These are the two most-asked-about treks in Nepal, and they are not really competitors — they suit different trekkers, budgets and calendars. Here is the comparison we give clients on the phone.

Time

Annapurna Base Camp fits into nine days including all transfers. Everest Base Camp needs fifteen if it is going to be paced safely. If you have two weeks of annual leave including international flights, ABC is the realistic choice.

Altitude

ABC tops out at 4,130m. EBC reaches 5,364m at Base Camp and 5,545m at Kala Patthar. That difference is the whole story on risk: below 4,200m serious altitude illness is uncommon, above 5,000m it is a daily consideration. ABC is achievable with no previous high-altitude experience. EBC is not a trek to make your first.

Cost

ABC starts at USD 749; EBC at USD 1,499. Most of the gap is the Lukla flight and six additional days of guide, porter, food and lodging.

Getting there

ABC starts from Pokhara — a 25-minute flight or a scenic drive from Kathmandu, with no weather-dependent mountain airstrip involved. EBC depends on Lukla flights, which cancel regularly and often depart from Ramechhap in peak season. If a rigid return date matters to you, that is a real factor.

What you actually see

ABC puts you inside a glacial amphitheatre — a 360-degree ring of Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre with nothing between you and the wall but glacier. EBC is a longer journey through Sherpa culture: Namche Bazaar, Tengboche monastery with Ama Dablam behind it, and finally the Khumbu Icefall. Note that you cannot see Everest's summit from Base Camp itself — Kala Patthar the next morning is where you get the full face.

Our recommendation

First Himalayan trek, under two weeks, or budget-conscious: the 9-day Annapurna Base Camp Trek. Set on Everest, with three weeks and three months of training behind you: the 15-day Everest Base Camp Trek. Want the Everest region without the Base Camp crowds: the Gokyo Ri Trek.