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A solo trekker can visit Upper Mustang’s restricted area in 2026/2027, but not without a licensed guide. Nepal’s Department of Immigration dropped the old two-foreigner minimum for a Restricted Area Permit on 22 March 2026. This means one paying guest can now hold the Upper Mustang Restricted Area permit (RAP).
However, a registered Nepali agency must still file the permit, and a licensed guide must travel with you. You can travel privately with your guide, either on foot or by jeep. But you cannot enter Upper Mustang as an unguided independent trekker. This is the full legal picture for solo trekking in Upper Mustang.
If you are traveling as a party of one, your trek agency puts only your name on the RAP. You do not need to find another trekker just to meet the permit rule.
Below, we cover what’s changed compared to before on Upper Mustang solo trekking, permit rules, and more.
Table of Contents
Can you trek Upper Mustang alone in 2026/2027?
Definitely, you can book an Upper Mustang trek as a party of one. But you cannot walk it unguided.
In simple terms, “solo” now means one traveler on the permit. It does not mean hiking by yourself without a guide.
Until 22 March 2026, Immigration issued the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) only when at least two foreign trekkers were on the same application. Solo travelers either had to find someone to join them or add a second name to the application and pay for a second name that never walked. The Department of Immigration removed that minimum. A single foreigner can now hold the RAP.
What did not change is more important than what did. You still cannot buy the RAP yourself at a counter. A government-registered trekking agency must file it. A licensed guide must stay with you inside the restricted area, whether you are trekking, traveling by jeep to Upper Mustang, or combining both.
Checkpost officers north of Kagbeni can ask to see the RAP, Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), passport, and the guide’s license. They will not allow an unguided traveler into the restricted area just because the two-person rule is gone. So, if a blog says “solo trekking is now allowed in restricted areas” and stops there, it is only giving half the rule. Solo means one guest. t does not mean you go without a guide.
What is the Upper Mustang restricted area?
Upper Mustang is the former Kingdom of Lo, north of Kagbeni, up to the walled town of Lo Manthang and the Tibetan border. It includes old villages, monasteries, dry valleys, caves, and the walled town of Lo Manthang.
Nepal controls this area more closely because it is near the Tibetan border, has important cultural sites, and is remote. Thus, to control mass tourism, the government of Nepal made it mandatory for every foreign visitor to trek with a registered trek company, a licensed guide, and to carry a Restricted Area Permit on every visit.
The restricted area on the permit is not simply labeled “Mustang.” It covers Lo Manthang Rural Municipality (wards 1 to 5), Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality (wards 1 to 5), and parts of Baragung Muktichetra Rural Municipality, including Satang.
Kagbeni is the practical permit boundary for most Upper Mustang trips. You can visit Jomsom, Marpha, Muktinath, and Kagbeni without an Upper Mustang RAP. Those places sit south of the RAP line. The moment you travel north from Kagbeni toward Chele, Ghami, Tsarang, and Lo Manthang, you need the RAP.
Lower Mustang, including Jomsom, Marpha, Kagbeni, and Muktinath, needs the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) only. Upper Mustang needs both the RAP and ACAP. Many travelers confuse these two areas when planning a Mustang trip.
What changed for the Upper Mustang Trek in March 2026, and what did not?
| Rule | Before 22 March 2026 | From 22 March 2026 |
| Foreigners on one RAP | Minimum two | One is enough |
| Licensed guide | Required | Still required |
| Registered agency files the RAP | Required | Still required |
| Unguided walk | Not allowed | Still not allowed |
| RAP fee for Upper Mustang | USD 500 per person for the first 10 days. Any days beyond the initial 10 days cost an extra USD 50 per person per day. | USD 50 per person per day inside the zone |
| ACAP | Required | Still required |
| TIMS | Not used on this route | Still not used on this route |
The Immigration notice also sets a guide-to-trekker ratio: one licensed guide for a maximum of seven trekkers. A party of one is well inside that cap. The department also opened a digital application path that uses a valid Nepal visa number, or an application ID if you pay from abroad. Your trek agency submits the file to Immigration in Kathmandu. You do not stand in that queue.
Similarly, the two-person change rule applies to other restricted areas too, including Manaslu, Tsum Valley, Nar-Phu, and Upper Dolpo. But an Upper Mustang permit does not automatically cover another restricted area. Thus, if you are chaining regions, each restricted section still needs its own RAP. For example, a combined Manaslu, Annapurna Circuit, and Upper Mustang Trek itinerary covers two restricted areas, so the trek needs a Manaslu Restricted Area Permit, an Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, and an Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit.
What permits does a solo trekker still need?
A solo trekker still needs two permits for Upper Mustang, and they are the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP). You do not need a TIMS card for Upper Mustang.
The RAP is the permit that lets you travel north from Kagbeni toward Chele, Ghami, Tsarang, and Lo Manthang. ACAP is the conservation permit for the wider Annapurna area, including Jomsom, Marpha, Kagbeni, and Muktinath. Officers check both permits at various checkpoints.
For the permit application, the agency normally needs a clear passport copy, valid Nepal visa details or visa application details, travel dates, and passport-size photos. Carry your original passport while traveling because checkpoints may ask to see it with your permits.
How much does Upper Mustang permit cost?
The Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit fee is USD 50 per person per day for each day spent inside the restricted area north of Kagbeni. RAP days are counted only for the days listed inside the restricted area. The agency should match the permit dates with your planned entry and exit through Kagbeni. Until late 2025, Immigration charged a flat USD 500 for the first 10 days, even if you spent only a few days in Upper Mustang. That 10-day block is no longer the current system. The RAP is now charged based on the actual number of days inside the restricted zone.
Likewise, the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit costs NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals. This is a one-time fee.
Full day-count examples, documents, and the Kagbeni permit line are on our Upper Mustang trek permit page. Package prices, meals, and transport details are on our Upper Mustang trek cost page.
Does a jeep tour or helicopter day still need the RAP?
Yes, a jeep tour or helicopter day still needs the RAP. The RAP depends on where you travel, not the fact that you walked.
A jeep tour, motorbike trip, or trek into Upper Mustang still enters the same restricted area. So, a traveler in a jeep still needs the RAP, ACAP, registered agency, and licensed guide.
For helicopter travel, confirm the landing place and permit requirement with the helicopter operator and trekking agency before paying. Requirements can depend on whether the helicopter lands inside the restricted area.
If you only want to visit Lower Mustang, including Jomsom, Marpha, Kagbeni, or Muktinath, you do not need the Upper Mustang RAP. Muktinath and Jomsom are in a different permit band.
How does a trek agency run a solo trek in the Upper Mustang restricted area?
At Nepal Alternative Treks, we treat a solo booking as a private trip, not as a spare seat in a group that may or may not fill. This means:
- One RAP in your name, dated for the days you stay north of Kagbeni
- One licensed guide who stays with you inside the restricted area
- A porter if you want one
- Lodge bookings that do not depend on another guest filling a room
You can set a more personal pace on a private solo trip. You can discuss rest stops, walking speed, and daily plans with your guide. You will still meet other trekkers in teahouses and villages. But you do not share your permit with them. The cost of the guide, permits, transport, and room arrangements is not divided between two guests. That is why a party of one usually costs more per person than a pair.
A porter is optional. However, one can be useful on the longer 14-day Upper Mustang trek if you do not want to carry your full bag. For Tiji Festival dates, lodges in Lo Manthang can fill up early. Book ahead if you want a private trip during festival weeks, spring, or autumn.
What the checkpost at Upper Mustang actually ask for?
At Kagbeni and other checkpoints, the officer may ask to see your Restricted Area Permit, Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, your passport and Nepal visa, and your guide’s license. The officer also checks that the people on the RAP match the people entering the restricted area. One traveler and one guide match a party-of-one RAP. One traveler without a guide does not.
The same check may happen again in Lo Manthang or other places on the route. Carry paper copies of your permits, passport, and visa in a waterproof pouch. Phone photos are useful as backups, but they may not help if your battery dies or there is no signal. Your guide will manage the permit process at the checkpost, but keep your own passport and identification easy to reach.
Furthermore, your RAP cannot run beyond the last day of your Nepal visa. The trek agency checks visa dates before filing the permit. If the visa is too short, you may need to shorten the trip or extend the visa in Kathmandu first.
Is Upper Mustang a good first restricted trek if you travel alone?
Upper Mustang can be a good first solo restricted trek if you want dry landscapes, Tibetan-influenced culture, old villages, monasteries, and a less crowded cultural trail than a high pass.
The walk is not a beginner staircase like Poon Hill. Days are long in the wind, lodges are simpler than on busier Annapurna routes, and the altitude at Lo Manthang is about 3,800 m, so altitude still matters. Further, you sleep lower than on Annapurna Base Camp, but Upper Mustang is more remote from hospitals and larger towns.
If you want to compare other restricted routes, visit our restricted-area treks in Nepal page. Manaslu is another option, but permit costs, walking conditions, and route difficulty are different.
For weather, wind, flights, and seasonal advice, read the best time for the Upper Mustang trek.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the Upper Mustang RAP without a second trekker?
Can I trek Upper Mustang without a guide now?
Can a woman travel as a party of one?
Do I need TIMS for Upper Mustang?
Can I apply for the RAP myself online?
Does a jeep tour let me skip the guide?
How far ahead should I arrange a solo Upper Mustang trek?
Can I change my itinerary after the RAP is issued?
How to start a solo Upper Mustang booking?
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