Trekking in Nepal for Nepali citizens: costs, permits and groups

Trekking in Nepal for Nepali citizens costs about NPR 2,000 to 3,000 a day for food and lodging (average NPR 2,500), plus transport to the trailhead and a few small fees. Nepali citizens pay NPR 100 to enter Sagarmatha National Park and the Annapurna Conservation Area, against NPR 3,000 for foreigners at Sagarmatha. A Lukla flight is NPR 7,000 to 10,000 one way for a Nepali (foreigners USD 190 to 240), and a shared jeep from Kathmandu to Surke is NPR 5,000 to 6,000. Nepali trekkers need no guide in Khumbu, but check the rule for each park. A group of five shares the guide and jeep. Park, flight and jeep figures were checked on 21 October 2026, and where sources disagree we say so and give a range. Everything here is for open routes, not restricted areas; sources are listed at the end of this guide.

What does it cost to trek in Nepal as a Nepali citizen?

Most trekking guides online are written for foreign visitors. They quote dollars, foreign permit fees and agency packages, which makes a trek look out of reach. A Nepali citizen trekking independently pays a lot less, because three of the biggest lines are priced differently for you: the park fee, the flights and the guide.

The numbers below are the ones we use in our cost calculator. They are per person, in NPR.

Multiply the daily figure by the length of the trek, add the transport and fees, and you have the bill. A five-day trek is NPR 10,000 to 15,000 for food and lodging alone; a 12-day Everest Base Camp trek is NPR 24,000 to 36,000, before flights. For an Everest worked example see Everest Base Camp trek cost for Nepali citizens.

Kati kharcha huncha: how much should you budget by trek length?

A simple rule from the daily average of NPR 2,500: a 3-day trek is about NPR 7,500, a 5-day trek NPR 12,500, a week about NPR 17,500 and 12 days NPR 30,000, for food and lodging only. Add the getting-there cost and the permit. Short treks near Pokhara and Kathmandu need only a bus or taxi; high ones need a flight or a long jeep ride.

Cheaper treks are the short, low ones; our list of cheapest treks in Nepal ranks them, and the detailed cost posts for Poon Hill and Mardi Himal show where each rupee goes. Those tables are written in foreign-trekker terms, so swap the Nepali park fee and skip the guide line where it does not apply to you.

Which fees are different for Nepali citizens?

The Nepal Tourism Board park fee page, which we checked on 21 October 2026, lists these Nepali rates per person per entry:

Children below 10 are free at Sagarmatha. The page does not mention VAT, and one travel site adds 13 percent, so budget up to NPR 113.

One other fee is unclear, and we say so rather than guess. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality fee for foreigners was NPR 2,000 when collection began in 2017, and guides today give NPR 2,000 to 3,000. For Nepalis, the Kathmandu Post wrote in April 2023, quoting the municipality, that Nepali trekkers are not required to hire a guide and pay the trekking fee. We could not load the municipality's own page on 21 October 2026. Nepali citizens do not need a TIMS card; it is for foreign trekkers. Ask at the checkpoint about the municipality fee, and carry a citizenship certificate. Our permits explainer and Annapurna permit guide describe how the paperwork works for foreigners.

Do Nepali citizens need a guide?

It depends on where you go, and the evidence is thinner than most posts admit. Our guide-rule record, last checked on 19 October 2026, says that 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.

For Everest, the municipality statement quoted by the Kathmandu Post in April 2023 says Nepali trekkers do not need a guide there, and the guide rule is reported not to be checked in Khumbu in any case. For Annapurna and Langtang, we found no notice that says either way whether the rule covers Nepali citizens, so ask at the checkpoint before you plan around going alone. Restricted areas such as Manaslu, Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo are a separate matter, and this guide covers open routes only. Our guide rule page keeps the current position by region and our post on trekking without an agency covers the permit side.

A guide is still useful: for route-finding, for pacing and for the decision to turn back. If you want one, share the cost; see splitting guide and porter costs.

How do you reach the trailhead cheaply?

For Everest the choice is the Lukla flight or the road to Surke. The flight costs a Nepali citizen NPR 7,000 to 10,000 one way and saves days. The shared jeep costs NPR 5,000 to 6,000 a seat but adds walking days, each costing about NPR 2,500. Details are in our Kathmandu to Surke and Salleri jeep guide, flying to Lukla versus driving and the Kathmandu to Lukla flight guide. For Annapurna, buses and jeeps from Pokhara and Besisahar dominate; see jeep and bus costs to Nepal trailheads.

A private jeep for the whole vehicle costs USD 300 to 350 for foreigners on the Surke road. A Nepali group can negotiate its own rupee price with the owner; we publish none because it moves too much. Divided by five, USD 300 to 350 is USD 60 to 70 a person.

Why is a group of five the best size?

A group of five is our default in the cost calculator because it is large enough to split the shared lines and small enough to move together on the trail. Flights, park fees and lodge beds are per person, so sharing does not touch them. It helps with the guide, a porter, a private jeep and a taxi in Kathmandu. Put a guide at a day rate and divide it by five, and the line shrinks by four-fifths.

Be honest about the group, too. Five friends have to agree a pace, an acclimatisation plan and a turn-back rule before the trek, not on the trail. Our post on trekking cost split calculator shows how to divide shared costs fairly and splitting costs: a sample budget walks through one.

How do you find a trekking partner or a group?

Start with people you know. If you cannot get to five, add people you do not know yet, with care. FindTrekkingPartner is a free web app: you post your route and dates, others ask to join, and contact details stay private until both sides agree. Read our guide to finding a trekking partner safely and meeting partners in Kathmandu. For an Everest trek in particular, see finding a trekking partner for Everest Base Camp.

Ready to go? Post a trip free and see who joins. The trekking partner hub explains the matching.

What should you check before you book?

Rates move and some are not published. Before you pay anything, confirm the Lukla fare for your date, the jeep fare with the driver, and any fees at the checkpoint, and keep receipts. Take your citizenship certificate, a few passport photos and small notes, because card payments rarely work in the hills. Look at the Everest region guide, the Annapurna region guide and the Langtang region guide to pick the route that matches your days and budget.

Guides in this series

This guide is the hub for our Nepali trekkers series. Each post below goes deeper on one question.

Costs and fees

• Everest Base Camp trek cost for Nepali citizens
• Annapurna Base Camp trek cost for Nepali citizens
• Mardi Himal trek cost for Nepali trekkers
• Cheap treks for Nepali students under NPR 15,000
• Per-person trek cost in a group of five
• Trekking permit fees and guide rules for Nepali citizens

Getting there

• Lukla flight price for Nepali citizens versus foreigners
• Kathmandu to Surke and Salleri jeep guide

Finding people and dates

• Trekking buddy in Nepal: where to find one and how to stay safe
• How to join a trekking group in Kathmandu
• Nepal trek group departures 2026-2027: season by season

We update the figures when we find an official source, and we tell you when two sources disagree.