Choose your trek

Which Nepal trek should you do?

Nepal's headline treks, side by side — distance, days, altitude, difficulty and cost — then a quick "pick by what matters to you". The honest part is the split: only Annapurna and Everest Base Camp are ours, walked and measured on our own GPS. The Annapurna Circuit and Mardi Himal are shown from sourced tracks we haven't walked yet — clearly marked, and replaced with first-hand data once we do (the Circuit is next, November 2026). Every row says which tier it's from.

Trek	Distance	Days	High point	Difficulty	Cost
Walked & measured numbers off our own GPS watch
Annapurna Base CampAnnapurna	54.7 km	6	4,136 m	3.5/10	$$
Everest Base CampEverest	157.8 km	10	5,320 m	7.5/10	$$$
Sourced · not yet walked third-party track — indicative, not our measurement
Annapurna CircuitAnnapurna	229 km	~14	5,416 m	9/10	$$$
Mardi HimalAnnapurna	41.9 km	4–6	4,181 m	3/10	$

Walked = recorded on our own GPS watch. Sourced = a third-party track we haven't verified on foot — indicative, and replaced with our own once we walk it. $ cheaper · $$$ dearer · Difficulty is scored 0–10 from the route numbers (altitude, distance, total climb, days), not a hand-set rating — which is why the Circuit (9) tops the list and Mardi (3) is the gentlest of the four.

Pick by what matters to you

First Himalayan trek?

Annapurna Base Camp

A gentle six days to a real base camp — and the one we walked and measured, so the numbers are honest.

The bucket-list objective?

Everest Base Camp

The higher of the two (5,320 m at Kala Patthar) and the name everyone knows — measured, ten days.

Only about a week to walk?

Annapurna Base Camp

Six walking days fit a week; Everest Base Camp needs about ten and a Lukla flight, so it will not honestly compress.

Steepest day to day?

Annapurna Base Camp

It packs the most climbing into each kilometre — shorter overall, but the steepest per-km of the two.

Highest and longest?

Everest Base Camp

157.8 km over ten days to 5,320 m — the most sustained time up high, where altitude is the real test.

Want the long classic?

Annapurna Circuit

The 229 km loop over the 5,416 m Thorong La. We are measuring it first-hand this November — follow the prep rather than a guide we have not walked.

The real worries, straight answers

The honest answer to what actually stops people booking — including the one our measured tracks own.

Will I get altitude sickness?

Altitude is the genuine risk on the higher one — Everest Base Camp tops out at 5,320 m — and a smaller factor on Annapurna Base Camp (4,136 m). It is managed by the acclimatisation schedule and honest pacing, not by being fit. If altitude is your unknown, start lower with ABC. Read the altitude guide before either, or check each trek’s night-by-night ascent rate in the altitude planner.

Am I fit enough?

Neither is a technical climb — they are long walks, so endurance for consecutive days matters more than speed. The part people underestimate: our measured tracks show the hardest days are the descents, so descent-strong legs matter as much as cardio. The Trek-Ready Program is built around exactly that.

Will it wreck my knees?

This is the one nobody warns you about — and our measured tracks confirm it on both base camps: the hardest days are the big descents, not the climbs. That is where tired legs get hurt. Train downhill, use poles, and do not rush the drops. It is the whole reason our plan is descent-specific, not just cardio.

I only have a week.

Annapurna Base Camp (6 days) fits a week of walking. Everest Base Camp needs about 10 walking days plus the Lukla flight, so it will not honestly compress into seven, whatever a package says. The Annapurna Circuit is longer still at about 14 — that is the one we are preparing for in November.

Can I trek it solo?

In practice, on both — but the rules differ. Nepal's 2023 guide rule nominally covers the Annapurna region (so ABC) yet is loosely and unevenly enforced; the Everest region runs its own permit and stays open to independent trekkers. These are busy teahouse routes, not wilderness. The current line is in the permits guide.

On a tight budget?

Annapurna Base Camp is the cheaper of the two — no mountain flight, fewer days. Everest costs more because of the Lukla flight and the extra time up high. Eating dal bhat with its free refills keeps either down.

The treks, in one line each

Annapurna Base Camp — A real base camp on a gentle timeline — six days to a glacial amphitheatre, walked and measured ourselves.
Everest Base Camp — The bucket-list name and the higher of the two — longer, higher, measured on a Garmin over ten days.
Annapurna Circuit — The long classic over the 5,416 m Thorong La — a sourced route for now; we walk and measure it ourselves in November 2026.
Mardi Himal — The short, high ridge above the Annapurna Sanctuary — our sourced-route guide is live; first-hand data follows once we walk it.

Also worth doing — on our radar, not yet on keitreks:

Ghorepani Poon Hill — the classic easiest starter — 4–5 days, ~3,210 m, big sunrise views.
Langtang Valley — a quieter, beginner-friendly valley north of Kathmandu.
Manaslu Circuit — a bigger restricted-permit loop that legally needs a licensed guide.

Deciding between the two base camps we've walked? We put Annapurna and Everest Base Camp side by side, both measured, with their elevation profiles on one scale.

What is the best trek in Nepal?

There is no single best — it depends on your time, fitness and altitude experience. Of the treks we have walked and measured, the honest shortlist is Annapurna Base Camp for a first real Himalayan trek and Everest Base Camp for the bucket-list objective. The Annapurna Circuit is the long classic — we walk and measure it ourselves in November 2026, and we would rather prepare in the open than publish a guide we have not walked. This page compares the two measured base camps on distance, days, altitude, difficulty and cost.

Which trek in Nepal is best for beginners?

Of the two we cover first-hand, Annapurna Base Camp is the honest beginner pick: six moderate days to a real base camp at 4,136 m, and the one we have actually walked and measured. Everest Base Camp is a bigger step — ten days and sustained time above 5,000 m — so save it for once you know how your body handles altitude. Many guides also point first-timers to the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek (4–5 days, ~3,210 m) as the very easiest starter; we do not cover it yet.

Is Annapurna Base Camp or Everest Base Camp better?

Different trips. Annapurna Base Camp is short and direct — six walking days into a glacial amphitheatre at 4,136 m, cheaper, with no mountain flight. Everest Base Camp is the higher, longer objective — 157.8 km over about ten days to 5,320 m at Kala Patthar, reached via the Lukla flight. Choose ABC for a shorter, lower, gentler first trek; EBC for the bucket-list name and the higher challenge. We put both side by side, both measured, with their elevation profiles on one scale, in the comparison guide.

Which of these is easier — ABC or EBC?

Annapurna Base Camp is easier overall: lower (4,136 m vs 5,320 m), shorter and fewer days. But it is steeper per kilometre — it packs more climbing into each km — so it feels demanding day to day. Everest Base Camp is harder mainly because of altitude and the accumulation of long days up high. Neither is technical; the difficulty is altitude, long days and descents, not climbing skill.

Which Nepal trek needs the fewest days?

Of the two we cover, Annapurna Base Camp at six walking days. Everest Base Camp is about ten walking days inside a 12–14 day trip once you add the Lukla flight and acclimatisation. The Annapurna Circuit — the one we are preparing for — is the longest at roughly 14.

Which of these treks is the hardest?

Everest Base Camp is the more demanding of the two we have measured — higher (5,320 m) and longer, with more sustained time up high. Annapurna Base Camp packs the most climbing into each kilometre, so it is the steeper day to day. The Annapurna Circuit, over the 5,416 m Thorong La, is harder still on the numbers — which is exactly why we are training specifically for it before we walk it.

Which trek is the best value?

Annapurna Base Camp is the better value for a full base-camp experience on a short budget — no mountain flight, fewer days. Everest Base Camp costs the most because of the Lukla flight and the extra time. We publish an honest, sourced cost breakdown rather than a headline number.

Which of these treks have you actually walked?

Both of them: Annapurna Base Camp (recorded on a COROS watch, October 2025) and Everest Base Camp (recorded on a Garmin, November 2025). Those two are measured first-hand — the numbers on this site come off those GPS files. The Annapurna Circuit we walk ourselves in November 2026; until then we prepare in the open and do not publish a destination guide we cannot stand behind.

What about the Annapurna Circuit, Poon Hill, Langtang or Manaslu?

All worth doing — we just build a small set first-hand and measured rather than a big directory. Right now that is Annapurna and Everest Base Camp, both walked and measured. The Annapurna Circuit is next: we walk and measure it in November 2026, and you can follow the build-up on the Road to the Annapurna Circuit. Ghorepani Poon Hill (4–5 days, ~3,210 m) is the classic easiest starter; Langtang is a quieter beginner-friendly valley; Manaslu is a bigger restricted-permit circuit that legally needs a licensed guide. We would rather add each one properly, with our own track, than list routes we have not walked.

Estimate your trek budget
Check a trek’s ascent rate
Annapurna Base Camp guide
Everest Base Camp guide
Road to the Annapurna Circuit (Nov 2026)