Annapurna Base Camp Trek Cost From the USA in 2027: Flights, Time Off and Total Budget

Updated 2 November 2026.

Short answer: The 9-day Annapurna Base Camp trek costs USD 725 Budget, USD 1,310 Standard and USD 2,095 Luxury per person for two to four people, and USD 1,250, USD 1,725 or USD 3,465 if you walk alone. From the USA you add flights, a USD 50 visa and insurance that covers 4,500 m. On the New York fares I last checked, one traveller on Budget should plan on roughly USD 2,800 to USD 3,300 in total, before tips. Plan 13 to 14 days away from home.

I am Shreejan, and I run The Everest Holiday with my family. From the USA, two things decide this trip: what it costs with the flight, and whether it fits in two weeks of leave. This page answers both, which our Annapurna Base Camp trek page cannot do for every country.

What does the Annapurna Base Camp trek cost from the USA?

The trek price is what we charge, read from the live package page on 2 November 2026. Everything else is an estimate, and I say which parts are fixed and which move.

Prices are per person. Private or group, the price is the same, and only the size band moves it. Your licensed guide and both permits are inside the price. Budget has no porter and you buy your own teahouse meals. Standard has all meals and one porter for every two trekkers. Luxury has a porter just for you. Kathmandu hotels are not in any tier, and I quote them separately.

What is the total cost with flights, visa and insurance?

For flights I used the fares I found for New York in my Everest Base Camp guide for Americans, searched on 7 October 2026 for a trip leaving on 25 October. The cheapest was USD 1,296 on Air India both ways, and a Qatar Airways outbound with an Air India return was USD 1,667 to USD 1,668. Those were autumn 2026 fares. I have not priced 2027, so treat the flight column as a rough guide and search your own dates.

The rest of the table is my own planning arithmetic. It adds the package, the USD 50 visa, insurance at USD 50 to USD 100 (the range I used in my Everest guide, which will move with your age and the policy), three Kathmandu nights at our family homestay rate of USD 15 each, and, on Budget only, seven trail days of meals at USD 15 to USD 25 a day. Tips and pocket money are not counted.

Tips are on top. Our tipping guide suggests about USD 15 to 20 a day for a guide and USD 10 to 15 a day for a porter. You pay a 10% deposit when you book, and we cover the 3.5% card charge on it. You pay the balance in Kathmandu in US dollars or euros. Cash has no fee and a card carries 3.5%. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients.

How do you fly from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Chicago to Kathmandu?

There is no nonstop from the USA to Nepal, so you always change planes once or twice. I can only vouch for the routings that I could confirm on an airline's own page.

• New York (JFK): Qatar Airways says on its route page that you stop in Doha. Air India runs a nonstop between Delhi and JFK (flights AI 101 and AI 102), and you connect to Kathmandu in Delhi. Turkish Airlines lists New York to Kathmandu fares, with Istanbul as the hub and a direct Istanbul to Kathmandu leg.
• Chicago (O'Hare): Qatar Airways says you stop in Doha.
• Los Angeles and San Francisco: I could not confirm a current Kathmandu route page for either from an airline. Expect to connect in a Gulf or Turkish hub or in Delhi, and expect a longer day than from the East Coast. Search your own airport.

I did not confirm Emirates or Etihad schedules, so I leave them out. They may work well for you.

My New York timings from the 7 October search: Air India left JFK at 12:55, reached Delhi at 14:25 the next afternoon and landed in Kathmandu at 20:40 that evening, about 22 hours door to door. The Qatar Airways outbound through Doha took about 17 hours 30 minutes. From the West Coast, add the extra leg at the front.

One thing about the clock. Nepal is on UTC+5:45. While US daylight saving is on, New York is 9 hours 45 minutes behind and Los Angeles 12 hours 45 minutes. After the clocks go back, add an hour to each. That is what hits you on the first morning.

How many days do you really need from home?

The trek is nine days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu. Day 1 is the drive to Pokhara, and day 9 is the drive back. The rest of the time is travel and one sensible rest day. Here is the plan I would use, and it is my own estimate rather than a published figure.

That is 13 to 14 calendar days, and about 9 to 10 working days of leave if you start on a Friday. If your plane lands late, or a bag goes missing, the rest day absorbs it. I would not cut it. Walking into 3,174 m on day 4 of the trek with no sleep behind you is not a good idea.

Short of time? Our 7-day Annapurna Base Camp trek from Pokhara saves two days of driving. It costs USD 605 Budget, USD 1,045 Standard and USD 2,045 Luxury per person for two to four people, and USD 1,080, USD 1,480 or USD 3,415 for one traveller. You get yourself to Pokhara. My guide to the 5, 7 and 9-day versions explains the trade-off.

How much is the Kathmandu to Pokhara transfer?

On the 9-day trek it is inside the price. The drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (820 m) usually takes 7 to 8 hours. Budget goes by local vehicle, Standard by shared tourist vehicle and Luxury by private vehicle. The same applies on the way back on day 9.

If you take the 7-day trek from Pokhara, you pay for your own transfer. Web listings I found put a tourist bus at roughly USD 8 to USD 25 depending on the bus, and a Buddha Air flight at roughly USD 100 to USD 125 for foreigners, about 25 to 30 minutes in the air. The prices vary a lot between sources and I have not confirmed them with the operators. Two flights would add USD 200 or more, which is why the 9-day trek is not necessarily the dearer option. Our domestic flights guide covers the Pokhara route.

What visa and permits do Americans need?

You buy a tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport. The fee is USD 50 for 30 days, which covers this trip with room to spare. The fees I found are USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days and USD 125 for 90 days, in dollars. Our visa on arrival guide has the queue and the form step by step.

Annapurna Base Camp is not a restricted area, so you need two permits: the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit at NPR 3,000 and a TIMS card at NPR 2,000. That is NPR 5,000 in all. Both are bought for you and included in the trek price. Read more in our ACAP and TIMS explainer.

What insurance do you need for Annapurna Base Camp?

Annapurna Base Camp is 4,130 m. The rule I use is to cover the trek's highest point, rounded up to the next 500 m, so buy cover to 4,500 m. Insist on helicopter evacuation and cover for illness, not only injury. Many standard plans and card benefits stop at 3,000 or 4,000 m, and that would leave you uncovered at the top.

Buy it at home, before you fly. I do not recommend buying it in Nepal. See what coverage you need for the wording to check.

When should Americans go in 2027?

These are the figures from our package page. Pokhara rain is the 1991 to 2020 record in millimetres, and the base camp night lows are typical figures for 2015 to 2024.

Two American holidays fit well. Easter falls on 28 March 2027, which puts spring break right in the good window. Thanksgiving is Thursday 25 November 2027, and a trek that week is cold, clear and quiet. Memorial Day, Monday 31 May 2027, sits in the shaky month of May. We have a departure on 21 March 2027 that is guaranteed to run, if you would like company. The month by month guide goes deeper.

Questions people ask

Is Annapurna Base Camp cheaper than Everest Base Camp from the USA?

Yes, by a wide margin. Our Everest trek for two to four people is USD 1,399 Budget against USD 725 here, and the flight is the same. The flight is the biggest single cost on both, so the saving is the trek price. Compare them in the Everest cost guide for Americans.

Can I do Annapurna Base Camp in two weeks of leave?

Yes. With the plan above you are away 13 to 14 calendar days, using about 9 to 10 working days. The 7-day trek from Pokhara trims two more days.

How fit do I need to be?

The trek is graded moderate with no technical climbing, and walking days run 5 to 7 hours. The long climb is Chomrong to Deurali, about 1,000 m. If you can hike a full day at home with a pack, you are likely fit enough. Read how difficult Annapurna Base Camp is.

Do I need a porter?

Not on Budget, where you carry your own bag. On Standard, one porter serves two of you and carries 10 kg each. If you travel alone on Standard, there is no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg of your gear. Luxury always has a dedicated porter. The government limit is 20 kg per porter.

Can I pay in dollars from the USA?

Yes. The 10% deposit goes on a card through our website. The balance is paid in Kathmandu in US dollars or euros, cash or card. If your bank blocks the first payment to Nepal, a call to the bank usually clears it.

Is there altitude sickness at 4,130 m?

It can affect anyone who goes high, fit or not. You sleep at base camp for one night only, and your guide carries a pulse oximeter and checks you daily. If you feel sick, tell the guide and we do not go higher.

What does the trek price not include?

International flights, your visa, insurance, Kathmandu hotels, tips, and on Budget your teahouse meals, which run about USD 15 to 25 a day. Our full cost breakdown goes through each line, and the Nepal trekking from the USA guide covers the paperwork for Americans.

If you tell me your home airport and the weeks you can take, I will give you a plan and a price. Message me on WhatsApp at +977 9810351300.