Nepal's permit system looks more complicated than it is. There are three categories, and which ones you need depends entirely on where you are walking.

1. TIMS card

The Trekkers' Information Management System card is the basic registration required on most trekking routes. It records who is on the trail, which matters in a search-and-rescue situation. It is not required inside the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality (the Everest region), which runs its own permit instead.

2. National Park and Conservation Area permits

Every protected area charges an entry fee:

  • ACAP — Annapurna Conservation Area, covering Poon Hill, ABC, Mardi Himal, Khopra, Mohare, the Circuit, Nar Phu and Mustang.
  • Sagarmatha National Park + Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality — the Everest region.
  • Langtang National Park — Langtang and Gosaikunda.
  • MCAP — Manaslu Conservation Area, plus ACAP for the exit at Dharapani.
  • Shey Phoksundo National Park — Dolpo.
  • KCA — Kanchenjunga Conservation Area.

3. Restricted Area Permits

Six regions require an additional government permit, issued only through a registered trekking agency, with a legal minimum of two trekkers and a licensed guide. Solo permits do not exist for these areas — no exceptions, regardless of experience.

  • Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo — USD 500 per person for the first 10 days, then USD 50 per additional day.
  • Manaslu and Nar Phu — around USD 100 per person per week (Sep–Nov), USD 75 in other months. Tsum Valley requires its own separate permit on top of the Manaslu one.
  • Kanchenjunga — around USD 20 per person per week for the first four weeks.

The guide rule

Since April 2023 the Nepal Tourism Board has required solo foreign trekkers to be accompanied by a licensed guide on most trekking routes, not only restricted ones.

What we need from you

Passport copies and passport photographs, and for restricted areas, at least three weeks before departure — permit offices in Kathmandu do not work to a rush. Every permit on your itinerary is included in the package price and itemised in your quote.

Comparing a restricted route against an open one? The Upper Mustang Trek and the Lower Mustang Trek cross very similar landscape at very different permit costs.