How much would a Kinnaur trip cost ? I’m sure this question would definitely be one the top questions you might have once you have decided to embark on a trip to this Himalayan wonderland.
Therefore, based on my extensive travels to Kinnaur, I’m curating this Kinnaur trip cost post to help you understand what to expect in terms of accommodation, food, commute, guide expenses.
Kinnaur Trip Cost – Overview
Kinnaur trip cost or cost for any trip for that matter depends upon the type of accommodation you choose, the places you eat at, the mode of commute you choose.
Therefore, the budget of Kinnaur trip will depend on how much comforting you want your trip to be and the facilities you want.
The main tourist towns of Kinnaur that is Kalpa, Chitkul, Sangla have facilities to cater to a shoestring backpacker as well a someone who has a big budget.
But here is a brief overview so that you’ve before we dive into details. I’m assuming that the journey will start from Delhi and use public transport.
Also Read – Kinnaur Trip Itinerary
| Accommodation Cost for Kinnaur Trip
Kinnaur has varied types of accommodation like Homestay, hotel, Camps, Hostels. The average accommodation cost will be around 700 – 1500 INR per person depending on what kind of accommodation you choose. |
| Food Cost For Kinnaur Trip
Depends on where you eat, if you eat at Dhabas the cost per day will be less. If you eat at cafes, obviously it will increase significantly. The average cost should be INR 300 – INR 500 per day per person. |
| Commute Cost for Kinnaur Trip
Internal commute and The long-distance commute from Delhi to Kinnaur and back is very inexpensive if you travel by HRTC. The average cost will be around INR 3000 to INR 3500 for internal as well as interstate commute. |
| Guide Cost For Kinnaur Trip
Now this is again an optional expense and you only really need a guide when you are hiking or trekking, Therefore I would just consider one day-hike for ease of it. The Guide charges around INR 1000 for accompanying you per day. |
| Total cost for a 7-day trip
The total budget of Kinnaur trip will be around INR 12k to INR 20k. The exact budget will depend on several factors, this is just to give you an idea. |
Cost of Accommodation/Stay for Kinnaur trip
The main tourist attractions of Kinnaur have decent and varied accommodation options like Hotels, Guesthouses, Homestays, hostels etc.
Zostel, the most popular hostel chain of India has a couple of properties in Kinnaur and charge around INR 600 for a bunk bed in dorm. There is one in Sangla and one in Chitkul.
Average hotel costs per day in Kalpa, Sangla Chitkul can be anywhere from INR 800 to INR 2000 depending on the facilities they offer.
The average homestay cost in Kinnaur is around INR 1000 per day. You maybe be able to get it for more or even less. The advantage of the homestay is that most of the times you all meals included.
I personally have stayed in homestays and usually have not paid more than INR 1000 including all the meals at homestays.
Also Read – Best Time To Visit Kinnaur
Cost of Food For Kinnaur Trip
Food expenses again will completely depend on kind of places you eat. Apart from the usual suspects of Kalpa, Sangla, Chiktul, there are only basic Dhabas in Kinnaur that cater to locals and have nominal prices.
Even in the main tourist places, they usually have such Dhaba’s with simple food but nominal price. If you decide to eat at hotel run restaurants or cafes, then your costs could increase a lot.
If you only eat at the Dhabas for the entirety of your trip it should cost you not more than INR 250 per day. I personally eat at Dhaba’s only in case I’m not staying at the homestays.
If you eat at hotel-run restaurants or cafes, they it might definitely cost you more. And you would end up spending at least INR 500 per day on the food. Even more.
Now I usually only opt for homestays, reason being, I don’t have to go through the hassle of eating out and I get to eat simple yet amazing home-cooked food.
In most of the homestays, the prices are inclusive of all the meals as well.
Also Read – Is Kinnaur Worth Visiting
Commute Cost for Kinnaur Trip
Now unless you are big group, commute will cost you a fortune if you hire a private cabs. Fares for cabs are much higher in the mountains compared to plains thanks to difficult conditions.
But again just to give you an idea, a private cab would cost you around at least INR 3000 per day if you decide to exclusively avail them.
Therefore for people traveling solo or in small groups, you should always opt for HRTC buses for both internal commute and interstate commute.
HRTC runs direct buses from Delhi to Kinnaur. Direct HRTC ordinary buses ply between Delhi and district headquarters Reckong Peo as well as Sangla.
There are direct buses to Reckong Peo from Chandigarh as well. The total fare from
For internal commute the fare is calculate based on the formulate INR 2.5 per km. So if traveled for 50 km, you would have to shell out INR 125.
Therefore average cost for all the commute should not exceed more than INR 3500 in my opinion if you stick to usual places. A few hundred bucks more if you visited lesser-frequented places in Kinnaur.
Must Read – How To Reach Kinnaur From Delhi
Guide Charges For Kinnaur Trip
Unless you are into hiking and trekking, this expense would be optional in my opinion. A lot of people are not interested in hiking and trekking and are just content with exploration trips.
But for those who are interest to embark on pristine trails around, this would be additional expense to incur. Usually the guide charges can vary.
But on an average you have to pay up around INR 1000 per day if the guide accompanies you for the whole. Doesn’t matter if its a day hike or multi-day trek.
Also if you are embarking on multi-day treks you also have pay for availing services of the porter and cook. So usually multi-day treks are charge as a package.
Must Read – Things To Pack For Kinnaur Trip
Total Cost of Kinnaur Trip
Now that you’ve have an idea about the costs for individual aspects like accommodation, commute, foodt etc, Let me give you an overall average cost.
So if you go a week-long trip to Kinnaur on a shoe-string budget it should not cost more than INR 13K From Delhi to Delhi.
If you go a week-long trip to Kinnaur with a decent budget it should cost you around INR 20K from Delhi to Delhi. I hope this gives an approximate of what to expect.
To conclude, I hope you now have a fair idea on what to expect for Kinnaur trip cost.
Be it budget backpackers to families, Kinnaur has the capacity to cater to all kinds of tourists and the Kinnaur trip cost would depend how you travel and what you choose.
In case there are any other queries on Kinnaur trip cost, do drop them in the comments below and I’ll be happy to answer those to the best of my Knowledge.
