I get asked this question almost as often as the EBC one: “just tell me what it actually costs.” Fair enough. Most guides throw a range at you and call it a day, but that doesn’t actually help you plan. So here are the real numbers, built from what our trekkers actually pay.
Our Annapurna Base Camp package starts at USD 597 per person in a group of 8–12, and USD 899 if you’re going solo. That price includes your Kathmandu–Pokhara transport, the jeep transfer to and from the trailhead, both nights of Pokhara hotel, every meal on the trail, teahouse accommodation the whole way, and both required permits. And unlike EBC, there’s no domestic flight — that’s one entire cost category ABC simply doesn’t have.
Here’s what this page covers:
- 2026 Cost Summary
- Package Rates by Group Size
- What’s Included and What’s Not
- Permit Costs
- Why No Flight Changes the Math
- Gear: Buy or Rent
- Daily Trail Expenses
- Costs People Forget
- How to Save Money
- ABC vs Other Nepal Treks
- FAQs
- Related Planning Guides
Annapurna Base Camp Trek Cost — 2026 Summary
| Cost Category | Low | High | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trek package (transport, guide, porter, permits, food, lodging) | $597 | $899 | Per person, depends on group size — permits already included |
| Domestic flight | $0 | $0 | Not needed — road access only |
| Nepal visa, 30 days | $50 | $50 | Paid on arrival, not included |
| Kathmandu hotel, before/after | $40 | $120 | Not included |
| Gear, buy or rent | $40 | $250 | Lower than EBC — no extreme cold gear |
| Daily trail extras | $60 | $120 | Over 6 trekking days |
| Guide and porter tips | $48 | $90 | Cash, paid at Jhinu Danda or Pokhara — porter portion only if you have one |
| Travel insurance | $60 | $120 | Mandatory, not included |
| International flights | $650 | $1,200 | Depends where you’re flying from |
| Total, excluding international flights | $895 | $1,649 | Per person |
| Total, everything included | $1,545 | $2,849 | Per person, most origins |
Trekkers coming from Europe, North America, or Australia usually land somewhere between $2,000 and $2,850 once you count every flight and tip. That’s genuinely $500–$1,000 less than an equivalent EBC package for the same group size — and the gap comes almost entirely from one thing: no Lukla-style flight to pay for, and no flight delays to plan around either.
Our Package Rates by Group Size
| Group Size | Price Per Person | You Save | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $899 | — | Independent travellers, flexible dates |
| 2–4 Trekkers | $798 | $101/person | Couples and friends — our most booked tier |
| 5–7 Trekkers | $659 | $240/person | Families and small groups |
| 8–12 Trekkers | $597 | $302/person | Larger groups, corporate treks |
Finding just one person to trek with drops your price by $101 on the spot. That’s because you and your group share guide and jeep costs directly, so every extra trekker is a real saving — not a marketing number. Permits and transport don’t change by group size either: everyone gets the same guide quality, same permits, same transport, whether there are 2 of you or 12. The one thing that does change with group size is the porter — we include it as standard from 2 trekkers up, but for solo trekkers it’s a paid add-on rather than a default inclusion.
What’s Actually Included
Every package covers:
- Kathmandu to Pokhara and return, by comfortable tourist bus
- Private jeep transfer from Pokhara to Ghandruk at the start, and from Jhinu Danda back to Pokhara at the end
- One night hotel in Pokhara, twin-sharing, air-conditioned, with breakfast
- Teahouse rooms the entire trekking route, twin-sharing
- Three meals a day on the trail
- A licensed, English-speaking guide with real Annapurna region experience
- Both required permits — ACAP and TIMS — which we arrange before departure and present at every checkpoint
- Full support from the day you land to the day you fly home
Porter, group size dependent: everyone booking as part of a group of two or more gets one porter for every two trekkers, maximum 15kg load — we include this in the package price. Solo trekkers don’t have a porter by default; it’s available on request as a paid add-on.
What you’ll still need to cover:
- Your international flight to Kathmandu
- Nepal’s entry visa — $50 cash on arrival, good for 30 days
- Travel insurance covering altitude above 4,000m and helicopter rescue
- Personal gear
- Kathmandu hotel nights before and after the trek
- Lunch and dinner in Pokhara
- Hot showers, Wi-Fi, and charging on the trail
- Tips for your guide and porter
- Porter, if you’re trekking solo and want one
For full day-by-day details and booking, head to the ABC Trek package page.
Permits: The Simple Part
Two permits cover the whole route, and we handle both before you even land.
| Permit | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) | NPR 3,000 (~$23) | Kathmandu or Pokhara |
| TIMS Card | NPR 2,000 (~$15) | Kathmandu or Pokhara, via registered agency |
Total: roughly $38 a person — we already build this into your package price above, not charge it separately. You won’t visit a permit office yourself. You may still see older guides and some competitor sites claim TIMS was suspended for the Annapurna region; that’s outdated. Unlike the Everest region, where a local municipality fee replaced TIMS back in 2018, Annapurna treks — including ABC — still require TIMS in 2026. You won’t need a restricted-area permit either; that’s a different category of route entirely, not ABC.
No Domestic Flight — Where ABC Wins
This is the single biggest structural difference between ABC and EBC, and it’s worth spelling out plainly: ABC has no domestic flight at any point in the itinerary.
The route runs entirely by road. Kathmandu to Pokhara takes 6–7 hours by tourist bus, and we already build that into your package. Then Pokhara to Ghandruk is a 3–4 hour scenic drive to start your trek, with the return leg from Jhinu Danda back to Pokhara taking about 2.5–3 hours — we include both. So there’s no Lukla-style flight to book, no weather cancellations to plan around, and no need for buffer days at the end of your trip in case weather delays a flight.
That single difference saves you $350–450 compared to what EBC trekkers pay just to get to and from the mountains — and it removes the one part of Himalayan trekking that’s outside anyone’s control. Your itinerary runs on a fixed schedule regardless of what the weather’s doing at 2,800 metres.
Gear: Buy What Matters, Rent the Rest
ABC’s gear list is noticeably lighter than EBC’s. That’s because the highest point on this route is 4,130m — well under EBC’s 5,000m+ overnights — so most spring and autumn trekkers get through comfortably on a good fleece and a windproof shell, without needing a heavy down jacket.
Worth buying before you land:
| Item | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproof trekking boots | $100–220 | Break these in 4-6 weeks ahead |
| Waterproof shell jacket | $80–200 | Essential through the Modi Khola gorge — rain shows up fast |
| Merino base layers, 2 sets | $60–120 | No cotton above 2,000m |
| Daypack, 25-30L | $60–120 | You’ll carry this every day |
Better rented in Pokhara:
| Item | Daily Rate | 6-Day Total |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping bag, 0°C rated | $1–2 | $6–12 |
| Trekking poles | $0.50–1 | $3–6 |
| Porter duffel bag | $0.50–1 | $3–6 |
Pokhara’s Lakeside rental shops are clean and well-organised — arguably better than Thamel in Kathmandu. And a 0°C bag is enough here, unlike EBC where you’d want -10°C, so your rental total runs about half what an EBC trekker spends. Full gear checklist here: what to buy vs rent.
Daily Costs That Sneak Up on You
Your package covers meals and rooms. But these don’t — and across 6 trekking days they add up.
| Expense | Per Use | 6-Day Total |
|---|---|---|
| Hot shower | NPR 200–400 | $9–15 |
| Charging your devices | NPR 200–400 | $9–15 |
| Wi-Fi | NPR 200–400 | $6–11 |
| Extra snacks | NPR 400–700/day | $19–30 |
| Bottled water | NPR 80–200 | $8–15 |
| Jhinu hot springs entry | NPR 500–1,000 once | $4–8 |
The last ATM on the whole route sits at Chhomrong, Day 3 — so withdraw what you need in Pokhara before you leave, or top up there instead. Also carry small notes, since teahouses above Chhomrong struggle to break large bills.
The Costs Trekkers Forget Until They’re Already There
Tips. The going rate is $5-10 a day for your guide and $3-5 for your porter, if you have one. So over 6 trekking days that’s roughly $48-90 combined for a group trekker, which you pay in cash before you part ways with your crew — typically at Jhinu Danda or on arrival back in Pokhara. Solo trekkers without a porter just budget the guide portion.
The visa. $50 cash or card at the airport. Bring one passport photo.
Insurance. A policy covering altitude above 4,000m and helicopter evacuation runs $60-120 for a two-week trip. This one isn’t optional, though — a helicopter rescue without valid coverage can run $3,000-6,000 out of pocket. So confirm the altitude limit with your insurer by name before you fly.
Pokhara costs. Budget $30-70 a night for your Pokhara hotel stay, plus $15-25 a day for lunch and dinner there — roughly $50-120 total across your two road days.
Kathmandu nights. $30-80 a night for however many nights you spend there before and after — most trekkers do 1-2 on each end.
Where You Can Actually Save Money
Trek with someone. Going from solo to a group of 2-4 saves $101 per person immediately, and the savings scale up fast from there — plus a group booking gets you the included porter that solo doesn’t.
Rent instead of buy. Renting your sleeping bag, poles, and duffel in Pokhara instead of buying them saves real money and the gear is entirely adequate for what ABC throws at you.
Bring a filter, skip the bottles. A water filter turns teahouse tap water into safe drinking water the whole way, and it pays for itself within just a few days on this shorter route.
Book your international flight early. October and spring flights to Kathmandu fill up fast — booking a few months out typically saves real money over a last-minute fare.
How ABC Compares to Other Nepal Treks
| Trek | Package (2-4 people) | Permits | Domestic Flight | Total Excl. Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Base Camp | $798 | $38 (ACAP + TIMS, included) | None needed | $1,100-1,500 |
| Everest Base Camp | $1,259 | Included | Included | $1,469-2,449 |
| Langtang Valley | $799 | ~$40 | None needed | $1,200-1,500 |
| Annapurna Circuit | $999+ | ~$38 | None needed | $1,400-1,900 |
| Manaslu Circuit | $1,499+ | $175+ | None needed | $2,000-2,700 |
ABC sits right alongside Langtang as the most affordable major Nepal trek, and it’s meaningfully below EBC on total budget — without giving up anything on mountain quality. Peaks above 6,000m surround you on all sides once you’re standing inside the Annapurna Sanctuary, and that isn’t a lesser experience just because it costs less. It’s simply a different kind of enclosure than EBC’s open valley approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our package runs from $597 per person in a group of 8-12 up to $899 solo, with $798 being the most common rate for pairs and small groups of friends. Transport, both required permits (ACAP and TIMS), meals, and accommodation are already in that number — no domestic flight to add on top. Most trekkers land around $1,200-1,600 total, excluding international flights.
Correct — there’s no flight anywhere in the ABC itinerary. Kathmandu to Pokhara is a 6-7 hour tourist bus, and Pokhara to Ghandruk is a 3-4 hour scenic drive to start your trek, both included. The return leg from Jhinu Danda back to Pokhara takes about 2.5-3 hours, also included. That means no weather-related delays, no flight costs, and no need for buffer days at the end of your trip.
Our package price stays the same year-round. What changes is your international airfare — book a few months ahead and your total cost drops, even though our package rate never moves.
Related Guides
- How Hard Is the Trek?
- Day-by-Day Itinerary
- Permits Guide 2026
- Best Time to Trek
- Packing List
- ABC Trek for Beginners
Budget Right, Walk Into the Sanctuary
ABC costs less than EBC, and standing inside that ring of peaks at 4,130m doesn’t feel like a budget version of anything. Get your numbers straight now, and give yourself the full 6 trekking days the route deserves.
We’ve been guiding this trek since 2018, based right here in Kathmandu — not a booking platform reselling someone else’s trip. When you message us, you’re talking to the people who actually walk this trail. Ask us anything about cost, group pricing, or the Poon Hill extension, and you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
Package rates: $597 per person for 8-12 people, $659 for 5-7, $798 for 2-4, $899 solo. We include both permits and all transport every time — plus the porter from 2 people up, available as an add-on for solo trekkers.
Got a cost question we haven’t answered here? Message us on WhatsApp — we typically reply within 12 hours.