing, Kathmandu or Manthali to Lukla and back | Round-trip helicopter, Kathmandu to Lukla and back, shared seat |
| Guide | 1 guide, an assistant at 8 or more | 1 guide per 6, an assistant at 7 or more | 1 guide for every 2 trekkers |
Read before you book
- Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary: Day by Day, With Altitudes and Walking Times
- How Hard Is Everest Base Camp? What Nobody Tells You Until You Are Already There
- EBC Altitude Profile: Where Trekkers Struggle and Why
- Everest Base Camp Weather Month by Month: What the Temperature Actually Feels Like at Five Thousand Metres
- Chitwan Jungle Safari: Tigers, Rhinos, and What to Actually Expect
- Things to Do in Chitwan: Jeep Safari, Canoe, Jungle Walk, Tharu Culture and Birds
The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
Secure payment by Himalayan Bank.
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