Salleri, Nepal: Reaching Everest Base Camp Without Flying

Things to Do in Salleri

Salleri is a small town and there is not much to do here. It’s more of a place where travelers pass through on the way to and from the Everest Base Camp trek.

I didn’t have much time in Salleri as the jeep arrived late afternoon after it already got dark. I went on a short walk with some new friends I made in the jeep, but it was already late in the day. We were already tired from the long jeep journey and just wanted to have dinner and sleep.

Starting the Everest Base Camp Trek from Salleri

Traveling to Salleri is popular for trekkers who want to go on the Everest Base Camp trek without flying to Lukla. This way, you first take a jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri, then another jeep from Salleri to Surke.

If you want to trek EBC but want to save on the costs, then traveling via road and taking the jeep to Salleri is the best option. The road is long and tiring, but can help you reduce the EBC costs by large. The Lukla flights can cost up to USD 500 (return), while if you take the jeep, then it costs only around Rs. 8,000/ USD 52 (total both ways). I also took the jeep to Salleri and I saved a lot by not taking the flights.

How to Get to Salleri

There are both buses and jeeps that go from Kathmandu to Salleri every day. They leave early morning around 5-6 am and you get to Salleri between 5-6 pm, so the drive takes the whole day.

I have taken both the bus and the jeep on this route, and came to the conclusion that the bus is more comfortable (I know, it’s a contradiction), but the jeeps have very uncomfortable seats and it’s just unbearable for such a long trip. The only time the jeep is better if you can book the front seat next to the driver, and you sit there by yourself without having to share it with anyone else.

The road is not too bad to Salleri, but if you are not used to the roads in Nepal, then you’ll think that it’s pretty bad. If you continue the trip from Salleri to Surke, then you’ll see the the road section between Salleri and Surke is even worse (and I mean really bad, even for someone who is used to the Nepali mountain roads!)

You can get the bus/jeep tickets at the Chabahil ticket counters in Kathmandu. I recommend getting the tickets two days before travel. In Nepal, you don’t have to book the tickets weeks in advance, usually you can also get tickets one day before. I recommend two days ahead so that you have the option to choose better seats. The best seats are always the front seats as they are less bumpy. If you don’t want to go to the ticket counters, your hotel or a trekking agency in Thamel can also arrange the tickets for you.

The bus and jeeps leave from the same place in the mornings in Chabahil where you can get the tickets. If you take the bus, you have to go there. If you take the jeep, you can ask the jeep driver to pick you up from your hotel. The jeeps go around Kathmandu picking up the passengers from their homes in the morning, so you should also ask for a pick up to make it easy for yourself. When I took the jeep, they also came to pick me up from my place (outside of Thamel), and it made it so easy.

Salleri to Everest Base Camp

You usually get to Salleri late afternoon, and if you are planning to continue the trip to Everest Base Camp, then you’ll have to take another jeep to Surke. You have to stay one night in Salleri and continue the trip the next morning as there are no jeeps leaving for Surke in the late afternoons, only in the mornings.

The jeep from Salleri to Surke takes almost 9 hours, so that leg of the journey also takes up a whole day. The jeeps leave in the early morning from Salleri, around 6 am. The road is very remote and is in bad condition. There is no light along the way, so for this reason it’s also not a good idea to take this road in the evening in the dark as visibility is reduced.

On the way to EBC, I took the morning jeep to Surke which was manageable (even though the road was so bad, I would best describe it as “the death road”). On the way back, I took a jeep in the afternoon from Surke to Salleri, so much of the journey was in the dark evening. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone to take the evening jeep on this road. You could barely see the road, but somehow we made it back.

Teahouses

There are a couple of lodges in Salleri that you can choose from. If you are traveling with a guide, they’ll pre-book the lodge for you. If you are traveling independently, you can book a place on the spot after arrival.

There are more and more people who start the EBC trek from Salleri, but it doesn’t get that busy for the lodges to be fully booked. I was traveling solo, and our jeep driver suggested a place for me and other passengers to stay at.

I wasn’t so keen on the place that was suggested, but the other passengers from my jeep decided to stay there, so I also went to stay there. We had plans to take the same jeep to Surke the next morning, so I decided to stick with them to make it easier the next day.

Where I Stayed

I stayed at the Laxmi Hotel and Lodge, and I would not stay here again. The owners were not hospitable at all, I just didn’t feel welcomed, and I think I never met hotel owners in Nepal that were so rude, so I don’t recommend staying here.

Electricity

Salleri has proper electricity in the town, so there is electricity in all lodges. My room was basic, but there was a plug for charging in the room which was good. I could charge my phone and power bank easily.

Internet Access & Wifi

There is electricity in Salleri, so there is also good wifi and internet connection. My lodge had free wifi. It didn’t well in work in my room, but worked better in the dining area.

Food

The food was okay in my lodge. They had a menu similar to other villages along the EBC trek. They had Nepali and international dishes, such as momo, dal bhat (most populat Nepali dish), noodles, pasta, pizza, pancakes, and eggs.

Shower & Toilets

There was hot shower available, but I didn’t take a shower because we arrived late and the temperature outside was already too cold. The hot shower costs a bit extra, but it’s worth it if you desperately need a shower.

I decided to take a shower once I got to Surke the next day, hoping we would get there early enough in the afternoon that it would be still sunny outside (it wasn’t).

Should You Book Ahead?

There is no need to pre-book a lodge in Salleri as you can find a place on the spot easily. You can book one after you arrive, or you can also ask the jeep driver to call ahead one of the lodges they know.

Our jeep driver called ahead and booked a place for us. I didn’t like the place that much, but I went with it since the driver already arranged it. If you prefer to pick your own lodge, then just go to Salleri and choose the lodge after arriving.

Prices

In total, I paid Rs. 1,320 (USD 8.50) during my stay in Salleri that included the room, food and drinks. We arrived late by the jeep, so just had dinner in the evening. The next morning, I only had time for a quick breakfast before getting on the jeep to Surke.

Salleri is at a low altitude (compared to the rest of the EBC trek), so the prices are lower. Wifi and charging was free, so my EBC spending was down to a minimum.

I paid the following prices in Salleri:

• Room: Rs. 500 (USD 3) for a single room
• Food: dal bhat for Rs. 500 (USD 3) for dal bhat, banana pancake for Rs. 250 (USD 1.50), a cup of tea for Rs. 70
• Charging/Wifi: Free