Everest Three Passes Trek Cost: Full Budget Breakdown

What the Three Passes Costs in One Glance

The Everest Three Passes trek is the most expensive of the standard Khumbu routes, more than the classic Everest Base Camp or Gokyo Lakes treks. There are two reasons: it runs 18-21 days rather than 12-14, and it strings together three high passes that demand a capable guide and extra nights at altitude. As with EBC, the trailhead is only reachable by the Lukla flight (roughly NPR 46,000-53,000 round trip), a fixed cost baked into every budget.

Most trekkers spend between NPR 215,000 and NPR 370,000 per person for a guided trip, depending on style.

The figures above are the on-the-ground trek cost. They exclude your international flights to Kathmandu, your Nepal visa, and travel insurance, budget those separately (see below).

Line-by-Line Cost Breakdown

Here is where every rupee goes on a standard guided Three Passes trek, using 2026 estimates. Trek prices in Nepal are usually quoted in US dollars but paid in a mix of dollars and Nepali rupees (NPR).

The Lukla flight: about NPR 46,000-53,000 round trip

The flight from Kathmandu (or Manthali/Ramechhap in peak season) to Lukla (2,840 m) and back runs roughly NPR 18,000-24,000 each way for foreign nationals, and is rarely discounted. It is weather-dependent, so build in buffer days, see the itinerary guide. A helicopter alternative exists but costs considerably more.

Permits: about NPR 5,000

• Sagarmatha National Park entry permit: ~NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals.
• Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit: ~NPR 2,000, which replaced the old TIMS card for this region.

There is no restricted-area permit and no TIMS card in the Khumbu. SAARC nationals (including Indians) pay less. See the Three Passes permits guide for the full detail.

Guide and porter: NPR 2,500-5,000 per day

A licensed guide is required in Sagarmatha National Park, and on the Three Passes a strong, experienced guide is worth every rupee for the glacier and pass crossings. Expect roughly NPR 3,500-4,500/day for a guide and NPR 2,500-3,500/day for a porter (who carries up to about 20-25 kg, often shared between two trekkers). Because the trek is long, the guide/porter line is a bigger share of the total than on EBC.

Teahouse rooms: NPR 500-2,000 per night

A twin room is cheap low down, often NPR 500-800, sometimes free if you eat your meals there, rising toward NPR 1,000-2,000 at remote high villages like Chukhung, Lobuche, Gorak Shep, Dzongla and Gokyo, where everything is portered or yak-hauled in.

Food and drink: NPR 2,500-9,000 per day

Prices climb steeply with altitude. Budget roughly NPR 2,500-4,500/day low on the trail and NPR 6,000-9,000/day near Gorak Shep and Gokyo. A plate of dal bhat might be NPR 600 in Lukla and NPR 1,000-1,200 high up. Hot drinks, bottled/boiled water, charging, Wi-Fi and hot showers are all paid extras that add up over three weeks.

A Real Sample Budget (19-Day Trek)

Here is a realistic itemised budget for one person on a 19-day Three Passes trek with a hired guide, two trekkers sharing a porter, paying for food and lodging as you go:

Booking the same trip as an all-inclusive package through an agency usually lands within the NPR 215,000-370,000 range, the premium buys you fixed logistics, Kathmandu hotel nights, airport transfers, a pre-trek briefing and a single point of accountability if a pass is snowed in or a flight is grounded.

Hidden Costs People Forget

• Travel insurance with helicopter evacuation cover, non-negotiable on the Three Passes; USD 100-250 for the longer trip. Confirm it covers trekking to at least 5,600 m.
• Lukla flight delays. Weather can ground flights for a day or more, so budget extra Kathmandu hotel nights, and possibly a pricier helicopter transfer, as a fallback.
• Tips. Customary and generous on this trek, roughly NPR 1,000-1,600/day total for a guide and NPR 800-1,200/day for a porter who carries loads over the high passes, pooled and given at the end.
• Microspikes and poles. Essential for the icy Cho La; rent or buy a pair (~NPR 100-200/day rental in Kathmandu) if you do not own them, see the packing list.
• Gear you don't own. Renting a down jacket and a warm sleeping bag in Kathmandu's Thamel is ~NPR 100-200/day each.
• Bottled vs treated water. Bottled water climbs to NPR 100-400 a litre high up. A filter or purification tablets pays for itself over three weeks.
• Nepal visa, USD 30 (15 days) / USD 50 (30 days) on arrival, separate from the trek, and note the 30-day visa covers this longer itinerary comfortably.

How to Trek the Three Passes for Less

• Eat dal bhat. The best value on any menu, a huge refillable plate of rice, lentils and vegetables that fuels a full pass-crossing day for one fixed price.
• Share a porter. Splitting one porter between two trekkers roughly halves that line item over 18-plus days.
• Trek in the shoulder weeks. Late September or late November still deliver fine weather with fewer crowds, see best time to trek.
• Treat your own water instead of buying bottled, and carry a power bank to cut charging fees.
• Book locally in Kathmandu, not abroad. Local operators in Thamel are markedly cheaper than international agencies selling the identical circuit.

Don't economise on a licensed guide, insurance, acclimatisation days or microspikes. On the Three Passes you cross three glaciated passes above 5,300 m, cutting those corners is where a cheap trip becomes a dangerous one. See the difficulty guide.