By Uncover Nepal Team · Checked by our Kathmandu travel team · Last checked 4 Oct 2026
Early in the morning in Pokhara, rucksacks go up onto jeep roofs for the drive towards Ghandruk and Jhinu Danda. A few days later you sit by the stove in a teahouse dining room with a menu card in your hand, and you notice the same plate of dal bhat costs more the higher you climb. At Annapurna Base Camp, 4,130 m (13,550 ft), the menu is the dearest of the trek.
The short answer. The ABC trek cost, for an 8-day trek from Pokhara with a hired licensed guide, adds up to about USD 496 at the low end and USD 1,508 at the high end per person. That covers the ACAP permit, bus and jeep, teahouses, guide, porter, tips and visa, not international flights, insurance or hotels.
Our Annapurna Base Camp trek guide covers the route and our trips. This article is only about the Annapurna Base Camp trek cost. Every figure carries its source and the date we checked it, and where we found no reliable number, we say so.
Key facts
- ACAP entry permit, foreign nationals
- NPR 3,000 per entry, tax included (about USD 19) (NTNC e-permit; Nepal Tourism Board, park entry fees, 4 Oct 2026)
- ACAP entry permit, SAARC nationals (incl. India)
- NPR 1,000 per entry (about USD 6); children below 10 need no permit (NTNC; Nepal Tourism Board, 4 Oct 2026)
- Kathmandu to Pokhara, tourist bus
- About USD 15–25 per person, reported by operators (Operator pages, 2026, 4 Oct 2026)
- Shared jeep seat, Pokhara to the road head
- Roughly USD 6–30, depending on village and season, reported by operators (Operator pages, 2026, 4 Oct 2026)
- Nepal tourist visa, 15 / 30 days (information only)
- USD 30 / USD 50 (Nepal Tourism Board, 4 Oct 2026)
- Exchange rate used in this article
- USD 1 = NPR 154.41 (Nepal Rastra Bank sell rate) (Nepal Rastra Bank, 4 Oct 2026)
- Annapurna Base Camp, the trek's high point
- 4,130 m (13,550 ft) (Reference (Annapurna Sanctuary), five operator pages agree, 4 Oct 2026)
What makes up the ABC trek cost
The ABC trek cost is built from five things: the ACAP permit, getting to the trailhead, teahouse spending, the people who walk with you, and tips.
The table adds them up for two styles of trip, over 8 walking days and 7 teahouse nights from Pokhara, the shape of our own 8-day trip; operators give 5–7 days from Pokhara. "Budget" takes the low end of the US dollar ranges quoted in this article, with no porter. "Mid-range" takes the high end and adds a porter. A few lodges and buses report even less. These are sums of sourced ranges, not quotes, and not our price.
| Item | How we worked it out | Budget (USD) | Mid-range (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACAP permit (foreign) | NPR 3,000, about USD 19.4 at the NRB rate of 4 Oct 2026 | 19 | 19 |
| Kathmandu to Pokhara and back, tourist bus | 2 × USD 15 / 2 × USD 25 | 30 | 50 |
| Shared jeep seat, Pokhara to the road head and back | 2 × NPR 1,000 (about USD 6.5) / 2 × USD 30 | 13 | 60 |
| Teahouse room | 7 nights × USD 5 / × USD 30 | 35 | 210 |
| Food | 8 days × USD 15 / × USD 45 | 120 | 360 |
| Small extras: hot shower and charging (plus Wi-Fi in mid-range) | 7 × (NPR 100 + 100) = NPR 1,400 / 7 × (NPR 500 + 400 + 500) = NPR 9,800 | 9 | 63 |
| Licensed guide, hired independently | 8 days × USD 25 / × USD 40 | 200 | 320 |
| Porter | none / 8 days × USD 30 | 0 | 240 |
| Tip for the guide | 8 days × USD 5 / × USD 10 | 40 | 80 |
| Tip for the porter | none / 8 days × USD 7 | 0 | 56 |
| Nepal visa (your own arrangement) | 15 days USD 30 / 30 days USD 50 | 30 | 50 |
| Sum of the sourced items | 19 + 30 + 13 + 35 + 120 + 9 + 200 + 0 + 40 + 0 + 30 / 19 + 50 + 60 + 210 + 360 + 63 + 320 + 240 + 80 + 56 + 50 | 496 | 1,508 |
The mid-range column is cautious: it prices every night at the top room rate and every day at the top food budget, which operators report only near base camp.
What the table does not count:
- International flights, and hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
- A flight to Pokhara instead of the bus.
- Insurance, gear, drinking water and the Jhinu hot springs.
Takeaway: the permit is cheap. On this trek, the people who walk with you and your food are where the money goes.
How much is the ACAP permit for Annapurna Base Camp?
A foreign trekker needs the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) entry permit: NPR 3,000 per person per entry, tax included, about USD 19 at the Nepal Rastra Bank rate on 4 Oct 2026. SAARC nationals, including Indians, pay NPR 1,000. Buy it before the trail, because at a checkpost the fee doubles, to NPR 6,000 for a foreign trekker.
A few details that change what you pay:
- Children below 10 do not need an ACAP permit.
- Single entry only. Paying online through NTNC's e-permit system adds a 2.9% gateway charge.
- Where it is paid. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB): "Park entry fees may be paid at Tourist Service Center, Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, or at the entry points." At the entry points the double fee applies.
- An old fee online. NTB's Annapurna Conservation Area page still shows the old fee of NPR 2,000. The current fee is NPR 3,000.
Your visa is your own arrangement. We do not arrange visas or international flights. For information, Nepal Tourism Board lists a 15-day tourist visa at USD 30, 30 days at USD 50 and 90 days at USD 125, multiple entry. Indian nationals need no visa, and NTB says the Aadhaar card is not accepted as a travel document. Check the official NTB tourist visa page before you travel.
Takeaway: for a foreign trekker the permit is about USD 19 of the whole trip. Sort it before you reach the checkpost.
Can you trek to Annapurna Base Camp without a guide?
Not on our trips. A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run.
Since 31 March 2023, Nepal Tourism Board rules have required trekkers in specific protected areas of Nepal to walk with a licensed trekking guide.
Under the Annapurna region, NTB's list names "Poon Hill-ABC Trek" among the routes it covers.
Takeaway: the guide is one of the largest lines in the budget, and the last one we would cut.
How do you get to the start of the ABC trek, and what does it cost?
The trek starts from Pokhara. From Kathmandu that is most of a day by road, often six to nine hours with traffic and roadworks, on a tourist bus reported at about USD 15–25 a seat. From Pokhara, jeeps now reach Ghandruk and Jhinu Danda, cutting the old walk-in from Nayapul.
Kathmandu to Pokhara.
- By bus: fares rise with the class of bus.
- By air: the flight takes about 30 minutes. Airlines do not publish a foreign fare online; operators reported about USD 90–150 one way between January and September 2026. Check the fare when you book.
Pokhara to the road head. The Pokhara–Baglung Highway runs to Nayapul, then a rough four-wheel-drive track heads towards Jhinu Danda. The last drivable point changes with road work and the monsoon.
- Shared jeep seat: roughly USD 6–30, depending on the village and the season, as reported by operators in 2026.
- Private jeep: about USD 70–150 per vehicle, not per person. Shared between four or five people, it is good value for a group.
- Local bus: a few hundred rupees to Ghandruk or Nayapul, reported, but slower.
Takeaway: the bus and a shared jeep keep transport cheap. Fly to Pokhara only if you are short of days.
How much does a teahouse cost per day on the ABC trek?
Operators report rooms from a few hundred rupees a night in the lower villages, rising to about USD 20–30 near base camp. Food is the bigger daily cost: operators' daily food budgets run from about USD 15 to USD 45. A teahouse is a simple trekking lodge with plain rooms and a shared dining room.
Prices rise with height because supplies are carried up the valley. Dal bhat, the everyday Nepali meal of rice, lentil soup and vegetables, is reported at about NPR 450–1,500 a plate, depending on the lodge and the height, and roughly doubles between the lower villages and Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC) and base camp. Sources disagree on exact prices but agree on the direction, so we show ranges.
| Stretch (sleeping altitude) | Rooms, reported | Dal bhat, reported | Wi-Fi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower villages: Ghandruk, Chhomrong (about 2,170 m) to Bamboo (about 2,310 m) | NPR 500–700 at most stops in one guide, up to NPR 1,500 in Ghandruk; USD 5–20 in others | The cheapest on the route | Paid per session at the lodge, NPR 200–500 |
| The Sanctuary: Deurali (about 3,230 m), MBC (about 3,700 m), base camp (4,130 m) | About USD 20–30 near base camp | Roughly double the lower villages | Patchy or absent above Deurali |
We could confirm no official fixed menu price for the ABC route, so read the menu card before you order.
Small extras, as reported by operators in 2026: a hot shower costs a few hundred rupees, more higher up; charging is about NPR 100–400 a time; boiled water is NPR 100–250 a litre in one guide. Wi-Fi is paid per session at each lodge.
Takeaway: budget more for the top three nights than for the bottom three, and carry a power bank.
What does a guide or porter cost on the ABC trek?
Hired independently, a licensed guide is reported at about USD 25–40 a day and a porter at about USD 15–30 a day. Confirm what is included before you agree, because whether the guide's own food and room are covered varies between agencies.
One operator says a porter carries about 20 kg for two trekkers, so a pair can halve that line.
What guides and porters are paid. In 2023 the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) and the trekking workers' unions agreed standard daily wages, effective 17 Jul 2023:
| Wage category (as named in the 2023 agreement) | Agreed standard daily wage (2023) |
|---|---|
| Mountain guide | NPR 3,100 |
| Assistant trekking guide | NPR 2,800 |
| Porter-guide | NPR 2,500 |
| Porter | NPR 2,400 |
These are the standard rates agencies pay their staff, not the price a trekker is charged. We found no later revision, but one may exist.
Tips. Tipping is customary, at the end of the trek. Operators suggest about USD 5–10 a day for a guide and USD 3–7 for a porter, or about 10% of the trek cost for the guide. These are suggestions, not rules.
Takeaway: in the mid-range column, guide and porter together cost about as much as rooms and food, and they are good value on the trail.
Do you need travel insurance for Annapurna Base Camp?
Yes, in practice. Your policy should cover trekking to 4,130 m and helicopter evacuation. There is no Himalayan Rescue Association aid post in the Annapurna Sanctuary, so a serious problem means going down, and sometimes a helicopter. We recommend insurance; we do not sell it.
Operators report that a helicopter evacuation in the Annapurna region, without insurance, costs several thousand US dollars. There is no official tariff.
In January 2026 Nepal Police arrested six company executives over fake helicopter-rescue insurance claims worth about USD 20 million, The Kathmandu Post reported. Keep your insurer's emergency number on paper, and call it before any helicopter is booked.
Takeaway: check the altitude limit and the helicopter clause in your policy before you buy it.
How much cash should you carry on the ABC trek?
Carry enough Nepali rupees for every night on the trail, plus tips. Using the table above, rooms, food and extras for 8 days and 7 nights come to about USD 164 at the low end and USD 633 at the high end, before tips. Draw it in Pokhara: no ATMs are reported on the trail.
Cards are rarely accepted on the trail, and small notes make it easier to pay for a shower or a charge.
Takeaway: Pokhara is your last reliable cash machine. Count your rupees before the jeep leaves.
Altitude: the cost nobody budgets for
The cheapest way to avoid an expensive rescue is to go up slowly. You sleep at Deurali (about 3,230 m), then at MBC (about 3,700 m) or base camp (4,130 m).
"... ascending at a rate of no greater than 500 m (1,650 ft) per night in sleeping altitude once above 3,000 m (9,800 ft)"
CDC Yellow Book 2026, High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness
On our 8-day and 5-day trips, the night after Deurali is spent at base camp, about 900 m higher, which is more than the guidance above. Walk that day slowly and tell your guide about any symptoms. If you want a gentler profile, ask us before you book.
What works, according to the CDC and the Wilderness Medical Society:
- Go up slowly. Above 3,000 m, raise your sleeping height by no more than about 500 m a night, with a rest day every 3 to 4 days.
- Walk slowly. You will hear "bistarai, bistarai", Nepali for "slowly, slowly". If you cannot talk while you walk, slow down.
- Drink enough water, and avoid alcohol for the first days at altitude.
- Know the symptoms: headache, nausea, tiredness and poor sleep. The CDC notes risk from sleeping heights of about 2,450 m.
- Never go higher with symptoms. Rest. If they get worse, go down.
- Ask your doctor before the trip about preventive medicine, for example acetazolamide. Take only what your doctor prescribes.
A local habit. Garlic soup and other hot soups are on almost every teahouse menu. They are warming and help you drink more fluid. It is a comforting local tradition, not a proven cure.
Emergency. Severe symptoms, such as confusion, breathlessness at rest or unsteady walking, mean you descend at once and get medical help. Your guide arranges the rescue if one is needed.
More detail is in our guide on how to avoid altitude sickness.
Takeaway: a slower ascent costs a night of teahouse spending. A rescue costs thousands of dollars.
What pushes the cost up, and how to save
What pushes the ABC trek cost up:
- Flying to Pokhara instead of taking the bus, at about USD 90–150 each way, as reported by operators in 2026.
- A private jeep to the road head, at about USD 70–150 per vehicle, if you travel alone or as a pair.
- More days, each adding teahouse, guide, porter and tip costs.
- Paying for ACAP at a checkpost, which doubles the fee.
- A rescue without insurance.
We found no reliable peak-season versus off-season lodge prices, so we print none. Spring and autumn are the main seasons; see our best time to visit Nepal, or for colder months, winter treks in Nepal and the ABC trek in December.
How to save money, honestly:
- Buy the ACAP permit before the trail.
- Take the tourist bus to Pokhara, and a shared jeep seat or local bus to the road head.
- Travel as a pair or group and share a porter and a jeep.
- Treat your own water instead of buying it higher up.
- Bring a power bank and skip the Wi-Fi, which is patchy above Deurali.
Do not save on the slow ascent, the guide or insurance. Those three keep the other costs from rising sharply.
Takeaway: with no flight beyond Pokhara, ABC is cheap to reach. Spend what you save on time.
Package or independent: what a package usually covers
A package bundles most lines of the cost table into one price, so you know the total before you leave. Going independent lets you choose every line, but you do the arranging. Our two trips from Pokhara list these inclusions and exclusions:
| 8-day trek from Pokhara | 5-day budget trek | |
|---|---|---|
| Transport to the trail | Private jeep from your Pokhara hotel to Ghandruk, and from Jhinu Danda back | Jeep from Pokhara to the road head and back |
| Guide | Licensed guide, with an assistant guide for groups of 7 or more | Licensed guide on all 5 days, with an assistant for groups of 7 or more |
| Teahouse nights | 7, with three meals a day | 4, with three meals a day on the trail |
| Permit | ACAP permit | ACAP permit |
| Not included | Jhinu hot springs entry, lunch on the last day, drinks and snacks, travel insurance, tips, personal expenses | Lunch on the last day, drinks and snacks, travel insurance, tips, personal expenses |
Neither trip lists a porter. Package prices change with dates and group size, so the current price for each trip is on its page.
Takeaway: compare packages line by line: transport to the trail, meals, porter, permits and what is left to pay on the trail.
Read next: altitude sickness on Nepal treks, the Manaslu Circuit trek cost, Annapurna Base Camp in December, Ghandruk village guide, Annapurna Circuit trek cost, Mardi Himal trek cost and how hard the ABC trek is.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the ABC trek cost?
Adding up only sourced items for 8 walking days from Pokhara, an independent trek with a hired licensed guide comes to about USD 496 at the low end and USD 1,508 at the high end per person, excluding international flights, insurance and hotels. The cost table above shows every line.
How much is the ACAP permit for the Annapurna Base Camp trek?
NPR 3,000 per person per entry for foreign nationals, tax included, about USD 19 at the Nepal Rastra Bank rate on 4 Oct 2026. SAARC nationals pay NPR 1,000, and children below 10 need no permit. Buying it at a checkpost on the trail doubles the fee.
Can I trek to Annapurna Base Camp without a guide?
Not on our trips. A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run. Nepal Tourism Board's revised trekking rule, effective from 31 Mar 2023, says "specific Protected Areas of Nepal need trekker to be accompanied by licensed trekking guide", and its Annapurna list names the "Poon Hill-ABC Trek".
Can you do the ABC trek on a budget?
Yes. There is no flight beyond Pokhara, and the permit is about USD 19. Save with the tourist bus, a shared jeep seat, a shared porter, your own water treatment and a power bank. Do not cut the slow ascent, the guide or insurance.
Are there ATMs on the Annapurna Base Camp trek?
None are reported on the trail. Draw all your cash in Pokhara, the last reliable ATM, and carry rupees for every night plus tips, in small notes. On an 8-day trek, rooms, food and extras alone come to about USD 164–633. Cards are rarely accepted on the trail.
Do you need travel insurance for the ABC trek?
Yes. Choose a policy that covers trekking to 4,130 m and helicopter evacuation. There is no Himalayan Rescue Association aid post in the Annapurna Sanctuary, and operators report that an uninsured helicopter rescue costs several thousand US dollars, with no official tariff. We recommend insurance but do not sell it.
Your next step
If you want the trip without arranging each line yourself, look at our Annapurna Base Camp trek from Pokhara, or the shorter Annapurna Base Camp budget trek. Every trip we run in the Sanctuary is in our Annapurna Base Camp trek guide.
Still deciding? See which Annapurna trek suits you, read how hard the ABC trek really is, compare our Everest Base Camp trek cost breakdown, or see the best treks in Nepal.
Send us your dates and group size on WhatsApp or through the enquiry form. We will tell you honestly which trip fits your days and budget, and send an exact quote in US dollars.
