Expenses for Nepal Trip

Here is an approximate list of expenses for the Nepal trip, as an aid to planning a similar trip. These are approximate 1994 prices in US dollars. Prices have gone up a bit since then, so just assume this is a rough estimate of current costs. I would classify my trip as "mid-priced" - neither budget nor deluxe. A budget trip could cost significantly less. I have tried to show where you could save money, if necessary. A trip arranged through a US travel agent will cost much more, possibly a factor of 2-3 more for comparable treks.

My total air fare from Knoxville to Kathmandu was $1600. I spent a total of about $1900 during six weeks in Nepal, including food, lodging, souvenirs, domestic flights, guide fees, trekking fees, and a trip to Chitwan National Park. This does not include the cost of taking and developing a roll of film per day, since I brought them from the US, or the cost of any equipment needed, except the "North Face" down jacket I bought used for $60 in Kathmandu. Most necessary trekking equipment can be found at discount prices in Kathmandu. My 60-day multiple entry visa cost $60. A 30-day single entry visa would have cost $20, but would have required an extension.

Air Travel

These prices are for round trips. The price for your guide on domestic flights will be around 50% lower. If you hire a guide where you begin trekking, you can save that expense. You could also take a bus to Pokhara.

Knoxville to New Delhi, Delta Airlines     $1300
New Delhi to Kathmandu, Indian Airline      $300
Kathmandu to Lukla, Royal Nepal Airline     $166
Kathmandu to Pokhara, Necon Airline         $122

Hotels

These rates are per night, excluding tax, for a room with private bath. In Hotel Manang, a 3-star hotel, I had a mini-suite with phone, satellite TV, wet bar, heat and air conditioning. The 2-star Hotel Garuda does not have these extra amenities. Both were clean and well-managed. The Mountain Villa Hotel had comparable facilities to Hotel Garuda, but was somewhat more attractive, with a nice garden. You can get a much cheaper room if you do not care about a private bath. A frugal person can get by on less than $20 a day in Kathmandu or Pokhara, but the cities are expensive compared to the trekking routes, so you can save money by spending less time in town.

Hotel Manang, Kathmandu (discounted)         $30
Hotel Garuda, Kathmandu                      $15
Mountain Villa Hotel, Pokhara (discounted)   $15

Meals in Kathmandu and Pokhara

Meal costs vary considerably depending on one's tastes. I typically spent $1-2 for breakfast, $2-3 for lunch, and $3-5 for dinner. My most expensive meals were $12 at the first-class Ghar-e-Kabab restaurant (highly recommended for fine Indian cuisine) at Hotel de l'Annapurna. Obviously, you could save some money by avoiding such restaurants, or by spending less time in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Trekking Costs

These are daily trekking costs. The total expenses given include food and lodging (private rooms when available), my guide's salary and expenses, all trekking and permit fees, and transportation to and from the city listed.

I paid my guide or agency the full daily price ($25-$30) in advance, and he paid both of our expenses from this. I estimated his salary as about $12/day of this (profit after expenses), but negotiated only the total cost. For a similar trek in 1998, estimate the price at around $35 per day.

Hot drinks are included in the daily price, but cold drinks are extra. This arrangement is common, because cold drinks are expensive. These costs are for a "tea-house" style trek. A fully staffed camping trek (porters, cook, yaks, ...) will cost a lot more.

My guide doubled as a porter. Porters are generally less expensive than guides, but cannot be expected to know much English. I hired my guide through an agency, which is more expensive, but safer, than hiring one off the street. I have listed typical salaries for both guides and porters. You can save a lot of money by hiring neither a guide nor a porter, but would be missing an interesting part of the experience. I have also heard of some very bad experiences while trekking alone without a guide in remote areas. In popular areas (Annapurnas, Everest region), this may not be a problem.

I also list some typical food and drink prices. The Everest region is more remote than Annapurna region, and the prices are typically higher. You can save some money if you avoid cold drinks, especially beer and bottled water. Iodine or boiling can be used to purify water.

Everest trek
     total (from Kathmandu, including fees) $866
     per day (guided teahouse trek)          $30
     trekking permit ($5 per week)           $15
     Sagarmatha National Park fee            $13
Annapurna trek				   
     total (from Pokhara, including fees)   $326
     per day (guided teahouse trek)          $25
     trekking permit ($10 after 4th week)    $15
     Annapurna Conservation Area fee          $4

Guide salary (included in daily cost)     $10-12 
Porter salary 			              $5 
Food, drinks and lodging only (no guide)   $5-10
Tea                                        $0.04
Soup                                       $0.50
Dal bhatt (rice with lentils) Everest         $2
			      Annapurna       $1
Pizza                                       $2-4
Beer                                        $2-3
Coke                                        $1-3
Bottled water (liter)			    $2-4

Chitwan Costs

I arranged a package deal including food and lodging and a day of planned activities at Hotel Wildlife Camp in Sauraha, as well as transportation from Kathmandu by tourist bus. The scheduled activities included an elephant ride, canoe ride, and jungle walk. I also scheduled an extra day in Sauraha for my own activities, which included an extra elephant ride inside the national park. The park permit is included in the package deal.

Costs vary according to where you stay. Quality varies a lot too. I had a rustic room with private bath, hot water and occasional electricity at Hotel Wildlife Camp. The food was pretty good. It is one of the nicer Sauraha lodges, and they also have cheaper rooms without private bath. They also have their own elephants. I thought Chitwan Tiger Camp looked very nice, and has the best location, on the river across from the park entrance. The price may be slightly higher. You may want to shop around or go to Sauraha independently to cut costs significantly. Staying inside the park is much more expensive, especially at the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, which approaches $300 per night. The lodges in the park are closer to the wildlife.

Hotel Wildlife Camp two day package	    $85
Extra day food and lodging (no activities)  $10
Elephant ride                               $13 (included in package)
Chitwan National Park 2-day permit          $13 (included in package)
Guided canoe trip/jungle walk (negotiable)  $ 5 (included in package)

Scott A. Yost Contact Scott

A Visit to Nepal