Permits & Rules

Nepal's Last Forbidden Kingdom Stayed Closed Until 1992, and Getting In Just Got Far Cheaper

Upper Mustang secretly hosted a CIA-backed guerrilla army and then stayed shut to every foreign visitor for another eighteen years, and Nepal has now…

By Laxman Rawal · Sep 18, 2026

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Most travellers who've heard of Upper Mustang know it by its nickname, the Forbidden Kingdom — but few know how literally that name was earned, or that Nepal just rewrote the rule that decided who could afford to go. Key facts The walled capital, Lo Manthang…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

What this means for trekkers

What this means for you The old flat fee punished exactly the travellers with the least time — a long weekend in Lo Manthang used to cost as much as a proper two-week circuit. Under the new $50-a-day rate, a focused 4—5 day loop into Lo Manthang is realistic…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

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