When you book a trek in Nepal, most of your money should end up in the mountains: with the guide who walks beside you, the family who cooks your dal bhat and the villages you pass through. With some packages, much of it never leaves Kathmandu or another country.
We are Makalu Arun Social Trek (MAST), a local, non-profit-distributing trekking agency in Khandbari, eastern Nepal. We pay no profit to owners, and we think trekkers deserve to see exactly where their money goes.
So here is our breakdown, using our 18-day Makalu Base Camp Trek as the example.
The big picture: three places your money goes
On a trek with MAST, your money goes three ways: to your trek package, directly to tea-house families on the trail, and to the government for permits. Here is what that looks like per person on our 18-day Makalu trek.
| Where it goes | Who receives it | About how much per person |
|---|---|---|
| Your trek package | Your porter-guide, jeep drivers, the Khandbari hotel, MAST and our community projects | From $588 (from $1,176 for 2 adults) |
| Tea houses on the trail | Family-run lodges in Seduwa, Tashigaon, Khongma, Dobato, Yangle, Langmale and base camp | About NPR 70,000 (14 trail nights at about NPR 5,000 a day) |
| Permits | Makalu Barun National Park and the TIMS system (included in your package) | NPR 5,390 |
Not included in our price: flights to and from Tumlingtar, which you pay to the airline, plus tips, drinks and shopping, which go to local people directly.
The biggest share of your spend on the trail never passes through us at all. It goes straight from your pocket to the families who host you.
Your trek package: what our price pays for
Our Makalu Base Camp Trek starts from $1,176 for 2 adults. Here is what that money pays for, and who receives it.
| What it pays for | Who receives it |
|---|---|
| Porter-guide wages, food, lodging and insurance (one porter for every 2 trekkers) | A local porter-guide from Seduwa or Tashigaon |
| Shoes, socks and gloves for your porter-guide | Your porter-guide, bought in Khandbari |
| Makalu Barun National Park entry and TIMS card (NPR 5,390 per person) | Government of Nepal |
| Reserved jeep: Tumlingtar – Khandbari – Num/Seduwa, and back | Local jeep owners and drivers |
| 2 nights in a Khandbari hotel and airport transfers | A Khandbari hotel and local drivers |
| Government VAT | Government of Nepal |
| MAST service charge: planning, permits, office and support | MAST staff in Khandbari |
| Community contribution | Village schools and Manakamana Elderly Home |
We pay no profit to owners, so whatever is left after costs also goes to our community projects.
Tea houses: money straight to mountain families
We don’t include trail food and rooms in our price. Instead, you pay the tea houses yourself, every night, in cash.
That is a deliberate choice. Some package treks pay lodges through an agency, often at a negotiated rate. When you pay directly, the family gets the full price, and they get it the same day.
- What it costs: budget about NPR 5,000 a day for your room and meals on the Makalu trail.
- Who receives it: family-run lodges in villages such as Seduwa and Tashigaon, and seasonal tea houses higher up the Barun Valley.
- What it pays for: income for the families who run the lodges, in villages with few other ways to earn money.
On our 18-day trek you spend about 14 nights on the trail, so that is roughly NPR 70,000 per person going directly to mountain families.
Permits: where the government’s share goes
Every foreign trekker on the Makalu route pays two government fees, and both are included in our price.
| Permit | Cost per person | Where the money goes |
|---|---|---|
| Makalu Barun National Park entry | NPR 3,000 + 13% VAT (NPR 3,390) | The national park. According to the park’s own brochure, 30–50% of entry fees go back to communities in the park’s buffer zone. |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 | Nepal’s trekker registration system, which records where trekkers are for safety and rescue |
So even the government part of your trek partly returns to villages around the park.
Porter-guides: fair pay, food and gear
Your porter-guide is the person your money matters to most directly. All our porter-guides come from villages on the Makalu trail, mostly Seduwa and Tashigaon, and they carry up to 15–20 kg for you while leading the way.
What your trek pays for:
- A daily wage for each day of the trek
- Food and lodging: included in their daily rate, so they don’t depend on lodge owners or tips to eat
- Insurance: every porter-guide is insured
- Gear: we provide shoes, socks and gloves for each trek
Many guests also tip at the end of the trek. A tip goes straight to your porter-guide, and it is always appreciated, but it is never meant to replace a fair wage.
Community projects: what our profits fund
MAST was set up in 2010 by SESF, a local social organisation in Khandbari. Because we pay no profit to owners, what our treks earn goes into two long-running projects in Sankhuwasabha.
| Project | What it pays for | Reach |
|---|---|---|
| School supplies | Notebooks, pens, bags, uniforms and other basics for children from the poorest families | 6,000 children supported, across 15 schools |
| Manakamana Elderly Home | Rice, lentils, oil and other food for the home in Khandbari | 35+ elderly people, almost all women aged 60–90 |
Both projects are also listed on GlobalGiving, so you can follow them or give directly: school supplies and food for the elderly home. Read more on our community projects page.
How to check where your money goes, with any agency
Whether you trek with us or not, these questions show you how much of your money stays in the mountains.
- Where is the agency based? One based near the trailhead spends more locally than one based far away.
- Where do the guides and porters come from? Local guides spend their wages in their own villages.
- What is a guide’s daily wage, and is it on top of food and lodging? A good agency will tell you.
- Are guides and porters insured? Ask to see it.
- Is the agency registered and licensed? Look for government registration and TAAN membership.
- Do you pay tea houses directly, or does the agency? Paying directly puts the full price in the family’s hands.
- Does the agency fund local projects, and can you see them? Look for named projects, numbers and photos, not just promises.
You can check our answers on our legal documents and TAAN membership pages.
FAQs
How much of my trek money stays in Nepal with MAST?
All of it that you pay to us or on the trail. Our team, porter-guides, drivers and hotel are all in Sankhuwasabha.
Why don’t you include tea houses in the price?
So the full price goes straight to the families who run them, and so you only pay for what you actually eat and use.
How much should I tip my porter-guide?
Tipping is personal and optional. Ask us before your trek and we’ll tell you what guests usually give.
Do you make a profit?
MAST is non-profit-distributing: we pay no profit to owners. What is left after costs goes to our community projects.
Can I see the projects my trek supports?
Yes. You can visit a school or the elderly home in Khandbari after your trek. Read how volunteering while trekking works.
Trek where your money stays in the mountains
Every MAST trek is planned from Khandbari, led by a local porter-guide, and paid for in a way that keeps your money in the valleys you walk through.
- Read our Makalu Base Camp Trek Guide 2026
- Browse all our trekking packages
- Ask us anything through our contact page
- WhatsApp: +977 9861714199
- Email: [email protected]
