Altitude sickness is the main reason Everest Base Camp treks fail, and whether you get it is decided largely by a table of numbers set months before you arrive. The figure that matters is your sleeping altitude and how much it rises each night, because that is what your body adapts to.
This article lays out our 14-day profile night by night, then puts a compressed 11-day itinerary beside it so you can see exactly what the cheaper option removes.
The Rules the Profile Is Built On
- Above 3,000 m, gain no more than 300 to 500 m of sleeping altitude per night.
- Take a full rest day every 3 to 4 days, or every 1,000 m of gain.
- On a rest day, climb several hundred metres above your lodge and return to sleep. Climb high, sleep low.
- Where a big jump is unavoidable, put a rest day on either side of it.
Our profile breaks rule one exactly once — Phakding to Namche — and it compensates with a rest day immediately after. That is the correct way to handle an unavoidable jump, and it is the shape of every properly built Khumbu itinerary. See our altitude sickness guide for the physiology behind the rules.
The 14-Day Profile
| Night | Sleep at | Altitude | Gain | High point that day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu | 1,400 m | — | — |
| 2 | Phakding | 2,651 m | Net −209 m from Lukla | Lukla 2,860 m |
| 3 | Namche Bazaar | 3,440 m | +789 m | 3,440 m |
| 4 | Namche Bazaar | 3,440 m | 0 — rest day | 3,880 m (Everest View Hotel) |
| 5 | Tengboche | 3,956 m | +516 m | 3,956 m |
| 6 | Dingboche | 4,380 m | +424 m | 4,380 m |
| 7 | Dingboche | 4,380 m | 0 — rest day | 5,080 m (Nangkartshang) |
| 8 | Lobuche | 4,938 m | +558 m | 4,938 m |
| 9 | Gorak Shep | 5,160 m | +222 m | 5,545 m (Kala Patthar) |
| 10 | Pheriche | 4,371 m | −789 m | 5,364 m (Base Camp) |
| 11 | Namche Bazaar | 3,440 m | −931 m | 4,371 m |
| 12 | Lukla | 2,860 m | −580 m | 3,440 m |
| 13 | Kathmandu | 1,400 m | −1,460 m | — |
Read the high-point column alongside the sleeping column. On nights 4 and 7 you gain nothing but you climb 440 m and 700 m respectively — that is where the acclimatisation actually happens. Those two days are the itinerary.
Where the Pressure Points Are
- Night 3, Namche (+789 m). The only jump above the rule. Mild headaches here are common and normal, and the rest day that follows is what resolves them.
- Night 6, Dingboche (4,380 m). The first night above 4,000 m. Sleep gets worse for most people from here on.
- Night 8, Lobuche (+558 m). Slightly over the rule, at the thinnest air yet, with the steep Thukla Pass climb in the middle of the day. Statistically the hardest night of the trek.
- Night 9, Gorak Shep (5,160 m). The highest night, at 51% of sea-level oxygen, with the Kala Patthar climb on the same day. Almost nobody sleeps well.
If you want more margin, there are two easy additions: a night at Pheriche (4,371 m) between Dingboche and Lobuche, or a second night at Dingboche. Either turns a 14-day trek into a 15-day one and measurably reduces altitude risk. We add them on request and recommend them for anyone who has not slept above 4,000 m before.
14 Days vs 11 Days: What Gets Cut
| 14-day itinerary | 11-day itinerary | |
|---|---|---|
| Rest day at Namche | Yes, with a climb to 3,880 m | Usually removed |
| Rest day at Dingboche | Yes, with a climb to 5,080 m | Usually removed |
| Nights above 4,000 m | 4 | 3, reached faster |
| Largest single night's gain | 789 m, followed by a rest day | Often 900 m or more with no rest day |
| Spare capacity for a bad night | Two rest days can absorb a slow start | None — a bad day ends the trek |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
| Chance of reaching Base Camp | High | Materially lower |
This is the honest economics of a cheap Everest trek. The saving is two or three days of guide, lodge, and food costs — perhaps USD 150 to 250. The cost is the acclimatisation margin that gets you to 5,364 m. A trekker who turns back at Lobuche has paid the full price for a trek they did not complete, which is the most expensive outcome available.
Our cost breakdown goes through the other ways quotes are made to look cheaper.
Other Khumbu Routes Compared
| Trek | Days | Highest night | Highest point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everest View Trek | 9 | 3,440 m | 3,880 m |
| Gokyo Lakes | 12 | 4,800 m | 5,357 m |
| Everest Base Camp | 14 | 5,160 m | 5,545 m |
| Base Camp with helicopter return | 12 | 5,160 m | 5,545 m |
| Base Camp with Gokyo and Cho La | 17 | 5,160 m | 5,545 m |
| Everest Three Passes | 17 | 5,160 m | 5,545 m |
| Island Peak | 18 | 5,200 m high camp | 6,189 m |
Note that the helicopter return variant keeps the same ascent profile in 12 days — it removes descent days, not rest days. That is the difference between compressing a trek safely and compressing it cheaply.
