Especially trekking around the world anywhere is an expensive outdoor activity. But Nepal is a cheap place to trek and spend time if you make the initial good plan.
Costs for Nepal trekking:
Gear for the trekking, accommodation transportation from city to city and from city to trekking start point and from the trek ending point to the city, guide and porter arrangements, and food for the trekking permits are the main costs for Nepal trekking.
Accommodation and food in Nepal Trek:
The main expenses for the trekking in the treks like ABC trek,EBC trek, and KBC trek are food and accommodation. When you stay in the lodges or teahouses of the mountain better you eat your dinner and breakfast there where you stay. The price of the room is normally very low because the lodge’s owners benefit from food. Please do not try to eat outside food and drinks if you trekking in the Nepal mountains.
Normally the price of the rooms starts from US$ 3 to US$ 5 per night. But some places have toilets and showers inside a room at US$ 5 to US$ 10 also. Normally those rooms are shared by two people. So if you have a trekking partner you can save money.
Food prices will be lower in lower elevations and places where transportation is available. Mules, Yaks, porters, and a helicopter carrying the food at a higher elevation so it will be a bit expensive. Eating Dal Bhat local food is the best way to save some costs on Nepal trekking.
Because No need to pay extra cost Dal Bhat you can refill more. Chocolate, bars, Beer, Alcoholic drinks, and cokes, are a little expensive in trekking because of transportation.
Please do not haggle with the Lodge Owner and do not ask for a discount because of the price managed by the Local Tourism Enterprises Committee. People are honest and hard-working. So trying to ask for more discounts means disrespect. Because nobody is impressed with cheap tourists in the world.
Trekking gear cost in Nepal Trekking:
In Kathmandu Thamel, there are lots of gear shops you can haggle there. The quality is not so good. If you use it for one-time Nepal trekking it’s not too big a deal. If you love fancy gear you can buy the Northface store. But it is a bit expensive. Some expensive things like a trekking sleeping bag, and a Down jacket, can be rented in Thamel which costs US$ 1 per day.
Do not buy a copy version of the shoes. This is the most important thing for trekking. The water you can buy mineral water Boiled water or safe drinking water. For saving money you can use Chlorine drips or iodine tablets.
Transportation cost for the Trekking in Nepal:
In Nepal, some parts of the eastern side of the Kathmandu bus journey are very long about 24 hours. Even a bus ticket is the cheapest option we suggest you take a flight in the morning. Normally morning flights will be delayed but not canceled a lot.
Mostly the local bus is very cheap like Kathmandu to Pokhara US$ 5. It’s the cheapest option for traveling but from Thamel, there is no local bus. You need to go to New Bus Park Gongabu.
From Pokhara Lakeside also No local bus so you need to go to Prithvichowk. So we suggest you take the best option is the Tourist Bus or Private car or flight. Tourist buses to Pokhara from Kathmandu can take at 7:30 am from the Tourist bus park Pokhara or Sorakhutte Thamel at 7:00 am.
Please take care of yourself on a long journey by local bus. We suggest you book the ticket one day before your travel if you traveling on a long journey.
Domestic flight in Nepal:
Normally from Lukla to Kathmandu and from Kathmandu to Lukla the price for a flight ticket is US$ 178 per person per one way. The flight is the most convenient way of traveling but is a bit expensive. Lukla airplane is small with a 12-16 seat maximum.
Tara Airlines is a good option for buying a ticket and another option Sita Air and Goma or Summit Air is normal. Nowadays Nepal airlines are not the best option to fly Lukla.
If the weather conditions are a bit bad helicopter is the best option. It costs around 500 to 600 USD on a sharing basis. Remember that a helicopter private is very expensive thousands of dollars for a single trip.
Cost of Guide and Porters in Nepal:
Normally the guide’s salary is US$ 30 per day but for some travel agencies, you can find guides for US$ 20 also. Make sure that an experienced guide cannot go at that low price. Their services as not as very good as experienced guides. Their services like Changing flight tickets and booking the room in tea houses.
Change your date of room in City, arrange the porters with responsibility. Hospitality in tea houses, If you feel sick take care of yourself, and consult you will your travel and insurance agents If you feel sick at night and you must go down they must hesitate to go down with you even at night. Because of health wealth.
Consult with the hotel owner and give you some food and drinks at midnight too, but depends on availability, Normally a porter carries your luggage from one tea house to another tea house.
In case you traveling in a group one person likes to go continue the trek and one person needs to go back one person can back with a porter and one person can go with a guide. That time guide as a porter and a guide too.
So respect your guide and porters. Tell Sherpa for the porters it’s very polite for them. Normally Porter’s salary is US$ 20 per day.
Tips for guides and porters in Nepal trek after the finish trek:
Normally Tips are not mandatory but are expected in Nepal. Some travel agencies offer to the tourist 10-25% of tour fees must tip for guide and porters. But Mission Himalaya Treks offers that if you are happy with our services you can make happy guides and porters.
There are no criteria for tips. We suggest your final day of trekking invite your guide and porters to dinner and tip them there. They seem very happy. And blessed you for the coming future tour and trekking in Nepal.
The cost of trekking in Nepal differs according to the category of hotels and services you take. There are as follows.
Kathmandu cost:
The choice of hotel will largely determine the amount spent on the basics, location, and grade of hotels. A double room with common bathroom facilities goes for US$ 4 to 9 and with an attached bathroom US$ 10 – 20 and a very clean pleasant one or 2-star room us$20-30. The 3 stars are around 30 to 70 US$ and the 4 to 5 stars are US$ 80 to 300. Food is at a more reasonable price.
If you avoid the most expensive restaurants you can have a meal for US$ 2 to 6. US$ 10 to 12 a day is plenty. Soft drinks are less than 1 US$ whereas big bottles of beer are US$ 4 to 7.
For the budget traveler, US$ 150 a week for cheap hotels, and good food such as flights, rafting, souvenirs, sightseeing by private vehicle, and the long tour will largely impact your budget. With much less than 150 US$ per week budget traveler, careful budgeting is required.
Trekking Budget:
For good food and accommodation, luxurious trekkers can spend more than US$ 40 per day. While lodging charges under US$5 for a double room common toilet. Some of the attached toilet rooms were charged US$ 6 to 20 by some hotels. Chocolate, beer, and coke are not cheap in trekking.
Like the trek to Annapurna, the price of coke is US$ 4 to 5. So it is best to take perhaps US$ 300 for 1 week. The trekking permits for individual trekkers are US$ 42.6 for ACAP and TIMS. If you planning to guided trek to hire a guide and porter please feel free to contact Mission Himalaya Treks And Expeditions PVT Ltd.
The trekking is so expensive so a better hire guide and porter in Kathmandu is better. Because if you hire staff from the trekking company they are insured while those hired independently on the trail are not secure. Some tourists hired porter-guide too.
They cost around UD$ 15 to 30. The total organized trek with a guide porter food and accommodation transportation and insurance will be around US$ 70 to US$ 120 per day.
Birendra Duwadi by profession a trekking and tourist guide and an enterpreur whose passion is trekking in the himalayas start Mission Himalaya Treks in 2015 with a new vision to introduce Nepal Himlayas to the world. his vision is explore and documentation new trekking routes . Birendra leads Mission Himalaya, a small company that change the qualities of trekking in Nepal.