The Annapurna Circuit Trek costs between USD 1,190 and USD 1,600 per person as a fully guided, all-inclusive package in 2026. Independent trekkers can walk it for roughly USD 700 to USD 1,000 once permits, food, and tea houses are added up. This guide breaks down every line so you know where the money goes.
An Annapurna Circuit budget is the total of four costs: your guided package or daily spending, the two regional permits, food and accommodation on the trail, and tips. Each one behaves differently, so we treat them separately below.
What a guided Annapurna Circuit package costs
A guided package with Annapurna Trekking starts at USD 1,190 per person for a 14-day private trek. The price moves with group size: solo trekkers pay a supplement, while groups of 7 to 12 receive up to 12% off the per-person rate. The package covers your TAAN-certified guide, porters, both permits, tea-house accommodation, three meals a day on the trek, and all ground transport between Kathmandu, Besisahar, and Pokhara.
Reputable Nepal operators price the same 14 to 16-day circuit between USD 1,100 and USD 1,600. Anything advertised below USD 900 usually cuts guide wages, porter insurance, or meals, which is where safety and ethics suffer.
Permits: ACAP and TIMS
Two permits are mandatory on the Annapurna Circuit and together cost about USD 50. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) is NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals, and the TIMS card is NPR 2,000 through a registered agency. Our full ACAP and TIMS permit guide explains where to buy them and what to carry. When you book a guided trek, both permits are arranged for you and included in the package price.
Daily costs on the trail
Independent trekkers spend roughly USD 30 to USD 45 a day once food and a tea-house bed are counted. A bed runs NPR 500 to NPR 1,000, a plate of dal bhat costs NPR 600 to NPR 900, and prices climb with altitude because everything is carried up by mule or porter. Budget extra for the items tea houses charge separately:
- Hot shower: NPR 200 to NPR 500
- Device charging: NPR 200 to NPR 400 per hour above Manang
- Wifi: NPR 300 to NPR 600, or a data card bought in Kathmandu
- Boiled or bottled water: NPR 100 to NPR 400 (carry purification tablets to cut this)
Independent versus guided: the real difference
An independent Annapurna Circuit can look USD 300 to USD 500 cheaper on paper, but the gap narrows fast. Solo trekkers still pay for permits, a guide that is now required on many routes, food inflation at altitude, and the jeep rides that replace the road-built sections. A guided package fixes the price, removes the daily haggling, and puts an acclimatisation plan and emergency cover behind you on the Thorong La crossing at 5,416m.
Tipping guides and porters
Tipping is customary in Nepal and sits outside the package price. A common guideline is USD 8 to USD 12 per day for your guide and USD 6 to USD 9 per day for each porter, pooled and shared at the end of the trek. On a 14-day circuit that adds roughly USD 150 to USD 250 per trekker, split across the group.
When you trek changes the price
October and April fall in the two peak seasons, when demand and some tea-house prices rise. Trekking in the shoulder weeks of late September or early December can lower costs and crowds, with trade-offs in weather. Our guide to the best time to trek the Annapurna Circuit covers the month-by-month detail.
What is included with Annapurna Trekking
Annapurna Trekking quotes one all-inclusive price with no extras on the trail. That covers your guide and porter, both permits, tea-house accommodation, three daily meals on the trek, ground transport, and airport transfers. Flights to Nepal, travel insurance with helicopter-evacuation cover, tips, and personal spending money are the items you arrange yourself. See the full inclusions on the Annapurna Circuit Trek page, or message us for a custom quote.
