Langtang Trek Cost

Langtang Trek is one of the stunning places to explore in Nepal. It offers the trekkers an amazing landscape to walk and give an opportunity to experience the authentic culture of Tibetian life-style.  Langtang Valley is situated in the north of Kathmandu. The valley is among Nepal’s top trekking destinations where every year it attracts many tourists from around the world. The trail ascends the Langtang valley from 1470m at Syabrubesi to 3870m at Kyanjin Gompa.  

Langtang trek is the perfect package for the outstanding short trek that packs a diverse punch into a small amount of time.  

The trails offer a beautiful view on the way like; wild Langtang river, lush forest, high alpine pastures, bamboo grooves, glaciers, and snow-covered peaks. Trekkers can have views of mountains like Langtang Lirung, Langtang Ri, and Dorje Lakpa.     

Langtang Trek is also considered as an affordable and budget-friendly trekking place for trekkers. An average Langtang Trek cost rages are around USD540 – USD930. There are many sectors where trekkers need to spend during the trek. It determines the total cost of a Langtang Trek.  

Highlights of Langtang Trek

• Relatively comfortable and accessible trek with authentic Himalayan experience.
• Pass through high alpine meadows, stunning forests and yak pastures.  
• The magnificent scenery of Langtang Lirung, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and Jugal Himal.
• Hike to Tserko Ri, a vantage point at 5,000 meters.
• Explore the ethnic Tamang villages.
• Opportunity to spot rare wildlife including red panda, snow leopard, and musk deer.
• Visit the centuries-old monastery at Kyanjin Gompa.

There are a number of factors that determine the cost of your trek to the Langtang region. Langtang trek is one of the best trekking destinations in Nepal. It is a wonderful opportunity to trek through the mountain area, climb small peaks, and also explore the Tamang culture. Here are some of the determining factors that make up the total Langtang trek costs.  

Cost of Permits for Langtang Trek

Generally, the government of Nepal has instilled a compulsory permit for the Langtang Trek. At first, trekkers need to show the permits on the various checkpoints along the Langtang trek route.TIMS (Trekker’s Information Management System) is a compulsory permit card that needs to purchase by everyone for trekking in the Langtang region. It costs USD 20 (Nrs. 2000) per person. 

Similarly, the trekkers also need to purchase the Langtang National Park entry permit. The Langtang trek takes trekkers through the beautiful Langtang National Park. It is a prerequisite permission to enter in the Park area. It costs USD 30 which is approximately around Nrs 3000 per person. Both of these permits are easily available at Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu. Trekkers can also purchase these permits on the trail-head. 

It is very important to take the permit before going to trekking. If it is found without the permit card then you have to purchase them on the spot with extra charges. Or, you may have to face legal action as well.  

Cost of Accommodation During Langtang Trek

During the Langtang trek, various types of lodges, hotels or guesthouses are available throughout the year. The trekkers will find primary places for accommodation, which you need to pay a certain amount for the service. In general, it cost around Nrs.  200 – 500 (USD 2 – 5) per night for a simple room. Also, note that most of the rooms are available on a twin-sharing basis. 

During peak seasons, the rooms get packed, so it’s better to pre-book to get the desired rooms in a particular location. In this way, you can save at least a little amount of your cost. Otherwise, you may end up sleeping in less desirable rooms or it may cost you more expensive. Most of the tea houses provide free accommodation or take little charge if you have meals in the same tea house. Some tea houses don’t offer you accommodation if you don’t have meals in the same place.  

Food Cost During Langtang Trek

During the Langtang trek, you will get the chance to taste authentic, local and organic food. Most of the cafes, restaurants and tea houses on the trail usually serve authentic cuisine, whole meals as well as drinks. 

A meal of steamed rice, lentils, seasonal vegetables, and a pickle will be served in most of the restaurants and tea houses. It is a staple choice available mostly during the breakfast or dinner time. The more you trek in the higher altitude area the price of meals also increases. Lack of infrastructure, difficult roads, lack of farmland and weather conditions are the major reasons for the high price in the food. Similarly, in the lower regions, it will cost around Nrs 200 – 300 (USD 2-3) per plate for a whole meal. However, in the higher regions, it will cost Nrs 400-600 (USD 4-6) per plate for the same meal. 

We recommend you to carry some healthy and nutritious light food like chocolate bars, dry fruits, nuts bars. On the trail, you may or may not get the chance to buy the snacks. Even if you get them then it may cost you higher and the options are also limited. So, it will be best to buy snacks from city areas like Kathmandu, Pokhara to limit your excess budget.         

Cost of Transportation for Langtang Trek 

Your journey basically starts from Kathmandu where you can get different modes of transportation to reach the destination. From Kathmandu, you can easily get any kind of transportation such as; local buses, taxis, tourist buses, private jeeps or cars to reach your destination. As there is no access to air transportation so you can enjoy the road trip to reach Langtang. The road journey from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi is a long but beautiful one. You will get the chance to see beautiful green mountain views, terraced farms, stunning Trishuli valley, and quaint villages.    

Local buses are the cheapest way to travel. This 10-hours journey starts from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi of Rasuwa district. Syabrubesi is the best way to start your Langtang trek. It will only cost Nrs 300 (USD 3) per person and the same amount to get back.  

Whereas on the tourist bus you will get a more comfortable and clean seat than the local buses. The tourist buses are also available from Kathmandu to reach Syabrubesi. It will cost you Nrs 1000 – 1500 (USD 10 – 15). 

You can also rent a taxi or cab from Kathmandu to take you to Syabrubesi. It will be quite expensive in comparison with buses. But, you can have your own personal space, you can stop them wherever you want. The taxi driver will charge you around Nrs 7000 – 10000 (USD 70 – 100). It also depends on your negotiating skill that how much you can reduce. 

However, you can also hire a private jeep or car that has a space for about seven to eight people. Hence, you have to share the jeep or car with other people. You have to pay around Nrs. 800- 1000 (USD 8 – USD 10).          

Cost of Guide and Porter

If it’s your first time trekking in Nepal to the region then we strongly recommend you hire a guide and porter. Since it is your first experience you would definitely want to make it memorable. A guide will help you to make your trail more interesting and worth it. He will provide you the information about the mountain peaks, landscapes, flora, fauna, and wildlife on the trails. 

As the guide and porter are familiar with the place they can recommend the good tea house to stay or eat and the best vantage points.

While a porter can help you to share your loads. Treks are physically challenging and having lighter weight can make a huge difference in your trekking experience. 

In general, a guide costs around Nrs. 2200 – 2500 (USD 22- USD 25) per day. A porter costs around Nrs.1500 – Nrs.1800 (USD 15 – USD 18) per day. You can also give a tip at the end of the trekking day. Most importantly, before hiring a guide or porter, make sure to check their credentials for your own safety. And, also interact with them to ensures that you will have a safe and comfortable trek.      

Cost due to trekking trails and duration

An average trek duration of Langtang trek is around 8 to 11 days. The adventurous Langtang trek offers you to see the enchanting peaks, exotic flora and fauna, beautiful glaciers and quaint villages along the trails will make you stay longer. There are some popular trekking areas that lie close to the Langtang trek such as; Gosaikunda, Ganesh Himal to the west, and Helambu area to the south. You can add these areas to your Langtang trek schedule. But, eventually, this will add to the duration of your trek and adds the cost of your trek.

So, basically, the duration of your Langtang trek depends on what you choose to do or what you want to skip.    

Tips to minimize Langtang Trek Costs 

If you wish to travel on your desired budget then you need to use some smart tips to minimize the costs. Here are some tips that will help you to reduce the costs of Langtang Trek:

• Buy snacks and chocolates from the city area as it cost high in the higher altitude area. This will save your money. 
• Rather than buying a new one you can also rent some trekking gears for which it will costs around $1 – $10 per day. 
• Buy the necessary gear at cheap price rates in Kathmandu or Pokhara than on the trail-head. 
• Bring only necessary gear as you need extra porters to carry your trekking gear or luggage. 
• You can prefer the local meal like Rice, lentil and vegetable curry than the western foods. Local meals are cheap in price and save your time. 

Factors that make Langtang Trek- an affordable trek for tourists 

Inexpensive Permits

Trek to Langtang region is inexpensive. The permits to enter this region is quite cheap than Upper Mustang or some other restricted areas. Except for SAARC nationals, foreigners have to pay about $34 which includes VAT and permit fee to Langtang National Park. Likewise, Trekker’s Information Management System (TIMS), a compulsory permit card, will cost around $20 for solo-travelers. Whereas, if you come through a travel agency then it will only cost $10.    

Trekker’s Information Management System

No Air Travel

The cost of flying in Nepal is quite expensive for foreigners. The ticket price usually is twice or thrice the rate that locals pay. Langtang region lies just 30 kilometers north of Kathmandu. It is just a few hour drives from Kathmandu, which will take you to explore the stunning view of the Langtang region. The road transportation is quite cheap so you don’t have to spend much on transportation. Though you can find various modes of transportation according to your comfort and budget.   

No expensive gears are needed 

Langtang trek is moderately difficult to easy trek. It is not so important to have the proper training to trek to the Langtang region. Furthermore, the trek does not require any advance or expensive gears. This will help you to save money.  

Final Thoughts 

Langtang trek is a complete package for those who want to explore the natural and cultural aspects of Nepal in a limited budget. It is one of the best trekking destinations which offers a beautiful view of mountain ranges, lakes, glaciers, Tamang culture, monasteries and many more. Langtang Trek’s cost can be effectively managed depending on your convenience. You won’t regret it even if you extend your trekking days. 

Less expensive permit cards, easy and cheap transportation facilities, affordable and good accommodation service are some of the major reasons that make you choose the Langtang trek. Therefore, Langtang Trek’s cost is quite affordable and reasonable trekking destination of Nepal.