Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost- Package Cost
The general Annapurna Circuit Trek cost is approximately around US$ 1,100 to US$ 4,000. The overall costing factor depends on the number of itinerary days, highlight exploration, and the quality of amenities and services during the expedition.
As there is a luxurious trekking experience available in the Annapurna region, one of the most popular mainstream trekking routes in the country, you can switch the quality of the experience as per your desire.
We here at Marvel Adventure offer the best value 15-day Annapurna Circuit Trek cost package at just US$ 1,325 per person. This is the best value package you will find in the market. We don't compromise on the integrity of the services or on the exploration part. You might want to check our 10-day Annapurna Circuit trek package if you have a short time.
You can also enjoy the group discounts and if you keep up to date with our website you may also be able to take advantage of special offers to make this Himalayan exploration even more budget-friendly. For any further details of our Annapurna Circuit Trek cost, please contact us via our Contact Page. Our representatives are available 24/7 for assistance.
Included and Excluded
While considering the Annapurna Circuit Trek cost, you have to take several factors in account like what is included and excluded in the package. If you are managing this epic adventure to the Himalayas on your own without the hiring services of a trekking company, there are several heads that you have to allocate your budget to.
Let's break down some of the major expenses ahead of the Annapurna Circuit Trek cost so you will have a proper understanding of the overall expenses of this iconic expedition.
What's Included?
The following expenses heads are generally included in your Annapurna Circuit Trek cost that you will have to manage on your own if you don't want to hire the services of a trekking company.
Permits
The first and foremost expense head that you have to manage in your Annapurna Circuit trek cost is the permits. You will need two permits while doing this classical Himalayan adventure, an Annapurna Conservation Area Permit and Trekker's Information Management System Card (TIMS).
The conservation area permit is an absolute necessity as you traverse across the Annapurna Conservation Area and have to present it at several checkpoints across the trekking route. As for the TIMS Card, it has been just recently listed as a mandatory permit for every kind of trekking adventure in Nepal to enhance the safety factors of the trekkers.
If you happen to be trekking without either of these permits during your Annapurna Circuit Trek, then you will be liable for an extra fine upto NPR. 12,000.
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit Cost: US$ 30
TIMS Card Cost: US$ 20
Accommodation
Accommodation is another basic expense of your overall Annapurna Circuit Trek cost. A comfortable and suitable resting destination is an elemental component of your trekking adventure so you can get enough rest to proceed along your trekking route.
In your regular trekking package, after receiving you from the airport you will be transported to a star hotel at the heart of the capital. But, when you are managing the trip on your own, you can decide the range of the hotel by yourself.
However, the quality of the services and amenities at the teahouse is pretty much consistent and at a similar price range. You will be able to enjoy a moderate level of accommodation services at the teahouses along the trail. You will be able to enjoy a well-furnished room with a comfortable mattress and will also receive a pillow and blankets.
The rooms are designed in a dormitory style, there are two to three adjacent beds in each room. The same goes for the bathroom facilities, you will be using a shared bathroom per room during your stay.
Cost of accommodation at hotel in Kathmandu: starting at US$ 20
Cost of accommodation at the teahouses during the trek: US$ 8- US$ 12
Food and Beverages
Food and beverages expense is another basic overhead of your Annapurna Circuit Trek cost. In a guided trekking package, your trekking agency manages three meals of the day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In case you are managing the trek on your own, you need to make all the necessary arrangements by yourself, make sure to reserve at your eatery destinations as during the peak season it might be hard to find a table.
You can enjoy pretty well-versed delicacies during your Annapurna Circuit Trek as it is one of the mainstream trekking routes. You will be able to enjoy a diverse range of local delicacies, top continental dishes menus as well as the Tibetan and Indian culture-influenced dishes during your trekking adventure.
For breakfast, you can expect light dishes like bread, eggs, porridge, cornflakes, oats, cereals, salad, fresh fruits, papads, pancakes, paratha, chapati, etc. As for lunch and dinner, you can enjoy a diverse range of options like traditional Daal Bhaat Tarkari (steamed rice, lentil soup, vegetables, and other side dishes), Chowmein, momo, pizza, macaroni, pizza, pasta, steak, pie, spring rolls, burgers, sandwiches, etc.
As for beverages, you will be able to enjoy a wide range of drinks from canned juice to, cold drinks and hard alcoholic drinks at the teahouses along the trail.
Cost of food in Kathmandu: US$ 10 - US$ 20
Cost of beverages in Kathmandu: Starts at US$ 5
Cost of food in teahouses: US$ 10 - US$15
Cost of beverages at teahouses: US$ 5 - US$ 10
Transportation
Although your Annapurna Circuit Trek cost doesn’t include any flight expenses, you will start your adventure after a drive from Kathmandu to Bhulbule, the classical starting point of the adventures in the Annapurna region. When you are arranging the transportation on your own, you will have to manage it from the moment you land at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), moving across the city during sightseeing and for the long drive while starting the trek at Bhulbule.
You can rent several kinds of vehicles for your Annapurna circuit trek, you can rent a jeep for a comfortable and convenient drive. Or go for the tourist bus as it is much cheaper than renting a jeep, however, in case you want more freedom you can go for the taxis which can be slightly expensive.
Cost of travel in a local bus: US$ 10- US$ 15
Cost of travel in a jeep: Starts at US$ 200-300 per Jeep
Guides and Porters
The Annapurna Circuit Trek is a high Himalayan adventure that takes place in remote and isolated parts of the Himalayas. It is impossible for you to make this trekking expedition safe and enjoyable without the assistance of the local expert, so hiring a guide and porters is a basic expense head in your Annapurna Circuit Trek cost.
However, when getting affiliated with a trekking company, they will provide a licensed guide and porters depending on the expedition group size. Even if you want to manage the guides and porters on your own, you can take the assistance of a registered trekking company to hire freelance guides and porters.
But, if you don’t intend to hire guides and porters during your trekking adventure, although it may have been possible in the past years, however, as of 1st April 2023 any kind of solo trekking adventures are banned. This law has been passed strictly due to the larger number of missing trekkers and is expected to enhance the safety factors during trekking adventures in Nepal.
Cost of guide for Annapurna Circuit Trek: US$ 30- US$ 35
Cost of porters for Annapurna Circuit Trek: US$ 20- US$ 25
First-Aid Kit and Respondents
Only a handful of people are lucky when it comes to having medical staff in their expedition while doing this classical Himalayan trekking adventure. The rest of the trekkers are on their own when it comes to keeping their health in check. If you choose a trekking package from an agency, a well-trained first-aid respondent is a mandatory member of the expedition team.
Also during your trekking adventure, your expedition does your physical inspection on a daily basis to make sure how well your body is adapting to the rising altitude. In case of any kind of emergency the trained first respondent will make the decision whether that use a nearby health station or initiate a rescue operation to transfer to the nearest city. If you are managing the trekking on your own, you have to carefully consider all the health-related factors including the coordination of swift rescue operations.
Cost of standard first aid kit: US$ 25
Government Expenses
On the surface, you might simply oversee the government expenses in your Annapurna Circuit Trek costs, but you will have to pay several governmental expenses like VAT and tax for every expenditure head during your trekking adventure. In general, your trekking packages cover all the government expenses including the official service cost of the trekking agency, however, when you are separating the expenditure head on your own.
You will be liable for paying the government taxes on almost all of the services you employ from guides and porters to food, accommodation, permits, transportation, shopping, and so on.
What's Excluded?
After covering the different expenses of the Annapurna Circuit Trek cost that your trekking package generally covers let's move on to the cost that you will have to manage on your own. Whether you book a trekking package or decide to do the trek on your own, you will have to bear these costs by yourself in both cases, these personal nature expenditures are not covered by your trekking package.
Any Personal Nature Expenses
Your trekking package generally doesn't cover the personal expense part of the Annapurna Circuit Trek cost. Your trekking package will generally follow a typical itinerary planning day-to-day activities, you will enjoy a comfortable accommodation facility with in-house amenities and three meals per day.
For the other expenses like snacks, beverages, or employment of any other additional services, you will have to bear the expenses on your own. Some trekking companies also do offer snacks but in most, you will have to bear their expenses on your own. Charging, use of the internet, making calls, using satellite phones, buying souvenirs, laundry, etc fall under this category.
Tipping
Like how tipping is a normal custom in the service industry, you are expected to offer some tipping to your guides and porters after this long tiring adventure. Your package Annapurna Circuit Trek cost does not cover the tipping expenses of tour adventure.
Although it is not mandatory and there isn't any specified amount for the tipping, it is still expected. After enjoying a remarkable adventure thanks to the assistance of your companions, guides, and porters, who give their best to make sure you are having an enjoyable and comfortable experience, sparing a few changes shouldn't be a big deal.
Entry Fee at the Heritage Sites
If your Annapurna Circuit Trek starts from Kathmandu Valley with separate days for sightseeing, you will have to cover the cost of the entry tickets at these sites. Including the 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Capital Valley, there are tons of cultural and historic sites. At most of these sites, you will have to pay an entry fee to explore these destinations and in most general cases your trekking package doesn't cover such expenses.
Depending on the destination the entry fee at such cultural heritage sites can cost from US$ 2 to US$ 15. In case you are doing the exploration on your own, you may also need a guide with deep knowledge about heritage sites, so you will have to add up the guide cost as well in this sightseeing adventure.
Donations
During the trekking adventure in the Himalayas, most of the tourists are known to make small donations to schools, libraries, and the overall development of the region. As it is an expense out of the personal will, the Annapurna Circuit trek cost doesn't cover it. If you want to make any kind of donation or contribute to the overall development of the region, you will have to make it out of your own pocket.
Usually, tourists who are familiar with the trekking route bring chocolates, toys, and books for the children in the area. The small donations of the trekkers in the region have also seen an overall improvement in the educational sector, infrastructure, and basic facilities in the region.
Souvenirs
To remember your epic Himalayan adventure, you will absolutely want to collect some souvenirs as memoirs. You can buy the souvenirs en route to your trekking trail or at the cultural sites in the cities, however, even if you have chosen a trekking package, your Annapurna Circuit Trek cost will not cover this expense.
Nepal is a country rich in architectural marvels, so might often come across an intriguing piece of art that might sum up your journey or tells your life story. So, in case you are planning to buy any of the art, you will have to allocate an expense head for that. But, make sure to be cautious while buying artifacts as you might not recognize just a copy from an original piece of art.
The cost of souvenirs in Nepal starts from US$ 5- 10, however, depending on the nature and built, some artifacts and rich cultural monuments can even cost thousands of dollars.
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Tips to Minimize Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost
- Bring teabags and coffee, you will be able to make your own refreshing drink with just a cup of hot water
- Drink boiled water at teahouses, tap water is not safe, and bottled mineral water can cost upto US$ 5 in higher regions
- Don’t forget to pack your favorite snacks, not only the snack are expensive on the trekking route but you might also not find your favorite snacks at the shops
- Pack solar charges and power bank, charging can be costly at higher altitudes
- Pack enough personal hygiene products and toiletries, the cost for these products may be slightly above the standard cost in the trekking route
- Plan a group expedition, most trekking agencies offer special discounts on group expeditions
- Travel during the shoulder seasons, the costs are generally lower in shoulder season compared to peak season
