Punam Phuyal
Everest base camp and Annapurna base camp both treks are adventurous treks. Every traveler wishes to stand in front of Everest and Annapurna. The wish becomes a dream and leads you toward a destination of EBC and ABC. Both EBC and ABC are wonderful places that you must visit in your lifetime. We hope your visit will repeat a number of times after seeing its attraction and beauty. There are some differences regarding distance, duration, budget, permit, and altitude between the Everest Base Camp (EBC) and Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) trek. An attempt to include details of both the ABC and EBC trek is made in this article with the aim of giving information on both the EBC and ABC trek at once.
Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) and Everest Base Camp (EBC) both are mountain rides on foot. Climbing up and up till you reach the base of the Himalayas is not an easy task. EBC is at the highest altitude than ABC, it takes a long time to reach EBC than ABC. Thus EBC is tougher than ABC. To know which one either EBC or ABC is tough, let’s see separately about the location, altitude, and difficulties of the EBC and ABC trek
THE EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK Location is Solukhumbu district, Province No. 1 of Nepal, in Sagarmatha National Park.
EBC trek duration: Everest (8848m) is the third pole of the world. It is one of the mediums to be on the lap of Everest. EBC treks need minimum 15 days. These 15 days include the total time from arrival in Nepal to departure from Nepal. Day by day you will walk towards hills and downhills enjoying the beauty of the place fascinated by the gorgeous Himalayas, variety of plants and animals, ethnic cultural beauty of Sherpa, monuments, and many more.
EBC trek elevation: In the EBC trek, walking begins from Lukla (2860m) and leads up to Everest base camp (5364m). The altitude rise is very high i.e. 2504m from Lukla to Everest base camp.
EBC trek challenges: This elevation rising with each day trek leads to altitude sickness and tiredness, the food of cold region may not suits you, you may caught a cold and become sick. The rainy days doesn’t give proper visibility, thick fog will decrease the charm of surrounding. Due to lack of internet connection in some places, you will be out of contact from your families. Physical imbalance and atmospheric challenges may leads to an incomplete trek sometime.
ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP Trek location is Kaski district, Province no. 4 (Gandaki Province) Nepal in the Annapurna conservation area.
Abc trek duration- Annapurna I (8091m) is the 10th highest mountain of the world. It is one of the mediums which guides you on the base of Annapurna massif. ABC trek requires minimum 10 days. If you desire to go Ghorepani Poon Hill trek and Ghandruk along with the Annapurna base camp then you need 14 days. These 14 days include days from arrival in Nepal to departure from Nepal. ABC trek route is not as difficult as EBC trek. Elevation rises day by day but doesn’t comprise more slanted uphills. The waterfall, amazing diversified flora, landscape with a variety of soil texture, Local Gurung culture and hospitality is great part beyond walking.
ABC trek elevation: In the ABC trek, walking begins from Nayapul (1070m) and leads up to Annapurna base camp (4,130m). The altitude difference from the beginning to the destination of the trek is 3060m.
ABC trek challenges: Since ABC lies in low altitude than EBC, there will be less chance of altitude sickness, The path is less steep so walking will be comparatively easier than EBC trek. Due to low elevation than the EBC trek, there will be less chance of suffering from cold and falling sick. Less problem in digestion and in taking food. Chances of an incomplete trek due to bad weather, and physical illness will be less.
The best time to visit Everest base camp is spring and autumn season. Spring season – 15th February to 15th May and autumn season- from 15th September to 15th December is the best time to visit Everest because of pleasant weather, clear vision and less risk on path during these months. A cheerful environment, panoramic view of mountains, burble of rivers and stream, blooming rhododendrons energize you with joy and happiness. All hotels remain open, and lots of trekkers on the path will encourage you to complete your journey.
EBC trek in monsoon is not preferred because you could not enjoy your trek due to rainfall. Parasites called leeches spread more on the path and they may bite you. Due to rainfall Path becomes sloppy, chances of falling down increase. You couldn’t see the view properly due to the thick fog and clouds on the mountain.
EBC trek in winter is very dangerous, it is unpredictable whether you can reach Everest base camp or not because of extremely low temperatures. Temperature fall up to -17° C to - 20°C. Most hotels remain closed and proper food will not be available.
The best time to visit Annapurna base camp is the spring and autumn seasons. It is analyzed by trekkers that in case of low snowfall, Trek is possible in all months of the year even though spring (15th February to 15th May) and autumn (15th September to 15th December) are considered as the best. Because in spring and autumn, the weather remains perfect for trekking, days remain best with pleasant weather. You can take full entertainment with your journey. The view of mountain ranges will be clear, the path will not be wet and dangerous. All teahouses remain open, good food will be available.
ABC trek in monsoon is possible but high risk of the wet path, and rain coverage makes your trek joyless and difficult. You could not enjoy the environment during the trek due to rainfall or even snowfall. The view remains unclear and the mountain will hide inside clouds and fog.
ABC trek in winter is not selective because of low temperatures and snowy paths. It would be very difficult to reach your destination because of cold and snow cover everywhere. Most of the Tea houses remain closed and would be difficult to get a comfortable place to take rest as well.
EBC trek cost is 1000$ - 3500$ per person. The cost varies depending on the days you want to spend during your trek and the tea house where you stay during the trekking and the rest of the days of your visit.
The EBC trek permit you should pay is the Sagarmatha National Park permit. The cost is Nrs 3000 for foreigners and Nrs 1500 for SAARC nationality. You should also pay 2000 NRS for Pasang Lhambu Muncipility.
ABC trek cost is 750$-1850$. Cost depends on the days you spend during the trek and the places you visit. Also on the tea house where you will stay during the trek and your visit.
ABC trek permit you should pay is ACAP permit 28$ and TIMS permit 20$ per person.
(ACAP – Annapurna conservation area permit and TIMS – Trekker’s information management system)
To remove confusion on choosing the ABC or EBC trek, we have a tabular representation to compare the ABC and EBC trek.
| Everest | Annapurna | ||
| Mountain High | 8,848m (29,029ft) | 8,091m(26546 Ft.) | |
| Peak position | 1st Highest peak | 10th highest peak | |
| Location | Nepal/ china | Nepal | |
| Elevation of Base Camp | 5,380 m (17,600ft) | 4,130 m (13,550 ft) | |
| Trip Days | 15 Days | 14 days | |
| Difficulty | MODERATE | MODERATE | |
| Cost | 1000$-3500$ | 750$-1800$ | |
| Distance | 130 Km | 160Km | |
| Range | Mahalagur (Himalayas) | Annapurna | |
From the table, it is clear that If you want to go on the highest altitude and spend more time on the Himalayan region then the EBC trek is better for you. If you haven't done any mountainous trek then you should go for ABC trek first. From the view of expenses, the ABC trek is cheaper than the EBC trek. So you can choose ABC trek in case you want to do the cheaper and more adventurous trek. If you are searching more challenging and remarkable trek, then EBC is the best choice cause the EBC trek only can take you on the base of the highest altitude of the world.
The table below gives full information about day-wise activity for Annapurna and Everest base camp trek. It takes 13 days for ABC trek and 15 days for the EBC trek. You should walk 3-7 hours regarding your destination per day in both trek ABC and EBC.
| Itinerary | Everest Base Camp | Walking Hours | Annapurna Base Camp | Walking Hours |
| Day 1 | Arrival at Kathmandu | Arrival at Kathmandu | ||
| Day 2 | Fly To Lukla and trek to Pakhding | 3 | Drive to Pokhara | 7-8 |
| Day 3 | Trek To Namche | 7 | Trek To Hille, | 4 |
| Day 4 | Acclimatize day at Namche | - | Hille to Ghorepani, | 7 |
| Day 5 | Namche to Phorste | 6 | Ghorpani to poonhill and to Tadapani | 6 |
| Day 6 | Phorste To Dingbuche | 6 | Tadapani To Sinuwa | 6 |
| Day 7 | Acclimatize at Dingbuche | - | Sinuwa to Deurali | 7 |
| Day 8 | Trek to Labuche | 5 | Deurali to Annapurna Base camp | 5 |
| Day 9 | Labuche To Gork shep and to EBC | 6 | Annapurna base Camp to Bamboo | 5 |
| Day 10 | Trek To kalapathar and to Pheriche | 5 | Bamboo to Jhinu Dada (hot Spring) | 4.5 |
| Day 11 | Pheriche to Tangbuche | 4 | Jhinu dada to Pokhara | 7 |
| Day 12 | Tangbuche To Manjo | 4-5 | Pokhara to Kathmandu By Bus | 7-8 |
| Day 13 | Manjo to Lukla | 4-5 | Kathmandu to fly back | |
| Day 14 | Lukla to KTM Fly back | 0.5 | ||
| Day 15 | Final Departure |
Air pressure reduces with increasing altitude and the amount of oxygen in the air becomes low which causes altitude sickness. To get recovered from altitude sickness your body demands rest for which proper accommodation is essential.
Everest base camp has better accommodations than Annapurna Base Camp. Annapurna base camp has only 4 hotels with seven rooms and GorkShep (Everest base camp) has five hotels with more than 40 rooms in each.
Annapurna trekking site has limited hotels with 7 rooms and four beds each room after Chommrong due to the Annapurna conservation area but the Everest trekking site has many hotels with more than 20 rooms in each. Hotels in Labuche has a capacity of 60-70 person and Gorchep have 100 in each hotel.
Internet and charging facilities are available in hotels/ tea houses of both ABC and EBC trek but you have to pay an extra charge for it. If you are planning a solo or Self trek without Guide to ABC then take the Annapune base camp Trek route hotel number in Advance so it will be easier to book a room in the High season.
Altitude variation occurs from step to step in the ABC and EBC trek. The table below shows the altitude of major places of both EBC and ABC trek in comparative form.
| Everest Base Camp Trek Place | Altitude | Annapurna Base Camp Trek Place | Attitude |
| Lukla | 2860m | Tikedhunga | 1491m |
| Namche | 3440m | Ghorepani | 28 |
| Everest View Hotel | 3880m | Poon hill | 3210m |
| Dingboche | 4410m | Choomrong | 2177m |
| Gorak Shep | 5190m | Deurali | 3200m |
| Everest Base Camp(EBC) | 5362m | Machhapuchre Base Camp (MBC) | 3700 |
| Kalapather | 5545m | Annapurna Base Camp | 4130m |
Everest and Annapurna both are ranges (Mahalangur and Annapurna) of Hindu Kush Himalaya. Both places are fascinated with panoramic view of numerous mountain ranges, rhododendron with alpine vegetation, faunal diversity and ethnic culture of Sherpas, Tibetan and Gurung society. Somewhere you will see rocky mountain, somewhere snow capped mountains and somewhere you will see cold desert. The breathless beauty of EBC and ABC is unexplainable.
Nuptse (7861m), Lotshe (8561m), AmaDablam (6812m), Thamserku (6623m), Mt.Pumori (7161m), Lobuche (6119m), Tabuche (6542m) etc. are seen in Everest base camp trek whereas Annapurna I (8,091m), Mt.Manaslu (8163m), Mt Dhaulagiri (8167m), Annapurna II (7937m), Annapurna III (7555m), and Annapurna IV (7525m), Ghangapurna (7455m), Annapurna south (7219m), Macchapuchre (6993m), Himchuli (6441m) Mardi Himal (5587m), and many more are seen from Annapurna region.
Everest Base Camp Trek: The EBC trek typically starts with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, a small town in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Lukla has a small airport. From Lukla, trekkers usually hike to Phakding and then on to Namche Bazaar, a bustling market town and the gateway to the Everest region.
Annapurna Base Camp Trek: The ABC trek usually starts from the city of Pokhara, which is about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu. From Pokhara, trekkers drive to Nayapul and then hike to Tikhedhunga. The trek then passes through charming villages, lush forests, and terraced farmland before reaching the base camp of Annapurna. While there is no direct flight from Pokhara to Lukla, many tour operators offer a combined ABC and EBC trek, which involves flying from Pokhara to Kathmandu and then to Lukla.
ABC and EBC trek constitute cold climatic zones and snowy pathways. Thus you should be careful on clothing and other trekking gear. Here is a list of trekking requirements you should bring on both EBC and ABC treks.
Everest base camp and Annapurna base camp trek both are wonderful adventurous trekking. We suggest choosing ABC for beginners because of the easy path and low altitude than EBC. After a successful attempt at the ABC trek never miss the EBC trek because your trekking aspects would not be meaningful until you reach Everest Base Camp – the highest altitude of the trekking trial.
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