Permits for trekking in Nepal

Trekking and restricted area permits for Nepal

A real life trekking permit

Update: a good, printable no-nonsense guide to permits and fees can be found here on the Keep Nepal website:

Kanchenjunga

Trekking permit US$ 10 issued to groups of two or more trekkers applying through an agency / outfitter.

NRP 1000 (~EUR 10 / US$ 15) to enter Kanchenjunga Conservation Area. An agent in Kathmandu should be able to organise this too. Otherwise see http://dnpwc.gov.np/. The office is near Babarmahal.

Makalu Barun National Park

NRP 1000 park fee payable ‘on the door’ so to speak, or in advance in Kathmandu via DNPWC.

Everest region (Solo Khumbu)

Sagamatha National Park entrance fee NRP 1000 payable at Monjo on the route from Lukla so better paid in advance if not entering this way i.e. along the GHT route.

Helambu & Langtang

NRP 1000 fee to enter Langtang National Park (payable at checkposts). NRP 250 to pass through Shivapuri National Park if walking in from Kathmandu, also payable at checkposts.

Manaslu region

Here you will enter the Manaslu Conservation Area for which a payment of NRP 2000 must be made.

To enter this area you must trek with a registered guide in a group of two or more. Permit fee is:

Peak season (Sep, Oct, Nov) – US$ 70 for the first week and US$ 10 per day thereafter.
Other times – US$ 50 for the first week and US$ 7 per day thereafter.

Nar-Phu

If you take this detour to this ‘hidden-land’ a permit costs US$90 in peak season (Sep, Oct, Nov) or US$70 for other times

Annapurna / ACAP

ACAP permit is NRP 2000 to be paid in advance in Kathmandu or Pokhara. Two passport photos also required.

Upper Mustang

Detouring into the restricted area of Upper Mustang would be memorable but costly too. The fee is a minimum of US$ 500 (covers up to 10 days) plus US$ 50 per day thereafter. Additionally the permit is issued for a declared date range so incorporating into a long trek needs to bear this in mind. There are also additional requirements on cooking (take your own fuel and food) and rubbish (bring it out) which means additional logistics and bureaucracy as you must return to the ACAP office after your visit. A reliable agent is recommended.

Shey Phuksumdo National Park

NRP 1000 entry fee payable at Suli Gaad (near Dunai) or in Kathmandu.

Inner Dolpa

Same fee structure as Upper Mustang

Mugu

US$ 90 for first week then US$ 15 per day.

Rara National Park

NRP 1000 park entrance fee to be paid.

Humla

US$ 50 per week and US$ 7 per day for each subsequent day.

Saipal

US$ 90 for first week then US$ 15 per day.

Restricted area permits

To recap, Humla, Kanchenjunga, Lower and Upper Dolpa, Upper Mustang, Manaslu, Mugu, Nar-Phu are all restricted areas which means you have to get your permits through a trekking agent / outfitter. Permits are issued for groups of two or more so if you are alone then you probably can just double the fees mentioned above and buy two permits.

You can also find resources about trekking permits on the TIMS NEPAL website.

Posted: October 19th, 2009 under information .
Tags: national parks, nepal, restricted areas, trekking permits

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4 Comments

Hi Richard, I think the Mustang permit is US$350 these days. If people want to do the Mustang and Dolpo sections then it’s worth looking into which of the two permits you require. Also it’s good to find out whether a trekking peak permit might be a better option as then you don’t need to have expensive per person trekking permits.
There is also a US$90 per week permit for Baitadi and Bhajang Districts and a US$50 per week permit for Muchu (west of Simikot)

[Reply]

Comment by Robin Boustead — November 4, 2009 @ 5:50 am
So how much is it complete the whole Himalayan trail when all the permits are added?

[Reply]

Comment by Katie — December 4, 2009 @ 9:14 am
Hi Katie,

This taken from http://greathimalayatrail.com/faqs.html. Given that it took Robin around 160 days you’ll need a calculator to do the math.

…Hiking the main trails in Nepal or India can be inexpensive on the condition you eat the local food and minimise luxuries. Food and lodging in a tea-house in the Everest region costs about US$40 per person per day on average but you also need to add your transport to and from the trek, which is normally a few hundred dollars.
However, trekking for long periods or in remote areas is more expensive, the average for most camping treks costs about US$80 per person per day for groups of 6 trekkers or more. The less paying trekkers you have, and the more remote you want to go, the more expensive it becomes. Then you must add your transport costs to and from the trail, so the total cost can run into many thousands of dollars.

[Reply]

Comment by admin — December 13, 2009 @ 5:34 pm
[...] See here for a list of permits required for certain trekking areas in Nepal. [...]

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