Surke, Nepal: An Alternative Starting Point for the Everest Base Camp Trek
Surke is a tiny village near Lukla in the Solokhumbu District of Nepal, and it serves as the starting point to the Everest Base Camp trek if you don’t want to fly to Lukla. It takes two days of road travel to reach Surke from Kathmandu, and although it is tiring, it is an affordable alternative to the Lukla flights.
I took the jeep to Surke when I went on the EBC trek, and it is only worth taking the jeep if you are on a tight budget. The trip first goes from Kathmandu to Salleri, and then you take another jeep from Salleri to Surke. Each leg of the journey takes one day of travel, and the road gets worse and worse the closer you get to Surke.
There are only a few lodges in Surke, and it is more like a place where people pass by on the way to Everest Base Camp.
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Surke Village Information
Major Ethnicity
The major ethnic group in Surke is Sherpa. The Solokhumbu District (where Surke and Mt. Everest are located) are primarily inhabited by the Sherpa people. They are known for their mountaineering skills and adaptation to high altitude.
Location
Surke is around 315 km (196 miles) east of Kathmandu by road. It is located in the Solokhumbu region of Nepal, and it is an alternative route to the Everest Base Camp, if you don’t want to fly to Lukla.
It takes two days to get to Surke from Kathmandu, as there are no direct jeeps. First, you have to take a jeep or bus to Salleri, and then the next day, take another jeep from Salleri to Surke.
Altitude
Surke is at 2,280 m (7,480 ft) altitude.
Interesting Facts
Surke is a tiny village with only a few houses, and it looked to me more as a place where people just pass through on their way to Everest Base Camp. Later I found out that Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest was born and raised in Surke.
They also say (this is more like a legend) that Surke was once used to be a lake, and due to that the land is now very fertile in the area.
Best Time to Go to Surke
The best time to visit Surke is in autumn (October-November), early winter (early December), and in spring (March-May).
The road to Surke is narrow and dangerous, and you should only take this road by jeep if the weather is dry and there is no risk of snow, heavy rain or landslides. Even when the weather conditions are good, the road itself is pretty dangerous, and you shouldn’t risk taking the road to Surke if the weather is bad.
In recent years, the weather has been good from mid-October until mid-December, and in March-May. The monsoon season has lasted well until the end of September, so it’s better to start EBC trek and trips to Surke from mid-October onwards.
In spring, there can also be pre-monsoon rains from mid-April onwards, but it is usually not as heavy yet to make road travel challenging. Either way, before going on the trip to Surke, keep updated of the weather conditions, even in autumn and spring.
I took the road to Surke in late November, the weather was good, but I found the road was dangerous itself. If it rains and there are landslides, it becomes even riskier.
Entry Permit
There is no entry permit for Surke, but if you are trekking Everest Base Camp, you’ll need permits for it later on the trek.
You need to get two permits, the Sagarmatha National Park Permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Municipality entry permit. Each cost Rs. 3,000 (USD 22). I trekked to EBC starting from Surke, and you can trek Surke-Phakding-Monjo without a permit. Once you get to Monjo, there is a permit office where you can easily get both permits on the spot.
Most people get their permits in Monjo. There were quite a few people getting their permits when I got there, but in total it only took around 10 minutes to get my permits.
There is also an option to get the permits in Kathmandu, but I didn’t want to spend extra time getting the permits in Kathmandu, and it was easier for me to just get them while I was already on the trek.
➡️ 21 November – 4 December 2026
Cell Service
The two main cell service providers in Nepal are Nepal Telecom and NCell. Nepal Telecom works better in Surke, while NCell has a weak coverage.
I had an NCell SIM card with me in Surke, and there were only a few spots where I could get a signal, but it was very limited. If you have the option to choose your SIM before the trek, it’s better to go for Nepal Telecom.
Surke as a Starting Point for the Everest Base Camp Trek
Surke is an alternative starting point for the Everest Base Camp trek for people who don’t want to fly to Lukla. Surke can only be reached by jeep, and it takes a two-day journey from Kathmandu. The road gets worse and worse the closer you get to Surke, so you should prepare for it mentally.
How to Get to Surke
There is no direct jeep from Kathmandu to Surke, and first you have to go from Kathmandu to Salleri, and then change to another jeep from Salleri to Surke. To be honest, the journey is so long that either way, it would have to be split into two days of travel.
The first day, you travel from Kathmandu to Salleri. On this leg of the journey, you have the option to go by jeep or bus. I recommend taking the bus, as it is a little bit more comfortable. I have taken both the jeep and the bus on this route, and came to the conclusion that the bus is more comfortable than the jeep. The journey takes around 12 hours, and you get to Salleri around 5 pm.
By the time you arrive in Salleri, there are no jeeps going to Surke, and you have to take the jeeps to Surke early next morning. It’s better for safety not to take a jeep from Salleri to Surke in the evening after arriving in Salleri, as the road from Salleri to Surke is very dangerous.
The road from Salleri to Surke is off-road on a narrow mountain road, and there are no lights on the road to properly see the way in the evening. I have been somewhat used to traveling on the mountain roads in Nepal, but still, I found that it was a long and tiring journey. My fellow passengers in the jeep described the road conditions and jeep ride to Surke as “deadly”.
The jeep ride from Salleri to Surke takes around 9 hours, so the best is to stay in Salleri for the night, and take the jeep next morning (6 am) to Surke. I booked the earliest jeep from Salleri to Surke, and arrived in Surke at around 4-5 pm.
No matter what anyone tells you, it’s not possible to travel from Kathmandu to Surke in one day. The trip from Kathmandu to Salleri takes a full day (12 hours drive), and the trip from Salleri to Surke also takes a whole day’s jeep drive (9 hours). Sometimes, people will tell you that once you get to Salleri, you can take a jeep straight to Surke and that it’s only a few hours, but that’s not the case.
As for prices, when going from Kathmandu to Salleri the bus ticket costs Rs. 1,500 (USD 11), the jeep ticket is Rs. 1,900-2,200 (USD 13-16). Then, the jeep from Salleri to Surke costs Rs. 3,000 (USD 20).
You can book the bus/jeep ticket at the Chabahil ticket counter in Kathmandu (or ask your hotel or trekking agency to book it for you). When I traveled on this route, I just booked the jeep ticket from Kathmandu to Salleri, and when we were on the way to Salleri, the driver arranged the jeep for the next day to go to Surke.
Things to Do in Surke
Surke is pretty small and there is not much to do here. There are only a few lodges in the village, and it is more just like a place where people pass through on their way to EBC.
I didn’t like the village that much. There is a small river in Surke, and the riverside was full of rubbish. The village is not very scenic, and it’s only after you start the trek and reach Chaurikharka that you get the first glimpse of the Himalayas.
Accommodation in Surke
On the trekking routes in Nepal, the accommodation is in basic teahouses. In Surke, you can find the same type of teahouses. The rooms are basic, the toilets and showers are shared.
Where I Stayed
I stayed at the Namaste Lodge in Surke. It was like a usual teahouse in Nepal. I was traveling solo, but I got a twin room for the price of one person. It happens that even as a solo traveler, you get a twin room if they don’t have a single room available (you don’t have to share it with another person).
The wifi was free, and there was charging available in the rooms. The toilet and shower were shared.
Electricity
Surke is at a low elevation, so there is electricity in the village. Due to this, charging phones and power banks is available in the village for free of cost. In higher altitude on the EBC trek where there is limited electricity, that’s when you have to pay extra for charging and wifi.
Before staying at a teahouse, check that it has charging available in the room.
Internet Access & Wifi
As there is electricity in Surke, access to wifi and internet is available for free. My NCell SIM had limited coverage in Surke, but I could use the wifi in my teahouse for free. If you have a SIM by Nepal Telecom, then you’ll be able to use the data as well.
Even with data and wifi, internet can be sometimes spotty in remote areas of Nepal, so it may not work as well as it would in a big city, but on average, you’ll have internet connection.
Food
There is a general rule that you’re supposed to eat the food at the teahouse where you stay for the night. In Surke, the teahouses mostly serve local dishes.
Dal bhat is a popular Nepali dish that is great when you need a lot of energy. It is made with rice, lentil soup and vegetable curry. I didn’t find the food that good in Surke (maybe it’s just the teahouse where I was staying), but it got much better in other villages on the EBC trek.
Shower and Toilets
In most teahouses, the toilets and showers are on a shared basis. If you want to have a private toilet, just ask around at the teahouses. Some of the teahouses have a few rooms with a private toilet. They are usually a bit more expensive, but it’s worth it.
The showers are generally all shared. In each teahouse, there is one shower. If you want to take a shower, they unlock the shower room for you. It costs extra, around Rs. 300-500 (USD 3).
Prices
I paid the following prices in Surke:
- Room: Rs. 500 (USD 3) for a twin room for a single person
- Food: Rs. 550 (USD 3) for dal bhat, Rs. 450 for Tibetan bread and omelette, Rs. 60 for a cup of tea
- Bottled water: Rs. 200
- Charging/Wifi: Free
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Surke from Salleri?
The distance from Salleri to Surke is 55 km (34 miles). It may look like a short distance, but the road goes on a ragged, dangerous mountain road, so it takes almost 9 hours by jeep.
How far is Surke from Lukla?
Lukla is 3.4 km (2 miles) from Surke, and it’s only possible to reach Lukla from Surke by trekking. The jeep road only goes up until Surke, and thereafter, you have to trek to reach Lukla.
If you are going from Surke to Everest Base Camp, you don’t have to trek to Lukla (it would make it longer), you can trek to Cheplung via Chaurikharka, and in Cheplung the trail joins the main EBC trekking trail with the people coming from Lukla.
How much does it cost to take a jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri?
The jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri costs Rs. 1,900-2,200 (USD 13-16).
My Final Tips on Traveling to Surke (and on to EBC)
When traveling from Kathmandu to Surke, you should prepare for two days of long journey. The first half from Kathmandu to Salleri is not too bad. The road is mostly concrete, but what makes it challenging is that it takes almost 12 hours. The road from Salleri to Surke is challenging because it not only takes 9 hours, but the road is also in a bad condition.
The trip to Surke is worth it if you want to trek Everest Base Camp on a budget, as the jeep ticket is way cheaper than taking a flight to Lukla.
If you want to make your trip budget-friendly, but also not spend too many days traveling by road, you can also take the jeep to Surke at the beginning of your trek, and after you finish your trek on the way back, take the flight back from Lukla to Kathmandu.
On my trek, I took the road trip both ways, but looking back, I should have taken the flight back to Kathmandu. When I started my trip, the road trip to Surke was tiring, but still manageable as I had more energy. It was pure suffering on the way back as I was pretty tired after completing EBC.
➡️ Ready to go? Join me on a trek to Everest Base Camp!
More about EBC Trek
- Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary without Flying to Lukla
- Everest Base Camp Trek Cost & Budget
- Everest Base Camp Trek Packing List
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