A frequently asked question is: “How much does the EBC trek cost?” Reaching the highest mountain in the world is not priceless. We realized our tour with a friend agency called Ask the Nepal (http://www.askthenepal.com). The cost range depends on which choice you make: self-arranged or by agency.
AGENCY
Cost will range in between 1000 and 1500$ and will include:
- Flight Kathmandu-Lukla (both ways);
- Accommodation in tea houses (don’t expect nothing luxurious but basic double rooms with attached bathroom!);
- Food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea);
- Trekking permit (Tim card, Sagarmatha National Park);
- Guide;
- Porter.
In order to avoid surprises keep in mind that all the rest is excluded. With all the rest we mean: water, electricity, insurance and… shower!
Shower: let’s make a reflection on this point: you are telling me that with the amount of money I am paying I can’t even take a shower? Yep, is true my friend if you want to smell good there is a high price to pay (each shower will cost you more or less 300-400 rupees- and again the condition of the toilet are not the most hygienic ones). So how did we avoid this problem? Basically not showering! Don’t take us as little pigs, everyone in the trekking smells so we just didn’t want to be different!
Water: when you ask for filtered water, boiled water, bottle water you will have to pay. Since you have to drink in between 4-5 l a day whether you ask for a loan or you do as we did… tap water with water purification tablets (you can buy them for 2 $ in Kathmandu). Is a safe and cheap way of not dying dehydrated.
Electricity: if you are a technology addicted (luckily not our case) lodges will charge you 200-300 rupees for one hour charge. Use of solar battery will save your ass! At higher altitudes sleep with the batteries from the cold will discharge them faster.
Insurance: keep in mind that agencies don’t guarantee you an insurance so if something happens is basically your problem. Most of the people don’t know that the majority of the travel insurances will cover you only up to 3400 m. If you want to be 100% sure that you are covered you need to opt for a specific insurance. We have found a really good deal with World Nomad (50 euros for two weeks) and will cover you up to 6000 m. Just check trekking Nepal in their webpage. Luckily we didn’t have to use it! During our trek we saw at least 10 rescue helicopter per day, so take it really seriously.
SELF-ARRANGED
As mentioned above this trekking can easily be self-arranged and the cost will be way lower. As an average most of the solo trekkers spend in between 500-600$. Estimate that you will spend in between 15$ and 20$ a day for food and accommodation and, the higher you go, the higher the price will be (prepare to pay 700 rupees for a dhal Bhat and 400 for a bottle of water). The flight ticket cost will vary depending on how earlier you book. Tara Airline is the most used one since it has frequent flight to Lukla.
Flight: when booking the flight ticket calculate really well the days. It is really common that flights get cancelled meaning that you are gonna be rescheduled for the day after. A lot of people miss their flight back home because the Lukla-kmd flight was canceled. Another super important aspect is that, you MUST be in Lukla the DAY BEFORE the flight and go to the flight office AT 3 PM to confirm that you will take the flight the day after. It is an absurd rule (in line with most of Nepali rules) but if you don’t show up you won’t be considered for your flight!
Tim card: remember to request the TIM card before realizing the trekking. The card costs the equivalent of 30$ for individual trekkers and the easiest place to get it is from the Tourist Service Centre in Kathmandu. Remember to bring two passport photos. In the same place you can buy the entry for the Sagarmatha National Park (3000 rupees) even if this second document can even be purchased during the trek.
Guide and helper: usually a guide will charge 20$ per day, while a porter 15$. If you are interested in hiring a real professional with 25 years of experience, we highly recommend you our guide Krishna Galle (krishna.ghale@gmail.com). He is really reliable, funny, and always looking after your health and the helper one.
Sloth and Hippo Travel 