Are you ready for the Everest Base Camp trek?
Seven honest questions about your walking, altitude experience and time. You'll find out whether to book Everest Base Camp now, add extra days, or start with an easier trek.
Updated 18 October 2026 · No sign up, no email
How long could you walk up and down hills tomorrow, with a day pack?
Why we ask: Most days on the trek are 5 to 7 hours of walking, often steep, for about 12 days in a row.
How the quiz decides
There are four possible answers: book Everest Base Camp now, book it with extra days, start with Annapurna Base Camp, or start with the Poon Hill trek. Every answer adds points to one or more of them, and the highest total wins.
The time you have weighs most, because Everest Base Camp simply needs 12 to 14 days from Kathmandu, and more if you're new to altitude. Your walking and altitude history come next. The quiz is deliberately cautious: if you've felt unwell at altitude, or you walk two or three hours at most today, it won't tell you to book the highest trek straight away.
How hard is the Everest Base Camp trek?
You don't need climbing skills. What you need is the fitness for five to seven hours of walking a day, often steeply up and down, for about 12 days in a row, and the patience to go slowly at altitude. You spend around a week above 4,000 m, and the last days to Gorak Shep and Kala Patthar (about 5,550 m) are slow and breathless for almost everyone.
Good itineraries include two acclimatisation days, usually in Namche Bazaar and Dingboche. On those days you walk higher in the morning and come back down to sleep.
Everest, Annapurna or Poon Hill
| Everest Base Camp | Annapurna Base Camp | Poon Hill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days | 12 to 14 from Kathmandu | 7 to 11 from Pokhara | 4 to 5 from Pokhara |
| Highest point | About 5,550 m | 4,130 m | 3,210 m |
| Getting there | Flight to Lukla | Drive from Pokhara | Drive from Pokhara |
| Hardest part | Thin air | Stone steps | Steep steps on day 2 |
More detail in Everest or Annapurna.
A training plan that works
- 8 to 12 weeks out: walk three times a week, including one long walk that builds to 5 or 6 hours with a day pack.
- Hills and stairs: steady uphill walking is the best preparation. Use stairs or a stair machine if you live somewhere flat.
- Back to back days: every few weeks, do two long walks on consecutive days.
- Boots: wear the boots you'll trek in on every training walk.
What the quiz can't tell you
Altitude affects people unpredictably, and fitness doesn't protect you from it. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water, and tell your guide straight away about headaches, nausea or breathlessness at rest. Make sure your insurance covers trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation, and see the best time to go before you pick dates.