The tiny nation of Nepal is the hub for tourists all around the world. The mountains of Nepal is the major trekking route in the world that is known for a rejuvenating and soul-searching experience for tourist. For centuries, Nepal has been known as the best country for backpackers and tourists who are traveling on a budget. The journey to Nepal is not about visiting a few places in a couple of days and spending thousands of dollars. Rather, you can have a long relaxing holiday on your own on a very minimum budget. Being an underdeveloped national in South Asia the currency of Nepal is very weak. This is why tourists from the east especially find Nepal’s travel experience to be very cheap and affordable.
The city and villages of Nepal have very cheap rooms and affordable options for food as well as shopping. However, you should know that most of the trekking regions are built on the very difficult mountain Terrain. This means, there is no transportation facilities on these trekking route and everything from manufacturing goods to foods has to be carried by a porter or animals. Such a traditional mode of transportation is not only labor-intensive but also time-consuming. This is why the foods in the trekking routes are quite expensive but the rooms are still very affordable. Even if you wander around the mountains for a month, it’ll cost you less than $2000.
Now, there are different trekking routes in Nepal, and each of these trekking regions very on their duration and cost.
Here is the average cost of each day for the trekking routes in Nepal so that you can calculate if these routes are affordable for you or not.
Cost of hotels in Nepal
The cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan have comfortable rooms with luxurious facilities. The simplest room costs about $10 but you can also find a bunk bed for $5. A medium-range 3-star hotel room that is clean and comfortable can cost up to $30. You can obviously go on the higher range for better facilities.
The hotels in trekking routes are called tea houses and they are available on a sharing basis. The room only has a single bed and maybe a small bed. Sometimes, the room does not have electric plugs or even a towel. Such basic rooms in the mountains usually cost between $5 to $10.
Cost of food in Nepal
In cities, you can eat at any restaurant of your preference and the cost totally depends on where you eat. Generally speaking, breakfast and dinner cost about $3- $4 and the range can go higher up to $50 per meal also.
In the trekking routes, the cost of food is almost double i.e. $6 to $8 per meal. The charge for food in the trekking route is higher because everything has to be carried to the higher altitude here.
Cost of transportation in Nepal
Now this is where you experience the highest gap in the cost of trekking in Nepal. Local buses in Nepal are very cheap with about $0.3 to $0.5 for short rides and about $10 for long rides. But the buses are very crowded, uncomfortable, and noisy. So we suggest that trekkers go for tourist buses that cost about $20 for rides to cities such as Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, and more. Sadly, most of the trekking routes do not have access to tourist buses and it’s recommended to take flight. For example, all treks to the Everest region start with a flight to Lukla and that flight alone costs $400 to $500. So, if you are traveling to Nepal on a budget, choose routes such as the Annapurna Base Camp trek, Langtang Valley trek, Mardi Himal Trek, and other treks that do not require domestic flight.
Do note that a private flight i.e. a helicopter tour to Everest Base Camp is cheaper than an EBC trek.
Cost of guide and porter
If you are trekking in the higher Himalayan region is compulsory to hire a trekking guide before you apply for the permits. A licensed trekking guide in Nepal costs about $25 and a porter costs $15. If you do not want to carry your bag (which is very serious with all trekking gear and clothes) you need to hire a porter also. For example, you don’t need a guide for Everest View Trek so it’s cheaper.
The average per day cost while you are trekking in Nepal is about $40 without a guide and porter and $80 with a guide and porter. Transportation costs somewhere between $70 to $500 depending upon the destination you pick.
In cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, you spend about $50 per person while enjoying Nepalese food and visiting new places.
