8 Jan 2024 Prakash Devkota
The cost of the Manaslu climbing package covers different services and logistics that are essential for a successful expedition. Expenses occur in several headings, like a fee for obtaining climbing and trekking permits, payment for guides and porters supporting the climbing activities, and provision of climbing gear and technical equipment, either buying or renting. Likewise, logistical support, like setting up base camps, communication devices, etc, is included as a whole to create a complete package for expediting the Manaslu Peak.
Manaslu (8,163 meters/26,781 feet) is the eighth-highest mountain in the world, and the 35-day Manaslu Expedition involves technical and serious climbing. There are a minimum of six different routes to climb the Manalsu top, including the Northeast Face, Northeast Ridge, South Face (most difficult of all), Southeast Ridge, West Face, and the standard route through the Northeast Ridge. While estimating the Manaslu Climbing costs, you need to consider expenses that cover permits, travel, equipment, insurance, etc. The average expedition costs can range from 15,000 USD to 20,000 USD or even more. However, we are offering a considerable rate starting from USD 12,500 per person.
Climbing Manaslu is one of the longest Himalayan expeditions that explore the secluded central part of the Himalayas. Due to its longer itinerary plans, the Manaslu climb cost is a bit higher for a full-fledged expedition. We, Nepal Guide, offer an affordable Manaslu climbing package, which you can book for USD 12,500. Our 35-day Manaslu expedition package enables you for a successful summit achievement, covering the entire key attractions of the trekking and climbing journey.
Manaslu Climbing Cost Breakdown – Includes and Excludes
Different expenses are to be covered for the successful climb of Manaslu. However, when most of the expense heads are fulfilled by the agency, there are still some that are not. While booking, make a thorough understanding of the cost included and not included in the package. The overall cost estimation of a package offered by Nepal Guide Treks and Expedition from USD 12,500 is further divided into several headings of specific inclusions and exclusions lists. Here’s a breakdown of the major expense heads of the Manaslu Expedition to facilitate a better understanding of the budget allocation.
What’s included?
The inclusion of Manaslu Climbing cost consists of fundamental essentials of the overall expedition.
Permit Costs for Manaslu Climbing
The Manaslu Expedition permit costs around 1,800 USD to 2,000 USD per person for 30 days. The Manaslu Climbing journey is fulfilled by several days of trekking through the Manaslu region. In addition to a climbing permit, you will need to obtain a permit to trek the Manaslu region. The costs of permits for trekking and climbing the Manaslu include:
The Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP)
The Manaslu Conservation Area covers a substantial part of the Manaslu region. Trekking trails towards the Manaslu Peak widely fall upon this section. Manaslu is situated within the Manaslu Conservation Area, and the journey has to make its way through it. This vital permit for trekking is mandatory for all trekkers opting to enter and trek within the Manaslu Conservation Area. Furthermore, MCAP supports conservation initiatives like preserving natural resources, diverse ecosystems, wildlife, and cultural heritage of the region. MCAP usually costs USD 30, which is equivalent to NPR 4,000
Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (MRAP)
Due to the restricted status of Manaslu, a special permit is essential to enter the region. This permit mainly helps to manage and regulate the trekkers/climbers entering the region. Likewise, MRAP encourages sustainable travel practices while contributing to the preservation of natural elements.
The cost of RAP depends on each season. The costs are higher during the peak seasons like Autumn and Spring and comparatively low during the off-season, winter, and summer. Solo trekker/climber is not allowed in the Manaslu. It is mandatory to be a group of a minimum of two with a registered agency. The MRAP fee greatly depends on the time of year.
MRAP permit costs from September to November:
The first week’s permit costs USD 70 per person, and after seven days, the cost per day per person is USD 10. Manaslu Restricted Area permit is a bit high at this time as it falls within the popular trekking months of Autumn. Due to the favorable weather conditions, September to November is a high time to trek and climb the Himalayas.
MRAP permit costs from December to August:
The cost during this time is USD 50 per week per person. However, after the first week, the cost per day per person is USD 7. December to August is an off-time for Manaslu region visit and climbing the peak as well. As a result, permits are obtained at a discounted rate.
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP)
Apart from MCAP, the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit is also required for trekking in the Manaslu region. This permit allows you to enter the Annapurna Conservation Area, a protected region like the Manaslu Conservation Area. You need ACAP to cross the Annapurna conservation area from Dharapani towards Besisahar. The typical fee of ACAP is NPR 3,000.
TIMS card
TIMS is a mandatory permit for trekking in the Himalayas. It helps to keep track of trekkers to ensure the safety and security of each trekker during the trekking journey. As the name implies, it is the trekker’s information management system to detect the whereabouts of trekkers in trekking areas and retrieve the information to handle and overcome mountainous accidents. You can get a TIMS card from registered trekking agencies or the Nepal Tourism Board office. The general fee of a TIMS card is NPR 2,000.
Cost of Transportation
Transportation costs include all the ground transportation expenses during the entire journey. Transfer arrival and departure transfer between the hotel and the airport via private automobile and during a short trip around the city. The average cost of airport transfer is USD 80-90 (per two-way travel). Time permitting, the city tour costs around USD 60-80. including the guide, entrance fee, and private vehicle transportation.
You will start your journey with a bus ride of 10 hours to the starting point, Dharapani, for the trekking adventure. We will book a tourist bus with comfortable seats that reach on time. Jeeps/taxis are other options but can be costly, around USD 150. The cost of bus travel starts at USD 30-40, which is the cheapest option to get to Dharapani.
Costs of Guides and Porters
The Manaslu expedition journey is lengthy and strenuous; quite impossible without the valuable assistance of guides and porters. The related authorities have restricted solo adventure in the Himalayas and made it mandatory to hire guides. The permit for the expedition is only granted upon hiring professional and experienced guides, while hiring a porter is optional. However, a porter is needed for assistance in loads to relieve the burden of the backpack and experience a free journey.
The Manaslu Climbing package includes the costs of a professional trek guide and a highly-experienced team of climbing guides with essential porter. Guide and porter enhance the safety and help with logistics and hiring them locally helps to promote the local economy. A journey with guides and porters is informative and immersive, and we will hire a licensed one at a reasonable cost. Before hiring a guide or porter, we check their license and certificates and make a thorough understanding of their background. This is to ensure your comfort and enrich the experience.
The cost of a licensed trekking guide can be around USD 25 to 35 per day, covering their accommodation, meals, wages, and insurance. Guides lead the trek by navigating the trails. They help find accommodation and assist in emergencies. Likewise, porters can cost around USD 20 to 25 per day. We ensure a safe and enjoyable experience by hiring region-familiar local guides and porters with good knowledge about the dos and don’ts and key attractions of the Manaslu region.
A professional team of climbing guides keeps an eye on you during your climb for the combination of oxygen and having eyes on you during your climb. Starting at Camp 2, the climbing guide is arranged with oxygen cylinders for Camp 3 of the Manaslu climb. The high-altitude climbing oxygen will be provided starting and ending at Camp 3 after completing the summit push. The entire cost of this combination of oxygen and climbing assistance can be upto USD 2,000.
Note: The three oxygen cylinders will be for you and two for your guide. Masks and regulators as per can be used as per need. The cost of the local guide during the Kathmandu sightseeing tour is around USD 15 to 20.
Accommodation costs
Comfortable accomodation helps the fresh and well-rested start of the trekking and climbing activities. You require proper accommodation to cover the 35-day long journey of the Manalu Expedition. Good accommodation facilitates rejuvenation, rest, and proper sleep, which promotes restoration of the energy wasted in each day of long hours trek. The Manaslu climbing costs include the teahouse accommodation during the pre and post-climbing journey, which is from day 4 to 11 and day 38 to 42. Furthermore, camping accommodation is vital, requiring camping equipment while climbing from day 12 to 37.
Teahouses are the efficient and commonly available accommodation generally run by the locals. You can expect a basic to moderate level of service and simple amenities like pillows, mattresses, blankets, etc. Teahouses along the trekking journey provide cozy semi-furnished rooms that come with sharing options and bathrooms in a similar way. Such rooms are available at around USD 4 to 6 per night and reach upto USD 20 based on the facilities provided. The accommodation cost will increase if you wish for a more luxurious stay and is generally high during the peak seasons.
Some extra charges in teahouses
- Teahouses with internet facilities at a lower region charge around USD 2-3 per night for Wi-Fi connections.
- The hot water shower or a bucket of hot water in the teahouse is available at about USD 4 to 5.
- The charging costs of electronics cost about USD 2 to 3.
The peak seasons are likely to fill accommodations, but with us, there’s no worry as we pre-book for the services and rooms.
For camping accommodation, we hire a camping team and kitchen helpers. Camping accommodation includes the cost of overall camping equipment like a tent for dining, a latrine tent, a storehouse tent, and equipment for the expedition. The two main model tents, V25 North Face, are used for camping, including the 1:1 V25 for the advanced base camp and the 2:1 for the higher altitude base camp. The climbing days are long due to acclimatization, but to provide you with a convenient experience, Nepal Guide Treks arranges comfortable mattresses and heaters at the base camp to adjust to the cold temperature. There will be the availability of a backup generator to charge carry-on devices, especially at higher altitudes where it isn’t efficient to use the solar panel energy.
Foods and Drinks
The Manaslu climbing costs include total meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner during trekking and climbing. We provide a healthy, and fresh nutritious diet throughout the expedition to keep you full of energy. Healthy packaged food will be available at higher altitudes camping along with EPI gas and stoves to warm up the food and beverages. The journey will be worthless in case of illness.
Food and beverages are the basic needs and frequent/daily expenses during the journey. They help to keep up with the strenuous activities during each day of the adventure. Maintaining a nutritious diet and staying well-hydrated is a crucial part of the climbing adventure. Teahouses and lodges along the route provide decent meals and drinks. You can savor a wide range of delicacies, tasting traditional dishes like dal bhat to varieties of Western cuisines. Likewise, vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices are available at teahouses. The food items available in teahouses are momo, noodles, mushroom soup, pizza, sandwiches, steak, thukpa, etc,
For beverages, there are a wide variety of drinks available like tea and coffee choices, cold drinks, milk, soup items, canned juice, and alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are not good for high-altitude adventure, and teahouses do not offer labeled drinks but locally made ones. It is advisable to consume at least 3- 4 liters per day. You can buy purified hot water from teahouses or sanitize the tap water using purifying tables. Bottled water is available along the trekking trails; however, the prices may rise at higher altitudes.
Food can cost around USD 4 to 6, and beverages can come at around USD 2 to 4. The costs are fair regarding difficult infrastructures that lead to limited facilities and services. The costs for food and drinks increase to the altitude. The cost varies significantly at high elevations because of the extra cost incurred for the transport of food and beverages through yak, mules, and porters. The costs for food in higher regions can range from USD 4-6, and the cost for drinks can be around USD 5-10.
Note: Apart from the teahouse and camping meals and drinks, the cost of the same at a 4-star Hotel stay in Kathmandu with BB Plan is included, which comes to around USD 10-20 for food and about USD 5 for drinks.
First Aid Kit
The journey prevails in remote locations of the Himalayas, and there might not be proper medical facilities available. You should be prepared for injuries and minor accidents during the journey and respond with the first aid kit that comprises general medication. The Manaslu climbing package covers the cost of a first-aid kit as well as a well-trained respondent in our expedition crew, who inspects your physical health each day. The general first aid kit costs around USD 20-25.
The other inclusions of the Manaslu Climbing package are:
- Kathmandu Sightseeing tour including City guide, entrance charge.
- Required trekking and climbing gear
- Staff salary meals and clothing
- Guidemap and cellular phone
- Governmental taxes and agency’s service charges
What’s not included?
The excluded lists of the package are to be managed by yourself because these expenses go beyond the pre-determined itinerary plans.
Personal Expenses: The personal nature expenses come under the expense heads that are not included in our package, and you have to make out of your pocket like the above-mentioned extra costs for services in teahouses. Furthermore, the costs of laundry, shopping, personal hygiene items, snacks, alcoholic drinks, etc., are not covered by the agencies. It is advisable to convert enough cash to local currency for the additional services beyond the package and to spend on necessary personal items during the journey.
Tips and gratuities: Tips and gratuities are expected, although not mandatory. You can follow the customary practice of tipping a certain percentage as a symbol of gratitude and thanksgiving to the expedition members. It’s because they are the ones to enable you to perform a remarkable Himlayan expedition adventure safely and successfully. There is no bar for tipping, and you can give out of your will. However, in general, it is found to be given around USD 10-20 for porters and USD 10-25 for the guides as tips and gratuities for the Manaslu Expedition journey.
Souvenirs: You may desire to buy arts and crafts as a memory of the amazing Manaslu adventure. The cost of general souvenirs, like rings, bracelets, keychains, ceramics/pottery, postcards, flags/banners, etc, is somewhere between USD 3-10. However, valuable items like handmade arts and crafts, traditional weapons, statues, jewelry, antiques, precious gems, or stones can cost USD 500 or more. You can find authentic and historical souvenirs at the cultural sites and popular cities in Kathmandu.
Miscellaneous expenses: Extra costs may be incurred in case of a change in itinerary or some unpredictable circumstances like accidents, natural calamities, and political instability. It is advisable to manage a budget of around USD 30-60 per day for personal and miscellaneous expenses in addition to the Manaslu expedition package cost.
The other expenses excluded are:
- International flights to and from the home country
- Cost of personal climbing gear
- Personal Insurance
- No summit bonus of USD 1,200 for climbing with Sherpa guides set by the Mountaineering Association and Department of Tourism.
Prakash Devkota
Managing Director and Team Leader
Mr. Prakash Chandra Devkota is an established name in the Tourism Sector in Nepal. He is a focused individual gifted with a brilliant mind. He is also hugely dedicated to social work. Born in the Gorkha district, a beautiful hilly region of Nepal, he first entered the tourism industry as a guide in 1997. He has gained extensive experience in almost all the trekking and climbing routes like Mera, Island, Lobuche and, Ama Dablam, etc.
He registered Nepal Guides Treks & Expedition in 2009 AD. Due to his passion for adventure and efforts to provide quality personalized service to his clients, he has established himself as a successful tourism entrepreneur. He has dedicated most of his time working diligently to elevate the tourism industry and collected more than 15 years of experience in organizing trekking and expeditions in Nepal, Bhutan, and India. He believes in the power of the tourism industry and the employment opportunities that can be created through it. He constantly looks for innovative ways to run the company.
Mr. Devkota has always been an avid practitioner of eco-friendly tourism and has always promoted environmental conservation throughout his career. He motivates his staff to embrace eco-friendly tourism through responsible tourism practices. He believes promoting eco-tourism will preserve natural resources and positively impact the environment.
