Measured comparison

Annapurna Base Camp vs Everest Base Camp

Two base camps, one decision. Below they're side by side — distance, days, altitude, difficulty and cost — then a quick "pick by what matters to you". One honest note up front: these are the two treks we've walked and measured ourselves, so every number comes off our own GPS files. The Annapurna Circuit is next — we walk and measure it in November 2026, and you can follow the preparation rather than read a guide we haven't walked.

2,0003,0004,0005,000 050100150 km
Both routes on one scale — every metre recorded on a GPS watch. Annapurna Base Camp: 54.72 km, high point 4,136 m. Everest Base Camp: 157.8 km, high point 5,320 m. EBC is almost three times the distance and over a kilometre higher.
Explore the ABC route map → Explore the EBC route map →
AnnapurnaBase Camp vs EverestBase Camp
54.72 km Distance 157.8 km
3.5 / 10steeper per km Difficulty 7.5 / 10higher & longer
6 Walking days 10
+4,568 m Total climb +6,144 m
~84 m/km Climb / km ~39 m/km
4,136 m High point 5,320 mKala Patthar shoulder
4,131 mBase Camp Sleep as high as 4,925 mLobuche
−2,086 mdescent · 15.24 km Biggest day −1,429 mdescent · 23.1 km
RM 1,100–2,000USD 250–450 Cost, independent RM 3,600–5,900USD 800–1,300
Bus to Siwai Getting there Fly to Lukla
Kani · COROSOct 2025 Recorded Nashriq · GarminNov 2025

Cost is the independent, teahouse-style range for the trek itself, excluding international flights to Nepal — guided packages run higher (ABC costs · EBC costs). Difficulty is our computed route score from distance, climb, altitude and days — not one walker's opinion.

They agree on the one thing operators won't print

Two different treks, two different walkers, two different watches — and the measured hardest day on both is a descent. On ABC it's day five: 15.24 km and 2,086 m down, the longest time on feet of the trek. On EBC it's the 23.1 km, 1,429 m drop from Pheriche to Namche, longer than any climb including the Base Camp day. Every itinerary sells the ascent; the bill arrives on the way down. Train your knees and quads, not just your lungs — it's the same lesson our difficulty guide draws from the trail, now confirmed twice.

Different kinds of hard

Annapurna Base Camp is steeper per day. It packs roughly twice the climbing into each kilometre (~84 m/km vs ~39 m/km) across six shorter, sharper days — stone staircases and 30%+ pitches. If your legs are the weak link, ABC finds them faster.

Everest Base Camp is higher and longer. It's ~1,150 m higher at Base Camp, you sleep above 4,900 m for several nights — higher than the entire top of ABC — and it's ten days in air with a third less oxygen. If altitude is your unknown, EBC is where it shows. Read the altitude guide before either.

Which should you do first?

Annapurna Base Camp is the honest first Himalayan trek: shorter, lower, no mountain flight, and a road-head start. Everest Base Camp is the bigger objective — do it once you know how your body handles real height. If you've stood on Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), you've felt roughly ABC's sleeping altitude; EBC takes you almost a kilometre higher than that, for nights on end.

Pick Annapurna Base Camp if…
  • it's your first Himalayan trek — shorter, lower, simpler
  • you'd rather skip a mountain flight and start from a roadhead
  • you have about a week, not a fortnight
  • budget matters: ~RM 1,100–2,000 independent, half of EBC
  • steep stone staircases don't scare you — the hard part is your legs
Pick Everest Base Camp if…
  • you've handled altitude before and want the bigger objective
  • sleeping above 4,900 m for nights on end is the appeal, not the fear
  • you have 12–14 days and the higher budget (~RM 3,600–5,900 independent)
  • the Lukla flight and standing at 5,300 m are the whole point
  • you've got the distance in your legs — it's 157.8 km, nearly triple ABC

One honest caveat about the numbers

Distances, climbs, days and altitudes compare cleanly — they're route facts off the track. Heart rate does not: ABC's figures are Kani's body and EBC's are Nashriq's, two different people on two different devices, so we never put their pulses side by side. How we keep measured, sourced and not-comparable apart is on the how we measure page.

Is Everest Base Camp harder than Annapurna Base Camp?
They’re hard in different ways. Everest Base Camp is longer and much higher — 157.8 km over 10 days to 5,282 m, versus Annapurna Base Camp’s 54.72 km over 6 days to 4,136 m — so altitude is the bigger risk. But Annapurna Base Camp packs about twice the climbing into each kilometre (~84 m/km vs ~39 m/km), so it feels steeper day to day. Neither is technical.
Which is better for a first Himalayan trek, ABC or EBC?
Annapurna Base Camp is the gentler first trek: shorter, lower, no mountain flight, and easier to reach. Everest Base Camp is the bigger objective — higher altitude, ten days, and a Lukla flight — better once you know how your body handles height.
How much higher is Everest Base Camp than Annapurna Base Camp?
Everest Base Camp (5,282 m measured) is about 1,150 m higher than Annapurna Base Camp (4,131 m). On EBC you sleep as high as ~4,925 m at Lobuche — higher than the top of the entire ABC trek.
Is Everest Base Camp more expensive than Annapurna Base Camp?
Yes — roughly double. Walking independently and teahouse-style, Annapurna Base Camp runs about USD 250–450 (≈ RM 1,100–2,000) for the trek itself; Everest Base Camp runs about USD 800–1,300 (≈ RM 3,600–5,900) — both excluding international flights to Nepal. The gap is mostly the Lukla return flight (about USD 360–440) that EBC needs and ABC doesn’t, plus four more walking days and higher-altitude teahouse prices. Guided packages run higher for both. These are sourced 2026 ranges, not measured by us.
Which trek is longer, Annapurna or Everest Base Camp?
Everest Base Camp is far longer: 157.8 km over 10 walking days, against Annapurna Base Camp’s 54.72 km over 6 days — both measured from a GPS track.
What do the two treks have in common?
The measured data agrees on one thing: the hardest day on both is a descent, not a climb. On ABC it’s the 2,086 m drop on day five; on EBC it’s the 23.1 km, 1,429 m descent from Pheriche. Two independent datasets, same conclusion — train your knees and quads, not just your lungs.

The measured Annapurna Base Camp guide →
The measured Everest Base Camp guide →
Still choosing your Nepal trek? →