How expensive is it to vacation in Nepal?
It solely depends upon the kind of holiday you do, travel activities you take including hotels you use and other incidental expenses. But to have a certain idea about how much is Nepal cost, you can go through the below indications to prepare for your Nepal trip. These are the rough ideas on how much costs for a Nepal trip so that you won’t run out of money at the end of the Nepal trip as well as enjoy the trip fully.
Is Nepal a budget destination? How expensive is Nepal to travel?
If you are looking into traveling to the cheapest destinations in the world, Nepal certainly comes close to the top line. Of course, cash is an important factor especially when you are traveling around the world. So working out a correct budget is an important ingredient that requires careful and thoughtful arranging of your travel plan. Below are the key things to plan for any travel as well as considering Nepal travel.
Nepal tourist visa cost. How much Nepal visa cost?
Visa for Nepal can be obtained upon arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu as well as embassies or any diplomatic bodies in your home country. If you are entering Nepal either from India or China, a visa for Nepal can be obtained at the border points. Nepal visa fee is US$30 for 15-days multiple entries and US$50 for 30-days multiple entries and US$125 for a 90-days multiple entry visa. At present in this covid pandemic situation, the arrival visa for Nepal is upon arrival in Kathmandu airport and for fully vaccinated travelers, the 14 days quarantine has been removed.
How much money is enough for Nepal?
Every traveler travels in their own way and has different priorities. But the basic things should be taken into consideration like flights (international – from your home county to Nepal & domestic/internal flights inside Nepal), accommodations, transportations, food, entrance fees, guides or porters should you be trekking, extra activities like sightseeing/adventure sports costs. International flights to Nepal can be cheap or expensive as per the season you travel. Sometimes the flight fare from your home country comes somewhat similar to the total tour cost of your Nepal tour. So look for cheap flights to Nepal and your time of travel. Traveling alone anywhere comes expensive so joining up a group tour is cheaper and the same applies with Nepal. If you are on a tight budget then look for the cheapest accommodations which are very basic.
Don’t expect western food to be cheap and depends upon the restaurants you choose. If you are traveling from one city to another in Kathmandu then local transportation is a good option. You can also hire a private vehicle or take internal flights to get from one point to another in Nepal but that will increase your tour cost. But if compared to other cities in the world, Nepal is still cheaper even if you have a mid-level tour budget and can opt for 3-star hotels, inter flights, or private transfers, eating out in good restaurants.
How expensive is backpacking Nepal?
Backpacking will be cheaper if you use cheaper accommodations, trek on your own without a guide or porters, use local transportations, visit the sites inside Kathmandu city on your own. There has been a whole lot of backpackers who use cheap hostels in Kathmandu, travel inside the city on their own and hike up to the mountains on their own. It’s on its way is also fun and saves a lot of money. Exploring around cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara on their own is good but trekking in the high Himalayas on higher altitudes without an experienced trek guide, sometimes sole trekkers can get into trouble. There can be lots of risky factors while trekking in the Himalayas like altitude sickness, injuries, getting lost. Thus, hiring a trekking guide is a good idea and organizing your trek through a registered trekking company is recommended.
How expensive is it in Nepal?
A lot depends upon your expending habits and the kind of tour you have booked, hotels/transportations used etc. Approximately Nepal is cheaper than most parts of the world. In Nepal, you can find diverse rates in several expenditures which you might notice during your visit here. Here are the basic costs in Nepal which might help you with your budget plan before your visit to Nepal.
How much are hotels in Nepal?
Costs of hotels in Nepal are diverse and vary a lot on the places you will be staying. There are wide choices of accommodations in cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan where tourist-class hotels, hostels to 5-star accommodations are available. The lowest budget room can be rented to about US$10 per day and it may also go down if you use local hostels where you need to share your accommodation with other travelers. The price can get up to US$100 per day too for high-end hotels from three-star to five-star hotels.
Whilst trekking in the Himalayas room cost of lodges is about US$5 for a day. Most of the lodges on the trekking trails are very basic and you can’t expect much from them. Sometimes they do have attached toilets otherwise shared washrooms. Cost of wi-fi, drinking water, shower is extra. But at present time at the popular trails like Everest Base Camp, there are some high-end luxury lodges with the best of facilities which are expensive bargains. But of course, if you have booked a package trek with a trekking company, they shall take care of all that includes accommodation, food, guide, porters, trek permits, transportation, internal flights.
How much is food cost in Nepal? How much is food and drink in Nepal?
The cost of food depends upon where you eat. Bigger cities have more freedom to choose from roadside eateries to good restaurants. If you are hunting down the street food in the cities then no more than US$5 will be okay, Checking out nice restaurants with continental meals around Kathmandu or Pokhara will cost you are around US$10-20 per person with drinks excluded. Beers will cost below US$5 if you buy at street shops/stores but will be higher if you order in restaurants. Food during the trek will be basic but you will still get western meals in the popular trek regions like Everest, Annapurna etc. The prices of food in the mountains are relatively higher than in the cities since it has to be transported either by flights, vehicles or porters. The higher you go, the higher the food price will be. The same goes for drinks where the cost of bottled water in Kathmandu will be Rs. 20 whilst in the mountains can be Rs. 100 and so on.
Transportation cost in Nepal
Transportation cost in Nepal is somewhat the same all over. Traveling by a local bus to different parts of the country might end up at US$10-20. You can hire a private car to get from one destination to another like Kathmandu to Pokhara which will of course come high up to US$200. Taking a taxi in the cities will cost US$10 for the distance of 7/8 kilometers. Taking the internal flights is another option so as to avoid the long routes or bad roads which come in between US$100-200.
Trekking in Nepal cost
It depends upon the kind of treks you are doing, the number of days and the trek region you are visiting. Joining up a group departure trek will be less whereas letting your trek be organized as private and a solo traveler. You can also trek on your own without a guide if you know the routes well and have trekked in Nepal before. This will certainly bring the budget down. If you are a fist timer trekker in Nepal then joining up a group departure or letting your trek be organized by a trekking company is a good choice. They shall take care of all from guides to permits, fights, transfers, lodges, food, porters and will be a hassle-free holiday. Trekking the popular one likes Everest Base Camp trek can cost more or less US$1,000 and the Annapurna like Annapurna Bas Camp trek more than US$500.
Cost of adventure activities in Nepal
Besides trekking in Nepal, there are lots of other adventure activities and adventure sports in Nepal. These include mountain biking, rafting, paragliding, jungle safaris, bungee jump etc. adventure bike price in Nepal depends upon whether you are biking at the outskirts of the cities and the village areas closer to the cities. Rafting price in Nepal varies since there are lots of rivers to raft where the most popular being Trishuli River Rafting just a stone throw from Kathmandu city. Another equally popular travel activity in Nepal is the Chitwan Jungle Safari which is done at the Chitwan National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) located in the Terai plains of Nepal. Jungle safari price in Nepal comes to more than US$100 and differs as per the duration of the safari from 1 night/2 days to 2 nights/3 days and so on. If you use more luxurious jungle resorts then the cost comes high. Bungee jumping Nepal cost is around US$110 approx for a day tour. The same goes for Paragliding in Pokhara Nepal. Everest helicopter tour cost is more or less US$5,000 for a group of up to 5 passengers.
As a whole Nepal is still an affordable tourist destination in South Asia. Many westerners find Nepal to be a cheaper travel destination. The country is the major travel choice for many backpackers, budget travelers and Nepal also doesn’t shy away from the luxury travelers who prefer a high-end service with world-class services and facilities.
