How many days in Kathmandu before a trek?
Allow your arrival day plus at least one full day. That’s our suggestion, built from these sources, as no official body sets a number. G Adventures’ Everest itinerary keeps Day 1 in Kathmandu for arrival and a meeting only, with no activities. The trekking site kimkim says to budget at least a full day for gear shopping.
Add time if your flight leaves from Manthali. Manthali is an airport in Ramechhap district that handles many Lukla flights. Reports put the drive from Kathmandu at about 4 hours (Nepal Hiking Team, Footprint Adventure) to about 5 hours (Onlinekhabar, 2022).
Early flights make that drive harder. Nepal Hiking Team says you may have to wake at 2 am to reach Manthali in the peak months. Footprint Adventure suggests driving by day and staying overnight in Manthali. If you do that, your last Kathmandu day becomes a travel day.
| What you’ve arranged | Time in Kathmandu before you start |
|---|---|
| Agency handles permits and gear | Arrival day, plus a day for jet lag and a final check |
| You still need gear or permits | Arrival day, plus 1 to 2 full days |
| Flying from Manthali, overnight there | Add the drive as a separate day |
| Want to sightsee too | Add 1 day for a short tour, or 2 for all seven sites |
How many spare days do you need after a Lukla trek?
Keep 2 to 3 days between your last trekking day and your flight home. Advice from operators ranges from 1 to 3 days, and these companies sell treks, so treat the numbers as advice and not as rules.
| Source | Buffer advised |
|---|---|
| Nepal Hiking Team | One leisure day after the trek |
| kimkim, 2021 | A day or two at each end of the flight |
| Footprint Adventure, 2026 | One or two extra days |
| Ace the Himalaya, 2019 | Two to three extra days |
| CIWEC Hospital | One or two extra days for any trek, as a general rule |
We lean to the higher end because of what’s been reported. In October 2023, The Himalayan Times said Lukla flights had been obstructed for five days, with over 700 tourists stuck at Ramechhap at one point. In October 2022, tourism business owners estimated that about 2,000 tourists were stranded at Manthali and about 1,500 at Lukla.
Sources disagree on how common this is. Footprint Adventure calls cancellations quite uncommon in spring and autumn. Nepal Hiking Team says they’re common, and the UK government says cancellations in high mountain areas are common. The reports above happened in October, which is peak season.
Why do Lukla flights get delayed?
Weather is the main cause. Ace the Himalaya names high winds, low cloud and poor visibility, and it also says traffic at Kathmandu’s airport adds delays. Flights from Manthali avoid some of that traffic.
CAAN has moved Lukla flights from Kathmandu to Manthali in busy seasons before, including in 2022, to ease pressure at Kathmandu’s airport. Operators give the current peak months as March to May and September to November (Nepal Hiking Team), or April to May and October to November (Footprint Adventure). We couldn’t find an official 2026 notice, so check which airport your ticket uses.
If flights stop, these are the options reported:
- Helicopter: Nepal Hiking Team quotes USD 600 per person one way on a shared flight, or about USD 2,500 for a charter. You also pay your guide’s fare. G Adventures says this is at the traveller’s expense.
- Road and foot: in 2023, some tourists went to Phaplu by jeep or flight and hiked from there.
- Giving up: The Himalayan Times reported that some cancelled their Khumbu treks because time ran out.
Carry enough cash for a delay, as the UK government advises, because remote areas may have no ATMs or card payments.
How should you use your recovery days?
Treat the first day after you land as a rest day. We found no medical source that gives a set number of recovery days, so this is plain planning. A rest day also protects the rest of your plan if you land a day late.
Then look after two things. First, see a doctor if you came down with symptoms. CIWEC Hospital in Kathmandu says it’s open 24 hours on +977-1-4524111, and it treats altitude illness and diarrhoea. Second, check whether you’ve got any Kathmandu tasks left, such as returning rented gear.
Don’t plan a heavy street food day just before your flight. CIWEC says the risk of diarrhoea is higher from April to September, and it can take days to clear.
What do permits need in Kathmandu?
Some permits can be arranged in the city, but the rules conflict. Check with your agency or a registered trekking agency before relying on any line here.
| Permit or rule | What sources say |
|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area permit | Issued in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and online. NPR 3,000 for foreign visitors, and double at the checkpoint (Nepal Hiking Team, March 2026) |
| Sagarmatha National Park permit | NPR 3,000 for foreign visitors. From the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu, or at Monjo (Himalayan Recreation, January 2026) |
| Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality permit | Usually bought on the trail, such as at Lukla. NPR 2,000 (Kathmandu Post, 2023). Best Heritage Tour, a 2026 operator page, says NPR 3,000. Himalayan Recreation also gives a higher figure of NPR 7,000 for independent trekkers, which we couldn’t explain. Bring extra cash |
| TIMS card (trekker registration) | The UK and Canada say you need one. The Khumbu municipality said in 2023 that Everest trekkers don’t. Nepal Hiking Team says it isn’t enforced on Annapurna trails |
| Guide rule | Canada says independent trekkers must hire a licensed local guide. The UK says a local guide or porter in national parks. The Khumbu municipality said in 2023 that solo trekkers are allowed in the Everest area |
| Restricted areas | Permits need a registered agency and a licensed guide, including for solo trekkers (Department of Immigration, via Kathmandu Post, March 2026) |
Bring passport copies, photos and rupees, as Himalayan Recreation advises. If an agency runs your trek, ask which permits it’s getting for you, and you may not need any permit time.
Which gear is worth shopping for in Kathmandu?
Rent the bulky items, and bring your boots from home. kimkim says boots need breaking in, and it recommends a reliable shop that inspects and washes rental gear. It gave rental prices as low as USD 1 a day in 2021, so expect some change.
Sources differ on how much of Thamel is genuine:
- Switchback Travel: says that virtually all gear in Thamel and Pokhara is cheap counterfeit, and warns that even water purification tablets may be fake. It says genuine stores are on Tridevi Sadak, at about 5% below Western prices.
- kimkim: says quality varies, and tells you to check the stitching, fit and zips. It also mentions Shona’s Alpine in Thamel for its own down jackets and sleeping bags.
Both agree that a down jacket and sleeping bag are easy to rent. Check the fill and zips before you pay, because a swap is hard once you’ve left.
What should you do with one spare day?
Take a half day tour if your day is truly free. It covers Swayambhunath and Kathmandu Durbar Square in about 4 hours, so you’ll have the afternoon for packing. For a fuller day, see one day in Kathmandu or the 6 to 7 hour Kathmandu sightseeing tour.
| Time free | Our suggestion |
|---|---|
| Half a day | Half day tour, or Pashupatinath and Boudhanath at Dusk |
| One full day | Kathmandu Sightseeing Tour, four sites |
| Two full days | 7 UNESCO Sites in 2 Days |
| Day before a 2 am drive | Stay near your hotel, and pack |
Avoid the 9 to 11 hour 7 sites in one day and the Nagarkot sunrise tours just before a trek or a long flight, since both cut into your sleep. For a wider plan, see how many days in Kathmandu before a trek.
Most of our tours are scheduled as a daily group at a fixed time from Thamel, or run as a private tour. If you aren’t staying near Thamel, you can add hotel pick-up to most group tours for an extra charge. On the three sunrise tours, which start before dawn, hotel pick-up is included.
Book the tour for after your buffer, not inside it, and tell us your flight plan when you ask about a date. We’ll reply with a price and a start time.
