How to Create a Realistic Budget for the Manaslu Trek
The Manaslu trek: A dream adventure that will take some mean financial planning. “Restricted area” special regulations. The expenses you will incur will be slightly different from the treks to the Himalayan area. While you could technically hike for free, a realistic budget will mean you have a safe, comfortable, and memorable experience. So I’ll mention the primary costs here to do the budgeting for your Manaslu circuit trekking trip.
The Core Trekking Package: The Big Cost
The all-inclusive package price you get from a trekking agency will dictate your budget. It’s also the simplest and most common way to trek, as Tanzanian law requires hikers to go with a certified guide and at least one other person. At a minimum, the cost of a Manaslu Circuit Nepal will be permits, guide, de and potentially a porter, food, and lodging on the trek. A typical 12- to 14-day package runs $900 to $1,500 a person, depending on the trekking company, group size, ze and season. Friendly with (with a guide) $30–7.5 Likely, you’ll be on the higher end of this range, as a private trek for one person will incur full guide costs and expenses.
The Permit Fees:
A Massive Tax on Doing Stuff You Like Doing. If you regard the high fees for permits as a “ta,” then please enjoy spending 1000s of your hard-earned dollars on “nothing” this year.
The license is a massive and aggregate part of the budget. The costs are typically included in the price of a trekking package, but it is helpful to be aware of what you are paying for. Already, 3 you have to get Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (MRAP), Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP), and Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP). MRAP is the most expensive, and the cost changes by season. It runs from September through November; $100 gets you the first seven days, and each additional day costs $15. Between December and August, the price drops to $75 for the first week and $10 a day for additional days. Both the MCAP and ACAP have a fixed charge of about $30. If you decide to go to the Tsum Valley, at some point, you will need to purchase another permit to enter that area.
Food and Lodging: Inexpensive and Savvy
The most comfortable part of the entire Manaslu Circuit trek is arguably when you sign into base, simple teahouses serving basic but great value food to register that you are OK along the way. Book breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at scheduled times and are included in the price of your getaway. But remember, you’re still going to have to account for food and drink. You go up, and the goods go up just because of transportation problems.” You’ll also pay for:
Snacks and chocolate bars: $3 to $8 each.
Bottled water or purified water: $2 to $5 per liter. Here’s a fantastically simple and moderately healthy eco tip when you travel: Bring your own water to drink from home/invest in a water filter/purifier, and/or bring some water purification tablets.
Sodas, hot chocolate, and beer: $3 to $8 each.
A Charge for Your Electronics $2 to $5 an hour or per device; none of those power adapters that you put in, and they break.
Hot showers: $3 to $5 each, but not always possible; sometimes, a bucket shower.
A good rule of thumb in budgeting for these fees is to figure $20 to $30 a day.
How to get to — and from — Fat Man’s Misery Trail
The trail is open all year. Getting there & back Fat Man’s Misery Trailhead: From Salem, drive north on State Street (which turns into Highway 22) for 8 miles to Idanha, and continue 0.5 mile to a junction.
There’s also the price of getting to the trailhead and back from the terminus. Your trekking packages may already include this, but if you paid for everything on your own to the guide, then you’ll need to pay this separately. You can then share a private jeep to the trailhead in Machha Khola from Kathmandu, which will cost $250 to $300 per group member. There’s a public bus for around $10 to $15 per person, though it’s nowhere near as comfortable and takes far longer. Plus, the return from Dharapani can be just as long, and will not cost less, generally (ride shared jeeps or public buses).
Guide and Porter Rates: Purchasing Peace of Mind
Your guide is pretty much built into the cost of your trekking package. But if you’re a solo traveler like me and hiring a guide just to meet the permit requirements, you’ll have to shell out money for that. An average seasoned government-licensed guide will make about $40-50 per day, which covers insurance, accommodation, meals, and his salary. If you do hire a porter, the going rate is about $25-$35 per day. Here you are absolutely paying for your comfort; for a pony or mule to take the strain and save some energy to enjoy yoloing in life and reeeelaxing in the breathtaking surroundings of the Manaslu Base Camp Trek and the remainder of the circuit.
Tip: A Tradition and an Appreciated but not calculated in your price on your voucher, tipping is not included in your tour.
There a, resomee, ver tips to guide and porter which will have e huge impact on your budget here. It’s also a tradition in Nepal, and an important source of revenue for staff who work on treks. It’s kind of up to you and dependent on what you thought of the service you received, but you should plan on tipping a guide about $10 to $15 per day and a porter around $8 to $12 per day. These are figures per person, and if you are trekking as a group, just total the money and split it between you all at the end of your trip.
Other expenses: On trek and post trek meals, water, etc.
And don’t forget to budget for costs outside the trek. And I do mean all of it — even your international airfare, a Nepal visa (you can buy one for about $30 on arrival for 15 days), and travel insurance, which you’ll need for high-altitude trekking and, if you do need it, emergency helicopter evacuation. You’ll also get a few days in Kathmandu at the start and end of your trip, so you’ll need to budget for accommodations, food, a nd sightseeing there, too. By budgeting for some of these added-cost items, you can develop a fuller picture of what things will cost.
Comprehensive Budget: A Realistic Number
In summary budget for 14 14-day Manaslu Trekking for a solo/small group traveler would be around $1500 to $2000 per person (international flights not included). The price comes down to $900 to $1,300 per person for a group package tour of a large group trek. This already includes the permits, a licensed trekking guide, transport to and from our start-off point, and you’ll still have some to spare to get you through the trek and a nice meal at the end of your unforgettable adventure.
