RTW Budget: Nepal

I stand by my choice to trek with a group. But, because I booked an organized tour with Intrepid Travel, Nepal ended up being one of the more expensive countries on my RTW trip. View the full breakdown of what I spent on a 16-day tour of Nepal below. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. There is no extra cost to you, but I may earn a small commission. All opinions are my own – I only link to products and services I personally use and LOVE!

Transportation $151.81

Flight from Delhi to Kathmandu $130
(My go-to flight search engine is Skyscanner – it lets me easily find the cheapest dates and destinations when I have some flexibility to my plans!)
Taxi to hotel in Kathmandu $6.36
Van from Pokhara to Kathmandu $9.09
Taxi to airport in Kathmandu $6.36

Accommodations $20

Sleeping bag rental for 11 days $20

Renting a sleeping bag for the rare occasions I needed one saved me a lot of space in my backpack, but when you rent having your own liner is a must! I invested in a Cocoon silk sleep sheet and it’s easily one of the top items I recommend getting for a RTW trip!

Dining $229.05

1 breakfast at Holy Himalaya Hotel in Kathmandu $4.55
1 breakfast at Hotel Tulsi in Pokhara $5
1 lunch at Delhi airport $2.26
1 lunch at Maya in Pokhara $6.64
1 lunch at Chandra Guest House $4.09
1 lunch at Green View Guest House $3.45
1 lunch at Sunrise Lodge $1.77
1 lunch at Hotel Ghunrunj $4.77
1 lunch at Bamboo Guest House $5.18
1 lunch at Dream Lodge $3
1 lunch at Hotel Himalaya $2.82
1 lunch at New Chhomrong Guest House $5
1 lunch at International Guest House $3.45
1 lunch at Kathmandu airport $4.55
1 dinner at Kilroy’s in Kathmandu $7.27
1 dinner at Moondance in Pokhara $10.27
1 dinner at Boomerang in Pokhara $30.87
3 meals at the Old Inn Bandipur $20
2 meals and 2 cups of tea at Ulleri guest house $7.73
2 meals and 2 cups of tea at Sunny Hotel in Ghorepani $9.32
2 meals and 2 cups of tea at Hotel Panorama View $9.41
2 meals, 2 cups of tea, and 1 phone charge at Real Sinuwa Cottage $9.55
2 meals, 1 cup of tea, 1 phone charge, and 1 shower at Dovan guest house $12.14
2 meals and 1 cup of tea at Fish Tail Lodge MBC $12.09
3 meals and WiFi access at Annapurna Sanctuary guest house $13.77
2 meals and 1 cup of tea at Bamboo guest lodge $6.96
2 meals, 1 cup of tea, and WiFi access at Jhinu Guest House $7.27
2 meals, 2 cups of tea, 1 shower, and WiFi access at See You Lodge $9.91
1 tea break at The Hamlet $0.36 1 tea break on trail to Ulleri $0.64
1 tea break at Fishtail Peak Guest House $0.77
1 tea break at Hotel Laligundun $0.73
1 tea break at Hotel Himalaya $0.82
1 tea break at Dream Lodge $1.09
1 tea break at Real Sinuwa Cottage $0.91
1 tea break at Trekkers Inn $0.64

Entertainment $1060.36

Annapurna Sanctuary tour with Intrepid Travel $1059
Poon Hill ticket $0.45
Jhinu Danda hot springs ticket $0.91
(Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit for these hot springs! I like the conservative cut of this tankini.)

Miscellaneous $161.55

tips for bus drivers $5.45
tips for porters and assistant guides $54.55
tip for trek leader $54.55
restock sunscreen at Pokhara $2.09
restock toilet paper and batteries at Chhomrong $4.91
gifts/souvenirs in Pokhara $40

Total: $1622.77

Average Spent Per Day: $101.42

How I Saved

• Using a discount code
  Readers of Nomadic Matt’s travel newsletter get 10% off all Intrepid tours. Using that code freed up the $100+ I’d eventually need to tip our guides, drivers, and porters fairly.
• Checking my backpack
  I’ve found budget airlines in Asia have much stricter carry-on weight requirements than other airlines. My Osprey Farpoint fits the dimension requirements to carry it on just about any plane. But the weight is another matter. I can get it under 12 kg easily and under 10 kg with a little effort. I simply cannot get it under 7 kg. So to get the lower airfare, I pay a little extra to check my backpack and sacrifice my “carry-on only” badge.
• Carrying a SteriPen
  Sterilizing our own tap water instead of buying bottled water was both more cost effective and more eco-friendly. Most of the people on my trek had iodine tablets, but I love my SteriPen. I’ve used it over seven months in at least eight different countries, and only twice had any digestive problems, neither of which I think had anything to do with my water supply.
• Eating local
  Western style food is naturally more expensive. We did on occasion indulge in a pizza – it was the perfect reward for reaching Annapurna Base Camp and the sanctuary guest houses actually manage a pretty good crust. But for the most part, we stuck to things like fried rice and noodles, momos (Nepali dumplings), dal bhat (Nepal’s national lentil and rice dish), and garlic soup, which is good for adjusting to the altitude. Local food is less expensive and, as Boyfriend learned the hard way, better quality than approximations of Western food on the trail.

Nepal may have cost me about $100 per day because I was with a tour company, but the previous stop of my RTW trip was one of the cheapest. See my budget for ten days in India.