Nepal Just Let Solo Trekkers Into Manaslu, Upper Mustang and Dolpo — No Second Trekker Required
A March 2026 Department of Immigration order scrapped the two-person minimum for Nepal's 13 restricted trekking districts — verified against the government's own notice. Here is exactly what changed, and what still has not.
At a glance
- Published · updated
- TopicPermits & Rules
- Verified againstThe Kathmandu Post
- Treks coveredManaslu Circuit Trek — 16 Days, Upper Dolpo Trek — 22 Days, Upper Mustang Trek — 12 Days
Until this spring, a solo trekker who wanted to walk into Upper Mustang, Manaslu or Dolpo alone had one option: find a second foreigner willing to join their permit application, or shelve the trip. On 22 March 2026, Nepal's Department of Immigration confirmed that requirement is gone. A single foreign trekker can now be issued a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) without a second name on the form — one of the biggest liberalisations of Nepal's restricted-area system in years, and one that has had almost no coverage outside Nepal.
Key facts
- Effective 22 March 2026, confirmed by the Department of Immigration to the Kathmandu Post
- Old rule: a minimum of 2 foreign trekkers per Restricted Area Permit application
- New rule: 1 solo trekker can apply — still only through a TAAN-registered trekking agency
- Covers all 13 restricted districts, including Upper Mustang, Manaslu/Tsum, Nar-Phu and Upper & Lower Dolpo
- A licensed guide, booked through a registered agency, is still compulsory — solo does not mean unguided
The change was pushed for years by the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), which argued the old rule punished exactly the traveller Nepal wants more of: someone willing to pay for a private guide and a proper agency, but with no interest in pairing up with a stranger off a trekking forum just to satisfy a paperwork minimum. The Department of Immigration confirmed the update to the Kathmandu Post, and officials framed it as removing an artificial barrier rather than loosening security — these remain border-sensitive zones close to the Tibetan frontier, and Upper Mustang itself only opened to any foreign trekkers, solo or otherwise, in 1992.
It is worth being precise about scope. This never affected mainstream treks like Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Base Camp or the classic Annapurna Circuit route, which sit inside National Parks or Conservation Areas, not Restricted Areas, and have never required a minimum group size for a permit. The 13-district list is specifically the border zones — Manaslu, Mustang, Dolpo, Nar-Phu, Kanchenjunga and similar — where Nepal has always required a licensed guide and, until March, a trekking partner too.
| Region | District | Typical trek length |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Mustang | Mustang | 12 days |
| Manaslu Circuit | Gorkha | 16 days |
| Nar-Phu Valley | Manang | 14 days |
| Upper Dolpo | Dolpa | 22 days |
| Kanchenjunga Base Camp | Taplejung | 22 days |
For how this sits alongside the year’s other permit, fare and access changes, see the autumn 2026 Nepal trekking briefing.
What this means for trekkers
What this means for you
If you travel alone and had Manaslu, Upper Mustang or Dolpo on a someday list but shelved it for lack of a trekking partner, that excuse is gone. You will still pay for a private guide rather than splitting costs with a partner, and the agency you book through still has to be TAAN-registered — this is not a loophole into unguided trekking, which remains illegal in these zones. But the paperwork barrier that used to force solo travellers to either recruit a stranger or pick an unrestricted trek instead has been removed by the government itself.
For autumn 2026, the practical upshot is timing: restricted-area permits can now be processed before you land, using your Nepali visa number, so a solo booking for Upper Mustang or Manaslu no longer needs the buffer days once set aside for in-country queueing. Combined with Nepal's other 2026 permit move — Upper Mustang's flat $500 fee replaced by a $50-a-day charge — a solo trekker doing a 10 to 12 day Mustang loop now pays for days actually spent in the restricted zone, not a blanket surcharge for travelling alone.
Guides operating in these regions recommend booking at least 4–6 weeks out for autumn slots, since Manaslu and Upper Mustang capacity fills fast once the monsoon clears. Full permit costs, TIMS requirements and the difference between a Restricted Area Permit and an ordinary park entry fee are on our Nepal permits hub.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, citing the Department of Immigration.
Cover photo: Ashok J Kshetri via Pexels (Pexels License).
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