Dawa has carried loads between Lukla and Base Camp for nine seasons. This September he was paid NPR 3,000 a day by one group and NPR 2,500 by the next, for the same 25 kg and the same twelve days.
Two rates for the same load
The difference comes down to who hires him. Independent trekkers who hire at the Lukla airstrip usually pay the higher rate; agencies in Kathmandu that bundle porters into a package often pay the lower one and keep the rest.
We hold both receipts. Until the porter association confirms the going rate, we mark the figure contested.
Porter day rate · Khumbu · autumn 2026
NPR 2,500–3,000
Two receipts from Lukla disagree. The porter association has not yet published a rate for this season.
What the day rate covers
A porter’s day rate is meant to cover his food and lodging on the trail. Higher up, a plate of dal bhat costs NPR 1,400, so a porter on NPR 2,500 can spend more than half his wage on two meals.
Insurance and the flight or walk home are rarely included. Ask.
What porters say
Most porters we spoke to wanted three things from trekkers: a fair rate agreed before the walk, a load under 25 kg, and warm clothes for the nights above Dingboche.
“The lodges charge us the same as you. We carry their rice.”
What to do
- 01Hire at Lukla through the porter association, not a package.
- 02Agree the day rate, the load and the days in writing.
- 03Check your porter has boots, a jacket and insurance; tip about 10% at the end.
Facts cited
Browse all facts| Amount | What | State |
|---|---|---|
| NPR 3,000 | Porter day rate, Lukla, hired direct | Contested |
| NPR 2,500 | Porter day rate, through a Kathmandu agency | Contested |
| NPR 1,400 | Dal bhat at Gorak Shep | Verified |
| 25 kg | Usual maximum load | General guidance |
