Lobuche Peak Climbing Cost

Lobuche is an easy and accessible trekking peak in the Khumbu region of Nepal. The peak is an excellent investment for an adventure in the remote Himalayas of Nepal. The Lobuche peak climbing cost ranges from USD 1500 to USD 2500. The cost varies based on many factors and choices of your trip.

Your Lobuche peak climbing cost encompasses bills from various tools needed for your trip. You must factor in transportation, permits, accommodation, meals, guides and porters, trekking gear, tips, etc. Covering up all these factors of your Lobuche peak is a great hassle. Moreover, business transactions in a foreign country always require help from the natives. Hence, many trekking agencies help with your Lobuche peak climbing cost.

We at Exciting Nepal have a packaged deal to cover all your essentials for your Lobuche trip. Our Lobuche peak climbing package cost you USD 2160. This package will cover the following:

• Your pick up and drop off to and back from Nepal at the international airport of Kathmandu.
• Accommodations in various hotels, lodges, and teahouses in Nepal. You will get comfortable hotels in Kathmandu and lower altitude areas. But in remote high-altitude places, you will stay in teahouses.
• Cost for your transportation throughout the trip. It includes travel by road as well as domestic flight tickets.
• Permits for the Sagarmatha National Park and Khumbu municipality, along with NMA permits.
• Meals during your trip.
• Professional guides for your climb as well as porters as per your need.

In detail, let us dissect these factors that affect the Lobuche peak climbing cost.

Transportation cost

Lobuche peak climbing will not require a lot of transportation. You will need transportation while in Kathmandu and to travel to Lukla. Within Kathmandu, you will not have to travel much. We will receive you at the airport and see you off on your way back. It will be simple by road travel in our private vehicle. This will cost you a reasonable price of USD 20 for two trips.

Then when we travel to and back from Lukla, we will take a flight. The domestic flight will cost you around USD 200. So the total price to and back from Lukla will be around USD 400 dollars.

The total cost for your transportation might be around USD 450 while staying safe.

Permit cost

You will require special entry fees for your stay in Nepal and travel in protected areas. First, you will require a visa as a foreign national entering Nepal. If you are an Indian National, this will not be necessary. But every other foreign national needs a visa from the Nepalese embassy.

You must complete an online application form to acquire your Nepal arrival visa. The amount to pay for your visa depends on the days you will stay in Nepal. The on-arrival visa costs you as follows :

• On-arrival visa for 15 days – USD 30
• On-arrival visa for 30 days – USD 50
• On-arrival visa for 90 days – USD 125

Our Lobuche trip will need around 18 days. So, you will have to choose the “30-day” staying option. This will cost you USD 50.

You will also need special area permits for the Lobuche peak climb along with the visa. There are three permits needed to do the Lobuche expedition. The first one is the Sagarmatha National Park permit. This permit will cost you USD 30. You might get the permit for USD 15 if you are a SAARC national though.

The second permit you will require is the Pasanga Lhamu rural municipality permit. People also call it the local area permit. It will cost you around USD 20.

Along with these two protected area permits, you will also need a Lobuche expedition permit. This permit is given by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). The cost of Lobuche peak climbing differs based on the season you choose to climb. NMA charges you as follows:

• Lobuche peak climbing for spring – USD 250
• Lobuche peak climbing for autumn – USD 125
• Lobuche peak climbing for summer – USD 70
• Lobuche peak climbing for winter – USD 70

Accommodation cost

Accommodation costs during your remote mountain trail treks depend upon your daily destinations. Hotels in city areas like Kathmandu have a wide range. You can get hotels ranging from USD 20 to USD 250 per night.

However, you will not get the same choice in remote places. The Khumbu trails provide options like lodges, tea houses, and even hotels. In Lukla, you will find lodges with rooms in the range of USD 2 to USD 6. If you wish to stay in lavish hotels in Lukla, you can get them too. However, it will cost you around USD 15.

In other remote trails of Khumbu, the prime modes of accommodation are tea houses. These tea houses provide you with private rooms along with shared bathrooms. You will get good beds, blankets, and pillows. The tea houses will have a communal dining room. These rooms consist of firewood to keep you warm in the remote icy trails. The facilities in these tea houses will be very minimal. The chances of getting good electricity, hot water, and wifi facilities are very rare.

The average cost of such tea houses ranges from USD 6 to USD 9 per head. Although the facilities here are minimal, the prices are a little higher. This is because the remote trails have very scarce resources. People need to travel long distances on foot to get their amenities. So naturally, their cost ends up piling up and getting very high.

Guides and porters

Most mountain trail treks and expeditions require foreign nationals to travel with guides. So is the case for the Lobuche expedition. It is compulsory for you to get a licensed guide for your Lobuche expedition.

Guides come in a range, and their charge varies. Guides can charge you anywhere from USD 30 to USD 40 per day. The guides can act as translators, navigators, and educational guides. The experienced, more proficient guides will have a broader range of insight about your trip. At the same time, amateurs will give you the bare minimum guidance they can. Either way, they will fulfill your requirement for a guide for the Lobuche expedition.

Along with guides, you might also need porters. The expedition to Lobuche will be long and tiring. So it is essential to cover porters in your Lobuche peak climbing cost.

On your trip, you might find some guides working the job of porters too and helping you with your luggage. But you might need independent porters based on how large your luggage is. Porters usually cost you around USD 20 to USD 30 per day per head. A porter will carry around 20 kg to 25 kg worth of luggage.

Food and drinks cost

The food and drink variety in a city area like Kathmandu is ample. However, there are very few choices in high-altitude places. You will get staple food items in Nepali households like rice, lentils, and vegetable curry. In less remote places, you will get a wide range of cuisine from different parts of the world. However, in your remote trail treks, you will have to adapt.

In low lands, you will likely get a meal for less than USD 5 per person. But in the Himalayan trails, expenses increase with the increase in altitude. The higher your daily destination is, the more expensive freight is. So, to get resources to accommodate you, the tea houses have to spend a lot. Hence, the higher prices for meals. One meal will likely cost you around USD 8 to USD 12. You ought to separate around USD 20 TO USD 25 for a person’s meal for a day.

The remote Himalayan trails also have drinks that cost you a little higher. A cup of tea will cost you around USD 2 to USD 4. This would’ve cost you just USD 0.2 to USD 0.5 if you were in low lands. Similarly, a cup of coffee will cost around USD 3 to USD 5. You will likely only get the instant coffee mix, so do not expect freshly brewed coffee. Further, you might get a few options for alcohol, like beer, which will cost around USD 5 to USD 10 per bottle. You can also get sodas like coke, Fanta, dew, etc., that cost USD 2 to USD 5.

Most of the tea houses do provide you with drinking water facilities. You can also buy bottled water to take for your treks, paying USD 2 to USD 5. A lot of water resources in the trails also have fresh drinkable water. You could bring water purifying tablets to ensure safety as well.

Trekking / Mountain climbing gear costs

• Harness – USD 50 to USD 60
• Crampons – USD 10 to USD 15
• Ascender – USD 36 to USD 75
• Descender – USD 50 to USD 70
• Ice Axe – USD 80 to USD 150
• Trekking pole – USD 20 to USD 200
• Helmet – USD 40 to USD 200
• Snow bar – USD 40
• Carabiner – USD 8 to USD 12
• Ice Screw – USD 60
• Infinity drop rope – USD 300 to USD 330
• Trekking bag – USD 180 to USD 185
• Helmet ($40-$200)

Extra expenses

• Remote trekking trails do not have optimum technological tools. So proper wifi and electricity facilities are very scarce. You might get wifi by paying around USD 3 to USD 5 per day in some places. But it is best if you get a data package and a SIM card for your trip. It might cost you USD 10 or more based on your data volume.
• There are no water heating systems in the trail’s high-altitude areas. You are provided a heated bucket of water in the firewood if you want to have a warm bath or need hot water. The hot water will likely cost you USD 2 to USD 3 per bucket.

• The electricity in remote places cannot be trusted. You might not be able to recharge batteries for your gadgets. Some tea houses will charge them for you for a little extra cost. You might get a power generator for USD 2 to USD 3 to charge your gadgets. But we recommend you buy a power bank for your own convenience.

• We also recommend you invest well in your clothes for the trek. You will need ankle-high hiking boots, thermal innerwear, dry hiking pants, hiking socks, etc. The nights in the high-altitude trails are cold, so make sure you carry an extra layer of clothes for the night. Get a scarf, woolen cap, and gloves to keep you warm. Also, get a proper sleeping bag to ensure hygiene in the remote tea houses. The beds cannot be cleaned after every customer, so a sleeping bag is a must.

• Additionally, you might be expected to give donations to nearby monasteries and tip your tour guides, porters, and hosts. The amount may vary, so make sure you have about USD 10 set aside as gratuities for your fellow travelers for the day.

• Before heading for a mountain climbing trip, you need to make sure you are fit. So you need to start hitting the gym months before your actual trip. You can count that gym fee as your Lobuche peak climbing cost too.

• Get travel insurance back in your home country for safety. In case of injuries, accidents, or health issues, they might be quite helpful.

Point to be noted

• The majority of your journey necessities are carried by donkeys, yaks, or on foot. In this area, trading items and getting in resources is really challenging. Consequently, simply a cup of tea will set you back nearly NRs 200, which is more than what you would pay in Kathmandu (NRs 20). The cause is the trail’s remote location and challenging access. As a result, the price for most of your itinerary is fixed; do not make a fuss about it. Moreover, locals dislike haggling, so do not try making any bargains.

• Most of the expenses broken out in the article are expressed in US dollars. However, it goes without saying that Nepali rupees must be used for all transactions. One USD is roughly equivalent to 120–130 NRs. Maintain a close eye on the exchange rate and carry enough Nepali rupees in your wallet. Once you reach Kathmandu, you can exchange your money for Nepali Rupees.

• Make sure you have adequate cash with you for your hike through the trails. You need cash for all your payments. The guides, porters, food, lodging, and other financial transactions only happen in cash. The isolated area lacks banks and ATMs, and locals are unable to take credit cards or online payments. Other than cash, there are no other ways to pay. So make sure you have enough change in your wallet.

Final Say

The preparation to manage your Lobuche peak climbing cost is a significant hassle. Preparing for so many tools for a successful expedition needs to be teamwork. So if you wish to do the Lobuche expedition, remember Exciting Nepal. We at Exciting Nepal are here to ensure a great trip to Lobuche, covering most of your expenses. You will have to pay a packaged price for the primary needs of your trip.

Exciting Nepal covers expenses for transportation, permits, accommodations, meals, trekking gear, etc. You might have to carry extra cash and spend some on your own. But we will handle the primary and most essential parts of your trip. All you have to do is book your Lobuche climbing dates and count your days.

For more info or to book your Lobuche peak expedition, contact us at Exciting Nepal.