What a trek here actually costs
Our prices, the supplier costs behind them, the variables that move them, and the five ways a quote gets to be twenty-five per cent cheaper than ours.
The range, by route and party size
Every price on this site is per person, twin share, land only, and includes the transport to and from the trailhead. Nothing is quoted on request, and nothing is hidden behind a form.
| Trek | Set departure | Private, 2 people | Private, 4 people | Private, 8 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pu Luong, 3 days | USD 340 | USD 460 | USD 360 | USD 310 |
| Ta Nang, 3 days | USD 390 | Not offered | USD 470 | USD 380 |
| Sa Pa, 4 days | USD 490 | USD 720 | USD 560 | USD 470 |
| Ha Giang, 6 days | USD 890 | USD 1,340 | USD 1,060 | USD 920 |
Per walking day that works out between USD 100 and USD 150 for a group departure and between USD 115 and USD 350 for a private trek, depending almost entirely on how many people are dividing the guide and the vehicle.
Where the money goes
These are the rates we pay, in USD, in 2026. They are not secret and every serious operator in Hanoi pays within about fifteen per cent of them. A quote materially below the sum of these numbers is not buying the same things.
| Line | What we pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trekking guide | 38 - 55 per day | English-speaking, walks the route; the top of the range is a guide with wilderness first aid and five years on the ground |
| Village guide | 18 - 25 per day | Paid direct to the person, not through a village committee that takes a cut |
| Vehicle and driver | 95 - 150 per day | 16-seat for a group, 7-seat for a private party; includes fuel, tolls and the driver's own room and meals |
| Homestay bed | 8 - 14 per person per night | Mattress, net, blanket, shared washing |
| Small guesthouse room | 22 - 40 per room per night | Meo Vac and Dong Van only |
| Meals | 4 - 7 per person per meal | Cooked by the host family from what the valley has |
| Permits and entry | 3 - 12 per person per route | Geopark, reserve, border permit, boat, cave |
| Camping kit | 6 - 9 per person per night | Amortised tent, mat and bag on Ta Nang |
On top of that sits our own overhead and margin, which on a group departure runs at roughly twenty to twenty-five per cent of the selling price and on a small private trek considerably less, because the fixed costs do not shrink.
What actually moves the price
In order of how much difference it makes. The first item is worth more than the other four put together.
Party size
One guide and one vehicle cost the same for two walkers or ten. Going from two to four cuts the per-person price by roughly a quarter; going from four to eight cuts it by another sixth.
Private or set departure
A set departure spreads the same fixed costs across strangers. Below five walkers a private trek always costs more. At nine or ten it costs less, because you have filled the vehicle yourself.
Season
October and late March push guide day rates up by about fifteen per cent and fill the good homestays four to six weeks ahead. June to August the same route is cheaper and wetter.
Route length and remoteness
Ha Giang costs more per day than Pu Luong because of thirteen hours of vehicle, a border permit and two guesthouse nights the shorter routes do not need.
Bed standard
We only sell homestays and small guesthouses. If you want the Pu Luong pool lodges or a four-star night in Sa Pa town, that is roughly USD 60 to 140 per room per night on top, and we will book it but we think it weakens the trip.
What is not in the price, and why
Four exclusions are deliberate rather than accidental, and it is worth saying why.
- Travel insurance. We are not licensed to sell it and a policy bought through a tour operator is usually worse and dearer than one you buy at home. We require it, we ask for the policy number and the emergency line, and we check it before you travel.
- International and domestic flights. Adding a margin to a ticket you can buy yourself is not a service, and it makes changing your dates our problem instead of a two-minute job on an airline website.
- Tips. Building a tip into the price and calling it a service charge means the operator decides what the guide gets. We would rather publish what we pay, above, and leave the tip to you. If you want a number: USD 8 to 12 per walker per day for the guide, USD 4 to 6 for the driver, split as you see fit.
- Drinks. Beer and soft drinks at a homestay cost between USD 0.60 and USD 1.50 and are settled with the family directly, which keeps that money in the house.
How a quote gets to be a quarter cheaper
You will be quoted less than our price. Sometimes that is a leaner company with lower overhead, which is fair. More often it is one of these five, and none of them will be written on the quote.
- The guide does not walk. A driver-guide drops you at the start of the path with a village woman who speaks limited English and meets you at the far end. This saves USD 40 to 55 a day and is the single most common difference between two quotes for the same route.
- Accommodation is a category, not a house. A quote that says “local homestay, standard” can be moved to whichever house has space, including one on a road with eight other groups in it. Ask for the village and the family name in writing before you pay.
- The group is not capped, or the cap is soft. Twelve becomes eighteen when two bookings arrive together. Ask what happens to the cap if a group of six books after you.
- Walking days are shortened and driving days are added. The itinerary still says six days. Count the kilometres and the ascent, not the days: our Ha Giang page publishes both for every day and most do not.
- A shopping stop is inserted. A silk workshop or a jewellery outlet pays commission of ten to twenty per cent on what your group spends, which lets the quote come down. We do not take commission from any supplier your group buys from, which is why the Lung Tam co-operative appears on the itinerary at the retting pits rather than at the shop.
Paying
A thirty per cent deposit confirms the dates, the balance is due thirty days before the first walking day, and inside thirty days the whole amount is due at booking. The full mechanics, the account details and the cancellation ladder are on the payment page, and the contractual version is in the booking terms.
Want the arithmetic for your party?
Send party size, route and month and we will send a quote with the supplier lines shown.
Questions travellers ask most
Why is your quote higher than the one I have from another operator?
Usually one of the five reasons above, and most often the first: their guide meets you at the end of the path rather than walking it with you. Send us the other quote and we will tell you exactly which line is different. We do not price match, because the difference is a real cost we are choosing to pay.
Sometimes we are simply more expensive and the other operator is fine. If the quote names the villages, names the guide arrangement and publishes the daily ascent, it is probably an honest cheaper quote, and you should take it.
Do prices go up in the high season?
The prices on this site are the same all year. What changes in October and late March is availability, not the number: the good homestays are gone four to six weeks out and guide rates rise, so we absorb it and cap how many departures we run.
Is there a discount for a returning client or a large family?
Party size discount is already in the table and it is the real one. Beyond that we take ten per cent off a second trek booked within eighteen months, which covers most returning clients. We do not run a referral commission scheme.
Can I pay in Vietnamese dong or in euros?
Dong yes, at the interbank rate on the day of payment, for the balance if you are paying in cash on arrival. Euros only as a bank transfer converted at our bank's rate, which is worse for you than sending USD, so we generally advise against it.
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Tell us about the trek you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.