• An experienced English-speaking KE leader
• Kathmandu Airport transfers
• Internal flights and all land transport involved in the itinerary
• All accommodation as described in the trip dossier
• Guided sightseeing tour of Kathmandu
• Meals as detailed in the meal plan
• Race entrance fee
• On race day there will be appropriate marshalling / drinks stations / medical back-up and supervision
• FREE Sleeping bag and down jacket hire is available for this holiday on request

• Travel Insurance
• Nepalese Visa
• Some meals as detailed in the meal plan
• Tips for porters and other trek staff
• Miscellaneous expenses - drinks and souvenirs etc.

The group will meet at the hotel in Kathmandu.

Transfers are provided from/to Kathmandu Airport for all clients arriving on Day 1 of the Land Only itinerary and departing on the last day of the Land Only itinerary.

Hotel contact details and an emergency number will be provided with your booking confirmation.

All meals when on trek are included in the price. Breakfast is included in Kathmandu. Lunches and dinner are not included in Kathmandu. You should allow an average of around £10 (or equivalent in US dollars or euros) per meal for 3 dinners and 2 or 3 lunches.

It is not recommended to drink untreated water from the taps. If you are on a trekking or cycling holiday, water is supplied to fill up your individual bottles. This will be boiled, filtered or provided in large jerry cans or 5 litre bottles. Additionally you should take purification tablets or a filter bottle (such as a Water-To-Go bottle) to treat your water when in towns or where water is not supplied. We do not encourage the purchasing of single use plastic bottles.

Typical meals provided in the lodges will include some Nepali dishes but also international cuisine from pizza and chips to apple pie. To ensure that the group can eat together, we order meals in advance and your trip leader will arrange a set menu for the group, which will alternate daily between local and international dishes. Breakfast will usually be porridge, eggs, bread and a hot drink, lunch will be a simple meal with a hot drink, and dinner will be 3 courses consisting of soup, main meal and a simple pudding. If you wish to order additional dishes and/or snacks, you should budget accordingly. Boiled drinking water will be provided at breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the lodges and tea-houses sell snacks, chocolate bars, soft drinks and beer. In Kathmandu we take our meals in the hotel and local restaurants.

During this trip the group will spend 3 nights in Kathmandu at an excellent and centrally-located hotel such as the Shanker. Whilst on trek there are 14 nights staying in standard lodges. The Nepalese trekking lodges also known as 'tea-houses' are simple, friendly and atmospheric. As they are far from the nearest road is it not surprising that they are simple establishments as everything must be carried up by porters or animals. Mostly these lodges have heated dining areas which are often attractively decorated. Accommodation is basic in unheated rooms with wooden beds and foam mattress. You will need a sleeping bag. The lodges have shared washing and toilet facilities. Some lodges have solar powered hot showers (charged at $4 - $5 per shower) and battery charging facilities (also charged at a rate per hour). Staying at the lodges is a great way to meet the other people taking part in the race. There are no lodges at Everest Base Camp and here we will camp for 2 nights. We use good quality three-person mountain tents (two people to each tent) and there will also be a dining tent and toilet tents. A camp kitchen and cook will provide our meals and hot water fpr washing. All accommodation is on a twin sharing basis. If you are travelling by yourself you will be paired up with another single client of the same sex. For the 3 hotel nights in Kathmandu single rooms are available for a supplementary cost. Additional hotel nights in Kathmandu can also be pre-booked.

Access to the high and remote areas of the Himalaya where our treks start is often only possible using internal flights. The changeable nature of mountain weather makes flying conditions complex. In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal does not operate to the same standards as those of western nations and all airlines in Nepal appear on the UK Air Safety List (ASL), and are banned from operating commercial air services to, from, and within the United Kingdom. Flying in Nepal is an acknowledged risk, and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice provides further details which you can read on their website. KE is mindful of its duty of care to clients travelling with us in Nepal and we are stakeholders in an annual independent air audit of Nepal airlines undertaken by UK tour operators, most recently undertaken in February 2024. KE uses 5 airlines in Nepal which have been approved by this audit. These airlines are: Buddha Air, Summit Airlines, Shree, Tara and Yeti. We continue to cooperate with other tour operators to monitor aviation safety in Nepal and will ensure we remain a stakeholder in any further air safety audits. While we have taken appropriate action to try to minimise the risks of flying in Nepal, you should be aware that flying in mountainous terrain is not without any risk.

Please note that poor weather can cause delays on internal flights. If at the start of your holiday internal flights are cancelled for the day, you will spend an extra night near the airport (this may be at a hotel other than the group hotel). On the majority of trips there is enough flexibility in the trekking itinerary to make up 1 or possibly 2 lost days, but an alternative trek will be provided if delays to internal flights mean the original itinerary (or a shortened version of it) is no longer feasible.

For trips that end with an internal flight out of the mountains with no alternative road access, we have included 2 nights in Kathmandu as a contingency against delay. In the extremely unlikely event that a delay to your internal flight causes you to miss your homeward international flight, KE will re-book international flights for Flight Inclusive clients, but please be aware that clients booking on a Land Only basis will be responsible for re-booking their onward travel and for any associated costs. We advise you to take out suitable travel insurance and to keep your receipts, as you may subsequently be able to make a claim.

The group will be led by a professional and qualified Nepalese tour leader, assisted by an experienced team including Sherpa guides and porters. There will also be a team of Nepalese doctors who will accompany the group throughout the trek. On race day, there will be appropriate marshalling and as many as 10 check points / water stations.

This holiday involves going to very high altitude. During the course of your trip you will be spending at least one night above 4000 metres and/or trekking to 5000 metres or above. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude. Unless you have previous experience of trekking above 4000 metres you should consult one of our trekking experts before embarking on this holiday. On this trip we carry a portable altitude chamber (PAC-bag) and/or bottled oxygen for use in emergencies.

Approximately £250 - £300 (or equivalent in US dollars, Euros etc.) should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses including those meals in Kathmandu that you need to pay for directly. This amount will also cover porter and other trek crew tips. It is not necessary to obtain local currency prior to departure. Sterling, US Dollars and Euros are equally acceptable for exchange in Nepal. Please note: Scottish and Northern Ireland bank notes are not accepted in Nepal. We recommend that you carry your travel money in the form of cash, since you will exchange the majority of this on the day of your arrival in Kathmandu. If you prefer not to carry all of your spending money in cash, it is possible to withdraw money from ATM's in Kathmandu using your debit or credit card. During the trek it is possible to buy snacks, chocolate, soft drinks and beer on most days. Please be aware that since everything has to be carried up from the nearest road, these items become more expensive as you gain altitude. In many restaurants in Kathmandu it is possible to use a credit card to pay for meals.

Tipping is the accepted way of saying thank you for good service. Normally the porters and any other trek staff are given their tips at the end of the trek and this is best done as a group. Your Nepali tour leader will advise the group on an appropriate level of tipping. Most groups will hand out the tips with a bit of ceremony (or sometimes a party) on the last evening, to mark the end of the holiday. As a guide, we recommend that each group member contributes around £70 (in rupees) to these tips. At the end of their trek many people also like to donate various items of equipment to the porters and trek staff who work so hard to make the trip a success. Boots, gloves, hats, scarves and even socks are always warmly received by the porters. Your tour leader will make arrangements for a fair distribution (possibly by raffle) amongst the trek crew. Please note that you will have the opportunity to tip your tour leader separately (and additionally) during dinner on the final evening of the holiday.

Our holidays are normally designed with minimal 'down time' at the start of the trip, but having a day or two at the beginning will have the additional benefit of allowing you time to get over the stress of a long journey or travelling across time zones, leaving you refreshed and ready for your holiday. We can easily arrange for you to have additional nights and airport transfers.

For this holiday you should take one piece of luggage and a daypack. On arrival in Kathmandu, you will be provided with a ‘Marathon Trek Bag’ and will be asked to repack you equipment into this bag. These bags are numbered, which helps the crews with logistics during the time in the Khumbu. Your own piece of luggage will be left in Kathmandu with your travel clothes and any other items you don’t need on trek.

Your bag on trek will be carried by porters or pack animals and should not weigh more than 15kg.  For all flights to and from STOL airstrips in Nepal the maximum allowance, for hold baggage AND hand baggage combined, is 15kg. This weight allowance is strictly enforced and excess baggage will be charged. 

At Gorak Shep on Day 12, you will divide your equipment again, taking only essentials up to Everest Basecamp for the start of the race. The remainder of your gear will be taken down to Namche. On the day of the race, those items of equipment you have taken up to basecamp (sleeping bag, some clothing, toothbrush) will be portered down to Namche Bazaar, usually arriving in the evening. You will be provided with bedding in the event that this gear does not arrive until the following morning.

For international flights please check your baggage allowance with your airline.

For each holiday there is a minimum number of participants required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to run'. You can check the trip status for each departure in the ‘Dates and Prices’ table. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved this guaranteed to run status so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements.