There is a persistent idea that prices in Nepal double at Dashain. They do not. Trek prices, lodge menus, permit fees and hotel rates in October are the same in the festival week as in the weeks either side of it. What the festival changes is narrower and worth knowing precisely, because the parts that do rise are the parts that also sell out.
This guide separates the two and gives a booking timetable. The year-round figures are in how much trekking in Nepal costs.
What Costs More at Dashain
| Item | Effect of the festival | Why |
|---|---|---|
| International flights to Kathmandu | Higher in the two or three weeks before the tika, especially through the Gulf, Malaysia and India | Hundreds of thousands of Nepalis working abroad fly home |
| Domestic flights | At the top of the fare range, and sold out early | The same homecoming, inside the country |
| Private vehicles around the tika day | A festival surcharge is normal | The driver is working his holiday and often returns empty |
| Taxis on the tika day | Whatever is asked | There are very few of them |
| Guides and porters | A festival bonus on top of wages and tips | Custom, and fairness — see guides and porters at Dashain |
| Pokhara hotels after the tika | Fewer discounts; the better rooms go | The domestic holiday rush |
| Spare days | You may need one more than usual | Transport that does not turn up on the tika day |
None of these is large. Added together they come to perhaps a tenth more on in-country transport and tips than the same trip would cost a fortnight later.
What Does Not Change
- Trek and tour prices. Ours are the same for a Dashain departure as for any other in the season.
- Permit and park fees. Fixed by the government — see Nepal trekking permits explained.
- Lodge prices on the trail. Menus are set by local committees for the season and do not move for the festival.
- City hotels. October is peak season and priced accordingly; the festival adds nothing, and Kathmandu hotels are if anything easier to book in the quiet days.
- Visa fees and entrance tickets to heritage sites.
- Restaurant prices in the tourist districts.
What Nepalis themselves pay more for at Dashain — goats, new clothes, bus tickets home — mostly does not touch a visitor's budget.
When to Book What
| How far ahead | Book |
|---|---|
| 4 – 6 months | International flights. Fares into Kathmandu climb steadily toward the festival |
| 2 – 3 months | The trek or tour, which fixes your guide and porters; Lukla, Pokhara and Jomsom flights |
| 6 – 8 weeks | Restricted-area treks, so that your arrival date leaves working days for the permit — see permits during Dashain |
| 1 month | Pokhara hotels for the days after the tika; village homestays; lodges on short Annapurna treks |
| 1 – 2 weeks | Tourist-bus seats; private vehicles for the days around the tika; activities such as paragliding |
| Before Phulpati | Cash, SIM card, gear rental, pharmacy purchases, visa extension |
The order matters more than the exact intervals. Flights first, because they are the first to go; staff second, because the good ones are committed early; everything that needs an office or a bank last, but before the doors close. The festival dates for the next two years are in our Dashain calendar.
Cash, Cards and ATMs
Banks close for the holiday block and ATMs are not refilled. In the days before the festival the whole country is withdrawing money for gifts and travel, and machines run out — first in the hill towns, then in the cities. Plan to hold everything you need for the festival period in cash before Phulpati.
| Need | Rough amount to carry |
|---|---|
| Food and lodge extras on a teahouse trek | NPR 3,000 – 5,000 a day per person where meals are not included; USD 10 – 15 a day in extras where they are |
| Tips for the crew | USD 10 – 15 per trekker per day, pooled, plus a festival addition |
| City days during the shutdown | NPR 4,000 – 6,000 a day for meals, taxis and entrance fees |
| Reserve | USD 100 – 200 in foreign notes, kept separately |
- Withdraw in several transactions over the days before Phulpati; machines have per-withdrawal limits and charge a fee each time.
- Cards work at larger hotels and restaurants in Thamel and Lakeside throughout. They do not work on the trail.
- Private money changers in the tourist districts open on most festival days, with shorter hours.
- Small notes matter: lodges and village shops cannot change a thousand-rupee note for a cup of tea.
More on what stays open in what is open and closed during Dashain.
The Festival Bonus
Nepal's working year pivots on a festival allowance paid before Dashain, and trekking staff who spend the tika on a mountain have earned one. A responsible operator pays it. As a guest, the usual guidance of USD 10 to 15 per trekker per day for the whole team still holds; at Dashain a few extra days' worth, handed over with a word about the festival, is the right gesture. It is covered in full in guides and porters at Dashain.
Where the Money Is Best Spent
- A flight instead of a road day. Kathmandu to Pokhara by air costs more than the bus and saves, in festival traffic, most of a day — see getting around Nepal during Dashain.
- A private vehicle to the trailhead. The one item most worth pre-paying.
- A guided booking on a busy route. In the days after the tika, reserved rooms on Mardi Himal or Annapurna Base Camp are the difference between a bed and a dining-room bench.
- A spare day. It costs a hotel night and removes most of the festival's risk.
- Insurance that covers cancellation and delay as well as evacuation — see travel insurance for trekking in Nepal.
For a worked example, the Everest Base Camp cost breakdown shows where the money goes on a two-week trek; add the bonus and a buffer day and you have the Dashain version.
Trips That Hold Their Price
Because our rates do not change for the festival, the simplest way to keep a Dashain trip on budget is to choose one with few moving parts: a Kathmandu Valley Tour with no long transfers, a Poon Hill trek from Pokhara reached by one short flight, or the Everest View trek, whose permits are all bought on the trail. The pricing table on each trip page shows the per-person rate by group size.
