Now let’s discuss each of these categories in detail and find out some tricks to save money as well.
Transportation Cost for Langtang Trek
Trek to this valley begins with an exciting drive from Kathmandu to the place called Syabrubesi. Syabrubesi is only about 7 hours of ride from Kathmandu and about 122 km away. There are two options for traveling this distance i.e. getting a private vehicle or traveling in a local bus.
Local bus to Syabrubesi
You can find a direct bus from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi. It's not very difficult since you'll change transport on the way. Deluxe bus leaves from bus Park of Kathmandu to Syabrubesi each day from 6 am to 10 am. This central bus park of Kathmandu is about a 30-minute ride from Thamel. A private cab to the bus Park from Thamel costs less than $10.
After leaving Kathmandu, the bus will stop for lunch. It will then arrive in Syabrubesi around 5 or 6 PM. Please note that the public buses in Nepal do not operate at the scheduled time, so you cannot find them online. You need to take the help of a travel agency or ask your cab driver for help. Also, the local buses are often dirty, crowded, and noisy. So, if you don’t want to face such situations, then private transportation is recommended.
Private bus to Syabrubesi
You can find a microbus/haice for 12 to 13 people. It goes from their Hotel to Syabrubesi. For small groups, you can get a private jeep of 3 to 7 people. The cab cost around $150 (one way) and the Haice cost about $200 (one way). Since the road from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi, is quite good, you can easily take a cab right from your hotel gate. If you get a private car and start the tour in the morning, you can get to Syabrubesi in just around six hours. Also, you can stop for lunch at any place you like.
Porter cost for Langtang trek
You will be in a very remote area. So, carry enough clothes, hygiene items, gadgets, and food for 8 days. And carrying your backpack while hiking can make the tour even more challenging. This is why a lot of travelers hire additional porters. A porter carries up to 25 kg of bag at one time and you can share one Porter with two people. A porter costs $15 to $20 twenty per day.
Cost-saving tips: Being in a group of at least two people, you will save about $80 on porter costs for this trek’s price.
Note: the porters mostly do not speak fluent English.
Guide for Langtang cost
Firstly you will need a guide to show you the path and then you will need him to book all the accommodation and transportation for the trek. Also, you will need to hire a guide to assist you in emergency conditions and manage permits. The $20 to $25 per day cost of the potter and guide is worth it in every aspect. And it is recommended that when you travel in a larger group you can share the cost of the guide among 5 to 6 people. For those traveling in a group, this is always the least expensive one.
Accommodation
In Kathmandu, a 3-star hotel costs about $20 a night. In the higher Himalayan region, the rooms are basic. They have just a bed and mattress. You can get a single room for around $5 for a single room and sharing a room for 3 to 4 people is for about $10. You will need to pay extra for Wi-Fi, hot showers, and sometimes charging your phone. It can cost $2 to $3.
Cost-saving tricks: Share a room, use mobile data for Wi-Fi, find rooms with charging plugs, and carry an extra battery.
Food for Langtang Trek Price
The only thing which is a bit expensive when you are on this trek is the food. It doesn't matter whether you traveling solo or traveling in a group, you will pay somewhere between $20-$30 in food per day.
The trick is to order only one full meal. Ordering meals that have high calories and good portions instead of 2-3 meals will save you a lot of money. If you are feeling hungry, then you can order Nepalese Dal Bhat that can be re-fielded unlimited times. If you're not feeling very hungry, then you can go for other lighter meals. Nepalese Dhal Bhat gives you long-lasting energy. It's also cheap. So, when you're out of options, just go for it.
The best way to save money here is to carry your purifying water bottle or purification tablets. Then you can refill the bottle for free in the natural springs. Another good way is to avoid all types of alcohol. Instead, drink hydrating options like tea, coffee, hot garlic water, and soup. This will not only save your costs but also be very good for your health.
Langtang Permit cost
You will have two kinds of permits for this trek and the cost of the permit is about $45. For foreigners, the Langtang National Park permit costs NPR 3000 which is about $22. The TIMS card will cost around $10 for a group and $20 for solo trek. There is nothing you can do to save this cost. Also do note that there is a visa cost when you get a travel visa to Nepal.
For Indians, the cost of these two trek permits is about NPR 1200.
Tips for Langtang Valley Trek
Tipping culture in restaurants or hotels is not very common in Nepal. But giving out good cheap to your guide or porter is very common. Most of the hard-working and friendly porter expects a little tip at the end of the trip, your little tip will cheer-up them and they will use it correctly. For the guide and Porter, you can pay around 10% of their total charge as a tip. In general, a guide receives around $150 as a tip and a porter receives almost $100. But this is not a compulsory amount and you can pay according to your wish. Also, you can leave some tips in the hotel and restaurant as you will.
Additional Cost
You have to pay additional costs for supplies that will not be covered in your trekking package
- The cost includes the hot shower i.e. 1-2 dollars
- The cost of Wi-Fi is 2- 3 dollars per day,
- The cost of charging your phone is about $2
Note: Langtang has some very good hotels and you might not need to pay extra to charge your phone
Some travel agencies do not pay for additional meals or additional drinks. You might have to pay for tea coffee sugar and soft drink yourself. So, if pay for drinks yourself, then carrying your own instant tea and coffee packets can save you a lot of money. Carrying chocolate bars, energy drinks, and, nuts can also be useful and will save you money.
Expenses in Kathmandu
In Kathmandu or its cultural site, you spend about $20 each for a room, food, and transport. This depends upon the luxury you want and can go up to $100 per day. But the minimum for good accommodation and food in Kathmandu is about $60 per person.
Shopping and preparation cost
You will need a few specific trekking materials that might not already have. These can be brought and rented in Kathmandu. Buying these gears is a longtime investment for regular hikes and can cost $300 to $2500. Here we only discuss the best cost.
- Sleeping bag rent cost: $3 per day
- Duffle bag rent cost: $2 per day
- Trekking boots+ jacket: $5 per day
- Trekking sticks: $0.5 per day or $8 per stick
Other personal stuff, Toiletries, and extra clothes all depend on your availability and need.
