A good package covers your permits, guide, porter, lodging and main meals, but a few small items are always paid on the spot. They look minor one by one, and they add up, so it helps to know the usual prices before you go. The figures below are typical of recent seasons, quoted in US dollars, and they change from lodge to lodge and year to year.
Common extras on the trail
- Hot showers: roughly USD 3 to 6 each. Lower lodges use gas heaters, while higher ones may give you a bucket of hot water.
- Charging devices: about USD 1 to 5, often charged by the hour or per device, and more expensive the higher you go.
- Wifi: commonly USD 3 to 10 for a card or time block, and it is usually slow and limited to lower villages.
- Bottled water: around USD 1 a litre in the lower lodges, rising to about USD 4 near the top. Treating tap water instead saves a lot.
- Toilet paper: cheap in Lukla and Namche, but it can cost around USD 5 a roll at Gorak Shep.
- Snacks, soft drinks, beer and tea: whatever you choose, with prices climbing as the porter loads get longer.
A realistic budget
Many trekkers carry about USD 300 to 400 for the whole trip to cover extras and tips, which works out at roughly USD 15 to 20 a day for personal spending. Careful trekkers manage on less, while people who like hot showers and daily wifi will use more.
Cash, not cards
Almost nobody accepts cards on the trail, and the cash machine at Namche is unreliable. Draw rupees in Kathmandu before you leave, where machines are plentiful but often limit the daily withdrawal and add a fixed fee on top of your bank's charges.
Items to budget separately
- Your Nepal visa and any rental of a sleeping bag or down jacket.
- Travel insurance, which is bought before you arrive.
- A reserve for a delayed Lukla flight, such as extra hotel nights or a chartered helicopter.
- Tips for your guide and porter.
Ask us for a written list of what your package includes so there are no surprises.
Why prices rise with height
Everything sold in the mountains has to be carried up on someone's back or by yak, and the cost of that effort is built into every cup of tea. A bottle of water, a hot shower or a charge for your phone costs a little more in each village you pass. This is not a trick on visitors but the practical result of distance and altitude. Knowing this makes the changing prices easier to accept and helps you plan your cash more realistically.
Smart ways to save without cutting comfort
You can reduce spending by bringing your own water purification instead of buying bottles, carrying snacks from Kathmandu where they are cheaper, and charging devices with a power bank rather than paying at every lodge. Eating the dal bhat that many lodges offer with free refills gives good value, and ordering hot drinks in a flask for the evening saves repeated purchases. Be careful, however, not to economise on food or fluids, because proper nutrition matters at altitude.
Cash habits that help
Break large notes into smaller ones before you leave Kathmandu, because change can be hard to find in remote lodges. Keep money in two places, with most of it in a waterproof pouch close to your body and a smaller amount in your daypack for day-to-day purchases. Do not flash large amounts of cash in dining rooms. Keep a record of what you spend so you can budget the final days.
Small luxuries worth planning for
- A hot shower at a lodge, usually charged separately and often needing advance notice.
- A bakery treat or a special meal after a hard day, which can lift spirits.
- Wifi or data cards if you must stay in touch for work or family.
- Postcards, souvenirs and donations at monasteries or schools.
What our guests say
Excerpts from guest reviews of Himalayan Wonders, our parent company, on Tripadvisor.
“I had an incredible experience with Himalayan Wonders on my Everest Base Camp trek.”
