Everest Base Camp Trek Distance, Elevation Gain, & Time by Day

The Everest Base Camp trek in Sagarmatha National Park of Nepal is one of the most iconic multi day hiking routes in the world. Due to its length, terrain, elevation gain, and difficulty, this trek is not for everyone out there.

This guide is going to go over the day by day distances, trekking time, and elevation gains for the 11 day route and help better prepare you for your time on the trail.

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1) Everest Base Camp Trek Logistics

To be clear, this guide is to better help you understand all the details from a numbers and stats perspective behind an 11 day Everest Base Camp trek itinerary – distances, trekking times, and elevation gains day by day.

I won’t be talking much about landscapes, terrain, villages, etc. in this guide but you can check this Everest Base Camp Trekking Guide that talks more about the trail itself.

When I was researching the trail on my own, I found a lot of differing information with some of these distances, times, and elevation gains.

Now that I have spent time in the region, completed the trek on my own, and understand the landscape profile more clearly, I can better help everyone else prepare for their time on the trail.

Below is a spreadsheet that I put together that can better breakdown the distances, times, and elevation gains by day.

You can see the day by day breakout including starting and ending points for the day, distances (miles and km), average duration on the trail, beginning and ending elevation of villages (taken from the National Geographic Hiking Map), true elevation gain (feet and meters) – more on that soon, and net elevation gain (feet and meters).

The true elevation gains & distances are calculated based on my own GPS data, other hiker’s data, and cross checked with topographic map data.

Distance

Taking into account the entirety of the trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp and back to Lukla, including acclimatization hikes in Namche Bazaar and Dingboche, and the hike up/down Kala Patthar, you are looking at 77 Miles / 123 Kilometers of trekking. 

On average that means you will be walking for 7.0 Miles / 11.2 Kilometers per day.

You may come across some different numbers throughout your research, but by using my own GPS data coupled with those of other hikers and hiking websites, I am confident these are some of the most accurate numbers when it comes to actual distance on the trail.

Hiking Times

Hiking times are the toughest numbers to estimate accurately since everyone has different paces in general.

Some people may be faster on downhills while others may be faster on uphills so there can be a wide range of hiking times.

On average though for a normal hiker, I have estimated 62 hours of trekking, which averages out to just over 5.5 hours per day. For the faster hikers out there that could be closer to 4 hours and for the slower, closer to 7 hours.

The shortest days out there on the trail will be about 3 hours, with the longest days on the trail being 8 hours. So overall, there will be a good variety of hiking times as you make your way along the trail.

Elevation Gain

One of the main issues I came across was from an elevation gain standpoint.

A lot of day by day breakouts basically said if Namche Bazaar is at 11,286 feet of elevation and Tengboche is at 12,664 feet of elevation, that means you are gaining +1,378 feet of elevation in the day. This is what is shown in the last two columns of the chart.

However, that 1,378 feet is the net elevation gain, not the total gain. The route has numerous ups and downs throughout, making the true gain 2,881 feet (shown in the previous two columns).

And elevation changes like this does happen frequently on the Everest Base Camp trail! Even on those downhills back from Base Camp to Lukla, you will have several thousand feet of elevation gain sprawled throughout.

The trail starts at Lukla at 9,318 feet / 2,840 meters and goes up to Everest Base Camp at 17,598 feet / 5,364 meters. You may assume you are gaining the difference between the two – 8,280 feet / 2,524 meters.

However, throughout the entire trail including your acclimatization hikes, you will be gaining around 24,000 feet / 7,300 meters of elevation –  that is about triple the number that you may have expected!

So, I am hoping this short guide better helps you understand the landscape of the Everest Base Camp trek and cleans up any misconceptions about the route when it comes to distances, times, and elevation gains.

2) EBC Trekking Map

Below is a map of the Everest Base Camp trek that begins down in Lukla and slowly makes its way up to Everest Base Camp over the course of 8 days.

During the trek you will have two acclimatization hikes (one in Namche Bazaar on day 3 to the Hotel Everest View and one in Dingboche on day 6 to Nangkartshang Peak), as well as a hike up to Kala Patthar on day 9 before starting the trek back to Lukla.

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3) Everest Base Camp Trek Elevation Profile

This is an important graph to pay attention to when preparing for the trail. You can see that this is not simply a straight up trail from Lukla to Gorak Shep.

Along the way you will have many uphills and downhills, making the elevation gain higher than what you may have anticipated.

Note that it does not include acclimatization hikes in both Namche Bazaar and Dingboche, or the hike up Kala Patthar.

4) Day by Day Hiking Stats

Below you can find the day by day statistics for the EBC trek including the elevation of each village, the distance traveled, the elevation gained, and the estimated duration of the hike. It basically just breaks out the numbers chart I put together above.

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 1: Lukla to Phakding

• Duration: 3 Hours
• Distance: 5.1 miles / 8.2 km
• Starting Elevation: 9,318 ft / 2,840 m
• Ending Elevation: 8,563 ft / 2,610 m
• True Elevation Gain: 909 ft / 277 m
• Net Elevation Gain: -755 ft / -230 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar

• Duration: 7 Hours
• Distance: 6.8 miles / 10.9 km
• Starting Elevation: 8,563 ft / 2,610 m
• Ending Elevation: 11,286 ft / 3,440 m
• True Elevation Gain: 3,986 ft / 1,125 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 2,723 ft / 830 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 3: Namche Bazaar Acclimatization Hike – Hotel Everest View

• Duration: 3 Hours
• Distance: 3.4 miles / 5.4 km
• Starting Elevation: 11,286 ft / 3,440 m
• Ending Elevation: 12,730 ft / 3,880 m
• True Elevation Gain: 1,444 f / 440 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 1,444 f / 440 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 4: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche

• Duration: 5 Hours
• Distance: 6.0 miles / 9.6 km
• Starting Elevation: 11,286 ft / 3,440 m
• Ending Elevation: 12,664 ft / 3,860 m
• True Elevation Gain: 2,881 ft / 878 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 1,378 ft / 420 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 5: Tengboche to Dingboche

• Duration: 6 Hours
• Distance: 6.5 miles / 10.5 km
• Starting Elevation: 12,664 ft / 3,860 m
• Ending Elevation: 14,469 ft / 4,410 m
• True Elevation Gain: 2,287 ft / 697 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 1,805 ft / 550 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 6: Dingboche Acclimatization Hike – Nangkartshang Peak

• Duration: 5 Hours
• Distance: 3.2 miles / 5.1 km
• Starting Elevation: 14,469 ft / 4,410 m
• Ending Elevation: 16,677 ft / 5,083 m
• True Elevation Gain: 2,208 ft / 673 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 2,208 ft / 673 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 7: Dingboche to Lobuche

• Duration: 5 Hours
• Distance: 4.9 miles / 7.9 km
• Starting Elevation: 14,469 ft / 4,410 m
• Ending Elevation: 16,109 ft / 4,910 m
• True Elevation Gain: 2,008 ft / 612 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 1,640 ft / 500 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 8: Lobuche to Gorak Shep + Everest Base Camp

• Duration: 7 Hours
• Distance: 7.3 miles / 11.7 km
• Starting Elevation: 16,109 ft / 4,910 m
• EBC Elevation: 17,598 ft / 5,364 m
• Ending Elevation: 16,814 ft / 5,125 m
• True Elevation Gain: 1,647 ft / 502 m
• Net Elevation Gain: 1,489 ft / 454 m (Lobuche to EBC)

Hiking Tip: If it is a clear day in the afternoon of day 8 I would recommend switching Everest Base Camp to day 9 and Kala Patthar to day 8 for sunset.

The clouds usually build up as the day goes on which can ruin sunsets over Everest, which is why most people just opt for Kala Patthar on the morning of day 9. If it does happen to be clear though in the afternoon of day 8, then I would opt for the switch.

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 9: Kala Patthar + Gorak Shep to Pheriche

• Duration: 8 Hours
• Distance: 9.4 miles / 15.2 km
• Starting Elevation: 16,814 ft / 5,125 m
• Kala Patthar Elevation: 18,176 ft / 5,540 m
• Ending Elevation: 13,911 ft / 4,240 m
• True Elevation Gain: 1,480 ft / 451 m
• Net Elevation Gain: -2,903 ft / -885 m (Gorak Shep to Pheriche)

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 10: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar

• Duration: 6 Hours
• Distance: 12.1 miles / 19.5 km
• Starting Elevation: 13,911 ft / 4,240 m
• Ending Elevation: 11,286 ft / 3,440 m
• True Elevation Gain: 2,234 ft / 681 m
• Net Elevation Gain: -2,625 ft / -800 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 11: Namche Bazaar to Lukla

• Duration: 7 Hours
• Distance: 11.9 miles / 19.1 km
• Starting Elevation: 11,286 ft / 3,440 m
• Ending Elevation: 9,318 ft / 2,840 m
• True Elevation Gain: 2,904 ft / 885 m
• Net Elevation Gain: -1,968 ft / -600 m

Everest Base Camp Trek Total

• Duration: 62 Hours
• Distance: 76.5 miles / 123.1 km
• True Elevation Gain: 23,987 ft / 7,311 m

5) EBC Hiking Packing List

I wanted to finish up this guide with an overview of an Everest Base Camp trek packing list. As you can imagine, due to the length of the trek and the elevation at which it is done at, what you bring along with you is essential.

Below are just some of the items to bring along, but be sure to take a look at the complete Everest Base Camp Trek Packing List for a full overview.

• Hiking Socks: Darn Tough Merino Wool Crew Mens | Darn Tough Merino Wool Crew Womens
• Hiking Pants: Eddie Bauer Men’s Guide Pro Pants  | Eddie Bauer Women’s Guide Pro Pants
• Fleece: Columbia Men’s Ascender Softshell | Columbia Women’s Kruser Ridge II Softshell
• Rain Jacket: Columbia Men’s Watertight II | Columbia Women’s Arcadia II
• Hiking Shoes: KEEN Men’s Targhee III | KEEN Women’s Targhee III
• Hiking Backpack: Osprey Atmos 65 | Osprey Renn 65
• Trekking Map | NatGeo Waterproof Map
• Solar Power Bank | Anker 20,000mAh Solar Power Bank
• Deodorizing Body Wipes  | Alcala Bamboo Deodorizing Body Wipes

→ If you are thinking about taking part of the trek, be sure to check out the Everest Base Camp Trek Cost breakdown to learn more

I hope you now have a better understanding of the details behind the Everest Base Camp trek and what to expect along the way. If you do have any questions or comments feel free to write them in below.

» You may also want to read the guide to why November is one of the top months to complete the Everest Base Camp trek.

Also be sure to check out the other Nepal itineraries and guides up on the site. Have fun out there and safe travels!

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