How Much Does the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek Cost in 2027?

Kanchenjunga is one of the cheapest restricted-area treks in Nepal. The permit costs USD 20 per week, a fraction of Manaslu (USD 100/week) or Upper Mustang (USD 50/day). But the trek is long (18-22 days), remote, and logistically complex, which means the total cost is higher than a standard Annapurna or Langtang trek. Here is what it actually costs, broken down to the last dollar.

How Much Does a Guided Kanchenjunga Trek Package Cost?

A fully guided Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek through a registered Nepal company costs:

Tier	19 days, with flights (per person)	21 days, by road (per person)	What You Get
Budget	USD 1,875	USD 1,375	Guide, permits, teahouse accommodation and shared local transport, with flights on the 19-day trek and a local bus on the road trek. No porter on this tier, and you buy your own meals on the trail
Standard	USD 3,740	USD 3,395	All three meals a day, one porter shared between two trekkers, better rooms, senior guide, and a reserved jeep for your group
Luxury	USD 5,165	USD 5,465	Best available rooms, all equipment, private guide, all extras, and a private jeep

Every tier includes all permits (restricted area, conservation area, TIMS), a licensed guide, teahouse accommodation and transport between Kathmandu and the trailhead. On the 19-day trek that is the flight to Bhadrapur and back plus a jeep: shared seats on Budget, a reserved jeep for your group on Standard, a private jeep on Luxury. On the 21-day road trek it is a local bus and shared jeep on Budget, a tourist bus and reserved jeep on Standard, and a private jeep from Kathmandu on Luxury. The porter and your meals begin at the standard tier. A sleeping bag rated to minus fifteen and a down jacket are provided free on every tier, budget included, with a duffel bag on the Standard and Luxury packages.

What Do the Permits Cost?

Kanchenjunga requires three permits:

• Restricted Area Permit: USD 20 per week for the first four weeks. For a 19-day trek spanning three weeks, this costs USD 60. Manaslu costs USD 100 for the first week plus USD 15 a day after that in autumn, and Upper Mustang USD 50 a day.
• Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Permit: NPR 2,000 (about USD 15)
• TIMS Card: NPR 2,000 (about USD 15)

Total permit cost: approximately USD 90. This is one of the cheapest restricted-area permits in Nepal. The government keeps it low to encourage tourism in eastern Nepal, which receives far fewer visitors than the Annapurna or Everest regions.

What Is NOT Included in the Package?

International flights to Nepal are the biggest variable. From the UK: GBP 400-700 return. From the US: USD 700-1,100. From Australia: AUD 800-1,200.

Domestic flights: nothing extra to buy. On the 19-day trek the Kathmandu to Bhadrapur flights, both ways, are in the price on every tier. The 21-day road trek has no flights. The flight saves two days on the road, which is why the road trek takes 21 days and the flying trek 19.

Nepal visa: USD 50 for 30 days on arrival. A 19-day trek plus arrival/departure days fits within 30 days, but barely. Budget for a 30-day visa.

Travel insurance: USD 100-180 for a three-week policy with helicopter evacuation cover. Do not skip this. Helicopter evacuation from eastern Nepal costs USD 4,000-6,000 without insurance.

Daily extras on trail: Hot drinks (NPR 150-300), device charging (NPR 300-500), hot showers where available (NPR 300-500), snacks. Budget USD 10-15 per day, or USD 200-300 for the full trek.

Tips: USD 15-20 per day for your guide, USD 10-12 per day for your porter. Over 19 days: USD 475-600 total.

What Is the Total Budget from Different Countries?

Item	From UK	From USA	From Australia
International flights	USD 550-900	USD 700-1,100	USD 650-1,000
Domestic flights (in the 19-day price)	USD 0	USD 0	USD 0
Trek package (budget, 19 days with flights)	USD 1,875	USD 1,875	USD 1,875
Visa	USD 50	USD 50	USD 50
Insurance	USD 120	USD 150	USD 130
Daily extras (19 days)	USD 250	USD 250	USD 250
Tips	USD 500	USD 500	USD 500
Kathmandu (2 nights)	USD 40	USD 40	USD 40
Total (budget)	USD 3,385-3,735	USD 3,535-3,935	USD 3,485-3,835

On the 21-day road trek the Budget package is USD 1,375 for two to four people, USD 500 less than the flying trek, so take USD 500 off each total above.

Why Is Kanchenjunga More Expensive Than EBC Despite Cheaper Permits?

Three reasons:

Duration. The Kanchenjunga trek is 19 to 22 days, seven to ten days longer than EBC. Every extra day adds guide wages, porter wages, meals, and accommodation costs. A week of extra trekking adds USD 200-400 to the package price.

Logistics. Eastern Nepal is harder to reach than the Khumbu. The flight to Bhadrapur or the multi-day drive to Taplejung costs more and takes longer than the 30-minute Lukla flight. The return logistics are equally complex.

Teahouse infrastructure. The teahouses on the Kanchenjunga trail are more basic and less numerous than on EBC. Above Ghunsa, accommodation is genuinely rudimentary. Food costs more because everything is carried further from the nearest road. The teahouse owners charge higher per-night rates because they serve fewer guests.

How Can You Save Money on the Kanchenjunga Trek?

Book directly with a Nepal company. International operators mark up 30 to 60 percent. Our Budget package is USD 1,875 per person for two to four walkers on the 19-day trek with flights, or USD 1,375 on the 21-day road trek, with no middle agent's markup on top.

Trek in shoulder season. March or late November will not change our package price, which is set by group size and not by month, but domestic flight seats are easier to get and cheaper on the open market.

Go with a partner. There is no longer any minimum group size. Nepal scrapped the legal two-trekker minimum for restricted areas on 22 March 2026, so a solo Kanchenjunga permit is now possible in law. In practice, a solo departure carries the whole cost of a guide, a porter and the jeep alone, so a solo traveller pays more per person. On the 19-day trek with flights that is USD 3,005 on Budget, USD 5,300 on Standard and USD 7,405 on Luxury, against USD 1,875, USD 3,740 and USD 5,165 for two to four walkers. On the 21-day road trek it is USD 2,465, USD 4,945 and USD 8,365, against USD 1,375, USD 3,395 and USD 5,465. If you would rather share the cost, join one of our fixed departures or we will pair you with another trekker on your dates. Finding one trekking partner roughly halves that overhead.

Take the road trek instead of flying. The 21-day trek by road has no flights, and on Budget it costs USD 1,375 for two to four people, USD 500 less than the 19-day trek with flights. It adds two days and long hours in a vehicle, but the road passes through beautiful countryside. The Mechi Highway collapsed on 13 July 2026 and is open again (checked 27 October 2026).

Is Kanchenjunga Worth the Cost?

If you have done EBC and Annapurna and want something genuinely different, Kanchenjunga delivers value that no other trek in Nepal can match. Five to fifteen trekkers per day on the trail. Villages where children run out to greet you because foreigners are uncommon. The north base camp at Pangpema (5,143m) with the third-highest mountain on earth filling your entire field of vision.

The cost per day of extraordinary experience is actually lower than EBC. You pay more in total, but you get nineteen days of wilderness instead of twelve days of well-trodden trail. For trekkers who value solitude, Kanchenjunga is the bargain of Nepal.

See our Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek (19 Days) for the full itinerary, or the 21-day trek by road. All permits are included in our package prices.

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Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation Himalayan guide. TAAN Member #1586.