Late March is one of the best times of year to walk in the Himalaya. The worst of winter is over, the days are long, mornings usually dawn clear and the rhododendron forests start to bloom in the lower valleys. If it also lines up with the Easter holidays, there’s just one question left: which trek?
Over Easter 2027 we have three departures in Nepal: Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Base Camp and the Langtang Valley. They are three very different trips, and choosing well comes down to how many days you have, your fitness and what you want to experience up there.
| Everest Base Camp | Annapurna Base Camp | Langtang Valley | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 20 Mar – 2 Apr | 21 Mar – 1 Apr | 25 Mar – 3 Apr |
| Duration | 14 days | 12 days | 10 days |
| Highest point | 5,364 m | 4,130 m | 3,870 m (Kyanjin Gompa), or around 5,000 m if you climb the optional Tsergo Ri |
| Difficulty | Challenging (3/6) | Moderate (2/6) | Easy; the optional Tsergo Ri is the demanding part |
| Getting to the start | Flight to Lukla | Road to Pokhara | Road to Syabrubesi |
| Feel | The world’s most famous trek | Forests, rice terraces and Gurung villages | The quietest of the three |
It’s the trek almost everyone dreams of, and for good reason. For two weeks you walk up the Khumbu valley, past Sherpa villages, monasteries and suspension bridges, always in sight of some of the highest mountains on Earth, until you reach the foot of Everest.
It’s the longest and highest of the three, and the coldest: nights up high easily drop below −10 °C. It starts with a flight to Lukla, which depends on the weather and is sometimes delayed, so the itinerary has buffer days. It’s for you if you have two weeks, good fitness and want the great Himalayan journey.
See the Everest Base Camp trek · Read our Everest Base Camp guide
If Everest is the classic, Annapurna is the most varied. In a few days you go from rice terraces and bamboo and rhododendron forest to an amphitheatre of ice ringed by peaks over 7,000 metres, after watching sunrise over Dhaulagiri from Poon Hill.
It’s shorter, lower and easier on the body at altitude: you sleep only one night above 4,000 metres. What tires you are the stone steps, thousands of them, up and down. You get there by road, with no mountain flights. It’s for you if you have around twelve days and want changing landscapes, culture and mountains without spending more than one night above 4,000 metres.
See the Annapurna Base Camp trek · Read our Annapurna Base Camp guide
Langtang is the best-kept secret of the three. It’s a day’s drive from Kathmandu, right by the Tibetan border, and sees far fewer trekkers than Everest or Annapurna. It’s a valley of forests, glaciers, yak pastures and Tamang villages, rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake and now living largely from trekking.
It’s the shortest, ten days in total, and the valley itself is easy. If the group wants, there’s an optional summit day: the climb to Tsergo Ri, at around 5,000 metres, with one of the best views of the whole massif. It’s for you if you have fewer days, want to escape the crowds and like the option of a summit without technical gear.
See the Langtang Valley trek · Read our Langtang Valley guide
- If you have two weeks and want the great classic: Everest Base Camp.
- If you want variety, forests and villages, and less altitude: Annapurna Base Camp.
- If you have fewer days or want a quiet valley with the option of a summit at the end: Langtang.
None of the three requires mountaineering experience or technical gear, but all of them ask you to arrive fit. If in doubt, here is how to prepare, and if you’ve never been at altitude, read our guide to altitude sickness first.
All our dates are in the departure calendar.
Is Easter a good time to trek in Nepal?
Yes. Late March and early April fall within the spring season, with long days, clear mornings and rhododendrons in bloom in the lower valleys. Nights are still cold up high.
Which Nepal trek is easiest at Easter?
Annapurna Base Camp and the Langtang Valley are both moderate. Annapurna goes less high; Langtang is shorter and easy, and the Tsergo Ri summit is optional.
Do I need experience for these treks?
No. None of them has technical sections, but all need good fitness to walk several days in a row.
Which is the quietest trek in Nepal in spring?
Of the three, the Langtang Valley sees the fewest trekkers.