Fairfax Media has been told the man, who worked for a multinational tech company, visited the high-altitude site on Friday, but started experiencing breathing difficulties upon his descent.

He reportedly died the next day.

Local media reported that a 49-year-old Australian man had died from altitude sickness. The report said he had been staying at the Madan Hotel in Pheruche of Khumjung-7, in the Solukhumbu district.

The man, a father of two, was not attempting to reach the summit, but had been among the tens of thousands of tourists who trek to the Nepal base camp site each year, Fairfax Media understands.

The man's family has been contacted.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would only say the department was aware of the death of an Australian man in Nepal.

"We stand ready to offer consular assistance in accordance with the consular services charter," DFAT said in a statement.

The spokeswoman said that "due to privacy obligations", the department was unable to confirm the man's identity.