Daily distances hiked on the Everest Base Camp trek

We list the daily distances covered on the following Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek itineraries as offered by us at Follow Alice:

Here's a map showing the classic EBC trek with special return route, followed by the daily distances covered on this itinerary.

Today you start the trek, hiking from the airport in Lukla (2,860 m) to the riverside village of Phakding (2,610 m). The hike usually takes three to four hours, and you actually descend a little in altitude.

You trek from Phakding (2,610 m) up to the mountainside town of Namche Bazaar (3,440 m), a hike that normally takes about six hours.

Today you hike from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to the village of Pangboche (3,985 m), which takes roughly seven to eight hours.

The village of Pangboche

Today you trek from Pangboche (3,985 m) to the small settlement of Dingboche (4,410 m). The hike usually takes four hours.

You stay put in Dingboche as it's vital that you give your body time to acclimatise (acclimate) to the very high altitude before pushing it any further. There are, however, a few rewarding day hikes you can choose from should you have the energy for it!

Today you trek from Dingboche (4,410 m) to the spartan village of Lobuche (6,119 m). The hike normally takes six hours.

You can see Everest and Nuptse from Lobuche

Today you trek 7.6 km (4.7 mi) to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m)! You must then retrace your steps for 3.6 km to reach the hamlet of Gorakshep, where you overnight. Today's total hiking time is about seven to eight hours, not counting time spent at base camp.

This morning you do a return hike of 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from Gorakshep (5,164 m) to the summit of Kala Patthar (5,644 m), the 'Black Rock', for a brilliant view of the peak of Mt Everest! You then head back along the EBC trail to the village of Pheriche, covering 10.9 km (6.8 mi). In total you hike 14.4 km (8.95 mi) and this takes about six hours.

It's a big trek today of about nine hours from Pheriche (4,371 m) to Khumjung Village (3,790 m) in the beautiful Green Valley to the north of Namche Bazaar.

Today you trek down from Khumjung Village, via Namche Bazaar, to the village of Monjo (2,835 m), a hike that takes three to four hours.

Trekkers near Namche Bazaar

On your last day of the trek you trek from Monjo (2,835 m) – which is also spelled Manjo – to Lukla (2,860 m). This another short day of three to four hours of trekking.

Let's now look at the map of our classic EBC trek with a helicopter return, followed by the daily distances you hike on this itinerary.

As with all classic EBC trek itineraries, you start hiking from Lukla (2,860 m). You then overnight in the picturesque village of Phakding (2,610 m). Today's route only takes three to four hours to complete.

You're in the thick of the trek now as you make a big jump in elevation by trekking from Phakding (2,610 m) all the way up to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m). This hike usually requires about six hours.

This is an important acclimatisation day, but there are various great day hikes from Namche Bazaar to choose from if you feel up to it, like that taking you to Hotel Everest View for coffee!

Drinks at Hotel Everest View

Today's trek from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to the beautifully situated village of Tengboche (3,870 m) – also spelled Tyangboche – takes up to five hours.

You trek from Tengboche (3,870 m) up to the small settlement of Dingboche (4,360 m) over about five to six hours.

Today you hike from Dingboche (4,360 m) to reach the tiny trekking village of Lobuche (4,950 m) on a hike of about five to six hours.

Our client Ross's pic of a farmhouse seen en route to Lobuche

Today is a big day as you trek 7.6 km (4.7 mi) to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m)! You then turn around and trek a further 3.6 km to reach Gorakshep for the night, giving you a total daily distance of 11.2 km (7 mi) and a total hiking time of about seven to eight hours.

This morning you do a roundtrip hike to the summit of Kala Patthar from Gorakshep of 3.5 km (2.2 mi), and this takes about three to four hours (most of that time is, of course, spent on the uphill climb). After this, it's feet up, so to speak, as you enjoy a helicopter ride back to Lukla!

Here's a map showing the EBC and Gokyo Lakes trek that we offer at Follow Alice, followed by the daily distances covered.

Just the same as the other itineraries, you start the trek from Lukla (2,860 m), hiking down a little in elevation to the village of Phakding (2,610 m) over three to four hours.

You make a big jump in elevation today by trekking from Phakding (2,610 m) up to the town of Namche Bazaar (3,440 m). The hike usually takes somewhere around six hours.

Namche Bazaar sits at the confluence of two valleys

This is an important acclimatisation day, but there are various great day hikes from Namche Bazaar to choose from if you feel up to it.

You hike today from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to the village of Tengboche (3,870 m) over about five hours.

On today's hike you ascend from Tengboche (3,870 m) to Dingboche (4,360 m) over a period of roughly five to six hours.

You hike from Dingboche (4,360 m) to the small and isolated village of Lobuche (4,950 m) over five to six hours.

Today you hike to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m)! The trek there is 7.6 km (4.7 mi), but afterwards you must still cover another 3.6 km (2.2 mi) to reach the village of Gorakshep (5,164 m), where you overnight. This adds up to a total daily distance of 11.2 km (7 mi) and about seven to eight hours of hiking.

This morning you leave Gorakshep (5,164 m) to climb Kala Patthar (5,643 m) for its famed view of Mt Everest! This roundtrip hike is 3.5 km (2.2 mi). Next it's on to the wind-battered village of Dzongla (4,830 m) – also spelled Zonglha – which sits on an exposed mountainside ridge. This hike covers 10 km (6.2 mi), giving you a total daily distance of 13.5 km (8.4 mi) and a total hiking duration of about seven hours.

A gorgeous view from Dzongla

Today you hike from Dzongla (4,830 m) up and over Cho La (5,420 m) – which means Cho Pass in English – to reach the village of Thangnak (4,700 m) – also spelled Thangnag. It's a demanding hike that lasts about eight hours.

You hike from Thangnak (4,700 m) to the lakeside village of Gokyo (4,750 m) over about five hours.

This morning you leave Gokyo (4,750 m) to summit Gokyo Ri – or Gokyo Peak in English. This is a steep hike of 2.1 km (1.3 mi). You then hike a further 8.8 km (5.5 mi) to reach the village of Machhermo (4,470 m) for the night. In total you're hiking for about five hours today.

Trekkers in Gokyo Valley

You hike from Machhermo (4,470 m) down to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) in about six to seven hours.

Today is your last day on the trail as you hike from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) down to Lukla (2,860 m) over about five hours.

Here's a map showing the EBC and Three Passes trek that we offer at Follow Alice, followed by a description of its daily distances.

Once again, as with the other itineraries, you begin the trek in Lukla (2,860 m), hiking for around three to four hours to reach the village of Phakding (2,610 m).

Still the same as with the itineraries, you ascend from Phakding (2,610 m) to the regional hub of Namche Bazaar (3,440 m). Today's path involves a good deal of uphill and so takes around six hours to cover.

Today is an important rest and acclimatisation day, but there are a handful of rewarding day hikes to choose from if you feel up to it.

You hike today from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to the village of Tengboche (3,870 m), which has a beautiful monastery you can visit. Your hike lasts about five hours.

This morning you leave Tengboche (3,870 m) for Dingboche (4,360 m), and hike for about five to six hours.

Today you leave Dingboche (4,360 m) and deviate from the classic EBC trek route by heading east up Chhukung Valley to reach the village of Chhukung (4,730 m). Your hike lasts about three to four hours. This might seem too short a distance for one day, but it's actually still a challenging hike because you're at such high altitude.

View from Chhukung Hill

Today you stay put in Chhukung to acclimatise (acclimate). But if you're feeling strong, you could climb Chhukung Ri (5,550 m) or hike to Island Peak Base Camp.

This morning you leave Chhukung (4,730 m) early as you must climb up and over Kongma La (5,550 m) en route to the village of Lobuche (4,940 m). It's a very long day that sees you trekking for up to 10 hours.

Today you hike 7.6 km (4.7 mi) from Lobuche (4,940 m) to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m)! You must then walk back 3.6 km (2.2 mi) to Gorakshep (5,164 m) for the night. This gives you a total daily distance of 11.2 km (7 mi), which takes seven to eight hours to complete, not counting stops.

Similarly to the EBC and Gokyo Lakes trek itinerary, you leave Gorakshep (5,164 m) to climb Kala Patthar (5,643 m) for a hopefully cloudless view of the peak of Mt Everest! This roundtrip hike is 3.5 km (2.2 mi). Then you hike 10 km (6.2 mi) to reach the village of Dzongla (4,830 m). This gives you a total daily distance of 13.5 km (8.4 mi) and you hike for about seven hours in total.

Trekkers atop Kala Patthar ('Black Rock')

Today you leave Dzongla (4,830 m) to climb up and over Cho La (5,420 m) en route to the village of Gokyo (4,750 m) on the shore of Gokyo Lake. You hike for around nine to 10 hours in total.

Today is a roundtrip day hike up Gokyo Ri (5,357). It's a tough little hike of three hours, but needless to say the view from the peak is spellbinding!

Today you leave Gokyo (4,750 m) and tackle the third and final pass of the trek, which is Renjo La (5,360 m), en route to the tiny village of Marlung (4,210 m) – also spelled Marulung – in the Nangpa La Valley. Today's hike takes about eight to nine hours.

Today you hike from Marlung (4,210 m) down to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) over about seven to eight hours. From here, the remainder of the trail is the same that you walked on Days 1 and 2 of the trek.

For your final day of the EBC and Three Passes trek, you hike all the way down from Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) to the town of Lukla (2,860 m) in one fell swoop. This takes about eight to nine hours.

In Lukla even the airport has a showstopper view!