Per-person trek cost in a group of five: what splits and what does not

In a group of five the guide, a private jeep or taxi and any shared porter divide by five, while food, lodging, permits, insurance and flights stay per person. In our worked example on the five-day Mardi Himal trek, a foreigner pays about NPR 32,500 to 44,000 alone with a guide and a private jeep, against NPR 16,900 to 23,200 in a group of five. A Nepali group of five pays about NPR 11,200 to 16,400 each without a guide and NPR 13,900 to 20,400 with a shared one. The savings come almost entirely from the guide and the vehicle. The jeep price is our illustration, not a quote, because no verified fare exists. Rates were checked on 21 October 2026; where sources conflict we show a range and say so.

Which costs divide by five and which do not?

Every trek bill has two kinds of lines. Group-wide lines are one price whatever the number of people, so you divide. Per-person lines are charged to each trekker, so a group of five pays five of them.

Lodges charge for a room and a plate, and a twin room shared by two splits only between the two of you. So the saving from a group is not on beds or meals, and anyone who tells you a group of five makes a trek a fifth of the price is wrong. For the rules of fair splitting between partners, read splitting guide and porter costs fairly and trekking cost split calculator: how to share expenses.

What rates do we use for the worked examples?

All figures are NPR, and the same ones appear in our other cost posts, so you can compare.

• Food and lodging: NPR 2,000 to 3,000 a day, averaging NPR 2,500, from our price tables for the Annapurna region. See teahouse prices by altitude.
• Guide: NPR 2,700 to 4,000 a day on Annapurna, from market ranges in 2026 operator guides. We found no official minimum.
• Porter: NPR 2,100 to 3,400 a day on the same basis. See guide and porter day rates.
• ACAP entry fee: NPR 3,000 for a foreigner and NPR 100 for a Nepali citizen on the Nepal Tourism Board page, checked 21 October 2026. For Nepalis, other sources say NPR 0 or NPR 200, so we use NPR 0 to 200.
• TIMS: Nepali citizens do not need a TIMS card. For foreigners it is NPR 2,000, or NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals; we leave it out of the foreigner total and say so.
• Private jeep: NPR 6,000 for the whole vehicle for the Kande and Siding legs. This is a stated assumption for the sums, not a quote. No verified fare exists.

Worked example 1: a foreigner group on Mardi Himal

The Mardi Himal itinerary is five days. Here is one foreign trekker alone with a guide and a private jeep, and the same trekker in a group of five. No porter, and TIMS is left out.

The group saves NPR 15,600 to 20,800 each, and every rupee of that is the guide and the jeep. The first three lines do not move except the guide. Our Mardi Himal cost breakdown shows the foreigner view in dollars.

Worked example 2: a Nepali group on Mardi Himal

The Nepali version differs in two lines: the ACAP permit is NPR 0 to 200, there is no TIMS line because Nepali citizens do not need a TIMS card, and the guide is optional in our table. Both are shown.

A Nepali trekker alone who hires a guide pays NPR 29,500 to 41,400, so the shared guide saves about NPR 15,600 to 20,800 here too. Whether a guide is required for Nepali citizens at Annapurna is not settled in writing. Our guide-rule record, checked on 19 October 2026, says a licensed guide through a registered agency is required in restricted areas (Department of Immigration) and, under the Nepal Tourism Board rule of April 2023, in national parks and conservation areas, where 2026 operator reports say checkpoints enforce it in Annapurna and Langtang but not in Khumbu. We found no notice that exempts Nepali citizens, so ask at the ACAP counter; see the guide rule page and the Mardi Himal cost for Nepali trekkers post.

What if you add a porter?

A porter carries up to two people's bags and costs NPR 2,100 to 3,400 a day, so five days is NPR 10,500 to 17,000. Shared by two trekkers that is NPR 5,250 to 8,500 each. Five people with a heavy pack each need two or three porters, which is why many groups carry their own light packs on short treks. Our guides to guide versus porter roles and trekking with a porter versus carrying your own pack help you choose.

How does a private jeep to Surke divide?

A private vehicle is where the group saves the most on longer treks. On the road to Surke for Everest Base Camp, our tables give USD 300 to 350 for the whole vehicle for foreigners, which is USD 60 to 70 a seat in a group of five, about NPR 8,040 to 9,380 at NPR 134 to the dollar. A shared jeep seat costs NPR 5,000 to 6,000 for a Nepali. The private option costs more per seat but you leave when you like. A Nepali group can negotiate a rupee price directly, and we publish none because it moves too much. See the Kathmandu to Surke jeep guide, shared jeep versus private jeep versus bus and hiring a private vehicle from Kathmandu.

The Lukla flight does not divide at all: each person buys a ticket, NPR 7,000 to 10,000 one way for a Nepali, per our Lukla flight price post.

How do you run the numbers for your own group?

Use the cost calculator with a group size of five, then change the number to see how the guide and vehicle lines move. On a posted trip, the splitter divides guide, porter and transport only among the members who use them and recalculates when someone joins or leaves. Agree the figures in writing before you book, pick one person to hold the quote and pay any agency directly. If you want a guide for the whole trip, see share-a-guide-nepal, which explains how trekkers can share one licensed guide and divide the day rate.

Where do you find the other four?

A group of five only works if there are five. Our pillar guide, trekking in Nepal for Nepali citizens, covers the whole picture, and cheap treks for Nepali students shows which treks fit a small budget. Annapurna Base Camp cost for Nepali citizens and EBC cost for Nepali citizens give two larger examples. If you already have a date, post a trip free on FindTrekkingPartner and other trekkers can ask to join; contact details stay hidden until both sides agree. Our trekking partner page explains the matching.

What should you check before you go?

Confirm the guide and porter rate in writing, get a fixed price for any vehicle, and check the permit fee at the counter. Our jeep figure here is an illustration, so replace it with the real quote. We will update the sums when verified fares or an official Nepali fee schedule exist.