How much will it cost?

You can go cheap, or you can go fancy….all depends on your comfort level and what you expect.

Airfares – highly variable – $2000. – 6000 per person. depending on your route, your carrier, your timing + airfare for your child home. We got very lucky and flew on frequent flyer so our total airfare was $180 for the two of us and another $156 for a lap seat for our daughter on the return.

Hotel – reasonable comfortable from $35/day to major more upscale at $100+/day (don’t forget about the tax and service charge (sometimes referred to as “plus, plus”) which add about 23% onto your bill) Our rate at the Yak and Yeti was $90 plus, plus which ran about $110/night. So for us at 21 nights....about $2300

Food – if you eat in one of the more spendy hotels plan at least $10-$15/meal/person for the buffet. If you eat reasonable restaurants outside of the nicer hotels $3-$7/meal/person (also subject to tax and service chage)

Transportation – most anywhere in the city $3.33 or less by taxi (250 rupee) – although a variable depending on time of day, your desire to bargain, and whether it’s a round trip (the driver waits an hour or two for you then takes you home) I figured between orphanage trips, trips to various ministries, doctor appointments, embassies and sightseeing we took about 35 trips

Visa Fees – ask your agency – some agencies cover other’s do not – ours agency covered, so I’m not sure of the cost. – I think about $400

Gifts – we brought small gifts for orphanage workers, our Nepal rep, and ministry workers (10 -15 small gifts (like regional candies, hats, mugs, pins, inexpensive bracelets made of regional stones) at $2 - $6 each. Plus we spent about $100 in Nepal on clothing/shoes that we took to the orphanage.

Tourism (besides the cost of taxi) it costs 100 – 750 rupee/person ($1.30. - $10.00) to visit some of the sights

Internet access $6.50 - $13.00/day for wifi at some hotels . Much cheaper but less convenient if you use an internet café near yr hotel

Laundry $0.70-$1.40 /kilo of laundry at many places in Thamel, but very expensive if you have it done in yr hotel (like $10/kilo)

Sorry my math doesn’t exactly match up….I generally did the conversion from US dollars to Nepali rupee in my head. It’s about 75 rupee to 1 dollar.