Permits Required for Langtang Valley Trek: 2026 Pricing & Where to Get Them

The Langtang Valley Trek requires two permits: the Langtang National Park entry permit and a TIMS card. Both are mandatory. Checkpoints on the trail check for these — not occasionally, but consistently. Trying to skip permits isn’t worth the risk: you’ll be turned back or fined. Get both sorted in Kathmandu before boarding your bus to Syabrubesi.

Langtang National Park Entry Permit

Langtang National Park was established in 1976 and covers 1,710 square kilometers of some of Nepal’s most dramatic mountain terrain. The entry permit fee as of 2024/2025 is:

• Foreign trekkers: NPR 3,000 per person
• SAARC nationals (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan): NPR 1,500 per person
• Nepali citizens: NPR 100 per person

The permit is valid for the duration of your trek within the park boundaries. There’s no daily fee — you pay once and it covers entry and re-entry as needed during your trek.

You can buy this permit in Kathmandu at the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) office in Bhrikuti Mandap (10-minute walk from Thamel’s north end) or at the TIMS counter in the same building. You can also buy it at the national park gates in Dhunche or Syabrubesi, but the queues can be slow and it adds time to your first trekking day.

TIMS Card (Trekkers’ Information Management System)

The TIMS card is a trekker registration system maintained by the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) and the Nepal Tourism Board. It’s required for all foreign trekkers regardless of whether you’re trekking independently or with an agency.

Current TIMS fees:

• Individual/group trekker (foreign): NPR 2,000
• SAARC nationals: NPR 1,000

If you’re booking through a registered Nepali trekking agency, they’ll usually handle the TIMS card as part of their service. If you’re self-organizing, you need to get it yourself from the NTB office in Bhrikuti Mandap.

The TIMS card must be obtained in Kathmandu — unlike the national park permit, you can’t buy it at the park gate. This is the most common permit mistake independent trekkers make. Don’t arrive at Syabrubesi without it.

Where to Get Your Permits in Kathmandu

Both permits can be obtained from the same location: the Nepal Tourism Board office in Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu. The TIMS counter is in the same building as the NTB office. Opening hours are typically 10am–4pm on weekdays, closed weekends and public holidays.

What you’ll need:

• Your passport
• Passport-sized photos (2 copies — bring extras to avoid the photo studio queue)
• Cash in NPR (some counters may accept USD but NPR is reliable)
• Your trekking itinerary (approximate dates and planned route)

The whole process takes 30–45 minutes if the queues aren’t long. Allow more time during peak season (October, November, March, April) when the office is busy. Morning visits are faster than afternoon visits.

Checkpoints on the Trail

Your permits will be checked at multiple points on the Langtang route. Key checkpoints:

• Dhunche — the main town before the final descent to Syabrubesi; often the first checkpoint
• Syabrubesi — at the trailhead, before you enter the park proper
• Ghoda Tabela (3,010m) — an army checkpoint and rhino patrol station roughly halfway between Lama Hotel and Langtang Village. Your permits will definitely be checked here. Carry them accessible, not buried in your bag.
• Various trail checkpoints — local checkpoints may appear at other points along the route, especially at village entry points

At Ghoda Tabela, you’ll also be registered in a physical log — name, nationality, permit numbers. This is partly for tracking trekker movements and partly for rescue coordination if needed. Fill it in accurately.

Permits for Side Trips: Gosainkunda and Beyond

If you plan to extend your Langtang trek to include the Gosainkunda lakes (4,380m) or cross to the Helambu region, you’ll need the same two base permits — the national park permit covers this area. However:

• The Gosainkunda route passes through Langtang National Park, so the same park permit applies.
• If your route crosses into Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park (on the Helambu side near Kathmandu), you may need an additional park permit (NPR 250 for foreign trekkers at time of writing — confirm current rates).
• The Langtang-Gosainkunda-Helambu circuit is one permit for the national park portion but may require updated paperwork at checkpoints if you’re doing an unusual route combination.

If you’re combining routes, ask specifically when buying your permits. The counter staff know the permit requirements for each variation and will tell you exactly what’s needed.

Permit Costs Are Fixed — But Some Things Aren’t

The NPR 5,000 permit total (NPR 3,000 + NPR 2,000) is a fixed government rate — no negotiation, no agency discount. Where costs vary is in how you acquire them: some trekking agencies include permit acquisition as part of their service, others charge a handling fee on top. If booking with an agency, confirm whether permits are included in the quoted price or additional.

Independent trekkers: budget NPR 5,000 for permits plus a day in Kathmandu to sort them (the Bhrikuti Mandap office is easily reached by taxi or auto-rickshaw from Thamel for NPR 200–300). It’s not complicated — it’s just something to do before you leave the city.