Will I need to carry cash?

Asked by: A traveller

Answered by: Stuart Butler

Always take more cash with you than you imagine you’ll need. There are very few ATMs on any of the trekking trails (Lukla and Namche Bazar in the Everest area have the only reliable bank machines) and it’s easy to underestimate how much you’ll spend.

Banks and ATMs accept foreign cards in all larger Nepalese towns and cities. Bigger banks will change cash (dollars and euros are best). Travellers’ cheques are rarely accepted now. The best way of accessing money is from an ATM. However, it’s wise to have some emergency cash with you in US dollars or euros.

Guides and porters will expect a tip (cash) at the end of a trek. A good rule of thumb is for each member of your group to pay the equivalent of one extra day's salary to each porter and the guide for each week you trek.

Stuart Butler

Stuart is an award-winning travel journalist and guidebook author who has been visiting and trekking in Nepal for over thirty years. One of the world's leading authorities on Nepal trekking, he is the author of Lonely Planet’s Trekking in Nepal, the Rough Guide to Nepal, the Tibet chapter of the Rough Guide to China and the Bradt guide to Kashmir & Ladakh. He is also regularly published in The Independent, BBC, Time Out, The Telegraph, among many other UK and international publications.

stuartbutlerjournalist.com/

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The Nepal trekking industry is plagued with an oversupply problem – there seem to be more trekking operators than actual trekkers, which puts immense downward pressure on prices. This might seem like a good thing for you, but when you see a 12 day EBC trek for $800 it means corners are being cut somewhere, usually in the pay and quality (and therefore safety and wellbeing) of ground staff.