A private trek costs more than a seat in a large group because the whole team is yours. The trip leader, the local route guide, the cook, the mules or porters, the vehicles and the planning behind it all are shared by your group alone, not by twenty-five strangers. That is why team size changes the price more than anything else, and why one or two people pay the most per head.
People sometimes tell us our prices look high. We understand why: next to a seat on a big fixed departure, they do. But a private trek isn't the same product at a higher price. It is a different way of being in the mountains, and it is worth seeing what goes into it before deciding.
What you're actually paying for
Every trip we run is built from the same parts. Some are the same whatever the size of your group; others grow with it.
The team that comes with you. A trip leader on every trip, who stays with you from start to finish. A local route guide on every trek, by principle. A cook and, depending on the tier and the route, kitchen and camp helpers. On a camping trek, mules or porters to carry the camp.
The days. Crew, animals, vehicles and camps are paid by the day. A trek with proper acclimatisation days and a flexible reserve day costs more than one that rushes, and we think it is worth it.
The route. Remote valleys mean longer drives, more loads to carry and more days of support. Some areas need permits and fees, which we arrange.
The comfort you choose. Lean, Standard and Premium differ in rooms, tents, sleeping systems, meals and vehicles. More on that in Lean, Standard or Premium.
The work behind the trip. Someone plans your itinerary, prices it, books the crew and vehicles, sorts the permits and follows the trip while you are out. That is real work on every trip, and it is in the price.
Why team size matters most
Most of the cost of a private trek is the team itself, and much of it doesn't shrink for a smaller party. A trip leader is a trip leader, and the planning behind the trip is the same for one person or four. Other parts step up as the party grows: more route guides at set ratios, more kitchen help, a second vehicle beyond six people.
So the more people share the team, the lower the price per person. You can see this on our trek pages, which show the price per person for each team size and tier. Open our Sandakphu Phalut trek and look at how far the per-person price falls from one traveller to a team of ten. Same trek, same standard; the difference is how many people share it.
This year, most of our trips have been for one to four people, and couples are the group size we book most. A couple pays for a full private team between two. That is the honest cost of having one, and we would rather explain it than quietly thin out the team.
What we don't cut
When people ask how to make a trip cheaper, there are things we will adjust and things we won't.
We won't cut the trip leader, the local route guide, or safety. Safety is the same in every tier: a high-altitude medical kit, oxygen saturation measured every day on trek, guides and leaders with sound knowledge of high-altitude physiology, emergency medicine and protocols, and your health and emergency information collected before the trek. Our guide ratios are 1:2 on every Challenging and Challenging+ trek and every summit above 6,000 m, in every comfort setting; otherwise 1:6 Lean, 1:4 Standard, 1:3 Premium.
We won't rush the altitude to save a day. We build acclimatisation into the itinerary itself, through how we pace each day, rather than rushing to a schedule or reaching for pills as a shortcut.
We will happily adjust comfort: a Lean setting instead of Standard, simpler meals, fewer extras, no personal porter unless you want one. Many of our guests choose exactly that: a solid, safe trip with nothing they don't need.
Looks high, not expensive
A seat on a large group departure and a private trek can share a trail name and nothing else. With us, nobody else joins your group, the dates are yours, and the day runs at your pace. The crew is local and paid fairly, and the plan bends when the weather or your body asks it to.
When you compare prices, compare what is included: airport or roadhead transfers, permits, the size of the crew, the ratio of guides to guests, the sleeping system, the meals, and whether there is room in the plan for a rest day or bad weather, and ask who actually runs the trek on the ground. A cheaper trip with a thinner team or no spare day isn't the same trip.
We would also rather lose a booking than win it with a price that only works by cutting what keeps people safe and well looked after.
How to keep the cost sensible
- Bring a friend or two. Two to four people share the team, and the price per person drops sharply.
- Pick the tier that fits. Lean is a complete, safe private trip without the extras.
- Be flexible on route. Some routes need fewer days of support for a similar experience; ask us.
- Keep the acclimatisation days. Cutting them saves a little and risks the whole trip.
- Ask what is optional. Personal porters, single tents and side trips are add-ons, not requirements.
If you are travelling alone and would like to share costs, ask about Group Match on the trek pages. It's experimental: if a compatible party forms, we get in touch, and the trip runs as a small private expedition with the same standards.
How a quote works
Tell us the trek, your dates, how many of you there are and what you want from the trip. We send a plan with all three tiers side by side, priced for your group size, so you can see exactly what changes between them. Then we adjust it with you: an extra rest day, a simpler menu, a better sleeping system, a longer route.
The prices on our trek pages are a guide. Your quotation is the final word, because it is built for your group, your dates and your route.
In short
- You pay for a whole team that is yours, not a seat in someone else's group.
- Team size moves the price most; one or two people pay the most per head.
- Safety, the trip leader and the local route guide are never cut.
- Comfort is where you can save: Lean is complete and safe.
- Compare inclusions, not just the number.
Tell us your dates and who's coming, and we'll send a plan with all three tiers priced for your group.