A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park vs. Royal Chitwan National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park or Royal Chitwan National Park? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Spanning the Japanese prefectures of Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Kanagawa and Tokyo, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is a natural area with beautiful scenery as well as a number of popular tourist spots. Some of its highlights include Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands, offering a geographic range of natural hot springs, coastlines, mountainous areas, lakes, and more than 1,000 volcanic islands.

Royal Chitwan National Park

The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.

Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours from Tokyo, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Japan, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.


Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is $88, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $35. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park $52
    Royal Chitwan National Park $11
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park $104
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and Royal Chitwan National Park

Looking for a hotel in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park or Royal Chitwan National Park? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park


Hotels in Royal Chitwan National Park


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Hotel Prices and Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park $26
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Also for Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Hakone to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) - Private Departure Transfer: $155
  • Hakone Resorts to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) - Departure Transfer: $242

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park

Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75

Is it cheaper to fly into Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park $20
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.44

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park $11
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.63

Tours and Activities in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

  • Custom Private Tour in Hakone with Optional Hot Springs Experience: $300
  • Easygoing Nature Walk in Hakone Tour: $26
  • Hakone 6 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide: $155
  • Hakone 8 hour Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide: $181
  • Hakone Full-Day Private Tour : $245
  • Hakone Onsen Experience, Lake Ashi, Open-Air Museum Tour: $226
  • Hakone for Children to Enjoy! Japanese Crafts Experience: $174
  • Private Shopping Tour from Hakone hotels to Grandberry Park: $134
  • Private Shopping Tour from Hakone to Gotemba Premium Outlets: $134
  • Private Shopping Tour from Hakone to Mitsui Outlet Park Yokohama: $156
  • Supreme Sencha: Tea Ceremony & Making Experience in Hakone: $129
  • Tour around Mount Fuji group from 2 people ¥32,000: $209

Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park

For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
  • 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
  • 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
  • Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
  • Chitwan Safari Tour : $160
  • Chitwan Tour Packages: $200
  • Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park $8.39
    Royal Chitwan National Park $6.49


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is more expensive. And not only is Royal Chitwan National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Royal Chitwan National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Royal Chitwan National Park and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park than you might in Royal Chitwan National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.