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Trekking and travel

Trekking guide and porter cost in Nepal

Last updated 4 min read 6 sections

Checked against 2 official sources · 3 news reports· See sources
Ama Dablam above the trail in the Khumbu
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0

Quick answer

A licensed trekking guide in Nepal costs Rs 3,100 a day at the minimum wage TAAN set from 17 July 2023, and about USD 30–40 (up to Rs 6,100) at agencies' rates for foreigners. A porter costs Rs 2,400 to about USD 25 a day, a porter-guide Rs 2,500 to about USD 30. Add 10–15% in tips.

Agencies quote a guide in dollars and a trekker hears a single number. There are two: the minimum wage the trekking agencies' association agreed, which is the floor for anyone, and what agencies charge foreigners, which is the market. Here are both, and what each comes to on ten treks.

On this page
  1. Daily rates
  2. Guide and porter cost for each trek
  3. Who has to hire a guide
  4. Hiring through an agency or on your own
  5. Tips
  6. What a Nepali trekker pays

Daily rates

WhoTAAN minimum, from 17 July 2023Agencies' rate for foreignersWhat they do
Licensed guideRs 3,100USD 30–40, up to Rs 6,100Leads, books rooms, watches for altitude sickness; required for foreigners outside the Everest region
Porter-guideRs 2,500About USD 30, Rs 4,600Carries part of the load and shows the way; usually without a guide's licence
PorterRs 2,400USD 20–25, up to Rs 3,800Carries the load, usually for two trekkers

Guide and porter cost for each trek

The total for the trek's usual days, with 10–15% in tips, from TAAN's minimum to the agencies' rate. Two trekkers share one guide and one porter.

TrekDaysA guide, aloneA guide, each of twoGuide and porter, each of twoPorter-guide, each of two
Everest Base Camp12Rs 40,900–84,200Rs 20,500–42,100Rs 36,300–68,300Rs 16,500–31,700
Annapurna Base Camp7Rs 23,900–49,100Rs 11,900–24,600Rs 21,200–39,800Rs 9,600–18,500
North Annapurna Base Camp4Rs 13,600–28,100Rs 6,800–14,000Rs 12,100–22,800Rs 5,500–10,600
Annapurna Circuit14Rs 47,700–98,200Rs 23,900–49,100Rs 42,400–79,700Rs 19,300–37,000
Ghorepani Poon Hill4Rs 13,600–28,100Rs 6,800–14,000Rs 12,100–22,800Rs 5,500–10,600
Mardi Himal5Rs 17,100–35,100Rs 8,500–17,500Rs 15,100–28,500Rs 6,900–13,200
Langtang Valley7Rs 23,900–49,100Rs 11,900–24,600Rs 21,200–39,800Rs 9,600–18,500
Gosaikunda5Rs 17,100–35,100Rs 8,500–17,500Rs 15,100–28,500Rs 6,900–13,200
Manaslu Circuit14Rs 47,700–98,200Rs 23,900–49,100Rs 42,400–79,700Rs 19,300–37,000
Upper Mustang12Rs 40,900–84,200Rs 20,500–42,100Rs 36,300–68,300Rs 16,500–31,700

Who has to hire a guide

Foreign trekkers, Indians and other SAARC nationals included, need a licensed guide in every trekking area except the Everest region, and a restricted-area permit through an agency for Manaslu and Upper Mustang. Nepali citizens never need one. The rule for each trek is in trekking in Nepal without a guide.

Hiring through an agency or on your own

  • Where a guide is required, hire through a registered agency: the TIMS card or restricted-area permit is issued only through one, with the guide named.
  • Ask to see the licence before you agree, where a licensed guide is what the rule asks for.
  • Agree what the day rate covers. The guide's own food and bed, the road days to and from the trailhead, and the bus or flight back are each sometimes included and sometimes not.
  • Insurance. For a restricted-area permit the agency submits insurance documents for the guide and porters as well as for you (Department of Immigration). Elsewhere, ask whether the staff are insured.
  • One guide to seven trekkers is Immigration's rule in restricted areas; a bigger group needs a second guide.

Tips

The usual guidance is 10–15% of the wages for the trek, usually given at the end, to each person separately. On Annapurna Base Camp, 7 days of a guide at Rs 21,700–42,700 means a tip of Rs 2,200–6,400.

What a Nepali trekker pays

Nepalis are not required to hire anyone, and TAAN's minimum is the floor for a Nepali group as for a foreign one. A porter or porter-guide split four or six ways costs each person little; the calculator works it out for your group.

Common questions

How much does a guide cost for Everest Base Camp?

For 12 days, Rs 40,900–84,200 with tips, from TAAN's minimum of Rs 3,100 a day to the agencies' USD 30–40. A guide is optional in the Everest region.

How much does a guide cost for Annapurna Base Camp?

For 7 days, Rs 23,900–49,100 with tips, or Rs 11,900–24,600 each for two. Foreigners must hire one there.

How much is a porter per day in Nepal?

Rs 2,400 at TAAN's minimum from 17 July 2023, and about USD 20–25 at agencies' rates for foreigners. A porter usually carries for two trekkers.

How much should I tip my trekking guide in Nepal?

10–15% of the wages for the trek, at the end, to the guide and each porter separately.

What is a porter-guide?

Someone who carries part of the load and shows the way, for Rs 2,500 to about USD 30 a day. Most are not licensed guides, so where a licensed guide is required a porter-guide may not meet the rule.

In this topic

Trekking in Nepal

Ten treks priced for Nepali, Indian and foreign trekkers, the permits each needs, and what to know before you go.

Trek cost calculator: permits, transport, rooms, food and guide — the whole subject in one place

Before you go

Short trips

The treks

Permits

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