Humla and Limi Permits: Restricted Area Rules

Nepal designates certain border regions as restricted areas for foreign visitors. They are mostly valleys close to the Tibet border, such as Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Manaslu, Tsum, Nar Phu and parts of Humla, where the government wants to control numbers, protect fragile cultures and keep track of who is near the frontier. You can visit, but only on a special permit, issued through a registered trekking agency, for a fixed period and a fixed route.

The rules have three practical consequences. First, you cannot trek independently: the agency applies for the permit on your behalf and is responsible for you. Second, there is a minimum group size, usually two foreign trekkers, so solo travellers either join a group or pay for a second permit. Third, you must be accompanied by a licensed guide for the entire time you are inside the restricted area. Police and army checkposts along the route inspect permits.

In Humla, the restricted area covers the upper Karnali valley north of Simikot, including the villages of Muchu and Yari, the trail over the Nara La to Hilsa on the Tibet border, and the Limi Valley with its villages of Til, Halji and Jang. The Department of Immigration lists the permit under Humla district, for the Simikot and Yari areas and the former Limi and Muchu village committees.

At the time of writing the fee is USD 50 per person for the first seven days and USD 10 per person per day after that. A typical Limi Valley trek of about two weeks inside the zone therefore costs between USD 110 and USD 150 in permit fees per person. Pilgrims who fly by helicopter from Simikot to Hilsa on the way to Kailash also need the permit for the days they are in the area. Fees and boundaries change, so check current status before you travel.

You cannot apply yourself. A government-registered trekking agency submits the application to the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu, with copies of your passport and Nepal visa, a passport photograph if requested, your trekking itinerary with dates of entry and exit, details of the licensed guide and proof of travel insurance. The permit is issued for the dates on the application, and the agency pays the fee.

Allow at least two working days in Kathmandu for processing, more around public holidays such as Dashain and Tihar. Your visa must be valid for the full period of the trek, so extend it before applying if needed. If you plan to continue into Tibet, the Chinese side has its own separate requirements.

• Passport valid for at least six months, with a valid Nepal visa covering the whole trek.
• A second trekker on the same permit; solo travellers need a partner or a group.
• A licensed guide named on the application and present throughout.
• Travel insurance covering trekking to 5,000 m and helicopter evacuation.
• Exact dates: the permit is checked against your days in the area.

Most foreign visitors to Humla are heading for Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet. They fly from Nepalgunj to Simikot, then take a helicopter or, increasingly, a jeep on the Karnali Corridor road to Hilsa, and cross the bridge into China. That crossing needs a Chinese group visa and Tibet permits arranged in advance through an agency, and the border has opened and closed at different times in recent years. Nepal's restricted area permit covers only the Nepali side.

Trekkers who stay inside Nepal, walking up the Karnali to Hilsa or into Limi, need only the Nepali permit. You can stand at Hilsa and look across the river into Tibet, but you cannot cross without the Chinese documents. Do not attempt to visit Tibetan villages across the border or take photographs of border installations. Your guide will tell you where the line is.

Here is how the paperwork usually runs for a sixteen-night Limi Valley trek. The timings are typical, not fixed, and depend on public holidays and how quickly you send documents. Most delays happen because a visa does not cover the full trek or a passport scan is unreadable, so check both before you send them.

Remember that the permit dates are the dates you are inside the restricted area, not your whole trip. Nights in Nepalgunj or Kathmandu do not count. If you plan to spend extra days in Limi, for example to attend a festival at Halji monastery, tell your agency at the start so the permit reflects it.

• Six to eight weeks before: confirm the trek with the agency, send passport scans and travel insurance details.
• Two to four weeks before: the agency books Nepalgunj and Simikot flights and arranges crew and pack animals.
• Arrival in Kathmandu: the agency checks your visa dates, collects your original passport and applies for the permit.
• One to two working days later: permit issued; passport returned; fly to Nepalgunj.
• On the trek: the guide presents the permit at each checkpost and keeps copies.

Humla treks are camping treks. Outside Simikot and a few villages on the lower Karnali trail there are no proper lodges, and in Limi none at all, so your agency brings tents, a kitchen, a cook and porters or pack animals. That logistics cost, not the permit, is the main part of the price. Plan for a budget of several thousand US dollars per person for a two-week trek with a small group.

Communication is limited. Mobile coverage disappears beyond Kermi for much of the route, and your guide should carry a satellite phone. Flights to and from Simikot depend on weather, so add a spare day at each end. Carry Nepali rupees in cash from Kathmandu or Nepalgunj; there are no ATMs in upper Humla. Finally, keep photocopies of your permit, passport and visa separate from the originals; checkpost staff may ask for them.

Insurance deserves a special word. Treks in Limi cross passes near 5,000 m, days away from any road or clinic, so your policy must cover trekking at that altitude and helicopter evacuation. Agencies are required to see proof of it, and it is the one document you should never trek without.

Checkposts in Humla are staffed by police or the armed forces, depending on location, and they record every trekker who passes. Your guide handles the paperwork, but you should keep your passport with you. Stick to the route on your permit; detours into villages or valleys not listed can cause problems for your agency.

Respect local custom. Upper Humla and Limi are Tibetan Buddhist areas: walk clockwise around mani walls and chortens, ask before photographing people or monastery interiors, and dress modestly. Pay for food and firewood you use, and pack out all rubbish, including batteries. The restricted area system exists in part to protect these communities; treat it as an invitation, not an obstacle.