Nepal Trekking Permit & National Park / Conservation Fees

Trekking fees in Nepal are not a single charge but several separate layers, each collected by a different authority. Understanding which layers apply to your route is the key to budgeting correctly and avoiding surprises at a checkpoint. Most trekkers pay a combination of a protected-area entry permit, a local municipal levy, and either a Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card or a Restricted Area Permit (RAP), depending on where they go.

The first layer is the protected-area permit. If a trek enters a national park (such as Sagarmatha or Chitwan) it needs a National Park Entry Permit issued by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). If it enters a conservation area (such as Annapurna or Manaslu) it needs a Conservation Area Entry Permit, most of which are managed by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) on the government's behalf.

The second layer is the local rural-municipality (gaunpalika) fee. Since Nepal's 2015 federal restructuring, several trekking gateways levy their own entry charge that is collected in addition to the national permit. The third layer is trek documentation: a TIMS card from the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) for ordinary trekking regions, or a RAP from the Department of Immigration for controlled zones near the northern border.

All fees quoted here are indicative and periodically revised by government notice; reconfirm the current rate through a registered agency before you travel. Children under ten are generally admitted free.

Entry fees for protected areas are set as flat per-person amounts and differ by nationality, with citizens of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) paying a discounted rate and Nepali nationals paying a nominal amount. The fees below are the standard rates published by the Nepal Tourism Board and DNPWC; a 13 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) is added at some counters, so the amount paid can be slightly higher than the base figure.

For most Himalayan national parks and conservation areas the foreign-national rate is NPR 3,000. This applies to Sagarmatha (Everest), Langtang, Makalu-Barun, Shey-Phoksundo, Khaptad, the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) and the Manaslu Conservation Area (MCAP). Chitwan National Park, the country's most-visited park in the Terai, is cheaper at NPR 2,000 for foreign nationals, as is the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area at NPR 2,000. Lowland parks such as Bardia and Banke charge NPR 1,500.

SAARC nationals typically pay NPR 1,500 for the higher-tier parks (Sagarmatha, Langtang, Makalu-Barun, Shey-Phoksundo, Khaptad), NPR 1,000 for the Annapurna and Manaslu conservation areas and Chitwan, and NPR 500 for Kanchenjunga. Nepali citizens pay NPR 100 at most parks and NPR 150 at Chitwan. These permits are single-entry and route-specific; losing one usually means paying again.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) is the single most-issued conservation permit in the country because it covers the Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Ghorepani Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Khopra and Nar-Phu. It is issued by NTNC/ACAP counters in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Besisahar. There is no separate rural-municipality charge inside the Annapurna region, which keeps that trek's paperwork simpler than Everest's.

After Nepal moved to a federal structure, several local governments in trekking districts introduced their own entry levy on top of the national permit. These charges are paid at a local counter, usually at the trek's first major village, and the revenue funds trail maintenance, waste management and community infrastructure. They are separate from and additional to the DNPWC or NTNC permit.

The best-known example is the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee in the Everest region. It was introduced in October 2018 and effectively replaced the TIMS card for the Khumbu, meaning most Everest Base Camp trekkers now carry the Sagarmatha National Park permit plus this local permit rather than a TIMS card. The rate was NPR 2,000 per person and was raised to NPR 3,000 from September 2024; it is collected at Lukla or Monjo.

Because these municipal fees are set by local councils, they change more often and less predictably than national permits, and not every trek has one; the Annapurna region has no equivalent local levy because ACAP already covers the area. Budget for the possibility of a local fee in the Everest and other newly federalised zones, and keep cash for counters that do not accept cards.

The Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card is a registration document introduced by the Nepal Tourism Board and the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) to track trekkers for safety and search-and-rescue. It is required for ordinary trekking regions that are not otherwise covered by a national-park local permit or a Restricted Area Permit, and it is checked at trailhead posts and TAAN checkpoints.

The TIMS card currently costs NPR 2,000 for foreign nationals and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, and is increasingly issued and paid for online through the Nepal Tourism Board's portal. The older colour-coded system (a green card for free individual trekkers and a blue card for organised groups) was discontinued when the rules were tightened.

From 31 Chaitra 2079 BS (31 March 2023 AD), the government made a licensed guide effectively mandatory for foreign trekkers in the designated protected trekking regions, and the free 'independent' TIMS card was withdrawn. In practice this meant solo, guide-free trekking was no longer permitted on the main routes; trekkers had to book through a registered agency that issued the TIMS card. Enforcement and the exact list of covered routes have varied, and in the Khumbu the local permit is checked instead of TIMS, so confirm the current requirement for your specific route before you set out.

Certain culturally sensitive or border regions are designated 'restricted areas' and require a special Restricted Area Permit (RAP) issued by the Department of Immigration, not the TIMS or park system. RAPs are priced in US dollars, are time-limited, and can only be arranged by a government-registered trekking agency; individual trekkers cannot apply directly at the counter. A RAP is almost always required in addition to the relevant national-park or conservation-area permit.

Upper Mustang, the walled kingdom of Lo, was historically the most expensive at a flat USD 500 for ten days. In late 2025 (November 2025) the cabinet replaced this with a flexible rate of USD 50 per person per day, so shorter visits became much cheaper while long stays cost more. Upper Dolpo remains at the old-style USD 500 for the first ten days, then USD 50 per additional day, while Lower Dolpo is far cheaper at USD 20 per week.

The Manaslu Conservation Area's RAP follows a seasonal, weekly structure: about USD 100 per person for the first week (September-November) or USD 75 (December-August), plus a per-day charge thereafter. The Tsum Valley and Nar-Phu Valley RAPs are cheaper weekly permits with the same peak/off-peak split. Kanchenjunga's RAP is about USD 20 per week for the first four weeks. Because these regions also sit inside conservation areas, trekkers pay both the RAP and the MCAP/ACAP/Kanchenjunga conservation permit.

RAP fees are among the fastest-changing figures in Nepali trekking, so treat every dollar amount here as indicative and confirm with your agency and the Department of Immigration. Note that autumn peak rates are higher than off-season rates for several of these areas.

Nepal's rules on independent trekking tightened in 2023 and were partly relaxed in 2026. Since 31 March 2023 a licensed guide has been effectively required for foreign trekkers on the main national-park and conservation-area routes, and the free individual TIMS card was scrapped, ending fully independent trekking on those trails. The stated aim was safety, employment for licensed guides, and reducing lost or stranded trekkers.

Restricted areas have always carried the strictest rule: for decades a RAP could only be issued to a group of at least two trekkers travelling together through a registered agency, so genuine solo permits were impossible. In March 2026 the government removed this two-person minimum, allowing a single trekker to obtain a restricted-area permit provided a licensed guide accompanies them throughout and the permit is still processed by a registered agency.

It is important to distinguish 'solo' from 'independent'. Even under the 2026 change, solo does not mean guide-free: a licensed guide remains compulsory in restricted areas, and a registered agency must handle the paperwork. For ordinary (non-restricted) regions the guide requirement introduced in 2023 continues to apply on designated routes. Rules and enforcement evolve, so verify the current position for your route with a registered agency or the relevant government office before booking.

National-park and conservation permits are issued at DNPWC and NTNC counters. ACAP and MCAP can be obtained at the NTNC/ACAP offices in Kathmandu (Bhrikutimandap) and Pokhara, and at some trailhead entry stations; Sagarmatha and other national-park permits are issued at the Nepal Tourism Board building in Kathmandu or at the park entrance. Bring your passport, passport-size photos and the exact fee, ideally in Nepali rupees.

TIMS cards are issued through the Nepal Tourism Board and registered trekking agencies, increasingly via the online portal, so much of the process can now be completed before you arrive. Restricted Area Permits must be arranged by a government-registered trekking agency, which submits your documents to the Department of Immigration and pays the fee on your behalf; you cannot walk into the immigration office and buy a RAP yourself.

Practical tips: carry multiple passport copies and photos, and keep every permit accessible because checkpoints inspect them repeatedly along the trail. Above all, confirm the latest fees and rules with your agency shortly before departure, because rates, the list of restricted zones and the guide requirements are all revised from time to time by government notice.