The Annapurna Conservation Area covers 7,629 km² — the largest protected area in Nepal — and every trek in the region passes through it. The paperwork is simple compared with the restricted regions, and getting it wrong still means being turned back at a checkpoint.
This is what you need, route by route.
The Two Standard Documents
| Document | Cost for foreign nationals | Where issued |
|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) | NPR 3,000 | Kathmandu or Pokhara, through an agency or the NTB office |
| Trekking registration (TIMS) | Around NPR 2,000, lower through an agency for a group | Kathmandu or Pokhara |
Both are arranged by us for every Annapurna trip, and both are included in the package price. What we need from you is a passport scan and two to four passport photographs.
These two cover every standard trek in the region: Annapurna Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Mardi Himal, Poon Hill, Tilicho Lake, Khopra Danda, Mohare Danda, Jomsom Muktinath, and Lower Mustang.
When You Need a Restricted-Area Permit Too
Two regions inside or adjoining the conservation area are restricted, and both need a separate permit issued only to a group of two or more through a registered agency.
| Region | Restricted permit | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Mustang — beyond Kagbeni | USD 500 for 10 days, then USD 50 per extra day | ACAP |
| Nar Phu Valley — north of Koto | USD 100 per week Sep–Nov, USD 75 Dec–Aug | ACAP |
Both are processed through the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu on a working day and need your original passport, so they set the earliest possible departure date. Plan at least one full working day in Kathmandu before either trek. Our restricted-area guide covers the whole national system.
Checkpoints and What Happens There
Permits are checked and your details recorded at entry and exit posts. The register is what a rescue team works from if a group is overdue, so the process matters beyond the formality.
- Birethanti — the main post for Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp and the Ghorepani trails.
- Dhampus or Kande area — for Mardi Himal and the Australian Camp approach.
- Chhomrong — an ACAP post on the way into the Sanctuary.
- Besisahar, Dharapani and Chame — on the Annapurna Circuit approach.
- Koto — the Nar Phu restricted-area checkpoint.
- Kagbeni — the Upper Mustang restricted-area checkpoint.
- Jomsom — for Mustang treks and flights.
Carry your permits in a waterproof sleeve, photograph them before you start, and keep the images offline. Your guide carries a set as well, but it is your document.
What the Conservation Fee Pays For
The Annapurna Conservation Area Project is run by the National Trust for Nature Conservation rather than as a government park, and it was the first protected area in Nepal to allow residents to continue living and farming inside it. Your NPR 3,000 funds:
- Trail building and maintenance, including the bridge network.
- Safe drinking water stations, which exist to reduce plastic bottles on the trail.
- Micro-hydro and solar projects in trailside villages.
- Improved cooking stoves that cut firewood consumption — a major driver of deforestation before the project.
- Forest regeneration and nursery programmes.
- Conservation education in village schools, and a share of revenue returned to village development committees.
Around half of ACAP revenue goes back to local communities by design. It is one of the better-functioning conservation models in South Asia, and it is worth knowing that the permit is not simply a tax.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming the ACAP covers Upper Mustang. Beyond Kagbeni you need the USD 500 restricted permit as well.
- Arriving in Kathmandu the day before a Nar Phu or Upper Mustang departure. Restricted permits need a working day and your original passport.
- Planning a solo restricted-area trek. The minimum is two trekkers with a registered agency.
- Forgetting photographs. Permits, park tickets, and registration all use them. Bring four.
- Letting a permit date drift. Restricted permits are priced and dated by the day; an itinerary that slips can leave you unpermitted at the last checkpoint.
- Trekking without a guide in a protected area. Since April 2023 this has not been permitted, and ACAP checkpoints are among the more consistent enforcers.
Timing and Paperwork Before You Fly
Nothing about Annapurna permits is difficult, and two pieces of timing are worth getting right.
- Send us your passport scan at least two weeks out. Standard ACAP and registration can be issued the day before departure, but early paperwork means an error can be fixed without drama.
- Allow a full working day in Kathmandu for restricted permits. Upper Mustang and Nar Phu permits are processed at the Department of Immigration, which does not open at weekends or on public holidays — and Nepal has a great many public holidays.
- Bring four passport photographs. They are used by the ACAP, the registration, and any restricted permit, and getting them taken in Thamel is an errand you do not need.
- Tell us if your itinerary might extend. A restricted permit is dated, and adding days in Lo Manthang after the fact costs USD 50 a day and a call to Kathmandu.
