Best Time to Visit Everest Base Camp

Best Time to Visit Everest Base Camp

The best time to visit Everest Base Camp depends on your goal for going there. For trekking, we recommend you to go between March to May, which is spring in Nepal or from October to November, summer in Nepal. If you prefer taking a helicopter tour, you can do it at any time the weather is good except the monsoon season. As long as you are prepared for freezing temperatures, you can trek to Everest Base Camp. Even in the winter season; in the winter season, you will get a much more unobstructed view compared to other seasons. Here, we have sorted out some things to consider when thinking about when to visit EBC Trek. 

Trekking to the lap of the world’s summit is not an easy feat. It takes about 12 to 16 days to trek to Everest Base Camp depending on your pace and how well you acclimatize. The base camp offers fascinating views of majestic mountains surrounding you throughout the trek on the Khumbu and Everest area. You will also get insight into the Buddhist culture and their traditional way of living. You can reach Everest Base Camp in various ways, depending on your holiday duration. For those that can go for the trek for only around a couple of weeks, you can take a short scenic flight to and from Lukla, the entrance to the Everest Base Camp, and many other popular destinations of Khumbu.

Besides, you can drive overland to Jiri, or Tumlingtar. Whichever route you choose, you will reach the famous Namche Bazaar. The capital of Khumbu, where you can get all kinds of required facilities like excellent hotels/lodges, restaurants, fresh bakeries, café, banks, equipment stores, etc. 

Weather & Accessibility

Everest Base Camp lies at a very high altitude (5380meters), and the land’s route to reach there is also high, which means that there is not a warm temperature in the Everest region. However, there are still some huge differences in temperature, precipitation, and snowfall throughout the year.

Spring and Autumn

Best time to visit Everest Base Camp March, April, May, October, and November are the most popular months for trekking in the Everest region as the overall condition is at their best in these months. In the spring and autumn seasons, you will experience reasonable temperatures, clear skies, almost no rain, and rarely problematic snowfall. The trails are additionally exceptionally packed in these months. Be that as it may, on the off chance that you need to travel in the best climate conditions, you must be set up to stroll in some stuffed path, to visit Everest Base Camp.

Winter (December, January, February)

The winter is not necessarily a wrong time to trek to Everest Base Camp but is undoubtedly the off-season. During this season, the temperatures can get freezing, so keep in mind that you will be facing icy conditions. But you will get crystal unobstructed mountain views as the skies are often very clear during winter. Most of all, you will have all the trail almost to yourself as in winter, very few trekkers travel this region.

Monsoon (June to early September) 

It is not ideal for best time to visit Everest Base camp in the monsoon season. During this season, you will have to walk on muddy trails, there will also be high risks of landslides, and rainclouds can disrupt the mountain views. But the temperatures are relatively warmer, and it’s not like it rains every day. So, if you don’t mind getting a bit wet along the way and are prepared for the rain, trekking in monsoon can be fine as it rains very rarely as you gain altitude.

However, if you are thinking of going for a helicopter tour to EBC rather than strenuous trekking, then this season is not for you. Helicopter tour is only possible when the weather is clear and predictable. So the time such as monsoon when it can rain at any time is out of the question.

The weather will not only hamper your experience in the Everest region. But it might also affect flights from Kathmandu to Lukla. Flying to Lukla is one of the easiest and finest way to reach Lukla. However, if the weather and visibility are poor in Kathmandu, Lukla, or en route, the flight tends to be frequently canceled. Except for monsoon, the flights Lukla from Kathmandu runs smoothly; however, rain, fog, or smog can affect flights at any time of year.

High Season Crowds

Spring and autumn season are the peak seasons for trekking in Nepal. EBC is no different; as it is the most popular trekking route in Nepal. The path will in general become extremely busy in these seasons. You will never walk alone on the main path, and you may also struggle to get your choice of accommodation. While trekking to the EBC, it is a good idea to journey with a guide, but even more so in the peak season as they will be able to secure beds for you that might be tough for those traveling independently. Besides, the Everest climbing season runs from May to early June. So even if you are not trying to climb the mountain, in these months, the area will be very busy with expeditions. During peak seasons, flights to Lukla also sell out quite in advance, so you have to book as early as possible.

In the winter and monsoon season, you will encounter a minimal crowd. Lots of place closes in the off-seasons, however, most probably you won’t struggle to get a bed in an elegant tea house as during the peak season. The most popular trail to EBC is the classic route; however, there are many other routes in the region that trekkers rarely visit even in the high season. Some of these reach EBC through a different path, and others bypass it. But still give trekkers a wonderful glimpse into the landscapes, nature, and culture of the Everest region.