Nepal FAQs: before you enter the Himalaya

Yes. Most international travelers need a tourist visa to enter Nepal, and most can obtain it on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport and designated land border points. Nepal’s Department of Immigration says the on-arrival visa process is designed to be quick and simple, although queues can occur during peak seasons.

Visa-on-arrival fees are currently USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days, and USD 125 for 90 days. These visas are tourist visas and include multiple re-entry.

If you want to avoid airport queues, apply online in advance or obtain your visa through a Nepali diplomatic mission before travel.

Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival, but not all.

Nepal’s Department of Immigration lists several nationalities that must obtain a visa before arrival from a Nepali diplomatic mission. Its latest prohibition-to-visa-on-arrival page includes Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and refugees with travel documents.

Because this list can change, travelers from these countries — or anyone traveling with refugee or special travel documents — should check directly with Nepal’s Department of Immigration or a Nepali embassy before booking flights.

Yes. Trekking permits are not optional.

Nepal’s trekking system depends on the region. You may need a TIMS card, a national park permit, a conservation area permit such as ACAP for Annapurna, or a Restricted Area Permit for controlled regions such as Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Nar Phu, Tsum Valley or Kanchenjunga. The attached draft correctly flags that Nepal’s permit system has changed repeatedly and that a licensed operator is the safest way to remain compliant.

The Nepal Tourism Board’s current TIMS page says the revised TIMS provision, effective from March 31, 2023, requires trekkers in specific protected areas to be accompanied by a licensed trekking guide and carry a trekking-agency-issued TIMS card; the listed fee is NPR 2,000 for non-SAARC foreign trekkers and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals.

Do not start a trek assuming permits can be improvised on the trail. The paperwork should be part of the route design.

For most serious trekking routes, especially protected areas and restricted regions, travelers should expect to trek with a licensed guide arranged through a registered agency.

The Nepal Tourism Board states that trekkers on many major Himalayan routes need both a licensed guide and an agency-issued TIMS card. The UK FCDO is even more direct: it says foreign independent trekkers must use a local guide or porter while trekking in Nepal’s national parks and protected areas, and warns that ignoring requirements may lead to fines or removal from protected areas.

In March 2026, Nepal eased restricted-area permit rules so that solo foreign travelers can now obtain permits for restricted zones without needing a second foreign trekker. But that does not mean guideless trekking. The Kathmandu Post reported that solo travelers remain subject to strict provisions: they must be accompanied by a guide and registered through an agency.

The new rule opens the door for solo travelers. It does not remove the guide.

For trekking, the classic seasons are March to May and late September to November.

Spring brings warmer weather, rhododendron blooms and good trekking conditions. Autumn often brings clearer skies, stable weather and excellent mountain views after the monsoon. These windows are especially important for major treks such as Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu and Langtang.

Winter can be beautiful for lower-altitude treks and cultural journeys, with fewer crowds but colder mornings and possible snow at higher elevations. Monsoon season, roughly June to September, brings rain, clouds, leeches and landslide risk in many areas, although some rain-shadow regions such as Upper Mustang and Dolpo can still work with the right planning.

In Nepal, the best season is not only about weather. It is about altitude, route, crowd level, trail conditions and your tolerance for uncertainty.

Nepal is welcoming, but it is not risk-free. Stay away from demonstrations, follow local advice, and treat mountain safety as seriously as city safety.

For many Nomad’s Land travelers, the biggest health issue is not vaccination. It is altitude.

Tell us about health conditions, previous altitude problems, medication, allergies and fitness concerns before the trip. The itinerary can then be designed around your real body, not your ambition.

For most travelers, there are no Nepal-specific vaccines required simply to enter the country.

“No mandatory vaccine” does not mean “no health preparation.” Consult a travel clinic at least several weeks before departure, especially for trekking, rural stays or travel with children.

The CDC recommends that travelers be up to date on routine vaccines and consider additional vaccines depending on itinerary. For Nepal, CDC guidance includes hepatitis A for unvaccinated travelers, hepatitis B for many travelers, typhoid for most travelers, rabies pre-exposure consideration because rabid dogs are commonly found in Nepal and post-exposure vaccines may only be available in larger facilities, and Japanese encephalitis for longer rural stays or higher-risk outdoor travel.

Your exact vaccine plan depends on your route: Kathmandu and Pokhara only, lowland Terai, rural homestays, long trekking, animal contact or remote expedition-style travel all carry different risks.

Yes. This should be non-negotiable for trekking itineraries.

Insurance should cover your exact altitude, trekking activity, helicopter evacuation, medical treatment and repatriation — and rescues should be handled only through reputable, transparent channels.

Nepal has a very wide comfort spectrum.

In Kathmandu and Pokhara, travelers can use comfortable hotels, boutique stays and guesthouses. On classic trekking routes, the common model is tea house trekking: family-run lodges with simple rooms, shared dining spaces, local meals and varying comfort depending on altitude and remoteness. On more remote or restricted routes, accommodation may involve basic lodges, homestays, camping or expedition-style logistics.

Do not imagine one Nepal standard. Comfort changes by altitude, region, route popularity and season.

Responsible travel in Nepal is not only about leaving no plastic on the trail.

It means hiring fairly, choosing registered and ethical operators, respecting guides and porters, avoiding exploitative rescue practices, paying attention to child protection and volunteering ethics, dressing respectfully at religious sites, asking before photographing people, and understanding that villages are not stage sets for trekking culture.

Nomad’s Land already has a strong Nepal-specific anchor here: its site highlights the Nepalko Sathi association’s rural-development work in the Arun Valley and Saissima, supporting Sherpa communities and local rehabilitation efforts. Nomad’s Land’s Nepal etiquette page also warns that military sites should not be photographed, drug penalties are severe, women should dress modestly in public, public affection can be inappropriate at religious sites, and cash remains important outside major city services.

In Nepal, the mountain is not only a landscape. It is someone’s home, workplace, sacred geography and fragile livelihood.

Nepal is the most developed trekking culture in the Himalayan world — but that does not make it the simplest.

Kyrgyzstan gives you open pastures, yurts and horse culture. Tajikistan gives you the Pamir plateau and high-road remoteness. North Pakistan gives you the raw drama of the Karakoram. Nepal gives you something else: a dense mountain civilization of sacred valleys, tea house trails, Sherpa, Gurung, Tamang and Newar cultures, pilgrimage routes, living temples, conservation areas, and the world’s most famous trekking infrastructure.

The challenge is not finding a trek. The challenge is choosing the right one, at the right pace, with the right ethics.