Nepal Trekking from Israel: ILS Prices & Post-Army Guide

Last updated 9 October 2026. Shekel figures use the European Central Bank reference rate of 8 October 2026, US$1 = ILS 3.077, and shift daily. Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion) return fares are as seen on 7 October 2026.

Trekking in Nepal from Israel: the short answer

What is different when you travel from Israel

Kathmandu is familiar ground for many Israeli travellers. The Chabad house there runs a very large seder every spring, and plenty of travellers arrive with a few weeks of freedom and no fixed plan. That is fine, but a trek needs more planning than a hostel stay, because permits, flights to the mountains and a licensed guide have to be arranged in advance, and in Dashain and Tihar the government offices close. The 2027 dates are set by the lunar calendar, so ask me before you fix flights for an autumn 2027 trip.

If you are coming after army service, you probably have fitness and no fear of rough conditions. What you do not have is altitude experience. No place in Israel is as high as Lukla, the airstrip at 2,860 metres where the Everest trail begins. So the plan matters more than your legs: rest days on schedule, a slow pace, and a guide who will turn you around when your body says so.

Before you book, read the Israeli government's current travel guidance for Nepal. It can change, and it is not something I decide for you.

Treks that work for Israeli travellers

Live prices per person. Dollars are what you pay, and the shekel figures are a guide.

Price notes, per person: Ghorepani Poon Hill, 6 days: two to four trekkers; solo Standard is USD 960 and solo Luxury USD 1,930; Langtang Valley, 8 days: one trekker; two to four pay less (USD 320, 570 and 800).

With two weeks, Everest Base Camp is the classic and Gorak Shep, where you sleep at 5,164 metres, is the highest night. With three weeks or more, the Annapurna Circuit gives you a pass at over 5,400 metres and a change of scenery every day; it is the trek I would pick for someone who wants to keep walking. Annapurna Base Camp and Mardi Himal are the best use of one week, and Manaslu is a restricted-area route with fewer people. Poon Hill is the softest start if you have never been above 3,000 metres.

Choosing a tier is mostly a question of who carries what. Budget: you carry your own pack, share rooms and pay for meals on the trail. Standard: all meals are included, rooms are private and a porter is shared between two trekkers. Luxury: your own porter, deluxe private rooms and the helicopter to Lukla and back on the Everest trek. If you are alone on Standard there is no porter and the guide takes up to 10 kg. Hotels in Kathmandu are not part of any tier; our own homestay is USD 15 per person a night.

Food, Shabbat and the practical questions

Trail food is mostly dal bhat, noodles, eggs and soup. Plenty of it is vegetarian, but the teahouse kitchens are not kosher-supervised and I will not tell you they are. Tell me your rules when you book and I will say honestly what is possible on the route you choose. If you keep Shabbat, ask: with a private departure we can plan a rest day for a Saturday, though flight days on the Everest route are fixed by the airline.

When to go, against the Israeli calendar

Sukkot ran from 25 September to 2 October 2026, so it has just ended. For spring 2027, Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday 21 April and ends on 28 April in Israel. A trek that starts after the seder, from about 29 April, still catches the end of the spring season. October and November are the clearest months in the mountains, and the clocks in Israel go back on 25 October 2026: until then Nepal is 2 hours 45 minutes ahead, and after it 3 hours 45 minutes. Nepal has its own holidays, Dashain from 17 to 23 October and Tihar from 8 to 12 November 2026, when offices close and permits need 48 working hours. See the Nepal festival calendar.

The visa

An Israeli passport gets a tourist visa at Kathmandu airport. Fees are set in dollars: USD 30 buys 15 days, USD 50 buys 30 days (roughly ILS 150) and USD 125 buys 90 days. You can fill in the form online beforehand and print the receipt. Keep six months of validity and bring one photo. Israel is not one of the twelve nationalities that must apply in advance. Steps are in the visa on arrival guide.

Flights from Ben Gurion

The fares are for economy with one checked bag, out on Sunday 25 October 2026 and back on Wednesday 11 November, with at most one change each way. Etihad via Abu Dhabi gave the cheapest ticket at ILS 7,378, though one version of it left at 06:20 and waited until 03:10 for the Kathmandu leg. An evening Etihad departure cut the journey to about 10 hours for ILS 7,939. El Al to Bangkok and Thai Airways on to Kathmandu cost more, and the dearest ticket was ILS 9,361. Only Tel Aviv was priced. Fares and schedules from Israel shift quickly, so look again on your own dates. The full fare breakdown and the total for one traveller are in the Everest Base Camp cost guide for Israel.

Insurance

Your health fund does not follow you into the Khumbu and pays for no helicopter. Buy a travel policy in Israel before you fly, and ask for the extreme or high-altitude extension. In writing, look for trekking to 6,000 metres, helicopter rescue, illness as well as injury, and repatriation. Many ordinary policies treat trekking as a risky sport or stop at 3,000 or 4,000 metres. I will read your wording if you send it. See helicopter cover to 6,000 metres.

Paying us from Israel

To book, you pay 10 per cent up front. The remaining 90 per cent is settled in Kathmandu, in dollars or euros, as cash at no cost or by card with a 3.5 per cent fee on top. Shekels or Nepali rupees are not accepted. We offer a free change of date, to any day within the next year, on 72 hours' notice (seven days for restricted areas); if you cancel instead, the up-front deposit is not refunded and nothing comes back. Should we have to cancel, you get back everything you paid except taxes, bank and card charges and money we have already spent.

The Embassy of Israel in Kathmandu lists its contact details online, and its phone number is +977 1 4290500.

How to check we are real

Four things can be checked by anyone: our entry at the company registrar, our TAAN membership (number 1586), our tourism licence and our forex certificate. None of them is proof of honesty, since even licensed operators have been involved in scams, so I would also want you to speak to me before you pay. Over 300 reviews sit on TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot. Bookings help fund the Nagarjun Learning Center.

Frequently asked questions

Do Israelis need a visa for Nepal?

Yes, and you buy it on arrival at Kathmandu airport: USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days, USD 125 for 90 days. Pay in dollars and bring one photo.

How much does the Everest Base Camp trek cost from Israel?

The trek itself is USD 1,399, 2,499 or 4,999 per person by tier, about ILS 4,310, ILS 7,690 and ILS 15,380. Flights, insurance, tips and hotels come on top, and the cost guide adds them up.

Is there a direct flight from Tel Aviv to Kathmandu?

Not on 7 October 2026. Etihad via Abu Dhabi, El Al with Thai Airways via Bangkok and others connect once. Check current schedules before you buy.

When is the best time to trek from Israel?

October and November, and March to May. Plan spring 2027 around Passover, which ends on 28 April, and leave the summer for something other than the high trails because it is monsoon.

Can you give me kosher food on the trail?

I cannot certify it. Most teahouse meals are vegetarian, but the kitchens are not supervised. Tell me your rules at booking and I will say what is realistic.

Can we plan around Shabbat?

On a private trek, yes for most rest days. Lukla flights and some transfers follow airline schedules, so I will show you which days are fixed.

Is Nepal safe for Israeli travellers right now?

Read the Israeli government's current travel guidance for Nepal before you decide. On the trail, a licensed guide of ours is with you every day.

What insurance do I need?

A policy bought in Israel that covers trekking to 6,000 metres, helicopter evacuation, illness and repatriation. A basic holiday policy often will not.

Can I trek alone after my army service?

Yes. A solo traveller can book a private departure or join one of our fixed group departures. A licensed guide is required on most routes and we send one on every trek.

Read next

• Everest Base Camp trek cost from Israel, with the shekel table
• The Annapurna Circuit, month by month
• Nepal trekking permits explained
• Trekking solo in Nepal, written for women
• Altitude sickness: prevention

Your next step

The quickest way to start is WhatsApp, +977 9810351300. Tell me which trek, which dates and how many of you are going, and I will come back with a price and an honest view of the plan. Email works too, at [email protected]. If you are planning around Passover or a discharge date, tell me the dates and we will start from there.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO. The Everest Holiday has been a registered Kathmandu company since 2016, and my family has guided in the Himalayas for three generations. TAAN 1586.