Three permits, season-priced RAP, no solo trekkers allowed. What you'll pay in 2026 (USD + NPR), where each is issued, and the four mistakes that cost trekkers their entire booking.
If you're planning the Manaslu Circuit in 2026, you need three permits, not one. None of them is optional, all three are checked on the trail, and the most expensive one cannot be obtained as an individual — you must book through a TAAN-licensed agency. Here's the consolidated answer to the email we get four times a week.
The expensive one. Issued by the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu, requires a minimum party size of two trekkers plus a licensed guide, cannot be applied for online or as an individual. Your trekking agency handles the queue at Dillibazar; you hand over your passport and two photos and pick the permit up the day before you start.
The fee is season-priced — a 2024 revision doubled the rate, in effect for 2026:
For the standard 14-day Circuit, the RAP only covers the restricted section (Jagat to Dharapani — roughly 9 trekking days). So a typical foreign trekker in October pays USD 100 + (2 × USD 15) = USD 130 for the RAP. Off-season the same itinerary is USD 95.
NTNC-issued conservation permit covering the trail from Philim through to the Larkya La. Same NPR-priced structure as the ACAP permit ABC trekkers know:
Get it at the NTNC Tourist Service Centre in Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, the same counter that issues ACAP. Bring passport plus two photos plus NPR 3,000 cash; walk out in 15 minutes. NTNC does not currently issue MCAP online, so don't waste time looking for an e-permit portal for it.
You need this because the Circuit exits at Dharapani, which is inside the Annapurna conservation area. Same price as MCAP — NPR 3,000 for foreigners, NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals. Same counter, same documents. Get both ACAP and MCAP at the same visit.
See our ABC permits 2026 guide for the full ACAP breakdown — fees, offices, check-post protocol — all the same here.
For one foreign trekker on the standard 14-day Circuit in October 2026:
For the same trek in April (off-season RAP):
SAARC nationals pay roughly NPR 7,500–8,000 total (RAP + both NPR permits). Nepalis pay NPR 100 + NPR 100 = NPR 200 (no RAP requirement).
The most-asked question in our inbox: "Can I trek Manaslu solo?"
Legally, no. The Manaslu RAP requires minimum 2 trekkers plus a licensed guide. The Jagat check-post turns solo trekkers back; we've seen it happen. The 2014 rule was tightened in 2023 and is now enforced strictly.
Some agencies will pair you with a "ghost trekker" — a paper-only second name on your application so you can legally trek with just your guide. Adds USD 100–150 to the package, the ghost never shows up, the permit is accepted at the check-post. Whether this is ethical is between you and the agency; legally it works.
The other workaround: post in Facebook trekker groups a few weeks out to find a partner. People do this all the time — agencies will arrange the joint booking.
Don't try to get the RAP at the trailhead. Unlike ACAP, the RAP is NOT issued at any check-post. If you arrive at Jagat without one, you turn around and lose the entire trek's worth of time.
Don't get the MCAP at the trailhead either. Like ACAP, NTNC counters at the trailhead charge double. NPR 6,000 at Jagat vs NPR 3,000 in Kathmandu the morning before your jeep leaves.
Confirm insurance heli-evac to 5,500 m in writing. Standard travel insurance often caps altitude cover at 4,500 m. Larkya La is 5,160 m, Manaslu BC side hike is 4,800 m. An uncovered helicopter pickup from Dharmasala costs USD 5,000+. World Nomads "Explorer", Global Rescue, and IMG Sky cover up to 6,000 m — most off-the-shelf policies don't.
From the day you book the trek with a Kathmandu agency:
Bottom line: if you land in Kathmandu on a Sunday, you can legally start trekking on the following Thursday at the earliest. Don't book a Wednesday-start trek expecting to apply for the RAP on Tuesday morning.