Pick a region to see which permits and entry fees apply there, and where Indian and SAARC travellers pay less.
Check current status before you travel. Nepal changes permit fees and trekking rules from time to time, sometimes mid-season. These notes are the latest we have; we confirm every permit and fee for your route when we send a quote.
Kathmandu Valley
No trekking or area permits are needed to tour the Kathmandu Valley. You pay entry fees at the heritage zones, roughly NPR 1,000 for foreigners at Kathmandu and Patan Durbar Squares and NPR 1,800 at Bhaktapur, with lower SAARC rates for Indians. Indian nationals need a passport or voter ID; other nationalities buy a visa on arrival (US$ 30 for 15 days). The valley rim trek through Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park needs a park entry ticket. Check current status before you travel.
Pokhara city, Sarangkot, the World Peace Pagoda, Begnas Lake, Bandipur, Manakamana and Gorkha need no trekking permit, only small site tickets. Australian Camp and Dhampus lie inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so walkers need an ACAP entry permit: NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, including Indians. Since 2023 Nepal's rules have required foreign trekkers in conservation areas to walk with a licensed guide, though enforcement on these short trails has varied. Panchase lies outside ACAP; local forest fees may apply. Check current status before you travel.
Every trekker in the region needs an Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) permit: NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, including Indians; children under 10 have generally been exempt. Permits are issued at Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara and checked at points along the main trails. Since 1 April 2023 Nepal's rules require foreign trekkers in conservation areas to walk with a licensed guide booked through a registered agency; enforcement on Annapurna trails has varied, and the TIMS card rule has changed more than once. Climbing Pisang Peak or Chulu needs an NMA permit. Check current status before you travel.
Lower Mustang, including Jomsom, Kagbeni and Muktinath, needs only the Annapurna Conservation Area permit: NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, including Indians. North of Kagbeni, Upper Mustang needs a restricted area permit, which since November 2025 costs US$ 50 per person per day, replacing the old US$ 500 for 10 days. Lower Dolpo needs a restricted area permit of about US$ 20 per week plus the Shey Phoksundo National Park fee of NPR 3,000; Upper Dolpo costs US$ 500 for 10 days. Restricted area permits are issued only through registered agencies, with a licensed guide. Check current status before you travel.
Trekkers need two permits. The Sagarmatha National Park entry permit costs NPR 3,000 plus VAT for foreign nationals and NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals, including Indians, and is sold in Kathmandu or at the Monjo park gate. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, collected at Lukla in place of the TIMS card, was set at NPR 3,000 for most foreigners and NPR 2,000 for SAARC and Chinese nationals from 2024. Nepal's 2023 rule requires foreign trekkers to walk with a licensed guide, though enforcement in the Khumbu has varied. Climbing peaks needs an NMA permit; Mera Peak also needs a Makalu-Barun permit. Check current status before you travel.
All trekkers need a Langtang National Park entry permit: NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals, including Indians, sold in Kathmandu and at the Dhunche park office. A TIMS card is also required for foreign trekkers. Since April 2023, Nepal's rules require foreign trekkers to walk with a licensed guide booked through a registered agency, and the rule is checked on Langtang trails. Helambu routes from Sundarijal also pay the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park fee of about NPR 1,000. Yala Peak needs an NMA climbing permit. No restricted area permit applies on the main routes. Check current status before you travel.
The Manaslu restricted area permit costs, as we understand 2026 rates, US$ 100 for the first seven days plus US$ 15 per day from September to November, and US$ 75 plus US$ 10 per day from December to August. The Tsum Valley permit is US$ 40 for seven days in autumn and US$ 30 in other months, plus US$ 7 per day. You also need the Manaslu Conservation Area permit and, for the Dharapani side, the Annapurna Conservation Area permit, each NPR 3,000 or NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals. Permits are issued only through registered agencies, and a licensed guide is compulsory; since March 2026 solo trekkers may apply. Check current status before you travel.
No trekking permits apply in this region. Chitwan National Park charges an entry fee for each day you enter, as we understand it NPR 2,000 for foreign nationals, NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals including Indians and NPR 150 for Nepalis, with a separate fee for vehicles. Parsa National Park follows a similar structure. Visitors must leave the park by dusk, and walking safaris need two licensed guides. Bishazari Tal and the community forests charge small entry fees. Indians need a passport or voter ID; most other nationalities buy a Nepal visa on arrival. Check current status before you travel; our packages include park fees.
No permits are needed to tour Lumbini and the Buddhist sites. The Lumbini Development Trust charges a conservation fee for the Maya Devi Temple area; as we understand it, the rates rose in 2026 to about NPR 700 for SAARC and Myanmar nationals, including Indians, and NPR 1,000 for other foreigners, with monks and nuns exempt. Tilaurakot, the Kapilvastu Museum and Rani Mahal charge small separate fees. Indians cross the border with a passport or voter ID; other nationalities buy a Nepal visa on arrival at Belahiya. Check current status before you travel.
Ilam, Pathibhara Devi, Halesi and Koshi Tappu need no trekking permit; Koshi Tappu charges a reserve entry fee. The Kanchenjunga trek needs a restricted area permit, about US$20 per person per week for the first four weeks, issued only through a registered agency for groups of at least two foreigners with a licensed guide, plus a Kanchenjunga Conservation Area permit of about NPR 2,000–3,000. Indian nationals also need both. The standard Makalu Base Camp route needs a Makalu Barun National Park permit, about NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals, and border villages further north need a restricted area permit. Check current status before you travel.
Bardia and Shuklaphanta charge a daily park entry fee, which has been NPR 1,500 plus VAT for foreigners and NPR 750 for SAARC nationals, including Indians. Rara and Khaptad national parks have charged NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals. Hill trekkers need a TIMS card and, under current rules, a licensed guide. Upper Humla, including the Karnali trail to Hilsa and the Limi Valley, is a restricted area: the permit has cost US$50 per person for the first seven days and US$10 per day after, issued through a registered agency. Check current status before you travel.
All foreign visitors, Indians included, need a Chinese group visa issued to the whole group, a Tibet Travel Permit, an Alien's Travel Permit for Ngari and the military and frontier permits that Kailash requires. A licensed Tibetan agency applies for them about 3–4 weeks ahead, and you must stay with your group and guide throughout Tibet. In recent seasons resident Indians have had visas processed through the Chinese embassy in New Delhi with original passports and biometrics, an age limit near 70 has applied, and NRIs have travelled in separate groups. On the Simikot route your operator also handles Nepal-side formalities in Humla. Check current status before you travel.
No visa is needed for Nepal. Carry a valid passport or an Election Commission voter ID card, and show it at park and heritage site counters to pay the SAARC rate.
Other nationalities
A tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport and the main land borders, or applied for online before you fly. At last check it cost US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days.
Trekking with a guide
Since 1 April 2023, rules require foreign trekkers in national parks and conservation areas to walk with a licensed guide booked through a registered agency. Enforcement has varied by region; ask us how it applies to your route and passport.
Restricted areas
Upper Mustang, Manaslu, Nar Phu, Tsum Valley, Upper Dolpo, Humla and Kanchenjunga need a restricted area permit issued through a registered agency, usually for at least two trekkers with a licensed guide.
Climbing peaks
Trekking and expedition peaks need a climbing permit on top of the area permits, priced by peak and season.
Kailash via Nepal
The Chinese group visa and Tibet permits are arranged by the operator. Opening dates and rules for Indian passport holders are set each year, so confirm them before you book.
A heli tour, a base camp trek, a temple circuit or a slow week in Pokhara. We send a day-by-day plan with every hotel, flight and permit priced in rupees or dollars, usually within one working day.
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