How Expensive is it to Trek Upper Dolpo?

A Breakdown of Prices for the Upper Dolpo Trek:

You might have seen the film Himalaya: more commonly known as Caravan in Nepal. Himalaya is an Eric Valli 1999 adventure film highlighting the life of salt traders in Dolpo. This film became the first Nepali film to receive an Academy Award nomination for best foreign film in 2000. It also put Dolpo firmly on the radar of visitors to Nepal.

But Dolpo, falling in a remote corner of Nepal and being a restricted area due to its close proximity to Tibet, can be expensive. No doubt about it.

Here we present you with a breakdown of costs for the standard 24 days trip to Upper Dolpo.

Major expenses break down:

Domestic flights

• Kathmandu-Nepalgunj-Kathmandu USD 300 per person round trip
• Nepalgunj-Jhupal-Nepalganj USD 320 per person round trip

Total USD 620 per person

Permits

• USD 20 for two Lower Dolpo Restricted Area Entry Permits (one week each entry)
• USD 500 for 10 days Upper Dolpo Restricted Area Entry Permit
• USD 30 for Shey Phoksundo National Park Entry Permit

See here for further details of permits for Dolpo

Total USD 550 per person

Hotels in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj

• USD 40 (or higher) per night for a twin room with breakfast in Nepalgunj for two nights (minimum)
• USD 40 (or higher) per night for a twin room with breakfast in Kathmandu for three nights (minimum)

Total (minimum) USD 100 per person (on twin share basis)

Ground Transportation

• USD 32 in total for international and domestic arrival and departure in Kathmandu
• USD 32 in total for domestic arrival and departure in Nepalgunj (Kathmandu- Nepalgunj-Kathmandu & Nepalgunj –Jhupal-Nepalgunj flight)

Total USD 32 per person

Camping logistics – food, tented accommodation and crew

• Guide, cook, kitchen assistant and porters or mules
• Includes sleeping tent, kitchen tent, dinning tent, toilet tent and shower tent
• Includes four meals a day (breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner with soup) with tea, coffee and hot water
• Depending on the route chosen and trail condition either mules or porters are used to carry the supplies
• Above services and facilities at USD110 per person per day, minimum of two trekkers.

Note: all tents are shared with the group except for the sleeping tent which is a two-man tent. Also, the per head per day cost can varies depending on time of year, number of trekkers and several other factors.

Total USD 2,420 per person

Agency service charge

• Normally any agency charges somewhere between 10% to 15% of the overall cost
• In this case the gross cost is USD3,722. To which 10% is added at USD374.

Total average cost for 24 days Upper Dolpo Trek is approximately USD 4,094 per person.

Other Expenditures

Do not forget to add in the cost of:

• Visa for Nepal at USD 50 for 30 days. See here for more information.
• Cost of insurance, which should cover high altitude trekking and the cost of emergency medical evacuation by helicopter and by flight to your home country.
• Cost of food and drinks in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj
• Any snacks ie chocolate, you might want to carry on your trek.
• Cost of hiring additional equipment for yourself in Kathmandu ie trekking gear
• International flight
• Travel Insurance

If you would like to know more about trekking in the Dolpo Region or the costs involved, please contact us at Magical Nepal.