Trip to Everest Base Camp: 10 Need-to-Know Everest Tour Planning Tips

Trip to Everest Base Camp is one of the most popular tours in the Himalayan regions. Since there are base camps on both the north side and the south side of Mount Everest, which base camp should you choose to get a clearer view of the mountain peak and how to plan the trip to Everest Base Camp? Here we are going to share the experiences of our local travel guides. Knowing the 10 key points, you can plan your Everest Base Camp tour more easily.

1. There are two Everest base camps in Tibet and Nepal

Sitting on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Mount Everest can be visited from either side and has base camps both in the north no the Tibetan side and in the south on the Nepali side.

Location of Everest Base Camp in Tibet

The Everest Base Camp in Tibet is located in Tingri County of Shigatse Prefecture of the TAR, on the northern side of Mount Everest close to Rongbuk Monastery. It is 5200 meters above sea level.

Location of Everest Base Camp in Nepal

The Everest base camp in Nepal lies around 60 km northeast of Lukla to the northeast of Kathmandu, the Nepali capital. The altitude of the base camp in Nepal is 5,364 meters.

(Simple click to enlarge the map)
Mt. Everest in Nepal and Tibet Map

2. Everest Base Camp in Tibet is the best place for the closet view of the summit of Everest

On the south side of Mount Everest, the Everest Base Camp in Tibet has the best view of Mount Everest than anywhere else in the Himalayas.

The Tibet Everest Base Camp lies just 19 kilometers from the summit of Everest in a direct line, and with the mountain sticking up more than 3 kilometers above the base camp itself, the views are stunning.

You can also get a good view of the summit of Everest from Rongbuk Monastery, and the views of the sunrise and sunset on the sides of the mountain are spectacular.

Please Notice: You can not see the summit of Everest from the Nepali base camp. To get a good view of Everest in Nepal, you will need to climb up to the ridge of Kala Patthar from Gorak Shep, which sits at an elevation of 5,545 meters and lies just below the summit of Mount Pumori.

3. The best time to visit Everest Base Camp is Spring and Autumn

Aside from the summer monsoon season, the weather of Mount Everest is mostly dry around the base camp.

Spring and autumn, from April to May and late September to the end of October, is the ideal time to view the summit of Mount Everest from the EBC in Tibet since the sky is clear and bright. The daytime temperature is also pleasant for outdoor activities, neither too cold nor too hot in the mountain area.

Though not much rain really falls on the Everest area in Tibet during summer, it is not a good time for a clear view of the mountain peak. The wet and humid weather makes it difficult to have a clear view of the mountain peak.

The Winter of Mount Everest is too cold and dry. The temperature may change from -17℃ to 4℃. Disregarding this, clear winter skies provide spectacular views of the mountain peak with surrounding snow-covered Himalayas.

The above graph shows the annual temperature and precipitation in Everest Region, Tibet (from National Meteorological Center)

4. Only Tibet Travel Permit is not enough for visit Mount Everest in Tibet

Tibet travel permit is an important travel document for all overseas tourists entering Tibet. However, it is not the only permit you need to travel to Everest base camp in Tibet.

The Alien’s Travel Permit and Frontier Pass are also required for an Everest Base Camp tour in Tibet. Moreover, you need to get a Qomolangma National Nature Reserve entrance ticket as the base camp is located in the nature reserve.

But don’t worry, all these document applications are included in our Tibet Everest Base Camp tour packages. You just follow our guidelines and provide the scanned copies of your passport and China Visa, let us do the rest for you.

Please Notice: Tibet travel permit, Alien’s travel permit, and Frontier Pass cannot be obtained personally or without booking a pre-arranged tour of this region.

5. The classic overland trip to Everest Base Camp from Lhasa takes 8 days

The most classic 8 days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp tour starts from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and travels across the vast Tibetan plateau to the base camp.

From Lhasa to Everest Base Camp in Tibet, you will travel along the fascinating Friendship Highway through Gyangtse, Shigatse, and Tingri to reach the base camp.

It is a journey of more than 600 kilometers across the plateau. You will pass through the major cities of Tibet, as well as small village communities, and have the chance to visit and view some of the most spectacular sights on the plateau.

Lhasa to Shigatse: If you follow the G318 Friendship Highway, the total distance is 268km. However, most tourists choose to get to Shigatse from Lhasa via Yamdrok Lake and Gyantse. The total length of this route is 358kim, which takes all day, with stops at the attractions en route.

Shigatse to Tingri: The distance from Shigatse to Tingri is not far, only 243 kilometers. Although the distance is short and the road condition is good, the driving time is long, taking about three hours, because of the speed limit on the road.

Tingri to Everest Base Camp: Although this section of road is only 100 kilometers, but because of the poor road conditions, some sections of the road are just gravel roads, so it takes about two hours to complete the journey that normally takes only 70 minutes.

The classic 8 days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tour will take you to explore the best of Tibet and the Himalayas.

6. You can also get to Tibet Everest Base Camp from Kathmandu

Besides getting to Lhasa first and take the classic overland tour to EBC, you can also get to Tibet Everest Base Camp from Kathmandu directly by overland via Gyirong Border.

It can be a very unique experience to travel across the mighty Himalayas into China, and with the visit to EBC being in the first few days, you can then explore the rest of the plateau at your leisure.

Kathmandu to Sino-Nepal Border: Due to the poor road conditions, it takes about 5 hours to drive from Kathmandu to the border crossing.

Gyirong Border to Everest Base Camp: After passing Gyirong port, you will follow the Sino-Nepal Highway to Old Tingri and then from Old Tingri to Rongbuk Monastery. The road from Old Tingri to Rongbuk Monastery is all bumpy road with poor condition, and this last 70 km distance will take longer. From Rongbuk Monastery you can hike for 1.5 hours or take an eco-car for 30 minutes to reach the base camp.

Please Notice: When entering Tibet from Nepal, you are required to have all the relevant documents like a China Group Visa and Tibet Permit before you travel. All the applications are included in our tour packages. We will arrange the applications on your behalf. Don’t worry too much.

7. Neither flight nor train access to Everest Base Camp in Tibet

There is no direct flight or train to Everest Base Camp in Tibet. Both the closest airport and railway station to Everest Base Camp is in Shigatse.

From Shigatse Airport to Everest Base Camp

Shigatse Peace Airport, the closest airport to EBC, serves flights to Shigatse from Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xian. Flights to Shigatse are few in number. Please check the flight schedule in advance when planning your trip to Everest by flight. From the Shigatse Airport, you need to drive another 7.5 hours to finally get to the base camp.

From Shigatse Railway Station to Everest Base Camp

The Shigatse Railway Station is 5 kilometers away from downtown Shigatse. Every day, there are two pairs of trains running between Lhasa and Shigatse. The Lhasa – Shigatse train journey takes around 3 hours. Once you arrive at Shigatse Railway Station, you need to spend another 7 hours to get to the Everest Base Camp.

8. It is also possible to get to Everest Base Camp by bike or motorbike

The route from Lhasa to Everest via the Sino-Nepal Friendship highway is also a popular travel route for Tibet bike tours and Motorcycle tours.

Riding on the Tibetan Plateau at an average altitude of over 4 kilometers is physically and mentally challenging. To ensure you a more comfortable and safer ride from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp, we provide you with the support of professional cycling guides and a local support team. You can enjoy riding in Tibet without worries.

9. The Trekking to the Base Camp in north Everest in Tibet starts from Old Tingri

The trek from Old Tingri to Everest Base Camp is one of the most popular treks on the plateau. Stretching for 70 kilometers across the rolling foothills of the western Himalayas, this 4-day trek through some of the most stunning landscapes on the planet is an experience you would not want to miss.

This Everest trek heads south from Tingri, avoiding roads and passing through several local village communities, with stunning views of the peak of Mount Everest getting closer as you walk each day.

The trek is not considered to be extremely hard, but it does have its tough parts, where trekking poles and a little high-altitude trekking experience would be useful. It is also possible for novice trekkers to make this mild 4-day trek, as there are no extremely hard patches and our experienced trekking guides will be with you at every step.

10. The cheapest way to travel to Everest Base Camp in Tibet is to join a group tour

You may get plenty of quotations through different travel agencies for your desired trip to Everest Base Camp in Tibet.

Undoubtedly, the cheapest price is always for a join-in group tour instead of a private tour to the EBC.

A standard tour to EBC in Tibet can cost from around US$ 850 per person for the basic Small group Tour with us. The service provided includes all of your entrance tickets, permits, the guide and driver, vehicle and gasoline, hotel accommodation, operational costs, and so on.

The seasons can also influence the cost of the trip to Everest Base Camp, since traveling in the peak season can be more expensive than taking exactly the same trip in the low season.

Tips for Cutting Down the Cost of an Everest Base Camp Tours

1. The cheapest way to visit Everest Base Camp is to join a small group tour in winter (November to February). You will not only share the cost of the transfer, the guide, and the driver with group members, but also enjoy the discount of hotels and flights to Tibet in the low season.

2. The cost of accommodation in EBC does not affect the total price a lot. The accommodation options for you to choose are only the Rongbuk Monastery Guesthouse and the Tent Hotels. Both of them are quite basic with no shower or western toilet. What really affects your tour price is the hotels in Lhasa and Shigatse, where there are kinds of hotels from 3-star to 5-star. So if you want to travel on a budget, you can choose to stay in 3-star hotels in Lhasa and Shigatse, and stay in the tent hotel at Everest Base Camp.

Our clients are happy on our EBC group tour.

Conclusion

While many people think that planning a trip to Mount Everest in Tibet is something that requires months of planning, booking, and careful itinerary choices, you could not be more wrong.

With our dedicated expert tour advisors, we can help you with all of your Tibet planning needs, including helping you choose the right tour for you based on what you want to see and do, and how long you plan on staying with us.

Once you have made those decisions, the rest of the planning is done by us on your behalf. We will arrange the trip, the guides, and the driver, your transportation across the plateau, your accommodation in Tibet, all of the permits and passes you will need, and even help you to arrange the flights or train tickets from mainland China and Nepal to Lhasa.

And with so much help to plan this amazing lifetime trip to Tibet, what are you waiting for? We are here waiting to hear from you right now!