How much to tip your trekking guide and porters in Nepal in 2026, in US dollars and rupees, for group and private treks, with sample totals for Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and Everest Base Camp, plus when and how to hand it over.
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In 2026 a fair tip for a trekking guide in Nepal is about USD 15 to 20 per day from the whole group, and for each porter about USD 8 to 12 per day. In rupees, that is roughly NPR 2,300 to 3,100 a day for the guide and NPR 1,250 to 1,850 a day per porter. Give it once, at the end of the trek, in cash and in rupees, in a separate envelope for each person.
Tipping on a trek is customary rather than compulsory. It is not included in our trip prices, or in almost anyone else's, and for guides and porters it is a real and expected part of what a season's work earns. At the same time, a tip is a thank-you, not a fee. Nobody on our team should ever ask you for one.
The figures here are cross-checked against current guidance from several Nepal trekking companies and travel writers. They vary, so we give honest ranges rather than one magic number.
About USD 15 to 20 per day of the trek, from the whole group rather than from each person, is the usual range in 2026. For a ten-day trek that is USD 150 to 200 in total. Go towards USD 25 a day for a long, remote or demanding trek, a larger group, or a guide who went well beyond the job.
Published guidance varies more than you might expect. Some companies suggest about USD 20 a day for a lead guide; others give USD 15 to 25; others give lower figures, around USD 8 to 15 a day. Some trekkers work from a percentage instead, roughly 10 to 15 percent of the trip price, shared among the whole team. Our view is that the per-day method is fairer, because it ties the tip to the days someone actually worked for you.
Your guide does a lot more than walk in front. They check your oxygen and pulse every evening, choose lodges and order your food, handle permits at checkpoints, adjust the pace when someone is struggling, and decide when to turn round. On pass days they are up before you at 3 or 4 am, checking the weather and getting hot drinks into everyone before the headtorch walk starts.
At about NPR 155 to the US dollar (October 2026), USD 15 to 20 a day is roughly NPR 2,300 to 3,100 for a guide, and USD 8 to 12 is roughly NPR 1,250 to 1,850 for a porter. Round to amounts that are easy to put in an envelope, and check the current exchange rate before you go, since it moves.
For a sense of scale: the standard daily rates set by the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal in 2023 were NPR 3,100 for a trekking guide and NPR 2,400 for a porter. A tip of a day's guide wage every day would be generous; half to a full day's wage a day sits in the normal range.
About USD 8 to 12 per day for each porter, from the group. Porters carry the heaviest load on the trek, often for the lowest pay, so do not leave them out or give them a token amount. On a ten-day trek that means USD 80 to 120 per porter.
On our treks one porter carries the bags of two trekkers, up to about 20 kg in total. Two trekkers therefore usually share one porter, and a group of six has three. Many porters walk on to the next village after you stop, carry on through rain or snow, and still arrive with your bag before you have finished your tea.
For two trekkers sharing one guide and one porter, expect to tip roughly USD 100 to 130 in total on a four-day Poon Hill trek, USD 230 to 320 on Annapurna Base Camp, and USD 280 to 390 on Everest Base Camp. Split between two people, that is about half each.
These figures use USD 15 to 20 a day for the guide and USD 8 to 12 a day for the porter, counted over the days on the trail with the team.
Trek | Days on the trail | Guide | Porter | Total for the team | Per trekker (2 people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | USD 60–80 (NPR 9,300–12,400) | USD 32–48 (NPR 5,000–7,400) | USD 92–128 | USD 46–64 | |
On the Everest Base Camp trek the trail days run from the flight to Lukla on day 2 to the flight back on day 13. Days in Kathmandu before and after do not count for porters, who are usually based in the mountains. Your guide is with you for the briefing too, so round up for them if you like.
The amount each staff member receives should be about the same; what changes is how many people share it. On a private trek for two, you split the guide's and porter's tips between you. On a group trek of six, the guide's tip is shared six ways, so each trekker pays less, while each of the three porters gets their own amount.
Here is how that works for a ten-day trek at the middle of the ranges, USD 17 a day for the guide and USD 10 a day per porter:
Group | Staff | Total tips | Per trekker |
|---|---|---|---|
1 trekker, private | 1 guide, 1 porter | USD 270 | USD 270 |
2 trekkers | 1 guide, 1 porter | USD 270 | USD 135 |
4 trekkers | 1 guide, 2 porters | USD 370 |
A solo trekker carries the whole tip, which feels steep. If that is you, aim for the lower end of the range for the guide and do not cut the porter's share. For larger groups, especially with an assistant guide, nudge the guide's daily figure up towards USD 20 to 25, because looking after eight or ten people at altitude is more work than looking after two. An assistant guide usually receives somewhere between the guide's and the porters' rates.
Give tips once, at the end of the trek: on the last evening together or on the final morning, before anyone leaves. Do not tip daily. Check with your guide when the porters will head off, because they often leave at the trailhead, the bus park or Lukla airport rather than coming back to your hotel.
That last point catches people out. On Pokhara treks the porters may say goodbye where the jeep picks you up. On Everest treks the porters usually stay in Lukla when you fly out early in the morning, and there is not much time at a busy airstrip. The night before, in the Lukla lodge, is the better moment. Many groups make a small occasion of it after dinner: everyone in the dining room, a few words of thanks, and an envelope for each person.
If you leave a trek early because of illness, tip for the days the team worked with you. Your guide or porter will often walk you down and arrange your transport, and that counts.
Put cash in a separate envelope for each person, write their name on it, and give it to them yourself, with a few words of thanks. Use your right hand, or both hands, which is polite in Nepal. Giving each envelope directly makes sure the porters receive their share.
A few practical points:
Prepare the envelopes in Kathmandu or Pokhara, before the trek, or carry plain envelopes and enough small notes. Nobody in a high village has change for a NPR 5,000 note.
Say what you appreciated. "Thank you for getting me over the pass" means more than a speech.
"Dhanyabad" is thank you in Nepali. Your team will appreciate it.
Keep it private-ish. Hand envelopes over at the table rather than counting notes out in the street.
Tip in Nepali rupees. Rupees can be spent straight away, and your team does not lose money changing foreign notes. US dollars are accepted, but only clean, recent notes, and changing small amounts is a hassle. Euros and other currencies are harder still.
Withdraw cash in Kathmandu or Pokhara before the trek. ATMs on the trail are scarce: there are machines at Lukla and Namche, but they often run out or refuse foreign cards, and there are none on most Annapurna routes once you leave the road. Our packing list and trekking cost guide cover how much cash to carry.
The simplest and fairest way is for you to tip each person separately, so no one has to divide money afterwards. If your group prefers one pooled amount, agree the split among yourselves first, then still hand each envelope to the right person.
Some trekkers give the whole sum to the guide to distribute. Most guides are scrupulous about this, but it puts them in an awkward position and leaves the porters relying on someone else. You are better off handing over separate envelopes. If language is a barrier, your guide can translate while you give the porter their envelope yourself.
Tips are separate from wages. On our treks, the wages, food, accommodation and insurance for your guide and porters are already included in the trip price; tips are on top and go entirely to the people you hand them to.
Porters are the most vulnerable people on any trek: they carry the most, earn the least and often have the least protection from cold and altitude. The International Porter Protection Group sets out five basic guidelines: proper clothing and footwear, shelter and food, medical care and insurance, care if they fall ill, and loads they can safely carry.
On our treks porters' wages, food, accommodation and insurance are included, and one porter carries for two trekkers, up to about 20 kg in total. You can help by keeping your bag to about 10 kg, and by watching out for your porter as you would for a friend. If a porter is ill at altitude, they need the same care as you: rest, descent and a member of the team with them, never sent down alone.
Spare gear is a welcome extra for some porters, particularly warm jackets, gloves or good socks. Give it as well as, not instead of, a cash tip, and ask your guide first whether it would be useful. Our guide on how to choose a trekking company in Nepal explains what fair treatment of porters looks like and the questions to ask.
Tipping is voluntary, so you can reduce or withhold a tip if service was genuinely poor, but tell us during the trek rather than saying nothing and leaving an empty envelope. Most problems, from pace to food to lodge choice, can be fixed if your guide hears about them on day two rather than on the last night.
Be fair about who you are judging. Weather, flight delays and full lodges in October are nobody's fault. If your guide was the problem, that is no reason to cut the porter's tip. And if anyone on the team asks you for a tip, or makes you feel you owe more, tell us: it should not happen.
You can reach our office on WhatsApp at any point during the trek. We would much rather sort something out on the trail than read about it afterwards.
It is not expected for normal service. Your meals and rooms on our treks are paid by us. If a lodge family goes out of their way for you, for example drying your boots by the stove or making something special, a small tip of a few hundred rupees is a kind gesture.
For a short airport or hotel transfer, it is not expected. For a long private drive to or from a trailhead, a few hundred rupees per driver is a common thank-you.
Many restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara add a 10 percent service charge as well as 13 percent VAT. Check the bill. If service charge is included, an extra tip is optional; leave a little more for great service if you like.
Yes, at the same daily rates. On a two-day Australian Camp trek that means a modest amount, perhaps USD 30 to 40 for the guide and USD 16 to 24 for the porter from the group.
For your guide, yes, if they are coming back to Kathmandu or Pokhara with you. For porters, usually not, since they often stay in the mountains or leave at the trailhead. Ask your guide on the second-last day how the goodbyes will work.
Travel advice
How to tell a reliable Nepal trekking company from a risky one: checking the licence, licensed guides, porter welfare, safety and evacuation plans, honest pricing, payment safety, reviews, written itineraries and cancellation terms.
10
USD 150–200 (NPR 23,000–31,000) |
USD 80–120 (NPR 12,400–18,600) |
USD 230–320 |
USD 115–160 |
12 | USD 180–240 (NPR 28,000–37,000) | USD 96–144 (NPR 15,000–22,000) | USD 276–384 | USD 138–192 |
12, Lukla to Lukla | USD 180–240 (NPR 28,000–37,000) | USD 96–144 (NPR 15,000–22,000) | USD 276–384 | USD 138–192 |
about USD 93
6 trekkers | 1 guide, 3 porters | USD 470 | about USD 78 |
Tips are best given in cash directly to the people who earned them, at the end of the trek. That way you decide based on the trek you actually had, and every rupee reaches the right person.
Tip for the days your team actually worked with you. If your guide spent extra days helping you reorganise flights or routes, that work counts too.
A tip is never a condition of service. If money is tight, give what you can, fairly shared between guide and porters, with a sincere thank-you. Leaving the porter out entirely is the one thing to avoid.