Annapurna permits: ACAP, TIMS and the guide rule

Nepal's permit rules change more often than its trails, and the Annapurna region has seen more changes than most in recent years. What follows is the system as we understand it at the time of writing, from our own guides who carry permits through the checkpoints every week of the season. Fees and rules are set by government bodies and can change with little notice, so check current status before you travel.

For almost every trek in this region, the list is short.

In money terms, permits are a small part of a trek. For a foreign trekker on Poon Hill or ABC, the ACAP permit and any trekking card together come to roughly USD 25 to 40 at current exchange rates. The guide, porter, lodges and meals make up most of the cost of any trek in the region.

• An ACAP entry permit for any trek inside the Annapurna Conservation Area: Poon Hill, Ghandruk, ABC, Mardi Himal, Khopra and the Annapurna Circuit.
• A TIMS card, the Trekkers' Information Management System card, where it is being checked.
• A licensed trekking guide hired through a government-registered agency.
• A restricted area permit only if you enter Nar-Phu, Upper Mustang or another restricted zone.
• Your passport, which is checked against the permit at every checkpoint.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project was set up in 1986 and is run by the National Trust for Nature Conservation, a non-government trust, rather than by the national parks department. It covers about 7,600 square km, the largest protected area in Nepal, and unusually it was designed from the start around the people who live inside it. Lodges, villages, farms and forests are all part of the conservation area, and your entry fee pays for trail repair, rubbish management, alternative energy, health posts and schools in the villages.

At last check the fee was NPR 3,000 per person for foreign nationals, with a reduced fee for citizens of SAARC countries, including India. Children under ten are usually exempt. The permit is valid for one entry and the length of a normal trek. If you are found inside the area without one, the fee at a checkpoint is doubled, so it pays to arrange it in advance.

The TIMS card was introduced to keep a record of trekkers in case of accidents or natural disasters. It records your name, passport, route and emergency contact. In 2023 the system changed: individual TIMS cards for independent trekkers were stopped, and cards are now issued through registered trekking agencies as part of the guide requirement. The fee at last check was around NPR 2,000 for foreign nationals.

In practice, enforcement has varied. Some seasons the card has been checked at Annapurna checkpoints, other seasons it has not, and some recent reports suggest it is not required on certain popular routes. Because rules here move, we include whatever trekking card is required at the time of your trek in our price, and your guide carries it. Check current status before you travel.

On 1 April 2023 the Nepal Tourism Board, with the trekking industry, introduced a rule that foreign trekkers in Nepal's national parks and conservation areas must trek with a licensed guide hired through a registered agency. Solo independent trekking without a guide was effectively ended in these areas. The reasons given were safety, after a number of trekkers went missing or died alone on the trail, and employment for Nepali guides.

The rule has been applied unevenly. In the Khumbu, the local municipality runs its own permit and has not enforced it the same way. In the Annapurnas, checkpoints at places such as Birethanti, Ghandruk and the Circuit entry points have checked for guides in many seasons, but not always. We follow the rule on every trek. Apart from the law, a good local guide makes the trek safer and more interesting, and is the best help if someone falls sick. Check current status before you travel.

A licensed guide holds a trekking guide licence issued by Nepal's Department of Tourism after a training course, usually run by the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management, covering first aid, altitude, route knowledge and the rules of the protected areas. Ask to see the licence card; ours carry it with them. A porter is not a guide under the rule, although many porters are working toward their own licence, and on our treks a porter carries the bags while the guide looks after the people.

The table below shows what applies on the main routes in and around this region, as we understand the rules at the time of writing.

Two valleys on the edge of the Annapurnas need more than an ACAP permit. Nar-Phu, a pair of Tibetan-style villages in a side valley off the Circuit above Koto, needs a restricted area permit, issued only through a registered agency, for a minimum of two trekkers with a licensed guide. The fee depends on the season and length of stay.

Upper Mustang, the old kingdom of Lo north of Kagbeni, has been open to foreigners only since 1992 and needs a restricted permit of USD 500 for the first 10 days, with a daily fee after that. You cannot walk north of the sign at Kagbeni without it. Trekkers on the Circuit often stand at that sign and look north; if you want to go further, we can plan a separate Upper Mustang trip.

Manaslu, east of the Annapurnas, is another restricted area that some trekkers link to the Circuit by crossing Larkya La and joining at Dharapani. It needs its own restricted permit and the Manaslu Conservation Area permit as well as the ACAP permit for the Annapurna section. We plan these combined treks as one booking so that every permit is in place before you start.

ACAP permits are issued in Kathmandu at the Nepal Tourism Board's Tourist Service Centre at Bhrikutimandap, and in Pokhara at the tourism office near Damside. You need a passport, a copy of the photo page and passport photos, and details of your route and dates. When you book with us we arrange everything before you start walking: we collect your passport details and photos in advance, and your guide carries the permits.

On the trail, permits are checked at ACAP and police checkpoints. On the Poon Hill and ABC side they include Birethanti, Ghandruk and Chhomrong; on Mardi Himal, Pothana; on the Circuit, points along the Marsyangdi, at Manang and at Muktinath and Jomsom. Each checkpoint stamps or records the permit. Keep it in a waterproof bag and do not throw it away until you are back in Pokhara.

• Carry two extra passport photos in case a permit needs reissuing.
• Keep a photo of your permits and passport on your phone.
• Check that your name and passport number are spelled exactly as in your passport.
• Do not lend or share permits; each is linked to one passport.
• If you change your route mid-trek, tell your guide so the checkpoints have the right record.
• Your travel insurance documents are not a permit, but carry them; rescue services will ask for them.