Last updated 7 October 2026. Flights are for Muscat (MCT), checked on 7 October 2026. The Omani rial is held at about OMR 0.3845 to the US dollar, so the rial figures hardly move. We bill in US dollars or euros.
From Muscat there is no nonstop to Kathmandu. SalamAir's list of destinations does not include Kathmandu. Every route has at least one change, so the planning question is which connection, and what it costs you in hours.
The price list is short. Each trekker in a party of one to four pays US$1,399 (Budget), US$2,499 (Standard) or US$4,999 (Luxury) for the 12 days, about OMR 540, OMR 960 and OMR 1,920, and none of it changes in 2027. The total with a Muscat return, visa, insurance and tips is about OMR 995 to OMR 1,215, OMR 1,355 to OMR 1,530 and OMR 2,360 to OMR 2,560; the Standard figure assumes you travel alone. For a passport with a free visa, subtract about OMR 20.
Muscat to Kathmandu: every route has a stop
These are economy fares for one adult with a cabin bag and a checked bag on a single ticket without self-transfer, flying out on Sunday 25 October 2026 and back on Wednesday 11 November, with one change of plane allowed in each direction.
A nonstop-only search returned nothing. With one change allowed each way there were 15 itineraries, from OMR 234 to OMR 314. Muscat's cheapest tickets all go through Sharjah, Delhi, Dubai or Mumbai.
The lowest, OMR 234, has Air Arabia out through Sharjah with an overnight stop (Muscat 19:35, Kathmandu 21:40 the next day, about 24 hours) and IndiGo home through Mumbai (Kathmandu 14:45, Muscat 23:05, about 10 hours). The same flights on a daytime outbound, Muscat 10:10 and Kathmandu 21:40 the same day (about 9 hours 45 minutes), were OMR 248. Air India through Delhi out, with a shorter connection that lands in Kathmandu at 06:35 (about 7 hours 25 minutes), was OMR 285, and Fly Dubai through Dubai both ways from OMR 280. Several of the cheapest fares include a cabin bag and a checked bag but no personal item; read the fare rules.
The rial table
Each row covers one person. The flight column gives the lowest and highest fare from the searches. Extras are made up of the visa for 30 days, travel insurance and tips, plus either Budget meals or spending money. Hotels in Kathmandu are priced separately; stay in our family homestay for US$15 per person a night, about OMR 6.
| One traveller | Trek, 12 days | Muscat return | Visa, insurance, tips, extras | Total in rials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | OMR 540 | OMR 234 to OMR 314 | OMR 225 to OMR 365 | OMR 995 to OMR 1,215 |
| Standard, solo | OMR 960 | OMR 234 to OMR 314 | OMR 160 to OMR 255 | OMR 1,355 to OMR 1,530 |
| Luxury | OMR 1,920 | OMR 234 to OMR 314 | OMR 205 to OMR 325 | OMR 2,360 to OMR 2,560 |
Budget trekkers buy their own meals at US$25 to US$40 a day, adding up to US$300 to US$480. The two upper tiers pay for meals, and instead you carry 20,000 to 30,000 rupees (US$130 to US$195), withdrawn in Kathmandu, for showers, charging and snacks. Tipping is US$15 to US$20 per day for the guide and US$10 to US$15 per day for a porter.
Which passport do you hold?
Muscat has Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Egyptian and Omani residents among others. Nepal looks at the passport, not the residence card.
- Indian: no visa and no fee; the online form is still completed. The Nepal embassy in New Delhi lists a valid Indian passport, a voter ID or an emergency certificate for over-tens travelling by air between the two countries.
- Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bhutanese, Maldivian: a free visa of up to 30 days once in a calendar year. After 30 days you pay the normal rate.
- Nepali: no visa. Someone with a foreign passport and a Non-Resident Nepali card gets the visa on arrival free.
- Chinese: a free tourist visa, which the immigration department lists as up to 150 days a year.
- Omani, Filipino, Egyptian and other passports: visa on arrival at Tribhuvan airport for US$30 (15 days), US$50 (30 days, about OMR 20) or US$125 (90 days). Children under ten are free. The immigration site lists no special rule for them.
Twelve nationalities must apply before travelling: Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (Swaziland on the immigration site), Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and Syria. The embassy in New Delhi adds Iran to its list, so ask before booking. Keep six months on the passport. Steps are in the visa on arrival guide and the e-visa guide. For anything about Oman's own rules on residents leaving and re-entering, ask your employer or the police; I do not give advice on that.
Insurance you buy yourself
Do not assume an employer's medical plan pays for care in Nepal. Ask in writing, and buy a travel policy before you fly. It must name trekking to 6,000 m (Kala Patthar is 5,545 m), pay for helicopter evacuation at US$3,000 to US$5,000 (OMR 1,155 to OMR 1,920) and cover illness as well as accidents. Our helicopter cover to 6,000 m explains it, and I will read your policy if you send it.
Tiers in plain words
What you get depends on the tier. Budget: shared rooms, your own bag, your own meals, fixed-wing flight. Standard: a private room, all meals, and a porter shared by two trekkers; travelling alone, you have no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg. Luxury: a porter of your own, a deluxe private room with a bathroom, fruit, nuts, unlimited soft drinks, and a helicopter in and out of Lukla. Included in every tier are the licensed guide, the three permits (NPR 3,000, 3,000 and 2,000), airport transfers and a borrowed down jacket and minus 15 sleeping bag. There is never a single supplement. Kathmandu hotels are charged separately. Route: 12-day trek page.
Group prices in rials
| Tier | 1 to 4 people | 5 to 8 people | 9 to 12 people | 13 to 20 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | OMR 540 | OMR 500 | OMR 460 | OMR 385 |
| Standard | OMR 960 | OMR 940 | OMR 920 | OMR 905 |
| Luxury | OMR 1,920 | OMR 1,905 | OMR 1,885 | OMR 1,865 |
One price per person, private or group. The number in your party picks the band.
Mountains at home, and the clock
Oman's mountains are real mountains. Jebel Shams, near the top of the range, is about 3,000 m, a little higher than Lukla (2,860 m), where this trek starts. Gorak Shep, the highest night, is at 5,164 m, far above that, with five to seven hours of walking on most days and two rest days among the 12. Muscat is 1 hour 45 minutes behind Nepal. The fitness guide is how fit you need to be.
Dashain (17 to 23 October 2026) and Tihar (8 to 12 November) close Nepali offices, and permits take 48 hours of government working days. In the crowded weeks, Lukla flights depart from Manthali, a four to five hour drive from Kathmandu with a pick-up between midnight and 2 am. Luxury trekkers fly by helicopter from Kathmandu and skip this.
The money side
A tenth of the price secures the booking. The remainder is paid in Kathmandu in US dollars or euros, in cash for the exact amount or by card with 3.5 per cent added; rials or rupees are not accepted. You can transfer to any date within 12 months for free if you tell us 72 hours before (seven days for Tibet, Kailash and restricted areas). If you cancel yourself instead, the deposit stays with us and nothing comes back. If we call it off, the refund is your payments less taxes, bank and card charges and permit and flight money already spent.
Verify before you pay
We registered in Kathmandu in 2016, and the guiding in my family goes back three generations. TAAN member 1586; more than 300 reviews across TripAdvisor, Google and Trustpilot. Our registrar, TAAN, tourism licence and forex certificate are all open to check. Licensed companies have been in scams too, so speak to us on video first. A share of every booking helps the Nagarjun Learning Center. Neighbouring pages: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
If you want prices for exact dates, message me on WhatsApp +977 9810351300 or [email protected].
Also on this topic: the day-by-day itinerary, permits and fees and travelling solo.
Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday. TAAN 1586.
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