Everest View Trek, 5 Days is a 5-day short trek in the Khumbu for travellers with five days who want to see Everest and Sherpa country without a long trek. It reaches 3,880 m (Everest View Hotel) and is graded Moderate: a climb of about 830 m on day 2, a rest day with a walk to 3,880 m, and a long downhill day to Lukla. It costs from USD 1,405 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 View Trek, 5 days at a glance
| Duration | 5 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu (4 nights on the trail) |
|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | 3,880 m / 12,730 ft (Everest View Hotel). You sleep no higher than 3,440 m at Namche |
| Grade | Moderate. Hardest days are day 2 (about 830 m up) and day 4 (6 to 7 hours down). No technical skill needed |
| Best months | Mid October to mid November, then April |
| Group size | 1 to 20, always private |
| Starts and ends | Kathmandu. Fly to Lukla (Manthali in the busy weeks), fly back |
| Permits | Sagarmatha National Park, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality and TIMS. All included |
| Not on this trip | Tengboche Monastery. It is on our 7-day Everest View Trek |
| Start dates | You choose. See the windows for 2027 below |
| Hotels | Kathmandu nights are not included |
| From price | USD 1,405 per person, Budget, couple. Standard USD 1,660, Luxury USD 3,030 |
Why I built it this way
I built this trek for people who have five days, not twelve, and still want to stand in the Khumbu and see Everest. You fly to Lukla, climb to Namche Bazaar, spend a full day acclimatising with the walk up to the Everest View Hotel, and walk back out. It is the first part of the Everest Base Camp trail, turned round at Namche. You do not sleep higher than 3,440 m.
It is shorter than our Everest View Trek in 7 Days: Itinerary, Cost and Who It Is For, which goes on to Tengboche Monastery for two more days. I have left Tengboche out of this version, and I would rather say so plainly than let you think it is included. If you can find two more days, the 7-day trek gives you the monastery and a second night above Namche. If you have twelve, our Everest Base Camp trek in 12 days is the real thing. Read The Everest View Hotel: The Highest Placed Hotel in the World and What It Is Actually Like for the full comparison and Is the Lukla Flight Safe? An Honest Answer from Someone Who Flies It if you are unsure about the flight.
The price is higher per day than a long trek, and I should tell you why. The flights, the helicopter on Luxury, the permits and our overhead are all fixed costs, and they are spread over five days, not twelve. Luxury flies to Lukla and back by helicopter, which avoids the Manthali drive in the busy weeks but not the weather.
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 are published station averages for Lukla and Namche, from our Gokyo month-by-month guide. They are not forecasts, and the view at the hotel depends on the morning.
| Month | What it is like | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| January | Coldest. Lukla 15.3 mm of rain. Namche 6.9 C by day and -8.5 C at night. Clear mornings, icy paths. | Only with winter experience |
| February | Lukla 17.2 mm. Namche 6.4 / -6.5 C. Very cold and dry. | Only with winter experience |
| March | Lukla 45.3 mm. Namche 9.6 / -3.0 C. Spring begins. Flights leave from Manthali from about 15 March. | Possible, cold at night |
| April | Lukla 58.7 mm. Namche 12.8 / 0.8 C. Warmer, with more afternoon cloud, and busier. | Good |
| May | Lukla 127.6 mm as the monsoon builds. Namche 14.3 / 3.7 C. Warmer but hazier and wetter. | Early May only |
| June | Monsoon. Lukla gets 324.8 mm and flights are held up often. | No |
| July | Monsoon. Lukla gets 529.8 mm. | No |
| August | Wettest month. Lukla gets 641.8 mm. | No |
| September | Lukla still gets 419.0 mm. The monsoon is clearing. | Late September only, with spare days |
| October | Lukla 102.9 mm. Namche 12.5 / 1.2 C. Clear and the busiest weeks. | Best, from mid month |
| November | Almost dry: Lukla 6.2 mm. Namche 9.1 / -3.8 C. The clearest views, colder every week. | Best, the first half |
| December | Lukla 0.5 mm. Namche 7.6 / -7.1 C. Dry and very cold. | Only with care |
October and November give the clearest views, with the first half of November the pick if you can choose. March and April are the second window, warmer by day but with more afternoon cloud. The morning is the good part of the day, so we walk to the hotel early. See also Everest Base Camp Weather Month by Month: What the Temperature Actually Feels Like at Five Thousand Metres.
Starting dates for 2027
You choose your start date, because every trip is private. These are the windows I would pick for 2027. Festival dates for 2027 are the expected ones from public calendars, and the government confirms them each year.
| Window in 2027 | What to expect | My advice |
|---|---|---|
| Early March 2027 (Gyalpo Lhosar, Sherpa New Year, expected 5 or 9 March) | Cold nights and quiet lodges. Namche is lively for the festival. Flights may leave from Manthali from about 15 March. | Only if you want cold and quiet |
| Late March to April 2027 | Warmer days and spring light, with more cloud as the weeks go on. Manthali flights, so keep spare days. | Good |
| Late September to early October 2027 (Dashain expected 6 to 10 October, not yet announced) | Clearing monsoon, still wet trails and flight holds. Dashain closes some teahouses and fills the buses. | Avoid the Dashain days |
| Mid October to mid November 2027 (Tihar expected 29 to 31 October) | The best weeks for clear mornings at the Everest View Hotel, and the busiest. Flights leave from Manthali, so keep two spare days at the end. | Best |
| Late November to February 2027 | Dry and very cold. Paths can be icy. | Only with winter experience |
The Manthali windows are about 15 March to 15 May and 25 September to 30 November, and they can shift from year to year. Keep at least two spare days before your international flight in the busy weeks. Tell me your dates and I will tell you what I know for that week.
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 |
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. These prices hold for 2027.
| Group size | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest (solo) | USD 1,860 | USD 2,100 | USD 4,050 |
| 2 to 4 guests | USD 1,405 | USD 1,660 | USD 3,030 |
| 5 to 8 guests | USD 1,220 | USD 1,495 | USD 3,030 |
| 9 to 12 guests | USD 1,220 | USD 1,485 | USD 2,995 |
| 13 to 20 guests | USD 1,180 | USD 1,480 | USD 2,980 |
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, and card payments carry a 3.5% bank charge.
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 (Ramechhap) instead, a flight of about 20 minutes, and we include the road transfer. Luxury flies to Lukla and back by helicopter, on a shared seat. A helicopter does not remove weather, but it avoids the Manthali drive. 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.
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. Keep at least one spare day before your international flight, two in the busy weeks.
Safety and altitude
There is no night above 3,440 m on this trip, and the highest point is the hotel viewpoint at 3,880 m. That is gentle for the Khumbu, but altitude can affect anyone, whatever their fitness. The rest day at Namche is the heart of the plan. We walk up to 3,880 m and sleep low again. Your guide checks everyone's oxygen level every day with a pulse oximeter. If a reading is low or symptoms appear, we do not go higher, and if they worsen we go down. Read Acclimatisation on Nepal Treks: Why Your Body Needs Time and What Happens When You Rush.
The risks to plan for are the Lukla flight delays and cold at night in winter. The suspension bridges are high, but they are wide and secure. Drink three to four litres of water a day. Buy travel insurance at home that covers trekking to 4,000 m and helicopter evacuation.
What to pack
- Broken-in trekking boots, with spare laces, and sandals for the lodge
- A warm sleeping bag, or ask us to lend one
- A down jacket, a fleece, thermal base layers and a windproof shell
- Warm gloves, a warm hat, a buff and sunglasses
- Sun cream SPF 50 and lip balm
- A head torch and spare batteries
- Trekking poles for the long descent to Lukla
- A daypack of about 30 litres. Your duffel goes with the porter
- Personal medicines, blister care and rehydration salts
- 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 walk the same route on the same days. 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, 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 |
| 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 for up to 6 trekkers, an assistant at 7 or more | 1 guide for every 2 trekkers |
Read before you book
- Everest View Trek in 7 Days: Itinerary, Cost and Who It Is For
- The Everest View Hotel: The Highest Placed Hotel in the World and What It Is Actually Like
- Namche Bazaar: The Gateway to Everest at 3,440 Metres
- Lukla: The Legendary Gateway to Mount Everest & Khumbu Region (2,860m)
- Acclimatisation on Nepal Treks: Why Your Body Needs Time and What Happens When You Rush
- Manthali (Ramechhap) Airport: Where Your Lukla Flight Leaves From in Peak Season
The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
