What Do You Eat on the Everest Base Camp Trek?
- Margaux
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
One of my biggest questions before doing the Everest Base Camp trek was what I would be eating. As someone who does not eat any meat or dairy, I was also concerned. But this was not an issue at all. This blog will tell you what food is like on the Everest Base Camp Trek, how to avoid food poisoning, vegan and vegetarian options on the trek, advice for eating at altitude, and what else to bring to keep you fuelled for this intense trek.
For a complete guide to the Everest Base Camp trek, including an 11-day itinerary, packing list, and top tips and advice, see my post here.
Contents
Summary: Food on the Everest Base Camp Trek
On the Everest Base Camp trek you’ll mainly eat dal bhat, fried rice, noodles, momos, soups and Tibetan bread. Vegan and vegetarian options are widely available and recommended to avoid food poisoning. Expect prices to increase with altitude.
What I Ate in a Typical Day on the EBC Trek
Breakfast: Sherpa bread, lemon honey ginger tea, and a protein bar
Lunch: Vegetable fried rice and lemon honey ginger tea
Dinner: Dal bhat (with refills), fruit, and lemon honey ginger tea
Snacks: Cereal bars, sweets, electrolytes
Breakfast on the Everest Base Camp Trek
For breakfast, the options are quite limited, with a lot of egg dishes, sometimes some porridge, and my personal favourite, Tibetan (or Sherpa) bread, essentially fried bread with honey and/or jam. The porridge and Sherpa bread are both vegan-friendly. The quantity isn’t generally sufficient at breakfast, especially when you have a long day of trekking ahead, so bring some cereal bars for a top-up. See my Everest Base Camp trek packing list for more on snacks and fuel.
Lunch and Dinner on the Everest Base Camp Trek
For lunch and dinner on the Everest Base Camp trek, you’ll find a good deal of fried rice, fried noodles, soups, momos, and of course, dal bhat. Dal bhat is probably your best option, as you get dal soup, rice, and veg curry on your plate. Because of the dish’s cultural significance, you get free and unlimited refills of all of it until you say stop. This makes it the best value on the menu. At the start of the trek, I was having it once a day, and by the end, I was getting so hungry that it was a twice-daily order. You’ll see and hear the quote “dal bhat power, 24 hour” all through the trek, and there is a lot of truth to it! The dal bhat, vegetable fried rice, vegetable fried noodles, and vegetable momos are all vegan friendly.
Garlic soup is also a staple on the Everest Base Camp trek. Locals swear by it to help with altitude sickness. I did not test this theory, but I have heard only good things about it. It also keeps you hydrated.
Drinks on the Everest Base Camp Trek
You will be drinking tea constantly on the trek: don’t refuse it, you need the fluids! I recommend the honey, lemon, ginger tea as the ginger is meant to help with altitude sickness. There are countless other flavours to choose from.
Are meals expensive on the Everest Base Camp trek?
Normally your tour will include all food and drinks along the Everest Base Camp trek. This is normally inclusive of one main dish and one tea per meal. If you want to eat more, this will be at your own expense. Lower down the trek, food is much cheaper: you will get meals for around 500 Nepalese rupees (approx. £2.50). However, as you get higher, individual meals will reach 800 - 1000 Nepalese rupees (approx. £4 - £5.10). Snacks also increase in price proportionately. This is why I strongly recommend stocking up on snacks from home or in Kathmandu before you embark on the trek. See my Everest Base Camp packing list for more on what to pack, and for a full cost breakdown, see my post here.
How to avoid food poisoning on the Everest Base Camp trek
My number 1 tip to avoiding food poisoning on the Everest Base Camp trek is: don't eat meat or dairy. There are no roads into Lukla, and beyond Lukla, everything on the mountain has to be carried up by porters, yaks, jokyos, or donkeys. This means any food carried up is not refrigerated, sometimes being carried for days in the direct sun. Eating meat or dairy at any of the tea houses or restaurants along the way is extremely risky and food poisoning is very common amongst those who do. The best way to avoid it is to be vegetarian or vegan, and you will have so many options.
It goes without saying that you also should not drink any tap water without purifying it or drinking through a filtered water bottle. You can read more about my top tips for water in my Everest Base Camp packing list.
Can you do the Everest Base Camp trek as a vegan?
Yes, the Everest Base Camp trek is absolutely doable as a vegan. I am vegan and managed absolutely fine. All of the staple dishes along the trek are vegan, including dal bhat, vegetable fried noodles, vegetable fried rice, vegetable momos, garlic soup, porridge, Sherpa bread, and more. I would recommend stocking up on protein bars or regular cereal bars for breakfast and as snacks, and any sweet treats you might like. There is no reason to be worried about being vegan on the EBC trek, in fact it will probably benefit you in reducing your chances of getting food poisoning!
Eating at Altitude: Advice
You will be burning anywhere between 3,000 and 4,000 calories per day on this trek, so don’t hold back on the food. You will regret it at later stages if you don’t eat enough in the first few days especially. Carbohydrates are especially important to provide energy and are essential at high altitude. Research has shown that your body metabolises them better and they will improve your physical performance.
When you reach high altitudes, your appetite will decrease. Make sure you are eating calorie-dense foods so that even if you don’t feel hungry, you are getting the energy that you need. Even if you aren’t hungry, try and force yourself to eat, or the days at Gorak Shep, Everest Base Camp itself, and Kala Patthar will be extremely difficult.
Food during the Everest Base Camp trek is basic and not very varied, but it is good enough and powers you through even at high altitude. I hope this provides reassurance on the food situation on the Everest Base Camp trek and helps you prepare. Don’t forget to check out my full Everest Base Camp guide here, it covers absolutely everything you need to know before you go.
As always, remember to consume responsibly, and if you have any used packaging or plastic bottles, dispose of them properly or pack them out with you. Leave only your footprints behind :)
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