Nepal

There’s an enormous variety in trekking offers for Nepal. The price of a hiking tour in Nepal depends on a lot of factors and below we will break down what to look at when you’re organizing your hiking holidays in Nepal.

Length of a trek: Obviously, the longer the trek, the more it will cost. Each day you pay for your guide, porter, food and accommodation.

Transportation to the start of your trek: For most trekking areas there are multiple ways to travel to and from the trailhead of your route. If you head out to the Annapurnas, you can either take a tourist bus to the main hub Pokhara, a private vehicle (either to Pokhara or straight to the trailhead) or you can take a domestic flight between Kathmandu and Pokhara and between Pokhara and Jomsom. Generally, the Langtang Valley is only accessible by bus or car to Syabrubesi, where all the treks start. The Everest region is a different story. If you want to avoid doing the 7-day trek to Lukla, there are two main options. The majority of the trekkers will choose to fly in by small plane. These flights depart from Ramechhap, a 4-hour drive east of Kathmandu. The flight itself is less than 15 minutes. The luxurious way to reach Lukla and go back to Kathmandu is by helicopter. This option is more expensive, but you will fly from/to Kathmandu International Airport, which saves you a 4-hour car or bus journey.

Level of services: For the same trekking, say the Everest Base Camp trek, you can find huge differences in pricing. Some companies may offer the trek for as little as US$900 whereas other companies charge a premium as high as US$6000. Why are the differences in price for Nepal trekking tours so big? Transportation, discussed in the previous point, is a huge one. If you fly out by helicopter (one-way or return) it adds a substantial amount to your EBC trip. But that’s not all. Lots of operators offer a skinned tour, with only basic services included. Often food is not included, which adds up significantly on a 12-day trip. Count on US$400 on top of the basic trip price. Also porter services are often left out of the trekking packages, adding another US$250.