Here’s what one month in Nepal looks like cost wise for the four of us. All prices are in Nepalese rupees with Canadian conversion, and were the current exchange at time of publishing this.

We came to Nepal solely for trekking, and the hike we selected came with a high cost of added flights.

Everest Basecamp trek for 17 days: 112,091 RS ($1170 CAD). This included our tea house lodging, food and other expenses while on the trek.

Flights from Kathmandu to Lukla return: 180,975 RS ($1889 CAD)

Accommodations in Kathmandu: 40,574 RS ($427.86 CAD). This was 10 nights in a hotel.

Food and other spending: 117,693 RS ($1228.47 CAD). This was all our food, clothing, souvenirs, SIM Card, laundry service, taxis, entry fees to temples, snacks for the trek and last minute supplies.

Chitwan safari: 94,294 RS ($1013.98 CAD). We went on the 4 days/3 nights safari.

Our safari was booked through White Hill Adventure Trek and Expeditions, and was all inclusive from transportation to and from Kathmandu to all our food and accommodation. Any drinks besides tea, coffee and bottled water were extra as well as tips to the guides and drivers.

Food was very affordable in Kathmandu. Breakfast was always included in our hotel stay. On average our family could eat for around 1200 rupees per meal if we ate street stall take away. If we went to a sit down restaurant the cost would go up significantly averaging around 2000 to 3000 rupees depending on if we ordered a drink along with our meal. All of the food was amazing throughout Nepal.

Could you do Nepal for less? Absolutely! If you are going there to trek there are options to what we did. The flights from Kathmandu to Lukla were a huge expense. This could have been greatly reduced if we chose to bus to Jiri and then hike to Lukla. But this would have added an extra 50 kms on either end and more days in a row of hiking. If we didn’t have two little ones with us we probably would have gone this route mostly because the crowds are less and the scenery is breathtaking.

Another option to keep costs down would be to pick an entirely different hike like the Annapurna, Langtang or many other various hikes around Nepal that don’t require flying to start.

As for the Chitwan safari, I feel this could have also been done at a less expensive rate. As we were a bit limited on time we booked it as an organized tour, but if you just took the bus to Sauraha, right at Chitwan National Park, then organized your own accommodations and jeep tour there I’m almost certain the price would be cut in half. There were many companies right in the heart of Sauraha near the river. The price we paid was full price for two adults and half price for the girls.

Nepal has stolen our hearts with the amazing Himalayas, the kind and generous people and the history it has to offer. This is the place to visit if you crave the mountain life, the sights and the kind natured people that live here. There is something for everyone’s budget here.

Find our full itinerary of Everest Basecamp here.

Find our Everest Basecamp packing list here.

Extra added cost not included in total:

• Flights from Bangkok to Nepal: $1390.62 (for the 4 of us)
• Entry visa: $50 US per person, kids free
• Travel insurance (with heli rescue at high altitude) for the duration of our time away $1800