Short answer
Choose Annapurna Base Camp if you have under two weeks, want to stay below 4,200 m, or would rather not gamble on a Lukla flight. Choose Everest Base Camp if you specifically want to stand at 5,364 m below Everest and can give it fourteen days. ABC is cheaper, shorter and lower; EBC is higher, harder and the one people mean.
The honest difference is altitude and flight risk. Annapurna Base Camp tops out at 4,130 m and starts with a two-hour drive from Pokhara, so nothing can strand you. Everest Base Camp reaches 5,364 m, with Kala Patthar at 5,545 m, and depends on a flight into Lukla that is weather-cancelled often enough that we build buffer days into every itinerary.
Scenery is a matter of taste rather than ranking. ABC walks you into a glacial amphitheatre ringed by peaks, which is a more enclosed and arguably more dramatic arrival. The Khumbu is bigger, drier and higher, and the Everest view from Kala Patthar at dawn is the one people carry home.
For a first Himalayan trek with limited leave, ABC wins more often than travellers expect. We say so even though EBC is the more expensive booking.
| Everest Base Camp | Annapurna Base Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Days needed | 14 | 11 |
| Maximum altitude | 5,545 m at Kala Patthar | 4,130 m at ABC |
| Getting there | Flight to Lukla, weather-dependent | Two-hour drive from Pokhara |
| Indicative price | From $1,450 | From $1,050 |
| Altitude sickness risk | Significant — two acclimatisation days built in | Low to moderate |
| Trail traffic in October | Busy | Busy but less so |
| Best for | The specific goal of Everest | A first high trek, or limited leave |