What Nepal Trekking Permits Cost in 2026 (and What Changed)

Nepal runs three separate permit systems for foreign trekkers, and most guides online collapse them into one confusing list. There's a national park or conservation area entry fee, which most trekkers already expect. There's TIMS, the Trekkers' Information Management System, which used to cover almost every route and now applies to under half of them. And there's the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), a separate and considerably more expensive document required in roughly a dozen zones near the Tibet and India borders, from Upper Mustang to Kanchenjunga.

Knowing which system applies to your route, and which doesn't, is the difference between a NPR 3,000 formality and a $500 restricted-zone application that needs a Kathmandu agency and two working days of lead time.

2026 brought three real changes that belong in your budget math. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu fee went up in late 2024, and a lot of the internet still hasn't caught up. Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo permits were restructured by government gazette in December 2025. And the long-standing rule requiring at least two trekkers on a restricted-area permit was dropped this March. We'll go through each one, then break down exactly what you'll pay for every trek we run.

For most standard treks, the number is smaller than people expect. Everest Base Camp needs two permits totaling around NPR 6,000 ($45-50) and no TIMS card at all. Annapurna region treks, from Poon Hill to the full Annapurna Circuit, need just one document: the ACAP conservation permit at NPR 3,000 ($22-25). It's the restricted areas, Upper Mustang, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, Upper Dolpo, Nar Phu, and Tsum, where the math changes entirely, with per-day fees that can push a single permit stack past $400. For the condensed version of all this in one table, our permits reference page has the master figures. This article is the deeper, dated version: what changed, why, and what it costs on the ground for the routes we run.

#What Changed for 2026

The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu increase is the quietest change on this list and the one that trips up the most budgets, because a lot of older cost breakdowns (including some still ranking on page one) quote the old NPR 2,000 figure. It's been NPR 3,000 since September 2024. Paired with the unchanged NPR 3,000 Sagarmatha National Park fee, that's NPR 6,000 total for EBC-area permits, not the NPR 5,000 you'll see quoted elsewhere.

The Mustang and Dolpo restructure is bigger news. The old system charged $500 flat for the first 10 days regardless of how long you spent inside the restricted zone, which punished short trips and subsidized long ones. The new $50/person/day rate flips that. A tight 6-day Upper Mustang loop now costs $300 instead of $500. A 14-day version costs $700, more than the old flat rate would have. The days are counted from Kagbeni, where the restricted zone begins, not from Kathmandu or Pokhara, so your trekking agency's itinerary determines the exact number you'll pay for.

The solo-trekker change matters less in practice than it sounds. Before March 22, 2026, two people had to apply for a restricted-area permit together, which meant solo trekkers either paired up with a stranger through an agency or paid to be counted as a party of two. That requirement is gone. You can now hold a Manaslu, Mustang, or Kanchenjunga permit in your name alone. What hasn't changed is the guide requirement. It's still mandatory, and the new ratio, one licensed guide for up to seven trekkers, is the rule governing group size in these zones now.

#Do You Need a Guide to Trek in Nepal?

Yes, and this applies more broadly than most people expect. Since the rule took effect in April 2023, a licensed guide is required in every national park, every conservation area, and every restricted area in the country, which in practice covers essentially every trekking route foreigners book. There is no popular teahouse route left where solo, unguided trekking is legal.

What's shifted is enforcement, not the rule itself. In 2023 and into 2024, checkpoint staff were inconsistent about checking for a guide, and plenty of independent trekkers slipped through on routes like Annapurna Circuit and Langtang. That gap has closed. Checkpoints in 2026 check consistently, and far fewer trekkers attempt the old DIY approach.

The penalties for getting caught without one scale with the violation. For a standard no-guide case in a national park or conservation area, roughly NPR 12,000 plus removal from the trail is the most commonly cited outcome. In a restricted area, where the stakes and the paperwork are both higher, fines up to NPR 50,000 have been reported, alongside permit revocation and the risk of being blacklisted from future Nepal trekking permits. Travel insurance is also a real concern here: a rescue triggered while trekking in violation of the guide rule is the kind of thing insurers look for reasons to deny.

A licensed guide runs roughly USD 25-40 per day depending on the region and season, which we cover in more detail in the EBC cost breakdown. In restricted areas, that guide also caps your group: one guide can lead a maximum of seven trekkers under the current rule, so larger groups need a second licensed guide on the permit application.

#Permits by Region

The permit stack changes by region more than by trek difficulty. A short Poon Hill walk and a three-week Annapurna Circuit need the exact same single permit. A relatively moderate Manaslu Circuit needs three. Here's what applies where.

#Everest and the Khumbu

Two permits, no TIMS. The Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit costs NPR 3,000 and covers everyone trekking above Monjo, including Everest Base Camp. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, also NPR 3,000 since its September 2024 increase, is a separate local government charge collected at Lukla or Chheplung. Both are buyable at NTB Kathmandu before you fly, or at the Monjo checkpoint itself.

The Monjo checkpoint deserves a closer look if you're buying permits yourself. Staff there check both permits, your passport, and your guide's license against the trekking party. They don't ask for a TIMS card, because the Khumbu has never used one, the two municipal-and-park permits do that job instead. It's a five-minute stop if your paperwork is in order and a real headache if it isn't.

#Annapurna Region

One permit covers almost everything: the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) at NPR 3,000 for foreigners, NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, and free for children under 10. It applies across Annapurna Base Camp, Ghorepani Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, and the standard Annapurna Circuit up to Manang.

TIMS is technically still listed as a requirement for the Annapurna region on paper. In practice, checkpoints check the ACAP card and nothing else. We'll come back to this in the next section, because it's the clearest example of Nepal's permit rules diverging from what happens on the trail. ACAP is buyable online through epermit.ntnc.org.np, in person at NTB Kathmandu, or at the ACAP office in Pokhara's Damside neighborhood.

#Langtang Valley

Langtang is the exception that proves the Annapurna rule wrong: here, TIMS is real and checked. Trekkers to Langtang Valley need both the Langtang National Park entry permit and a TIMS card, purchased together for a combined NPR 4,000-6,000 depending on the exact fee schedule in effect. Both are available at NTB Kathmandu in advance or at the Dhunche checkpoint on the way in.

#Manaslu and the Restricted Areas

Manaslu, Nar Phu, Tsum, Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, and Kanchenjunga all sit inside Nepal's restricted-area system, which means a Restricted Area Permit on top of whatever conservation area fee overlaps the route. RAPs are never sold at checkpoints. A registered trekking agency applies through the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu, and we build a minimum three-day buffer before departure into every restricted-area booking, because approval isn't instant and a missed permit means a missed flight or jeep.

For Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley, peak season (September to November) runs $100 for the first seven days plus $15 for each additional day. Off-season the same structure drops to $75 plus $10 per day. On top of that, the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP) costs NPR 3,000, and because the route crosses Larkya La into Annapurna Conservation Area territory, ACAP is required too at another NPR 3,000. Nar Phu Valley uses the same RAP tiers as Manaslu.

Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo now share the same restructured rate: $50 per person per day. The clock starts the day you enter the restricted zone (Kagbeni for Mustang), so days spent in Kathmandu or Pokhara cost nothing. ACAP applies alongside the Mustang RAP. Lower Dolpo runs on a different, cheaper structure, roughly $10 per week, though sourcing on that figure is thinner, so confirm it with your agency before you budget around it.

Kanchenjunga charges $20 per week for the first four weeks and roughly $25 per week after that, plus a flat NPR 2,000 Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Permit (KCAP).

#TIMS in 2026: Where It Actually Applies

This is the part most competitor guides get wrong, because they describe a version of TIMS that stopped being universal years ago.

TIMS is dead in the Khumbu. Sagarmatha National Park and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu fee do that job instead, and no TIMS card is issued or checked anywhere on the EBC route, including Gokyo and Everest Three Passes.

TIMS is listed but unenforced in Annapurna. It's still technically on the requirement sheet for ACAP-covered routes, but checkpoints from Nayapul to Jomsom check ACAP and, on the newer sections, nothing else. Trekkers who never bothered getting a TIMS card for Annapurna Circuit or ABC generally never notice its absence.

TIMS is alive and checked in Langtang, at the Dhunche checkpoint alongside the national park permit, no exceptions.

In Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, and the far west, the TIMS mechanism itself is folded into the Restricted Area Permit process, so no separate card is issued. You won't hold a physical TIMS in these zones, but the underlying rule TIMS introduced in March 2023, that trekking registration has to go through a registered agency and can't be done independently, is exactly what makes DIY solo trekking impossible in restricted areas too. Where you do need a standalone TIMS card, it costs NPR 2,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, processed online at tims.ntb.gov.np through a registered agency.

#The Master Permit Comparison Table

#Per-Trek Permit Stacks

The table shows the component math because trip length changes the total more than most trekkers expect.

The EBC and Annapurna numbers are the ones most trekkers care about, since those two routes account for the majority of Nepal's foreign trekking traffic, and they're also the smallest line item in the overall budget by a wide margin. For a full breakdown of where EBC's money goes, permits included, see the EBC cost breakdown.

Manaslu is where the math gets interesting. A 14-day peak-season trek spends roughly nine days inside the restricted zone itself, which is what the $100-plus-$15-per-day RAP structure is pricing. Add the two conservation permits that overlap the route (MCAP for Manaslu proper, ACAP for the Larkya La side that drops into Annapurna territory) and the permit total lands around $250-300, before guide and porter costs. The complete Manaslu guide breaks down the rest of that trek's budget.

Upper Mustang's new per-day structure rewards shorter itineraries. An 8-day RAP at $50/day comes to $400; stretch that same trip to 12 days and you're at $600. Agencies are adjusting Mustang itineraries accordingly, trimming a rest day here and there where the terrain allows it, because every extra day inside the zone now has a direct dollar cost attached that the old flat-rate system didn't create.

#How to Buy: Offices, Checkpoints, and Online

The Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu's Bhrikutimandap neighborhood handles ACAP and TIMS applications over the counter. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 16:00, Friday 10:00 to 15:00, and it's closed Saturday, Nepal's weekly holiday. If you're landing on a Friday afternoon and hoping to sort permits before an early Saturday departure, that narrow Friday window can sink the plan. ACAP is also available at the conservation area office in Pokhara's Damside area, useful if you're starting your trek from there rather than Kathmandu.

Restricted Area Permits don't work this way. There's no walk-in counter. A registered trekking agency submits the application through the Department of Immigration, and processing takes one to two business days. We process restricted-area permits at least three days before departure as standard practice, since a delay at Immigration is not something you want to discover the morning of a flight to Jomsom or a jeep to Soti Khola.

Documents are the same across most permit types: a passport copy, two passport-sized photos, a completed application form (available at the counter), and the fee itself, ideally in Nepali rupees cash since card payment and US dollars aren't reliably accepted at every office.

Checkpoint purchases are possible for the standard permits, Sagarmatha and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu at Monjo or Lukla, ACAP at the Nayapul or Ghandruk posts, Langtang's permits at Dhunche. Before you rely on that: ACAP bought at a trailhead checkpoint costs double, a built-in penalty for skipping the pre-purchase step. The double charge catches trekkers who assume "buy on arrival" means the same price everywhere.

Online options exist for two of the three systems. ACAP and MCAP can be applied for through epermit.ntnc.org.np ahead of arrival. TIMS goes through tims.ntb.gov.np, but only via a registered agency since the March 2023 rule change closed off independent online registration. There's no equivalent portal for Restricted Area Permits. Those stay agency-only regardless of how much of the rest of your trip you've arranged yourself.

#Penalties, Discounts, and Permit Validity

Getting caught trekking without the correct permit or without a licensed guide carries a range of penalties, and where you land in that range depends on the violation. For a standard violation in a national park or conservation area, roughly NPR 12,000 plus removal from the trail is the most consistently cited outcome. For restricted-area violations, where the government treats the border-proximity issue more seriously, fines up to NPR 50,000 have been reported, alongside permit revocation and the possibility of being blacklisted from future Nepal permits altogether. Insurers can also use a guide-rule violation as grounds to deny a rescue claim, which turns a paperwork shortcut into a genuinely expensive mistake if something goes wrong at altitude.

Discounts exist, but only on the standard permits. SAARC nationals pay roughly a third of the foreign rate: NPR 1,000 instead of NPR 3,000 for ACAP and MCAP, NPR 1,000 instead of NPR 2,000 for TIMS. Children under 10 trek free through ACAP, MCAP, and Langtang National Park, no separate application needed beyond declaring their age on the group permit. We haven't found a documented SAARC discount on Restricted Area Permits, so budget the full per-day rate there regardless of nationality.

Validity is straightforward for standard permits and stricter for restricted ones. ACAP, Sagarmatha, and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu don't carry a printed expiry date and are meant to cover one continuous trek, not scattered visits months apart. Restricted Area Permits are date-bound to the exact number of days paid for inside the zone, calculated from your agency's submitted itinerary. Running long inside a restricted area isn't something you can fix at a trailside counter. Your agency has to reapply through the Department of Immigration, and approval on short notice isn't guaranteed, which is one more reason restricted-area itineraries tend to build in a day of cushion.

Permits are one of the few parts of a Nepal trek that are genuinely simple to get wrong through no fault of your own, since the rules keep shifting and half the information online is a year or two stale. On every Mountain Hawk Trek package, permits are handled and included as part of the price, no separate queue at NTB, no scrambling for photocopies the morning of departure. If you're weighing Everest Base Camp against a restricted-area trip like Manaslu and want the real cost difference laid out for your dates, get in touch and we'll walk you through it.

For the trek-planning side of things, the beginner's guide to trekking in Nepal and best time to trek in Nepal cover the decisions that come before permits: which route, which season, and what to expect once you're on the trail.