Plan my trek
Plan my trek
4,410 m
Everest (Khumbu)
EBC, Three Passes
4–5 days on foot
Oct–Nov, Mar–May
Lodges, bakery, wifi
Dingboche is the highest proper village on the classic route to Everest Base Camp, a cluster of lodges, potato fields and yak pastures at about 4,410 m in the Imja Khola valley of the Khumbu. Almost every trekker heading for Everest Base Camp spends two nights here, because it is the textbook place for a second acclimatisation day after Namche Bazaar.
The setting is what most people remember. Ama Dablam (6,812 m) fills the sky to the south, Lhotse’s huge south face closes the valley to the north-east, and on a clear morning you can pick out Island Peak, Baruntse and the long Nuptse ridge. Below the lodges, a patchwork of fields is divided by dry-stone walls built to shelter crops from the wind that funnels up the valley most afternoons.
Dingboche began as a seasonal settlement. Sherpa families from lower villages, especially Pangboche, came up in summer to graze yaks and grow barley and potatoes, then returned below in winter. The walled fields you walk past are that farming history, and some are still planted every year. Trekking changed the village from the 1970s onwards: today it is mostly lodges, many run by families who also keep houses and land lower down the valley.
People living here are Sherpa and Buddhist. There is a small gompa (monastery) above the village, mani walls along the trail and prayer flags on almost every ridge. Many lodges close or run with a skeleton crew in the coldest months, but in spring and autumn the village is busy, sociable and surprisingly well supplied.
Arriving from Tengboche or Pangboche, you notice the change at once: the last stunted juniper and rhododendron fade, the air is thin and dry, and the sun is strong but the shade is cold. Most people feel the altitude here for the first time, with a mild headache, poor sleep or breathlessness on the stairs. That is normal and exactly why you stop.
It is also one of the nicest places on the trek to sit still. Lodges have sunny dining rooms, a couple of bakeries and cafés open in season, and the views change by the hour. Treat Dingboche as a working rest stop: walk high in the morning, eat well, drink a lot, and go to bed early.
The village lies on a broad shelf on the north bank of the Imja Khola, just above its meeting with the Lobuche (Khumbu) Khola at Orsho and Pheriche. Pheriche, with its medical aid post, is over a low ridge to the west. The trail to Lobuche and Gorak Shep climbs north-west, while the side valley east leads to Chhukung, Imja Lake and the base camp for Island Peak. Namche Bazaar is two to three days’ walk below.
A rest day in Dingboche should not mean lying in your room. The aim is to walk higher in the morning, return to sleep at 4,410 m, and use the afternoon to eat and recover. These are the main options, from gentle to demanding.
The standard climb-high-sleep-low walk from Dingboche goes up the steep ridge directly behind the village to Nangkartshang, a rocky summit and stupa-and-prayer-flag viewpoint usually given as about 5,050–5,100 m (sources vary; the true peak further along the ridge is higher). That is a gain of roughly 650–700 m.
Allow 2–3 hours up and 1–1.5 hours down at a slow, steady pace. On a clear morning you see Makalu (8,485 m), the world’s fifth-highest mountain, to the east, plus Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Island Peak, Cho Oyu in the far distance and the turquoise Imja valley below. Start after an early breakfast; cloud often builds by late morning. You do not need to reach the top to get the benefit: turning round at 4,800 m still helps. Do not continue along the exposed ridge beyond the viewpoint.
An easier alternative acclimatisation day, or the first leg of the Three Passes and Island Peak routes, is the walk up the Imja valley to Chhukung (about 4,730 m). It is roughly 5 km and 2–3 hours one way with a gentle gain of around 320 m, past walled pastures and moraine with Lhotse and Ama Dablam on either side.
Chhukung is a small cluster of lodges, mostly serving climbers and Three Passes trekkers. Have a hot drink and lunch, then walk back down to Dingboche for the night. The round trip takes 4–5 hours and is a good option if Nangkartshang looks too steep or the wind is fierce on the ridge. It also gives you a preview of the glacier landscape you will meet higher up.
If you have an extra night, sleep at Chhukung and climb Chhukung Ri (about 5,550 m), one of the finest trekking viewpoints in the Khumbu. The climb gains around 800 m: allow 3–4 hours up from Chhukung and 2 hours down, with a loose, steep scramble at the very top that many people skip.
The reward is a close-up view of the Lhotse–Nuptse wall, Island Peak, the Imja and Lhotse glaciers and Imja Lake. This is a serious altitude for a side trip, so do it only after a proper rest day at Dingboche, carry warm layers and turn back at the first sign of a worsening headache or dizziness. It works best on the Three Passes route before crossing the Kongma La (about 5,535 m) to Lobuche.
Island Peak (Imja Tse, 6,189 m) is Nepal’s most popular climbing peak, and its base camp at around 5,080–5,100 m is 2–3 hours beyond Chhukung on moraine paths. Climbers usually spend a night in Chhukung, a night or two at base camp, and then make a long summit day starting around midnight.
Climbing it requires a peak permit through a registered agency, a guide, and glacier skills (crampons, fixed ropes and a ladder over crevasses on some seasons). Royalties were revised in 2025 and published figures differ, so get a current price in writing from your operator. Trekkers without a permit can still walk to base camp for the views and a sense of scale, but treat it as a long, high day: 6–8 hours return from Chhukung.
Imja Tsho is a glacial lake at about 5,010 m at the foot of the Imja Glacier, beyond Island Peak base camp. It is one of the fastest-growing glacial lakes in Nepal and became a symbol of climate risk in the Himalaya. In autumn 2016 the Nepal Army, with UN support, built an outlet channel and lowered the water by about 3.4 m to reduce the risk of an outburst flood down the valley through Dingboche.
You can see the lake from Chhukung Ri and from the moraine near Island Peak base camp. Walking to its edge adds several hours above 5,000 m, so most trekkers settle for the view. It is worth knowing the story: it explains the warning signs and monitoring equipment you may notice in the valley.
A small Buddhist gompa sits on the slope above the village, and long mani walls of carved prayer stones line the trail in and out. Walk around mani walls and stupas clockwise, keeping them on your right, and do not climb on them for photos.
The gompa is not a visitor attraction with set hours; ask at your lodge whether it is open and who keeps the key. If you go in, remove shoes and hats, ask before taking photos and leave a small donation (NPR 100–200 is fine). An hour’s wander round the lanes and fields in the afternoon, when the light is soft on Ama Dablam, is a gentle way to stay active on a rest day.
Pheriche lies just over the ridge to the west at roughly 4,240–4,370 m (sources vary). The Himalayan Rescue Association has run a volunteer-staffed aid post there since the 1970s, open in the spring and autumn trekking seasons, and it has traditionally given a free altitude-sickness talk for trekkers in the afternoon (historically 3 pm).
From Dingboche it is about 1–1.5 hours each way over the ridge and down into the Khumbu Khola valley: easy, with little net height change, and a good low-effort outing if you feel tired. Check talk times locally, since they vary by season and staff. The aid post can also see trekkers with symptoms, for a fee. Many itineraries return from Gorak Shep via Pheriche, so you may visit it anyway.
Dingboche has a reputation for its seasonal bakeries and cafés, a small luxury at 4,400 m. Expect apple pie, cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake and brewed coffee at roughly NPR 400–700 (about £2.25–£4) a slice or cup, more than in Namche. Some lodges show films in the afternoon.
Spend rest-day afternoons warm, fed and hydrated: aim for 3–4 litres of fluid a day, including soups and hot lemon. Garlic soup is a trail favourite here, though it is no substitute for proper acclimatisation. Go easy on alcohol, which worsens dehydration and sleep at altitude, and save celebrations for the walk down.
On the standard 12–14 day Everest Base Camp trek, Dingboche is usually reached on day 5 of walking from Lukla, after Namche Bazaar (with its rest day) and Tengboche. You then spend a second night here before continuing to Lobuche and Gorak Shep. On the Three Passes route it is the jumping-off point for Chhukung and the Kongma La; Island Peak climbers pass through on their way to base camp.
| Leg | Distance | Walking time | Altitude change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tengboche (3,860 m) to Dingboche | About 11–12 km | 5–6 h | +550 m (after a drop to Deboche and the river) |
| Pangboche (3,930 m) to Dingboche | About 7 km | 3–4 h | +480 m |
| Dingboche to Lobuche (4,940 m) | About 8 km | 4–6 h | +530 m, via Dughla/Thukla (about 4,620 m) |
| Dingboche to Chhukung (4,730 m) | About 5 km | 2–3 h | +320 m |
| Dingboche to Pheriche | About 3 km | 1–1.5 h | Small net loss |
From Tengboche the trail drops through rhododendron forest to Deboche, crosses the Imja Khola and climbs to Pangboche, the oldest village in the upper Khumbu. Above Pangboche the trees thin out; you pass Somare and Orsho and then fork right up the Imja valley to Dingboche, while the left fork goes to Pheriche. The last hour is gentle but feels slow at this height. Walk at a pace where you can still talk.
Medical guidance for trekkers is to increase sleeping altitude by no more than about 300–500 m a day above 3,000 m, and to take a rest day every 3–4 days or every 1,000 m gained. Dingboche is the point where most itineraries need that second pause, about 1,000 m above Namche. Skipping it is one of the commonest reasons trekkers get sick or turn back near Lobuche and Gorak Shep.
From Dingboche you climb onto a broad, windy shoulder above Pheriche and follow an open valley to Dughla (Thukla), where lodges serve lunch. A steep 45–60 minute climb up the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier leads to the Thukla Pass and its memorial cairns to climbers and Sherpas who died on Everest. The trail then eases to Lobuche, the night before Gorak Shep.
Returning from Everest Base Camp, most groups descend via Pheriche rather than Dingboche, because it is slightly lower and on the direct line. If you prefer Dingboche’s lodges and bakeries, you can take the ridge path over instead; the difference is small. Either way, the descent from Gorak Shep to this level takes one long day and the drop in altitude usually brings immediate relief.
Dingboche has dozens of teahouse lodges, more than anywhere else above Namche, so you can usually find a bed without booking ahead outside the very busiest weeks of October and early November. Most are family-run, two-storey stone or timber buildings with a sunny dining room heated by a yak-dung or wood stove in the evening. Bedrooms are not heated.
Prices are approximate and change every season; at the time of writing the following are typical (roughly NPR 175–180 = £1).
| Item | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic twin room, shared toilet | NPR 500–1,500 (about £3–£8) | Often cheap or free if you eat all meals at the lodge |
| Room with attached bathroom | US$15–50 (about £12–£40) | Limited numbers; the better lodges only |
| Dal bhat (with refills) | NPR 900–1,300 (about £5–£7.50) | The best-value meal on the trail |
| Breakfast (porridge, eggs, chapati) | NPR 600–1,000 (about £3.50–£5.75) | |
| Pot of tea / hot lemon | NPR 400–800 (about £2.25–£4.50) | Pots for two to four are better value |
| Hot shower | NPR 500–1,000 (about £3–£5.75) | Solar or gas; best before 3 pm |
| Battery charging | NPR 300–600 (about £1.75–£3.50) per device | Some charge per hour; free in a few en-suite rooms |
| Boiled water (1 litre) | NPR 200–400 (about £1.10–£2.25) | Or treat tap water yourself |
The norm: a small twin room with foam mattresses, a pillow and a blanket, thin walls and a shared squat or sit-down toilet down the corridor. Comfortable enough with a good sleeping bag rated to about −10 to −15°C. Most trekking packages use this standard; the lodge expects you to eat dinner and breakfast there.
A handful of newer lodges offer rooms with attached bathrooms, better mattresses, electric blankets and sometimes a hot shower in the room. They cost several times more and book out first in peak season. They are worth it for a two-night stop if you value a warm, private bathroom at night.
Menus are long and similar across lodges: dal bhat, fried rice and noodles, momos, potatoes in many forms, pizza and pasta. Fresh meat is carried up from below and is best avoided this high; Buddhist custom also discourages slaughter in the Khumbu. Seasonal bakeries and coffee machines make Dingboche one of the better-fed stops.
Electricity is from solar panels and small hydro, so charging is slow on cloudy days; carry a power bank. Most lodges sell Everest Link wifi cards, typically around NPR 1,000–1,200 (about £6–£7) per 1 GB this high, and speeds drop in bad weather. Mobile coverage is patchy; do not rely on it.
There is no road anywhere near Dingboche. Everyone arrives on foot, by helicopter or, in an emergency, on a horse or a porter’s back. The usual approach is a flight to Lukla and four or five days of walking.
| Stage | How | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu to Lukla (2,860 m) | Flight | About 35 min | Around US$236–240 (about £180) one way; peak-season flights often leave from Ramechhap (Manthali), a 4–6 h drive from Kathmandu |
| Lukla to Phakding | Walk | 3–4 h | Night 1 |
| Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) | Walk | 5–7 h | Nights 2–3 including a rest day |
| Namche to Tengboche (3,860 m) | Walk | 5–6 h | Night 4 |
| Tengboche to Dingboche | Walk | 5–6 h | Nights 5–6 |
| Kathmandu or Lukla to Dingboche | Helicopter | About 1 h from Kathmandu | Charter or shared seats; not advisable for overnight stays without acclimatisation |
Flying straight into Dingboche by helicopter and sleeping there is dangerous, because you gain more than 3,000 m in an hour. Helicopter landings here are mainly for evacuations, return trips and short sightseeing stops.
Coming from the Gokyo valley on the Three Passes or a combined route, you reach the Dingboche side by crossing the Cho La to Dzongla and Lobuche, or by dropping down from Lobuche. See our Gokyo Lakes trek guide for that side of the Khumbu.
At 4,410 m, Dingboche is cold for much of the year and very exposed to wind. The trekking seasons are the same as for the rest of the region, but the margins are tighter than in Namche. Our best season to travel in Nepal guide covers the wider picture.
| Months | Conditions at Dingboche | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| October–November | Clear, stable skies; daytime 5–12°C in sun, nights −5 to −12°C | Best views and busiest lodges; colder in late November |
| December–February | Dry and often clear; nights −15°C or colder; snow possible | Few trekkers, some lodges closed, frozen pipes and toilets |
| March–May | Warming days; haze and afternoon cloud more common by May | Second-busiest season; rhododendrons lower down; Everest expedition traffic |
| June–September | Monsoon cloud and rain, though Dingboche gets less than lower valleys; green pastures | Views often hidden; Lukla flights frequently cancelled; very quiet |
Mani Rimdu, the Khumbu’s best-known festival of masked dances, is held at Tengboche Monastery in October or November according to the Tibetan lunar calendar, and the Tengboche and Pangboche area can be busy with pilgrims at that time. Losar (Tibetan and Sherpa New Year) falls in February or early March. Dumje, a Sherpa festival in summer, is celebrated in several Khumbu villages. Dates change every year, so check before you plan around them.
Afternoon wind is a constant in all seasons. Plan walks for the morning and have a windproof jacket, hat and gloves in your daypack even on a sunny day.
Dingboche is where the practical side of the trek starts to matter: altitude, cash and cold all bite harder from here on. These are the points to sort before you arrive.
Mild acute mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms, such as headache, poor appetite and broken sleep, are common here. Rest, drink and do not go higher until they have gone. Worsening headache, vomiting, breathlessness at rest, a wet cough, confusion or loss of balance are warning signs of AMS, HAPE or HACE: descend at once, even 300–500 m to Pheriche or below. Talk to a doctor before you travel about acetazolamide (Diamox). Read our guide to altitude sickness on the Everest trek.
Dingboche has only a basic health post. The nearest proper aid post is the HRA clinic at Pheriche, an hour or so away, staffed in spring and autumn; outside those seasons, help means descent or helicopter evacuation. Pulse oximeters are useful as a guide but do not diagnose AMS on their own; how you feel and function matters more.
You need cover for trekking to at least 5,500 m (6,500 m or more if you are climbing Island Peak) including helicopter rescue. Uninsured evacuation from this height can cost several thousand US dollars. See do I need travel insurance for trekking.
There are no ATMs in Dingboche; the last reliable ones are in Namche Bazaar and Lukla, and they do run out or fail. Carry enough Nepali rupees in small notes for everything above Namche. Card payment is rare. Budget roughly NPR 5,000–8,000 (about £28–£45) a day for lodging, food, drinks, charging and wifi if you are trekking independently.
You need the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit (around NPR 3,000 plus VAT) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee (around NPR 3,000 at the time of writing). Both are checked lower down, at Lukla and Monjo, but carry them throughout. Nepal’s 2023 licensed-guide rule has been applied unevenly in the Khumbu; going with a guide is strongly recommended this high. Our Everest Region guide covers permits in full.
Tap and stream water is not safe to drink untreated. Buying bottled water creates litter that has to be carried out, and plastic bottles are discouraged in Sagarmatha National Park. Use a filter, chlorine tablets or a UV pen, or buy boiled water from the lodge. In the cold, sleep with your filter and bottles inside your sleeping bag so they do not freeze.
Nights in the rooms regularly fall below freezing in season. A down jacket, warm hat, gloves, thermal layers and a 4-season sleeping bag make the difference between a good and a miserable rest day. Check our Everest Base Camp packing list before you leave Kathmandu.
Pass mani walls and stupas on the left so they stay on your right. Ask before photographing people. Do not hand out sweets or money to children. Carry your batteries and plastic back to Kathmandu, use lodge toilets rather than the fields, and keep showers short: water and fuel are both scarce. More in safety tips for trekking in Nepal.
At the time of writing (October 2026) the UK FCDO does not advise against travel to Nepal. Its main current warnings concern floods and landslides after the August 2026 floods in Rasuwa and nearby districts, far from the Khumbu, and possible protests in Kathmandu following the serious unrest of September 2025. Check the latest FCDO advice for Nepal before you book and again before you fly.
Dingboche sits at a junction of routes, so it is easy to link with the rest of the Khumbu.
Two days on from Dingboche via Lobuche, Gorak Shep (5,164 m) is the last lodge stop, base for Kala Patthar and the walk to Everest Base Camp.
A day below, Tengboche has the Khumbu’s most important monastery and the Mani Rimdu festival; Pangboche, on the way, has the region’s oldest gompa.
The Sherpa capital and first acclimatisation stop, with ATMs, shops and kit hire. See our Namche Bazaar guide.
Up the Imja valley, Chhukung leads to Chhukung Ri, Island Peak and the Kongma La, the first of the Three Passes that link Dingboche’s side of the Khumbu with the Gokyo Lakes.
Thinking about the trek? Our Everest Base Camp trek builds in two nights at Dingboche with a guided acclimatisation hike, and we can add Chhukung Ri or a Gokyo extension. Tell us your dates and fitness and we will shape the itinerary around you: plan your trip with Get Lost Forever.
Dingboche is at about 4,410 m (14,470 ft). Some maps give figures between 4,350 m and 4,530 m because the village is spread over a slope.
Dingboche is about 1,000 m above Namche Bazaar, so a second acclimatisation day here follows the guidance to rest every 3–4 days or 1,000 m above 3,000 m. You walk higher during the day and sleep at the same height, which helps your body adapt before Lobuche and Gorak Shep.
Allow 3–5 hours return. The usual viewpoint at roughly 5,050–5,100 m is a steep 650–700 m climb above the village. Start early, go slowly and turn back whenever you need to; the acclimatisation benefit comes from the height gained, not from reaching the top.
Usually 5–6 hours, about 11–12 km, with a net gain of around 550 m. From Pangboche it is 3–4 hours.
Two days’ walk. Dingboche to Lobuche takes 4–6 hours, then Lobuche to Gorak Shep 2.5–3 hours, and Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp another 2–3 hours each way.
Most lodges sell Everest Link wifi cards, typically around NPR 1,000–1,200 per gigabyte at this altitude. Mobile signal is patchy and not reliable. Speeds drop in bad weather.
No. The highest ATMs on the route are in Namche Bazaar, and they are not always working. Carry enough rupees in cash for the rest of the trek.
Both are on the route at a similar height. Dingboche, in the Imja valley, is larger, sunnier and more sheltered, with more lodges and bakeries. Pheriche, in the windier Khumbu Khola valley, has the HRA aid post. Most treks sleep in Dingboche on the way up and often pass through Pheriche on the way down.
Yes, Dingboche is the usual approach. Climbers continue to Chhukung and Island Peak base camp (about 5,080–5,100 m). You need a peak permit through a registered agency, a guide, glacier equipment and a good acclimatisation plan, ideally after visiting Everest Base Camp or Chhukung Ri.
In October and November, night temperatures usually fall to around −5 to −12°C; in mid-winter they can drop below −15°C. Rooms are unheated, so bring a 4-season sleeping bag.
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