Field Notes · Climbing
What a guided day costs, mountain by mountain
Every objective we compare, ranked by the typical price of one guided day, from the published prices of the companies that run them.
By Louis, PeakSeeker · built from the prices on our guided-trip pagesTrip prices are hard to compare because trips are different lengths. Dividing each published price by its number of days gives a rough day rate. This table takes the middle value for each objective, in the currency most of its companies use, and ranks them from cheapest to dearest.
| # | Objective | Typical price per day | Lowest per day | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount ToubkalAfrica | €63 | €150–€220 for 3 daysTrekking in Morocco | 8 |
| 2 | Monte RosaAlps | €140 | €750 (1) / €380 pp (2) / €280 pp (3) / €220 pp (4) / €200 pp (5) for 2 daysSocietà delle Guide Alpine di Gressoney (Guide Gressoney Monte Rosa) | 12 |
| 3 | KazbekCaucasus | €150 | from €1,076 pp for 10 daysExplore-Share (guide marketplace) | 7 |
| 4 | Everest Base CampHimalaya | £135 | £1,120 for 15 daysIntrepid Travel | 16 |
| 5 | Mount WashingtonWhite Mountains | $175 | $280–$590 per person for 2 daysNortheast Mountaineering | 3 |
| 6 | The ZugspitzeAlps | €169 | €219 for 2 daysDie Bergführer (Zugspitz Bergführer) | 29 |
| 7 | TriglavAlps | €195 | €275 pp for 2 daysnaTOUR Bled | 23 |
| 8 | The GrossglocknerAlps | €230 | €330 pp (group of 3) for 2 daysTrakks | 20 |
| 9 | Gran ParadisoAlps | €274 | €270 for 2 daysSocietà delle Guide Alpine di Courmayeur | 10 |
| 10 | The Haute RouteAlps | €292 | £275 for 2 daysMountain Tracks | 11 |
| 11 | Mount FujiJapan | ¥50,000 | ¥37,400–¥41,800 for 2 daysJAPANiCAN (JTB) | 20 |
| 12 | HvannadalshnúkurIceland | ISK 49,900 | ISK 41,600 per person for 1 dayLocal Guide of Vatnajökull | 5 |
| 13 | Japan powderJapan | ¥57,000 | ¥57,500 per person for 3 daysEvergreen Backcountry Guides | 17 |
| 14 | Mount BakerCascades | $383 | $1,149 for 3 daysKaf Adventures | 8 |
| 15 | Ecuador's volcanoesAndes | $399 | $395 per person (2 climbers, 1 guide); $640 alone for 2 daysEcuador Eco Adventure | 22 |
| 16 | KilimanjaroEast Africa | $400 | $2,251–$3,263 for 8 daysZara Tanzania Adventures (Zara Tours) | 33 |
| 17 | AconcaguaAndes | $426 | From $6,895 for 22 days57hours (booking platform) | 16 |
| 18 | Mount AdamsCascades | $428 | $700–$1,200 for 2 daysNorthwest Mountain School | 6 |
| 19 | The Vallée BlancheAlps | €425 | €150 per person (€139/day from 3 days) for 1 dayCompagnie des Guides de Chamonix | 20 |
| 20 | The Lyngen AlpsNorway | NOK 5,063 | NOK 1,100 per person (6+); NOK 3,800 for 2 for 1 dayOpplev Henrik Solberg | 9 |
| 21 | The BreithornAlps | CHF 460 | from €150 for 1 dayJules Pession Guida Alpina | 9 |
| 22 | The Grand TetonTetons | $525 | $1,490 for 4 daysExum Mountain Guides | 5 |
| 23 | Mount ShastaCascades | $532 | $2,195 for 5 daysAlpenglow Expeditions | 6 |
| 24 | Mount WhitneySierra Nevada | $549 | $2,090 for 7 daysSierra Mountain Guides | 7 |
| 25 | PatagoniaPatagonia | $560 | USD 228 for 1 dayFitz Roy Expediciones | 20 |
| 26 | DenaliAlaska | $609 | $13,200 for 22 daysAlaska Mountaineering School | 4 |
| 27 | Mont BlancAlps | €582 | £2,895–£2,995 for 9 daysJagged Globe | 6 |
| 28 | Mount RainierCascades | $639 | $4,875 for 10 daysAlpine Ascents International | 24 |
| 29 | The EigerAlps | CHF 595 | CHF 1,295 (1 person) / CHF 750 pp (2) for 2 daysOUTDOOR Switzerland (Grindelwald Sports) | 14 |
| 30 | Mount HoodCascades | $729 | $1,175 for 2 daysTimberline Mountain Guides | 3 |
| 31 | The MatterhornAlps | $793 | £3,895–£3,995 for 8 daysJagged Globe | 3 |
| 32 | Mount AssiniboineCanadian Rockies | C$1,469 | $6,986 for 5 daysYamnuska Mountain Adventures | 3 |
How to read it
Mount Toubkal has the lowest typical day rate, about €63 a day. Mount Assiniboine has the highest, about C$1,469. Short guided days on busy peaks come out dearest per day, because a guide’s fee is spread over one or two days; long expeditions come out cheapest per day, because the fixed costs are spread over three weeks.
Some companies price per group, not per person, and some include flights, huts or park fees while others leave them out. The day rate is a starting point for comparing, not a quote. Each objective’s page shows what every price includes.
Want a list instead? Find my trip filters every program by budget and days.
More Field Notes: The cheapest guided 4,000 m peaks in the Alps · What a guided day costs, mountain by mountain · All Field Notes