Nepal's Remote & Restricted Trek Permits Explained (2026)
Heading off the beaten path — Makalu, Kanchenjunga, Api, Manaslu or Upper Mustang? Here's what permits you need, the rules, and why you must trek with a registered guide.
The remote treks Nepal's leadership is now putting in the spotlight come with paperwork the popular trails don't. Restricted and conservation areas have their own permit rules — and getting them wrong can end a trip before it starts. Here's the plain-English guide for 2026.
From the trail · Annapurna
The two permit types
- National park / conservation permits — e.g. Makalu Barun, Api Nampa; straightforward entry fees
- Restricted Area Permits (RAP) — e.g. Kanchenjunga, Manaslu, Upper Mustang; stricter and pricier
- Restricted areas require a registered operator and usually a minimum of two trekkers
- A licensed guide is mandatory on all of these routes
What each remote trek needs
Makalu and Api sit in protected areas (Makalu Barun National Park; Api Nampa Conservation Area) and need entry permits plus a guide, but no special restricted permit. Kanchenjunga, Manaslu and Upper Mustang are restricted areas: you cannot trek them solo or arrange the permit yourself — you must go through a registered agency, in a group of at least two, with a RAP. Because all of these regions are remote, an organised, fully supported trip isn't just the rule; it's the safe way to do it.
| Trek | Permit type | Solo allowed? |
|---|---|---|
| Makalu Base Camp | National park + guide | With a guide |
| Api Base Camp | Conservation area + guide | With a guide |
| Kanchenjunga | Restricted Area Permit | No — min 2 + agency |
| Manaslu / Upper Mustang | Restricted Area Permit | No — min 2 + agency |
We handle the paperwork
For full current fees see our Nepal trekking permits guide. We arrange every permit for the Makalu, Api and Kanchenjunga treks so you don't have to.
Source: Travel Himalaya Nepal operations; Nepal permit framework. Confirm current fees on our permits page.
Cover photo: Craig Taylor via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
来源： Travel Himalaya Nepal
计划徒步？
我们负责许可证、后勤与向导
NMA 认证的本地向导，价格透明，自 1998 年以来 5,000+ 次徒步。告诉我们你的日期，其余的交给我们。
更多「Permits & Rules」
Permits & Rules
No Plastic Bottles Above Namche: the Everest Trek's Green Rule Every Trekker Should Know (2026)
To protect the Khumbu, single-use plastic bottles are restricted above Namche Bazaar on the Everest trail. Here's what international trekkers should pack instead.
Permits & Rules
Can You Get Nepal Trekking Permits Online in 2026? What's Actually Digital — and What Still Isn't
ACAP and MCAP now have an online e-permit portal, TIMS went digital, and every checkpoint scans a QR code — but restricted permits and national-park entries still route through an agency. Here's the honest 2026 map.
Permits & Rules
The TIMS Card in 2026: Where It's Gone, Where It Still Bites
Nepal's old paper trekking card has quietly vanished from Everest and Annapurna — but it is alive and enforced elsewhere. Here is what you actually need this year.