Everest Base Camp with Earth's Edge 3

How hard is it to trek to Everest Base Camp?

How hard is it to trek to Everest Base Camp

The word Everest has such undeniable gravitas. It’s a place that has such an aura about it, and will sound impressive to almost anyone you mention it to. But what about Everest Base Camp? While we all know that climbing Mount Everest is a monumental challenge, how hard is it to trek to Everest Base Camp, the place where the summit begins?

If you’re contemplating the expedition but worried about how fit you’ll need to be, worry not. Here’s everything you need to know…

How hard is it to trek to Everest Base Camp?

We give every one of our expeditions a level. The trek to Everest Base Camp is a level 4. That means you can expect…

An average of 5 to 7 hours per day at altitudes not usually exceeding 5,500 metres. Some days may be up to 12 hours long but that is not typical. Typical elevation gain per day would be 400 – 800 metres, with some days as much as 1000 metres. As a rough guide, you should be comfortable hillwalking for 6 to 7 hours per day for two days in a row. 

What is the route like?

Our route takes you on the beautiful and historic trek through the Khumbu Valley to Everest Base Camp sitting at the foot of Mt Everest. We want to really take the time to appreciate all of the incredible sights that we pass along the way, so we take it at a leisurely pace. Slow and steady wins the race!

While the expedition in total is 18 days long, our trek to Everest Base Camp takes 8 days, allowing for 2 rest and acclimatisation days. In total, including the descent, we spend 13 days trekking (including those rest days). This pace is a really important part of our expedition. It means that we acclimatise gradually, which greatly increases the chances of reaching our goal comfortably and safely.

Trek to Everest Base Camp

How fit do I need to be to trek to Everest Base Camp?

All of our expeditions require a good level of fitness, which is very achievable if you train in the months leading up to the trek. We’ll advise you as to the best way to do this, and you can read up a little more about training advice for Kilimanjaro, a level 5 trek, here.

Make no mistake – for many people, this will be the toughest trek of their lives. Although this is not a technical climb, it is very steep in places and you will be gaining height very quickly. So it’s vital to train properly beforehand, to increase your chances of getting there successfully.

Don’t forget, we are the only company in the world who send an international guide and doctor on all Everest Base Camp (5,364m) expeditions while keeping group sizes sustainably small.

Ready to take it on? Go for it! You can read more about our expedition to Everest Base Camp here. You can also read a trip report from Orla Bowers here!

What Our Clients Say

The Kenya Tri-Adventure is an amazing trip. I have done lots of trekking holidays before but I feel like this trip had the perfect mixture of disciplines. When I look back I don’t know how we fit that much into 11 days. The hike is…

Sarah Jane Rooney, Co. Dublin

Everest Base Camp and Island Peak was my second trip with Earth’s Edge. The team at Earth’s Edge treat everyone with respect and make you feel part of the family rather than simply a paying customer. I have met some wonderful people and shared some…

John Creaven, Co. Dublin

Hands down the most special and amazing trip I have done to date, and coming from a well-seasoned traveler this is saying a lot! Climbing Kilimanjaro had been on my bucket list for quite some time and when I turned 40 this year, I decided…

Adele Woods, Co. Kildare

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