National Park Rules & Regulations for Visitors to Nepal: Do's and Don'ts

Nepal protects about 23.39% of its territory through a network managed by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC): 12 national parks, one wildlife reserve, one hunting reserve, six conservation areas and 13 buffer zones. Every one of these is governed by a single umbrella law, the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 (1973), together with park-specific regulations and buffer-zone rules made under it.

The first and most basic rule is the entry permit. Under the Act, no person may enter a national park or reserve without an entry permit or the written permission of the authorised officer. Permits are issued by DNPWC (in Kathmandu at the Nepal Tourism Board building, Bhrikuti Mandap, and at Babar Mahal) and at park entry points; they are single-entry, non-transferable and non-refundable. This page focuses on how to behave once you are inside; for the schedule of entry and trekking fees, see the site's separate trekking-permit and fees guide.

Rules and fees are revised periodically and some conduct rules (guide requirements, plastic bans, safari formats, safe distances) are set locally by each park or buffer-zone council. Treat everything below as the general national framework and verify the exact, current requirements with the specific park office or DNPWC before your visit.

The Act lists activities that no one may carry out inside a national park or reserve without the written permission of the authorised officer. These prohibitions are the legal backbone of every park's do's and don'ts, and breaking them is an offence regardless of whether a warden sees you do it.

In short: do not hunt or harm any wild animal or bird; do not remove or damage any plant, tree, forest product, mineral, stone, boulder or earth; do not fish, dam or divert waterways, or put any poison, explosive or harmful substance into the water; do not build any structure, clear or cultivate land, or graze and water domestic animals; and do not carry or use arms, ammunition, traps, poison or explosives. Fishing is only permitted where the park allows it and you hold the required permit.

Because the Act requires written permission for these acts, activities such as scientific collection, research sampling or filming are not automatically allowed either, they need prior authorisation from DNPWC or the park warden.

Parks exist for the animals, not the other way round. All flora and fauna are fully protected and must not be disturbed. Do not feed, touch, bait, corner or chase any animal, and never try to attract wildlife with food or noise; feeding changes animal behaviour and makes species such as rhinos, sloth bears, elephants and monkeys dangerous to people.

Keep a safe distance and let the animals set the terms. The Act and park rules do not fix a single number for every species, and a distance that is safe from a deer is lethal from a rhino, tiger, elephant, sloth bear or wild elephant herd. Move slowly and quietly, wear muted natural colours (greens, browns, beiges) rather than bright or white clothing, keep your voice down, and never get between an animal and its young or its escape route. On a guided safari, follow your guide's instructions on how close is acceptable, and back away calmly if an animal shows stress. Confirm any species-specific minimum distances with the park.

Do not walk in the park between sunset and sunrise, when large mammals are most active and most dangerous. Photography of wildlife is fine, but flash and drones that harass animals are not; keep to your vehicle, machan (watchtower) or the trail.

Leave no trace is a legal expectation, not just etiquette. Lighting open fires and littering are prohibited, and rubbish must be carried out or placed, buried or disposed of only in designated areas. Visitors are specifically expected to carry out non-biodegradable items such as batteries, plastic bags, bottles, wrappers and cans.

Single-use plastics are increasingly restricted. In the Everest region, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality banned single-use plastics thinner than 30 microns and plastic drinking-water bottles from January 2020, and similar restrictions apply in other mountain areas. Bring a refillable bottle with purification, avoid single-use packaging, and check the specific park's current plastic rules before you go.

Do not pollute water sources, wash with soap or detergent directly in rivers and lakes, or bury non-degradable waste. Human waste should be dealt with well away from water and, in high-use areas, using the facilities or wag-bags provided.

Drones are not allowed to be flown inside national parks and buffer zones without written permission from DNPWC. Signs at park gates state that taking and use of a drone is prohibited inside the national park and buffer-zone area without permission from the Department. This is in addition to the drone registration and flight approval required nationally from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), so a park drone flight needs clearance from both bodies.

Where drone or filming permission is granted, DNPWC charges a documentary/filming fee, and the drone (UAV) fee is set at the same rate. Widely published figures are around USD 1,500 for foreign nationals, NPR 50,000 for SAARC nationals and NPR 10,000 for Nepali citizens per park, but these are revised periodically and vary, so confirm the current fee and paperwork with DNPWC.

Ordinary personal still photography is generally fine, but avoid flash near animals and never photograph in a way that harasses wildlife or disturbs other visitors. Commercial photography and video shoots also need prior DNPWC approval.

Stay on the marked trails and roads. Deviating from approved trails and routes is prohibited, damages fragile habitat, causes soil erosion and puts you at risk from wildlife; short-cutting switchbacks is specifically discouraged. Follow directional signs and the boundaries between the core zone and buffer zone.

Licensed guides are required for many activities. In Chitwan and other Terai parks a licensed nature guide is mandatory for jungle walks (walking safaris typically require two trained guides), and canoe, jeep and elephant activities run only under authorised operators. In the mountain parks and conservation areas, Nepal's rules also require most foreign trekkers to be accompanied by a licensed guide or porter-guide. Rules on where a guide is compulsory vary, so verify the requirement for your specific park or route with DNPWC or the park office.

Camp only in designated areas. Wild camping outside sanctioned sites is not allowed; use official campgrounds or approved lodges, keep noise and light low, secure food from animals, and never leave a camp fire or waste behind. Overnight stays inside strict core zones are usually restricted.

Nepal enforces some of South Asia's toughest wildlife-crime penalties. Killing, injuring, buying, selling or possessing a protected (Schedule 1) species, such as the one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, Asian elephant, snow leopard, red panda, musk deer or gharial, or trading in their parts (rhino horn, tiger skin, musk pod) can bring imprisonment of 5 to 15 years and a fine of NPR 500,000 to NPR 1,000,000, or both.

Lesser offences, such as unauthorised entry, hunting non-protected animals, removing forest products, fishing without a permit, littering, lighting fires or flying a drone without permission, carry smaller fines and shorter imprisonment terms, with amounts depending on the offence and the species involved. Authorities can also seize equipment and specimens, cancel permits and deport or blacklist foreign offenders.

Exact penalty amounts have changed across amendments to the Act and differ by offence, so treat the figures above as indicative and check the current provisions with DNPWC or a park warden. When in doubt, ask before you act, ignorance of a rule is not a defence.

Around most national parks and reserves lies a buffer zone, an area of up to roughly two kilometres of settlement and community forest declared under the Act and managed through the Buffer Zone Management Regulation, 2052 (1996). Buffer zones exist to reduce park-people conflict and share benefits: 30 to 50 percent of park revenue is returned to local buffer-zone user committees and councils for conservation and community development.

For visitors, the key point is that many park rules extend into the buffer zone. The drone ban, waste and plastic rules, and the ban on hunting and harming wildlife apply in the buffer zone too, and community-forest areas have their own local rules on firewood, grazing and access. Respect private land, homestays and community forests, buy local where you can (it funds conservation), and follow any signage from the buffer-zone user committee.

Because each buffer zone is co-managed locally, the precise do's and don'ts, fees for buffer-zone community activities, and access rules differ by area, verify them with the local buffer-zone office or DNPWC.