Nepal bans solo trekking, makes guides mandatory from April 1, 2022

Posted by: Alpine Treks   Posted Date: September 25, 2023

Nepal bans solo trekking, makes guides mandatory from April 1, 2022

The new rules apply to international tourists of all experience levels on treks in Nepal’s national parks, such as the popular Annapurna Circuit, a 150-mile route that circles the Annapurna mountain range. Trekkers can still embark on solo hikes outside of national parks, such as around the city of Kathmandu.

Nepal will ban solo trekking for foreigners from April 1, making it mandatory to take a guide along to ensure the safety and well-being of the visiting guests.

The new rules apply to international tourists of all experience levels on treks in Nepal’s national parks, such as the popular Annapurna Circuit, a 150-mile route that circles the Annapurna mountain range. Trekkers can still embark on solo hikes outside of national parks, such as around the city of Kathmandu.

The new rules broaden a 2017 mandate that banned solo climbing on Nepal’s mountains, including on Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak.

Eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains are located at least partly in Nepal, which sits between India and China.

Each year, deadly accidents, including ones caused by avalanches, blizzards and high-altitude sickness, are reported on Nepal’s mountains. Lamichhane did not respond to a request for comment on whether the 2017 ban led to a decrease in fatalities.

 The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) took the decision in this regard which would come into force from April 1, confirmed director Maniraj Lamichhane.

"This decision has been made for the tourists' benefit. While going on solo treks, tourists often get lost and might face insecurities. In order to mitigate that we have come to the decision to put a ban on solo treks. Starting from April 1, guides are mandatory for adventure tourism," Lamichhane said.

According to the NTB, around 50,000 tourists trekked without a guide or a porter in Nepal in 2019. These tourists trekked by obtaining a route permit and a Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS) card.

A TIMS card is a basic trekking permit that is required by foreign tourists who go around in adventure tourism. But the latest round of decisions also has put a ban on the TIMS permit without a guide. "Tourists would have to trek via a trekking company,"

 

The board has also increased the price of the TIMS permit to Rs 2,000 per person. Prior to this, people who travelled in large groups paid Rs 1,000 for the TIMS card while those who travelled alone paid Rs 2,000. TIMS permit for SAARC nationals has also increased to Rs 1,000.

 

In 2019, before the pandemic, more than 400,000 tourists traveled to Nepal’s national parks for mountaineering and trekking, according to government figures; about 46,000 of them went hiking alone, Lamichhane said. Climbers came primarily from the United States, Britain, China, Germany, India and Japan.

 

Last year, there were about 22,000 solo trekkers in Nepal, as tourism recovered, even though the number was still down from the years before the pandemic, Lamichhane said. He added that he hoped the new rule would help create jobs for guides and other workers in the tourism industry.