Tsum Valley Trek Permit: Cost, Rules and How to Get It (2026)

26 May 2026 Chandra Gurung

Tsum Valley needs three things to enter legally: a Restricted Area Permit (RAP), a Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP), and a local village fee of NPR 2,000. If your route exits through Dharapani into the Annapurna region, add the ACAP on top. The RAP costs USD 40 per person for the first 7 days in peak season, then USD 7 per additional day.

This page clears all of Tsum Valley Trek Permit details. Costs are verified for 2026. The process is written by co-ordination with ground staff who actually make the permit for Manaslu Guide.

If you want Manaslu Guide to handle your permits before you land in Nepal, send us your passport scan and trek dates. We confirm your exact permit requirements within 24 hours.

Permits Required for Tsum Valley Trek

SAARC nationals pay NPR 1,000 for MCAP and ACAP. Children under 10 are exempt from all permit fees.

Why Tsum Valley Permits Feel More Confusing Than Manaslu

Tsum Valley paperwork trips people up more than Manaslu paperwork. And there is a specific reason for that.

Trekkers approach this valley in different ways. Some do Tsum Valley Trek alone. Others add it as a side trip inside the Manaslu Circuit. Others combine both into one 19 day route. Each scenario needs a slightly different permit set, which is why every article gives you a slightly different answer.

This blogs separates each scenario clearly so you know exactly what applies to your trip.

Why Tsum Valley Is a Restricted Area

Nepal only opened Tsum Valley to foreign trekkers in 2008. It is one of the most recently opened trekking areas in the whole country.

The valley sits in northern Gorkha, close to the Tibet border. The government restricts entry for the same reasons as other border-sensitive zones: national security, controlled tourism, and protection of the Tsum community’s way of life. The Tsumbas, the local people here, practice a form of Tibetan Buddhism that has stayed largely unchanged for centuries. Mu Gompa, the valley’s highest monastery at around 3,700m, is an active religious site. Not a viewpoint.

This restriction is exactly why Tsum still feels genuinely quiet. It costs more to enter. The paperwork takes more effort. Fewer people go. When you pay your Tsum valley trek permit fee, part of it funds the controlled access that keeps the valley the way it is. That is the cause and effect in plain terms.

Standalone Tsum Valley vs Tsum Valley With Manaslu Circuit

Answer this question first, before you look at any individual tsum valley trek permit cost. Which route are you actually doing?

If you are doing Tsum Valley alone: You need the Tsum Valley RAP and the MCAP. If your route exits via Dharapani and continues into the Annapurna region, add ACAP. Plus the local village fee.

If you are combining Tsum Valley with the Manaslu Circuit: You need both the Manaslu Circuit RAP and the separate Tsum Valley RAP. These are two different restricted area permits. One does not cover the other. You also need MCAP and ACAP if exiting via Dharapani.

Here is the cost comparison for both scenarios in peak season:

The combined route costs roughly double on permits alone. That is before guide fees, porter fees, and daily expenses. If budget is a real consideration, the standalone Tsum Valley trek is the more affordable starting point for this region.

Tsum Valley Trek Three Permits in Detail

Restricted Area Permit: Tsum Valley

This is the main permit. It covers the restricted section from Lokpa to Mu Gompa and beyond.

• Peak season (September to November): USD 40 per person for the first 7 days, then USD 7 per person per additional day.
• Off-season (December to August): USD 30 per person for the first 7 days, then USD 7 per person per additional day.

A registered trekking agency must apply for this Tsum valley permit. Individual applications are not accepted at the Department of Immigration. Manaslu Guide submits RAP applications on behalf of every trekker we work with.

MCAP (Manaslu Conservation Area Permit)

Covers the conservation area from Soti Khola or Machha Khola through the valley system. Cost is NPR 3,000 (around USD 23) for foreign nationals. Available from the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu or through Manaslu Guide before your trek starts.

ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit)

Only needed if your route exits through Dharapani into the Annapurna Conservation Area. Cost is NPR 3,000 (around USD 23). If you return the way you came or exit differently, ACAP is not required. Confirm your exit route with us before we process permits for ACAP.

Village Fee for Tsum Valley:

At village level inside Tsum Valley, you pay a local government fee of approximately NPR 2,000 per person. This is collected by the Tsum Valley Rural Municipality, not by the Department of Immigration.

It goes toward local infrastructure, monastery maintenance, trail repair in the upper valley, and community services. The national permit fee goes to Kathmandu. This fee stays in the valley. That distinction matters for communities in a region where outside income is genuinely limited.

The Lokpa Permit Checkpoint

Lokpa sits at the entry point of the Tsum Valley restricted zone. This is the checkpoint that matters most.

When you arrive, the officer examines your Tsum Valley RAP, checks your name against your passport, and logs your entry. They check the permit dates, your route, and your guide’s credentials. In 2026, this logging is digital at Lokpa, recorded centrally.

Trekkers get turned back at Lokpa. It happens every season. The common reasons: carrying only a Manaslu Circuit RAP without the separate Tsum Valley RAP, carrying digital copies instead of physical permit documents, and permits with incorrect dates.

Your guide cannot fix this at the checkpoint. There is no negotiation. If your documents are wrong, you walk back. This is why getting the permits right before you leave Kathmandu matters more than almost any other preparation.

As you move deeper toward Mu Gompa, enforcement increases. The upper valley is the most restricted point on the route. Permit scrutiny there is stricter than at Lokpa.

What Manaslu Guide Handles and What You Need to Do

This is probably the question you actually came here to answer. What do you personally manage, and what does Manaslu Guide take care of?

What Manaslu Guide does: We submit your Tsum Valley RAP to the Department of Immigration. We queue at the permit office. We collect your physical permits once issued. We arrange your MCAP at the Nepal Tourism Board. We calculate your exact RAP duration based on your itinerary and make sure the dates are correct. We hand physical permit documents to your guide on departure day. We tell you about the village fee and make sure your group carries the right cash amount.

What you need to do: Send us a clear, full-colour scan of your passport including all information pages. Send your Nepal visa copy. Send your travel insurance details, the policy must explicitly cover high-altitude trekking and helicopter evacuation. Send your approximate trek dates so we can calculate RAP duration. When you arrive in Kathmandu, hand us your original passport for a few hours for the final verification stamp.

That is it. You do not visit any government office. You do not queue at the Department of Immigration. You do not handle paperwork beyond the initial document submission to us.

Can You Trek Tsum Valley Solo?

The legal rule: The Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit requires a minimum group of two trekkers. One person cannot obtain a solo RAP independently.

What changed in 2026: A regulation update in March 2026 adjusted the solo trekking rule for Manaslu Circuit permits. Whether this change extends to the Tsum Valley RAP is currently being confirmed with permit offices. Before booking a solo Tsum Valley trip on the basis of this rule change, ask Manaslu Guide to verify the current status with the Department of Immigration. We check this for every solo inquiry we receive.

What did not change: A licensed guide is legally mandatory throughout the restricted zone. A registered agency must process your RAP. Individual applications are not accepted.

The practical solution for solo trekkers: Manaslu Guide runs a group joining service that connects solo trekkers with similar dates. We match people, arrange the combined permit, and make the logistics work. If you are travelling alone, contact us with your preferred dates. We will tell you whether a joining option is available for your window.

Documents to Send Manaslu Guide

Send these at least two weeks before your trek start date. Processing takes time and last-minute submissions in October stretch longer.

• Full colour passport scan, all information pages, clear and readable
• Nepal visa copy once obtained
• Travel insurance policy including policy number and emergency contact. The policy must explicitly cover high-altitude trekking above 4,000m and helicopter evacuation
• Approximate trek dates and whether you are doing Tsum standalone or combined with Manaslu Circuit

We confirm the exact permit set, calculate your RAP duration, and tell you the total permit cost within 24 hours.

How Permit Processing Works and How Long It Takes

Once we receive your documents, we submit the RAP to the Department of Immigration and the MCAP to the Nepal Tourism Board.

Normal processing: 1 to 2 business days.

In October, when every agency in Kathmandu is processing peak season permits at the same time, this stretches to 2 to 3 days. The DoI office gets busy. It is not an emergency. It just needs to be planned for.

Arrive in Kathmandu at least 2 days before your trek start date. This covers permit processing, gear checks, and proper rest before the drive to the trailhead. Do not book a non-refundable domestic connection on your arrival day.

What If Your Itinerary Changes on the Trail

Weather delays. Illness. An extra acclimatisation day above Chhokangparo. These things happen. If your itinerary extends beyond your permitted dates, act before the permit expires, not after.

Contact Manaslu Guide immediately when you know there is a timing issue. We apply for an extension at the Department of Immigration from Kathmandu. This takes 1 to 2 days. Lokpa and upper valley checkpoints cannot process extensions on the spot. Your guide cannot arrange it independently on the trail.

The practical answer: build one buffer day into your permit dates from the start. If your trek is 12 days, arrange 13 days of RAP. The cost of one extra day is USD 7. The cost of an expired permit at the Mu Gompa checkpoint is the entire trek.

Permit Rules You Must Follow

• Non-transferable. Your permit carries your name and passport number. Nobody else can use it.
• Single entry only. Once you exit the restricted zone, the same permit cannot be used to re-enter.
• Fixed dates and route. The permit covers only the dates and route submitted at application. Changes cannot happen at checkpoints.
• Guide mandatory. A licensed guide is legally required throughout the restricted zone. This is Nepal law, not a recommendation.
• No refunds. Once issued, permits are non-refundable for any reason.
• Conduct at religious sites. Mu Gompa and the monasteries throughout Tsum Valley are active religious places. Respectful behaviour is a printed condition of the permit.

Common Permit Mistakes on the Tsum Valley Trek

• Thinking the Manaslu Circuit RAP covers Tsum Valley. It does not. Two separate restricted area permits. You need both if combining routes.
• Carrying only digital permit copies. The Lokpa checkpoint requires physical documents. A phone screen is not accepted. Print your permits before leaving Kathmandu.
• Arriving without enough NPR cash for the village fee. No ATMs inside Tsum Valley. Cash only. Carry NPR from Kathmandu.
• Booking non-refundable flights before permit confirmation. October processing takes 3 to 4 days. Do not assume same-day clearance.
• Travel insurance without helicopter evacuation coverage. This is a permit document requirement. A standard travel policy often does not include it. Check before you buy.
• Not building buffer days into RAP dates. Itinerary changes happen. One extra day costs USD 7. An expired permit at Mu Gompa costs you the trek.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tsum Valley Trek Permit

Want to confirm your exact permit requirements for your specific dates and route? Get in touch today. We will tell you exactly what you need and what it costs before you commit to anything.