Permits & Rules
Same region, wildly different experience: one route just got easier for solo trekkers to permit, the other has a paved road creeping up its most…
By Laxman Rawal · Jul 22, 2026
Both circuits loop around 8,000m giants in central-west Nepal. Both take about two weeks. But in 2026 they are two very different trips: Manaslu just became easier for solo trekkers to permit, while the Annapurna Circuit keeps losing trail to a widening road…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Every trekker on the Manaslu Circuit needs three permits — MCAP ($30), a Restricted Area Permit, and an ACAP for the final stretch into the Annapurna region — plus a licensed guide, no exceptions. Until March 2026, the RAP could only be issued to groups of…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The Annapurna Circuit's original draw was a continuous footpath from lowland rice terraces to the 5,416m Thorong La pass. That path has been steadily narrowed by a jeep road pushed up the Marsyangdi valley — the Besisahar-to-Chame stretch opened to vehicles…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Group size changes everything, since a guide and permits cost the same whether you're one person or eight. Comparing our own published rates for a comparable 14-day itinerary, travelling with 2-3 people: The roughly $450 gap is almost entirely the Manaslu RAP…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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