Nepal Trekking Permits 2026: TIMS, ACAP & Restricted Areas Explained

Nepal's trekking permit system was overhauled across 2023–2025, and by the 2026 season the rules are settled but very different from the old days of grabbing a TIMS card on a whim. After 28 years guiding clients into the Annapurnas, Everest and the restricted valleys, here is the plain-English map of exactly which permits you need, what they cost in 2026, and the one rule that now applies almost everywhere: you need a licensed guide.

Quick answer

Annapurna (ABC, Poon Hill, Mardi, Circuit): ACAP NPR 3,000 (~USD 25). TIMS no longer enforced here in practice; a licensed guide is required.
Everest (EBC): Sagarmatha National Park NPR 3,000 + Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality NPR 2,000. No TIMS.
Langtang: National Park NPR 3,000 + TIMS NPR 1,000 (guided). Solo trekking banned.
Restricted areas (Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Nar Phu, Dolpo): special permit via a registered agency, minimum two trekkers, guide mandatory — from USD 50–100+ per person.
Since 2023, independent solo trekking is not allowed on the national trail network. You must trek with a licensed guide.

The four kinds of permit in Nepal

It helps to stop thinking of "a trekking permit" as one document. In 2026 there are four separate categories, and most treks combine two of them. Get this framework and the rest is just filling in numbers.

1. TIMS Card

The Trekkers' Information Management System card — a registration database run by the Nepal Tourism Board and TAAN. Still required in Langtang, Manaslu lower trail, Rara and the far west, but quietly dropped in Khumbu and largely unenforced in Annapurna.

2. Conservation Area Permits

ACAP (Annapurna) and MCAP (Manaslu) fund the National Trust for Nature Conservation. Flat per-person fees, valid for one entry.

3. National Park Entry

Sagarmatha (Everest), Langtang and others charge a park entry fee collected by the Department of National Parks. Separate from any local municipality charge.

4. Restricted Area Permits

For sensitive border regions — Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Nar Phu, Dolpo, Tsum Valley. Issued only through a registered agency, with a two-trekker minimum and a mandatory guide.

ACAP fee 2026NPR 3,000 (~USD 25)

Sagarmatha NPNPR 3,000 (~USD 22)

Manaslu RAP (autumn)USD 100 / 7 days

Upper Mustang 2026USD 50 / day

Every Nepal trekking permit, side by side (2026)

Costs below are per person for non-SAARC foreign nationals, the rates that apply to most international trekkers. SAARC nationals (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc.) pay substantially less. All park and conservation fees must be paid in Nepalese Rupees; restricted-area permits are quoted in USD.

Permit	Region / trek	2026 cost (foreigner)	Who needs it
ACAP	All Annapurna treks — ABC, Poon Hill, Mardi, Circuit	NPR 3,000 (~USD 25)	Everyone entering the conservation area
TIMS card	Langtang, Manaslu lower trail, Rara, far west	NPR 1,000 (guided) / 2,000 (solo)	Required outside Khumbu & Annapurna
Sagarmatha National Park	Everest Base Camp, Gokyo, Three Passes	NPR 3,000 (~USD 22)	All EBC-region trekkers
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality	Everest region (bought in Lukla/Monjo)	NPR 2,000 (~USD 15)	Replaces TIMS in Khumbu
Langtang National Park	Langtang Valley, Gosaikunda	NPR 3,000 (~USD 27)	All Langtang trekkers
Manaslu Restricted Area Permit	Manaslu Circuit / Tsum Valley	USD 100 (Sep–Nov) / USD 75 (Dec–Aug) for 7 days, then USD 15/10 per extra day	Restricted-area entry, agency only
MCAP + ACAP	Manaslu Circuit (enters both areas)	USD 30 each	Manaslu trekkers
Upper Mustang RAP	Lo Manthang / Upper Mustang	USD 50 per day (new 2026 rule)	Restricted-area entry, agency only
Nar Phu / Dolpo / Tsum RAP	Off-the-beaten valleys	From USD 90–100+ per week	Restricted-area entry, agency only

Good to know

In October 2024 the NTNC opened an online e-permit system for ACAP and MCAP. In 2026 most agencies — ourselves included — issue these digitally before you arrive, so you are not queuing at the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu. Restricted-area permits, however, still require your physical passport and photos and can only be filed by a registered company.

The 2026 guide-mandatory rule — what actually changed

This is the single most misunderstood point, so let me be precise. In April 2023 the Nepal Tourism Board announced that solo, independent trekking on the national trail system would no longer be permitted; every foreign trekker must be accompanied by a licensed guide (or, for groups, registered with a trekking agency). Restricted areas have required a guide and a two-person minimum for decades — that part is not new. What changed in 2023 is that the rule now extends to the mainstream routes too.

In practice, enforcement is firm in Langtang (solo trekking explicitly banned from February 2025) and at restricted-area checkposts, and increasingly checked in Annapurna and Everest. The honest guidance for 2026: budget for a guide. Beyond the legal requirement, a licensed guide is what turns a permit checkpoint, an altitude headache or a landslide diversion from a crisis into a non-event. Our view on the wider debate is laid out in do you need a guide to trek Nepal in 2026.

Don't get caught out

Permits are checked at multiple manned checkposts on every major route, and fines for trekking without the correct permit are steep — often several times the permit price, plus being turned back. Restricted-area permits in particular are non-negotiable: rangers log your TIMS/RAP number against your passport at entry and exit.

Which permits does my trek need?

Here is how the framework maps onto our most popular itineraries, so you can see exactly what is bundled into a trip.

Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, ABC: ACAP only. See the Poon Hill 4-day trek, Mardi Himal trek and 6-day Annapurna Base Camp trek. Full detail in our Annapurna region guide and the dedicated ACAP & TIMS guide.
Annapurna Circuit & Tilicho: ACAP, and TIMS if you start from the Besisahar side — the 10-day Circuit and the 17-day Circuit with Tilicho Lake.
Everest Base Camp: Sagarmatha NP + Khumbu municipality, no TIMS — the 14-day EBC trek or the EBC helicopter-return trek. Step-by-step in our EBC permit guide and Everest region guide.
Langtang Valley: Langtang NP + TIMS — the 7-day Langtang Valley trek.
Restricted areas: the 14-day Manaslu Circuit, 19-day Manaslu & Tsum Valley and 12-day Upper Mustang trek all need a Restricted Area Permit arranged through us.

How much should I budget for permits?

For a standard guided trek in the open areas, permits run roughly USD 30–55 per person all in — a small fraction of your total trip cost. Restricted areas are the outlier: the Manaslu Circuit's RAP, MCAP and ACAP stack up to around USD 165–190 for the standard 14-day window, and Upper Mustang under the new daily rate lands near USD 600 for a 12-day trek. We fold every permit into the package price, so the figure you see is the figure you pay — no checkpoint surprises.

Permit photos

Bring four passport-sized photos and a clear photo of your passport on your phone. Conservation permits are now mostly digital, but restricted-area permits and the occasional municipality office still want physical photos. It saves a Thamel print-shop detour the night before you fly out.

When to apply

Conservation and park permits can be issued the day you arrive or, increasingly, before you land. Restricted-area permits need a little more lead time because your agency files them with the Department of Immigration against your scanned passport — we recommend confirming your Manaslu or Mustang trip at least a week ahead. None of this affects your Nepal tourist visa, which is a separate document obtained on arrival or online. If you are still choosing a route, the best time to trek Nepal in 2026 and our short treks from Pokhara guides pair well with this one.

Do I still need a TIMS card in 2026?

It depends on the region. TIMS is no longer enforced in Khumbu (Everest) or, in practice, Annapurna, but it is still required in Langtang, the lower Manaslu trail, Rara and the far west. Your guide or agency will tell you exactly which permits your route needs.

Can I trek solo in Nepal in 2026?

No. Since April 2023, independent solo trekking on the national trail network is not permitted — every foreign trekker must trek with a licensed guide or through a registered agency. Langtang made the ban explicit from February 2025, and restricted areas have always required a guide.

How much do Everest Base Camp permits cost in 2026?

Roughly NPR 5,000 total per person — NPR 3,000 for the Sagarmatha National Park entry plus NPR 2,000 for the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit. No TIMS card is required in the Khumbu. See our full EBC cost breakdown for 2026.

Why is the Upper Mustang permit cheaper now?

Nepal abolished the old flat USD 500 fee in late 2025 and replaced it with a USD 50 per person per day rate. You now pay only for the days you actually spend inside the restricted zone, which often works out lower for shorter visits.

Where do I buy ACAP and Sagarmatha permits?

Conservation and park permits are issued at the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu, at the Pokhara ACAP counter, or — increasingly — online via the NTNC e-permit system. Restricted-area permits can only be filed by a registered trekking agency on your behalf.

Are permit fees per person or per group?

Per person. Every trekker needs their own permit registered against their passport. There is no group discount on the foreigner rate, though SAARC nationals pay a lower fixed rate across the board.

We handle every permit for you

Pick a trek and your ACAP, park, TIMS or restricted-area permits are arranged, filed and paid before you arrive — no checkpoint surprises, no Thamel queues. Browse our guided treks and we will tell you exactly what is included.

Explore guided treks →

For the official source of truth on park entry fees, see the Nepal Tourism Board, and for restricted-area route lists the Department of Immigration. Fees shift between seasons — when in doubt, ask us and start with our permits hub.

Featured image: Alexey Komarov via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Calculate your exact permit cost

Use our free Nepal permit cost calculator to price every region in NPR and USD, or browse all Nepal trekking permits and costs.