How Much Does It Cost to Take an Everest Base Camp Trekking Tour

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Traveling to Tibet is one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime, with the stunning scenery, spectacular landscapes, and beautiful lakes and mountains. And for many people, a trip to Tibet is not complete without a tour to the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. However, for some, that trip to the mountain should be done on foot.

Trekking in the high-altitudes of Tibet and Nepal is a popular activity for both young and old, and while the trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) in Nepal takes around 12 days, trekking to EBC in Tibet is just a three to four day hike, among some of the most stunning landscapes in the world.

For most people, the normal trek to Everest Base Camp from Old Tingri can be incorporated into their tour as part of a normal tour to Tibet that includes EBC, although it is normally a little more expensive to take a tour with the trek as opposed to being driven to EBC to view the mountain. This is mainly due to the extra days required to trek to the base camp, which extends the length of a normal EBC tour by around four days.

Factors Affecting the Price of Your Everest Base Camp Tour

The cost of the EBC tour largely depends on where you are going during your tour, how many days you will be touring and trekking, the time of year, and the type of tour you take. Costs of tours vary greatly based on a number of different factors, and to get a good estimate of how much it would cost, you can talk to our tour and trip advisors, who will be more than happy to help you out.

Which Route to Choose

There are two different routes to EBC, starting at either Old Tingri, which is the more popular route, or from Baber Village (often called New Tingri by the tour guides and locals), which is the easier route.

The route from Baber Village, goes through the villages of Chay, Tashi Dzom, and Basum, and follows the newly paved road that leads direct to the base camp. The best view of Everest during the trek is from the top of the Geu La Pass, and this is really the only good view of the mountain during the whole four-day trek. It is not until you get close to Rongbuk Monastery that the views of the huge mountain become better.

EBC starts in Old Tingri
EBC trekking tour starts from Old Tingri

The better route to EBC starts in Old Tingri, and is the most popular route to trek to get to the mountain. The route covers a distance of around 70 kilometers over the course of four days, and has much better views of Everest along the route, as well as good sweeping views of the Himalayas and excellent views of the 6th highest mountain in the world, Cho Oyu, as well as many other peaks above 6,000 meters above sea level. The route takes you from Old Tingri across country, through the Tingri Plain and the Ra-Chu Valley to the first stop in Lungchang, and then on to the Nam La Pass at an elevation of 5,150 meters. After staying the second night in the Nam-La Valley, the trek heads across the plains to Zommug, passing nomadic herders and their families along the way, with their massive herds of yaks. The final day of trekking takes you overland to Rongbuk Monastery, at 5,100 meters, and then on for the last few kilometers to the base camp itself, which lies at 5,200 meters above sea level, and has the best views of the summit of Mount Everest in the world.

When to Go

When to take the trek to Everest Base Camp is another major factor in the cost of the tour, and the time of year can make a huge difference in the cost. The peak season for Tibetan tourism, which runs from early July until the end of September, is the most expensive time of year to tour in Tibet, as it is in most tourist destinations around the world, and all the costs will be higher, from the cost of the flights or train tickets to Tibet to the accommodation and even the food. In a tourist economy, higher demand leads to increase prices, which ultimately leads to a more expensive holiday. However, since the summer in Tibet is also the rainy season, there are times when rains may make trekking harder, and you are not guaranteed to get a good view of the mountain once you reach the base camp itself, due to cloud covering the summit.

The best times to trek to EBC are usually from late April to early June, and then from late September through to the end of November. These are known as the shoulder seasons, when the weather is at its best for both touring and trekking and the skies are clear so you get a good view of the mountain. The shoulder seasons can be a little less expensive than during the peak months, as there are normally fewer tourists and less crowds at all the attractions.

EBC trekking tour from April to early June will offer you enchanting scenery

The off season, in December and January, is often considered by most people to be unsuitable for touring and trekking in Tibet, as many people believe the region gets too cold in the winter months. However, this is really a myth, as the plateau temperatures, while dropping to below freezing at night, can be quite warm during the day. Trekking to Everest Base Camp in winter is not the best choice of holiday, as you will need to camp in tents during the trek, but with arctic-rated sleeping bags and good strong tents, it is possible to stay quite warm at night. As you get out into the more remote regions of Tibet, even the guesthouses have little or no heating at night, so camping in a tent is not really much different to staying in a tent guesthouse.

Private Tour or Group Tour

One of the main costs of the tour is the choice of a private or group tour to Tibet. Private tours, while giving you more choice of where to go and what to do, are more expensive than joining a group tour with other like-minded people, as you will be paying for the whole cost of the tour yourself.

With a Tibet group tour, you can join other people going to the same places you wish to visit, and even taking he trek to EBC from Old Tingri, and can reduce the cost of the tour greatly. A major part of the cost of any tour to Tibet is that of the guide, driver, and private vehicle, which is a requirement for any Tibet tour. Independent travel in the region is not permitted, and all tourists must be part of an organized tour, whether that be an individual private tour or as part of the join-in group tours that we offer for all our regular tour itineraries.

How to Cut down the Price of Your Everest Base Camp Tour

Join-In Group Tours are offered as part of our lower-cost tours of Tibet, and can help to reduce the cost of your tour to Tibet by as much as 50 percent in some cases.

Share the Price with Group Members

When you join one of our Join-In small group Tours, you will be sharing the cost of the guide, driver, private vehicle, and fuel with the other members of the tour, which cuts down the cost of your tour. You can also opt to share hotel and guesthouse rooms with other members of the tour, which can also reduce the cost of your accommodation while in Tibet, and not have to pay the single-occupancy supplement that is charged by all hotels around the world.

EBC Small group Tours can cut down the cost

Our Join-In Group Tours usually have around 10 members, and the cost is set at a certain amount based on the total number f potential members of the group. These savings can make your tour more cost-effective, and are ideal for those traveling on a budget.

Get High Value for Money and Worry-free

You can also let us handle all your arrangements, from the tour itself to the application for Tibet Travel Permit, as well as other travel documents needed to get into and around Tibet, the pass for the Qomolangma National Park to get to EBC, your accommodation requirements, and even your flights or train tickets from China or Nepal. We have some great deals with the flight carriers and the Tibet Train ticket offices, and can get you some great deals on the price of the tickets, as well as being able to reduce the cost of your buying the tickets through other travel agents, who often charge high fees for arranging these for you.

AS your Tibet tour operator, we can easily include everything except your flight from your home country, which can not only reduce the total cost of your tour to Tibet, but also makes things easier for you. You will not have to search the internet for the best train ticket or flight deals, or arrange your own accommodations in Tibet, which can be quite a daunting challenge, even for the most seasoned travelers.