The short version
Organic Maps is the best free offline map app for Nepal — OpenStreetMap trails, no subscription, works on GPS with no signal. How to download the Nepal map before you leave the city, five backups worth having, and the power-bank maths.
The short answer, if you only read one line: install Organic Maps, download the Nepal map over Wi-Fi in Kathmandu or Pokhara, and you have free, offline, trail-level navigation that works on satellite GPS with no phone signal at all. It costs nothing, needs no account, and its trail data comes from OpenStreetMap, which for Nepal is unusually complete. Everything below is the detail behind that — what else is worth downloading, what offline maps will not tell you, and how to keep a phone alive for two weeks above 4,000m.
- Organic Maps is the best free offline map app for Nepal — OpenStreetMap trails, teahouses and junctions, no subscription and no account.
- Your phone's GPS works without any signal, provided the map is already downloaded. Keep the phone in aeroplane mode all trek and the battery lasts far longer.
- Google Maps offline is for roads, not trails — useful for Kathmandu and Pokhara, close to useless above the road-head.
- Carry a 10,000mAh+ power bank. Charging above 3,500m is paid, slow, and costs US$1–3 a time.
- Apps are a backup, never a replacement for a licensed guide — no map shows this week's landslide detour or a snow-covered junction.
Which offline map app for Nepal, and why
All the genuinely useful trail maps for Nepal draw on the same source: OpenStreetMap. That matters more here than almost anywhere else on earth. After the 2015 earthquake, thousands of volunteer mappers rebuilt Nepal's map data at a level of detail commercial mapping companies have never had a commercial reason to match, and the trekking community has kept it current ever since. Trails, suspension bridges, teahouse names, checkpoints and trail junctions are in there. The commercial map on your phone by default is not.
That is why the free OSM-based apps beat the paid ones in Nepal specifically, even where the paid ones are better products elsewhere. Organic Maps is the one we point people at: it is free, open source, has no ads and no sign-up, renders fully offline, and shows contour lines and hiking paths rather than just roads.
| App | Cost | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Maps | Free | The default. Offline OSM trails, contours, teahouses, no account needed | Plain interface; route planning is basic |
| Maps.me | Free with ads | Same OSM lineage, familiar to long-term travellers | Ads and account prompts; heavier than Organic Maps |
| Gaia GPS | Free tier, paid for the good layers | Topo and satellite layers, track recording, planning at home | Offline downloads and the best layers sit behind the subscription |
| AllTrails | Freemium | Reading other people's recorded routes before you go | Offline maps need the paid tier; user routes vary in quality |
| Google Maps (offline area) | Free | Roads, taxis and restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara | Does not carry trekking trails — do not rely on it above the road-head |
| Printed map (Himalayan MapHouse and similar) | A few dollars in Thamel or Lakeside | The backup that never runs out of battery | Not updated for this season's detours |
How to download the Nepal offline map
Do this in the city, on hotel or café Wi-Fi, before you get anywhere near a trailhead. It is the single most common thing people mean to do and forget.
- Install the app before you fly. App stores need data, and airport Wi-Fi in Kathmandu is not something to depend on.
- Open the downloader. In Organic Maps, open the menu and choose to download maps, then find Nepal under Asia and tap to download. In Maps.me the flow is near-identical.
- Let it finish on Wi-Fi. The country map is a large file. Do not start it on mobile data and do not start it the morning you leave.
- Test it properly. Put the phone in aeroplane mode, walk outside, and check that your blue dot appears and the map draws. If it does not, you have not downloaded what you think you have.
- Bookmark your route. Drop pins on your planned overnight stops and any junction your guide or itinerary flags. Bookmarks survive offline and are far faster to read than a search box.
- Import a track if you have one. Both Organic Maps and Gaia GPS will open a GPX or KML file, so if your operator sends the route, load it before you leave the city.
Your phone's GPS receiver talks to satellites, not to a phone network, so your position works in the remotest valley in Nepal as long as the map is already on the device. Keep the phone in aeroplane mode for the whole trek — GPS still functions, and the battery lasts several times longer because the radio stops hunting for a tower that is not there.
What to download before you lose signal
Maps are the headline, but the rest of this list is what makes the difference between mildly inconvenient and genuinely stuck. Everything here should be on the device, not in a cloud folder.
| Download | Why |
|---|---|
| Nepal offline map (Organic Maps or Maps.me) | Trail-level navigation with no signal |
| Google Translate offline Nepali pack | Lodge conversations, shopping, and anything medical |
| Your GPX route or bookmarked overnight stops | Faster and more reliable than searching offline |
| Photos of your passport, visa and permits | Checkpoints ask; phones and wallets get lost |
| Insurance policy number and the 24-hour assistance line | The number you need at the exact moment you have no data |
| Your operator's phone number and the lodge list | Reachable from a lodge landline or a borrowed phone |
| Offline music, podcasts, a book | Lodge evenings are long and start at about seven |
What an offline map will not tell you
This is the part worth taking seriously. An offline map is a snapshot of what somebody mapped, not a live picture of the mountain. It will not show you the landslide that took out 200 metres of trail three weeks ago, the suspension bridge washed out in the monsoon, or the junction buried under fresh snow where the correct line is the one with footprints in it. On the Annapurna Circuit it may not reflect which sections have been swallowed by the new road and which walking alternative your guide will take instead. And it certainly will not tell you that the lodge you pinned closed for the season last November.
It also will not tell you how you are doing. Altitude decisions — whether to go up, stay put or descend — are read off a person, not a screen. If you take one thing from this article beyond which app to install, make it that. Our complete guide to altitude sickness in Nepal covers the symptoms that actually matter.
Batteries die in the cold, GPS drifts in steep valleys, and maps miss this season's detours. Treat the app as a second opinion. On restricted-area routes a licensed guide is required by law in any case — and on every other route, the guide is the reason the map is a convenience rather than a lifeline.
Google Maps offline: useful, but not for trekking
Google Maps lets you download an offline area and it is genuinely handy in Kathmandu and Pokhara — road layouts, restaurants, the route your taxi should be taking. What it does not carry is Nepal's trekking network. Walk out of the road-head and the trails largely are not there, which is precisely the moment you need them. Download a Google offline area for the cities by all means; do not let it be your only map.
Altitude and weather apps
A barometric altimeter — either an app on a phone with a pressure sensor, or a watch — is a nice way to track the day's climb and to sanity-check the altitudes in your itinerary. Note the distinction: phones without a barometer report GPS altitude, which drifts by tens of metres and sometimes far more in steep terrain. Neither is a medical instrument, and altitude gain that looks fine on a screen can still be too fast for you.
Mountain weather apps give a general picture and not much more. Himalayan valleys make their own weather, forecasts degrade badly above 4,000m, and the sky at four in the afternoon tells you more than the app does. Your guide's read of the day is the forecast that counts. For planning at a season scale rather than a day scale, our Nepal trekking weather month by month guide is the better tool.
Power is the thing that actually breaks the plan
An app on a dead phone is a paperweight, and cold flattens lithium batteries fast. Three habits solve almost all of it.
GPS still works. The radio hunting for a non-existent tower is what drains the battery, and switching it off can multiply your usable days.
A 10,000mAh bank covers a typical phone for several days; 20,000mAh covers a two-week trek with a camera in the mix. Carry it in your daypack, not the porter's load.
Phone, power bank and spare camera cells go inside the sleeping bag at night. A battery left on a cold windowsill can read empty by morning and recover once warm.
Above about 3,500m, charging is paid — reckon on US$1–3 per charge — and often slow, shared and rationed by whatever the lodge's solar panel gathered that day. Charge at every opportunity lower down rather than assuming you can top up at the top. A small folding solar panel earns its place on longer or more remote itineraries, and less than people expect in autumn cloud.
SIM cards, data and where you actually get signal
A local SIM is cheap and worth having for the cities and the lower trail, where coverage on the popular routes is better than most visitors expect. It thins out fast with altitude and disappears entirely in the restricted valleys — there are long stretches of the Manaslu Circuit with nothing at all. Teahouse Wi-Fi exists on the main routes, is usually paid, and is usually slow. Our Nepal SIM card guide covers which network to buy and where, and our guide to Wi-Fi and connectivity on the trail sets realistic expectations route by route.
Keep your paperwork offline too
Permits get checked, and the checkpoints are exactly where your data is not. Keep photographs of your passport, visa, permits and insurance on the device itself rather than in a cloud album that needs a connection to open. If you are still working out which permits your route needs, the permit hub compares every one of them, and our 2026 trekking permits guide covers what to carry and where each is issued.
The Annapurna Circuit is the trek where road-building and detours change the walking line most, and where a guide who knows this season's alternatives is worth more than any app. Our 14-day Annapurna Circuit runs from US$1,600 solo, or US$1,150pp in a group of eight, with permits, lodges and every meal included.
See dates & price →Why your guide still matters most
Everything in this article is a convenience layer. Apps let you satisfy your own curiosity about how far the next village is, keep a record of the walk, and message home from a lodge. They do not read the terrain, they do not notice you slowing down, and they do not know that the upper trail is closed this week. A licensed local guide does all three, which is why on most of Nepal's routes one is now required by law and on the rest is simply the right call. Use the tech to enrich the trek, never to replace the person walking beside you.
Your download checklist
Before you leave the city: the Nepal offline map, the Google Translate Nepali pack, your route as bookmarks or a GPX, offline photos of permits and insurance, your operator's number, and a fully charged power bank. Then put the phone in aeroplane mode and enjoy being properly off-grid. Still choosing a route? Browse our best treks in Nepal guide, and see our packing list for what else goes in the daypack alongside the power bank.
What is the best offline map app for Nepal?
Organic Maps. It is free, open source, has no ads or sign-up, and renders OpenStreetMap data fully offline — including trekking trails, contour lines, suspension bridges, teahouses and trail junctions. Maps.me uses the same OpenStreetMap lineage and is a reasonable alternative; Gaia GPS and AllTrails are strong products but put their offline downloads behind a subscription.
How do I download an offline map of Nepal?
Install the app before you fly, then on Wi-Fi in Kathmandu or Pokhara open the app's map downloader, find Nepal under Asia and download the country map. Let it complete on Wi-Fi rather than mobile data, then test it by switching to aeroplane mode and checking your position appears on the map.
Does my phone's GPS work without any signal in Nepal?
Yes. GPS is satellite-based and needs no phone or data network. As long as you have pre-downloaded the offline map, your location shows in the remotest valley in the country. Keeping the phone in aeroplane mode does not affect GPS and dramatically extends battery life.
Is Google Maps any good for trekking in Nepal?
Not for trekking. Google's offline areas are useful for roads, taxis and restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara, but the trekking trail network largely is not in there. Use it in the cities and an OpenStreetMap-based app on the trail.
How big a power bank do I need for a Nepal trek?
10,000mAh is the minimum for a phone-only trek; 20,000mAh is the sensible choice for two weeks with a camera. Charging above 3,500m is paid at roughly US$1–3 per charge, slow, and limited by the lodge's solar supply, so charge at every opportunity lower down and sleep with your batteries inside your sleeping bag.
Can a trekking app replace a guide in Nepal?
No. Batteries die, GPS drifts in steep valleys, and no map shows this season's landslide detour or a snow-covered junction. On restricted-area routes a licensed guide is required by law, and everywhere else a guide reads terrain, weather and your own altitude symptoms in ways no app can.
Do I need a SIM card as well?
A local SIM is cheap and useful in the cities and on the lower trail, where coverage on the popular routes is better than most visitors expect. It thins out with altitude and disappears in the restricted valleys, so treat it as a convenience rather than a safety plan.
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Travel Himalaya NepalPokhara-based, NMA-certified trekking guides. We’ve led 5,000+ treks across the Annapurna and Everest regions since 1998 — every word here comes from the trail. More from this author →
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