Kathmandu, March 23 Nepal has revised its trekking permit policy for restricted areas, allowing individual foreign tourists to obtain permits for trekking that were previously only issued to groups of two or more.
The restricted areas mainly lie in the remote mountain region near the China border, such as Lomanthang and Upper Mustang.
The Department of Immigration (DoI) issued the notice on Sunday following complaints from the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) and other related organizations.
Previously, foreigners were facing inconvenience as they needed to find a trekking partner before a permit could be issued.
According to a spokesperson, this decision was made on March 21. To make the process for foreign groups travelling through agencies more efficient, the department has arranged an online system for granting trekking permits.
This move is intended to make the permit issuance process hassle-free, fast, and user-friendly, as stated in the notice.
While solo trekking is permitted, applications must be submitted through a registered trekking agency. A trekking guide must be assigned to the trekker.
The respective agency must take full responsibility for emergency rescue operations.
Finally, to ensure trekker safety and effective monitoring of activities, the department has also set a limit on group sizes.
Noting that large groups make it difficult for a single guide to ensure adequate safety and supervision, it has been decided that one trekking guide can lead a maximum of seven trekkers per group.