What a trip to Nepal costs, trek included

So here is the arithmetic, separated properly. Everything below is land only, per person, based on two people sharing, and excludes international flights, which vary too much by origin for an average to be useful.

The four anchors

These are the per-day figures our consultants price against, and they are the same numbers used in the complete Nepal guide.

Trek days are costed separately below, because a fully supported teahouse trek is a different product from a hotel night with a driver.

What a supported trekking day includes

When we quote a trek day we mean a package, not a room rate. It covers:

• Your licensed, insured, English-speaking Nepali guide
• Porters, with the load capped, the kit provided and the wages paid properly
• All trekking permits in your names
• Every lodge night on the trail
• Every meal on the trail, and boiled or filtered drinking water
• The transfer or the flight to the trailhead

A fully supported teahouse trek day runs roughly $110 to $180 per person on the standard Annapurna and Everest routes, depending on group size, season and how remote the route goes. Two people walking alone with a guide and a porter cost more per head than four people do, and we show that in the proposal rather than hiding it in a single figure.

Mountain lodge circuits, where you walk between comfortable private lodges with en suite bathrooms, heating and proper beds, cost several times a teahouse day. They are the right answer for people who want the walking without the plywood, and they exist mainly in the Annapurna foothills rather than high in the Khumbu.

The teahouse extras nobody budgets for

On the trail your package covers your bed and your meals. It does not cover these, and they add up.

Two of these deserve comment. Charging costs what it costs because the electricity is carried up the hill in a generator or made by a small solar panel, and it is the single line that surprises people most. Carry a battery pack.

And do not buy bottled water on the trail, both because of the cost and because the empties do not come down. We provide purification and every lodge sells boiled or filtered water.

Carry enough Nepali rupees for the whole trek in cash. ATMs are reliable in Kathmandu and Pokhara and absent above them.

Internal flights and road transport

Kathmandu to Pokhara is about 125 miles (200 km) and takes six to eight hours by road because of the terrain and the traffic. On a twelve-day trip we usually fly one direction and drive the other, since the drive through the river gorges is worth doing once.

The Lukla line needs a caveat. In the busiest weeks, Lukla flights are moved from Kathmandu to the airstrip at Manthali in Ramechhap, which means a pre-dawn road transfer of four to five hours before an early flight. Whether that applies depends on the season and the year, and it changes the cost as well as the day. We confirm which arrangement your dates fall under before you book.

Helicopter charters exist for both rescue and convenience, cost several thousand dollars and are quoted at the time. We use them when a schedule breaks, not as a default.

Permits, which are cheap and mandatory

Every trekking route in Nepal requires permits. In the Annapurna region that is the conservation area permit and a trekker registration card. In the Everest region it is the national park permit and a local municipality permit. Restricted areas such as Upper Mustang and Manaslu require a separate and considerably more expensive permit plus a minimum group size.

As a planning figure, the standard permits for an Annapurna or Everest trek come to roughly $50 to $90 per person. Restricted area permits run into the hundreds. These fees are set by government and change from time to time, so we state them as guidance and confirm the current figure when we quote.

Since 2023 a licensed guide has been required in the national parks and independent solo trekking is not permitted. We regard that as sensible rather than bureaucratic, and it was already how we operated.

Food and drink off the trail

• Dal bhat at a local restaurant: $3 to $6
• Momo, a plate of dumplings: $3 to $5
• A good restaurant dinner in Kathmandu or Pokhara: $12 to $25
• Newari tasting menu at one of the serious Kathmandu restaurants: $25 to $45
• A beer: $3 to $5
• Bottled water in the valley: under $1

A realistic off-trail food budget is $20 to $35 a day per person if meals are not included in your package. On the trail, meals are in the trek price, and the food is a standardised menu the length of the route: dal bhat, fried rice, noodle soup, potatoes and eggs.

Three complete trips

The classic valley trip, 12 days, comfortable, about $1,800

Kathmandu valley, Bandipur, Pokhara and Chitwan, no trekking above 7,100 feet (2,175 m). This is our most-booked Nepal route and it is published as classic Nepal in 12 days.

The Annapurna teahouse trek, 15 days, about $2,600

Nine walking days into the Annapurna Sanctuary, highest sleeping altitude about 13,550 feet (4,130 m), with the valley and Pokhara either side. Published as the Annapurna teahouse trek.

The trailhead here is reached by road, which is the practical advantage over the Everest routes and removes an entire category of cost and risk.

The Everest region trek, 14 days, about $3,100

Lukla, Namche, Base Camp and Kala Patthar, with two acclimatisation days and a weather buffer built in.

That contingency line is not padding. Lukla flights cancel in every season, sometimes for two or three consecutive days, and a delay costs hotel nights, meals and occasionally a rebooked flight. We build the buffer days in and we price the possibility rather than pretending it away.

What actually moves the number

1. Whether there is a trek in it, and where. An Everest itinerary costs meaningfully more than an Annapurna one of the same length, almost entirely because of the flights.
2. Group size. Two people carry the whole cost of a guide. Four or six spread it.
3. The season. October and November are peak for demand and price alike, and lodges on popular routes fill by early afternoon. The seasonal picture is in Nepal month by month.
4. Flying versus driving. Each internal flight saves half a day and costs $120 to $250.
5. Hotel tier in the valley. The gap between a good local hotel and a boutique property in Patan is the largest single accommodation decision in the trip.

What is cheaper than people expect: food, guides and ground transport. What is more expensive than people expect: anything carried uphill.

Plan this trip

Tell us your dates, whether there is a trek in it and how many of you are travelling, and your named Nepal specialist will build a first outline with the sleeping altitudes and the real numbers written in. Free, no obligation.

Start planning →

Keep reading

• Nepal: the complete guide to planning your trip
• How many days do you need in Nepal?
• Everest or Annapurna: which trek suits which walker
• Classic Nepal in 12 days
• The Annapurna teahouse trek, 15 days
• All our Nepal trips

Frequently asked questions