TAAN welcomes Upper Mustang fee, urges changes to Upper Dolpa rule for trekkers

KATHMANDU: Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) has welcomed the government’s decision to fix the trekking permit fee for foreign citizens in Upper Mustang at $50 per person per day. The association has urged further regulatory changes for Upper Dolpa and for the rule requiring groups of two in restricted areas.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, TAAN said the fee was set by amending Schedule 12 of the Immigration Rules 2051 (1994) following a Council of Ministers decision on November 18. The association thanked the Department of Immigration, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and the Government of Nepal for the amendment.

TAAN also expressed gratitude to local bodies, the Nepal Tourism Board, the Department of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation for supporting its long-standing request to base trekking permit charges on the actual number of days tourists spend in restricted areas, noting that travel times have shortened because of new road networks.

The association urged the Department of Immigration, MoHA and the government to revise the current Upper Dolpa rule, which requires payment of $500 per person for a minimum of 10 days, so that fees are calculated according to the tourist’s actual duration of stay.

TAAN reiterated its call to amend the regulation that allows foreign tourists to trek in restricted regions only in groups of at least two, requesting that single foreign tourists be permitted to trek in such areas.