The teahouse treks are the ones walked by the vast majority of trekkers in Nepal. If you want to head off the beaten track, it’s possible to explore remote areas like Makalu and Kanchenjunga in the east or Humla and Dolpa in the west, but you must be self-sufficient and will likely have to make camping arrangements through a trekking company. In these reality untouched areas there is little surplus food for sale and the practice of catering to trekking has not yet developed.
There are trekking lodges during high season along the Manaslu, Tsum, Nar Phu, Mustang and Makalu treks but lodges at the latter in particular are quite simple. Most of these regions require a trekking permit fee that can only be arranged through a trekking agency. Throw in flights for you and your porters and it’s easy to see that the remoter the trek, the more expensive it becomes. The following are currently the most popular restricted area treks.
Nar- Phu Valley Trek
A seven-day add-on to the Annapurna Circuit trail that takes you to the photogenic traditional villages of Nar and Phu near the Tibetan border, crossing the 5,320m Kang-La pass on the way back. The trekking lodges are available in this trek.
| Region | Permit Fees (USD) |
|---|---|
| Manang * Narpa Rural Municipality * Nasho Rural Municipality | September – November * $100 per person/week * $15 per person/day (beyond 1 week) December – August * $75 per person/week * $15 per person/day (beyond 1 week) |
Upper Mustang Trek
The most popular of the restricted-area treks lead to this long forbidden Tibetan Kingdom in a remote and arid land of spectacular Tibetan monasteries, canyons, and cave complexes that border Tibet. The new road from Jomsom to the Chinese border is changing the region quickly. Possible as an organized teahouse or camping trek.
| Region | Permit Fees (USD) |
|---|---|
| Upper Mustang * Lomanthang Rural Municipality * Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality * Baragung Muktichetra Rural Municipality | * $500 per person (for the first 10 days) * $50 per person /Day (beyond 10 days) |
Manaslu Circuit Trek
This 14-16 days teahouse trek is often regarded by those in the know as Nepal’s best overall trek. The half loop leads from Arughat in the Gorkha district up the Buri Gandaki Valley to the culturally Tibetan village of Sama, crossing the 5,100m Larkya La to end at Dharapani on the Annapurna Circuit. There are fine views of Manaslu, the world’s eighth-tallest mountain, and some great side trips to lakes and glaciers. The early stages of the trek were badly hit by the earthquake but lodges have reopened and some sections of the trail have been rerouted.
| Region | Permit Fees (USD) |
|---|---|
| Gorkha Manaslu Area Chumnubri Rural Municipality | September – November * $100 per person / week * $15 per person / day (beyond 1 week) December – August * $75 per person/week * $10 per person/day (beyond 1 week) |
Tsum Valley Trek
This remote and culturally Tibetan valley is reached off the Manaslu Circuit trail and can be done as an add-on to the Manaslu Circuit or as a two-week trek in itself. The valley was badly hit by the 2015 earthquake but lodges and monasteries have to rebuild.
| Region | Permit Fees (USD) | |
| Gorkha Tsum Valley Area Chumnubri Rural Municipality | September – November * $40 per person/week * $7 per person/day (beyond 1 week) December – August * $30 per person/week * $7 per person/day (beyond 1 week) |
Tarap Valley Loop Trek
Popular 12-days loop in remote Dolpa that follows the Tarap Valley to the Tibetan-style villages and monasteries around Do Tarap, then crosses the breathtaking 5000m-plus passes of the Numa La and Baga La to arrive at turquoise Phoksundo Lake, probably the most beautiful lake in Nepal. This trek can be done camping trek only.
| Region | Permit Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Upper Dolpa * Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality * Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality * Charka Tangsong Rural Municipality | * $500 per person (for the first 10 days) * $50 per person /Day (beyond 10 days) * $7 per person/day (beyond 1 week) |
Lower Dolpa * Thulibheri municipality * Tripurasundari municipality * Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality * Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality * Jagdulla Rural Municipality * Mudkechula Rural Municipality * Kaike Rural Municipality | * $20 per person (for the first 10 days) * $50 per person /Day (beyond 10 days) * $7 per person/day (beyond 1 week) |
Kanchenjunga Trek
Least visited of all is the far east, where two long routes lead to the north and south bases of the world’s third-highest mountain. Figure on three weeks for the spectacular northern route, two weeks for the southern, or a month to combine both. Camping only, through simple teahouse are available along much of the trail.
Makalu Base Camp Trek
Another trek that gets you right into the heart of the mountains, following the Barun Valley up to base camp at around 5,000m, offering fine views of Mt.Everest and Mt. Lhotse. The 15-day trek involves a flight to Tumlingtar and then a drive to Num, or you can trek in from Lukla in 11 days. It’s just about double as a simple teahouse trek but only in high season and you’d be wise to carry a tent as a backup.
| Region | Permit Fees (USD) |
|---|---|
| Sankhuwasabha * Bhotkhola Rural Municipality * Makalu Rural Municipality | $20 per person/ week (for the first 4 weeks) $25 per person /week ( beyond 4 weeks) |
Note:- In the case of Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpa Region if the royalty paid for mountain expedition is less than the fee for trekking permit then the difference amount should be paid.