6 curated Hiking spots in Nepal, each with its own note and source.
Gandaki · Best time: Oct–Apr · Advanced
The Annapurna massif, topped by 8,091 m Annapurna I, lies entirely inside the 7,629 km² Annapurna Conservation Area — Nepal's first conservation area of its kind, piloted in 1986 and formally gazetted in 1992. For the Annapurna region the Nepal Tourism Board requires a TIMS card and a licensed guide; the card costs NPR 2,000 for non-SAARC nationals.
Sources: National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Tourism Board
Solukhumbu · Best time: Oct–Apr · Advanced
The approach starts with the Kathmandu–Lukla flight and runs via Namche Bazaar at 3,500 m through Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, below Everest (8,848 m), Lhotse and Cho Oyu. Walking in from Jiri is a 10–12 day trek through Solu to the Khumbu and acclimatises you better. A TIMS card and a licensed guide are mandatory in the Everest region.
Sources: Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Tourism Board
Solukhumbu · Best time: Apr–May & Oct–Nov · Advanced
Island Peak (Imja Tse, 6,160 m) in the Khumbu Himal, Solukhumbu district, is one of the 27 peaks for which the Nepal Mountaineering Association issues climbing permits. The permit costs USD 350 per person in spring (March–May) and USD 175 in autumn, winter and summer — on top of the TIMS card and the licensed-guide rule for the Everest region.
Sources: Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Tourism Board
Rasuwa · Best time: Mar–May & Oct–Nov · All levels
The valley in Rasuwa sits in the 1,710 km² Langtang National Park (gazetted 1976, plus a 420 km² buffer zone from 1998), below 7,243 m Langtang Lirung; the park also holds the pilgrimage lake Gosaikunda, listed as a wetland of international importance since 2007. For the Langtang region the Nepal Tourism Board requires a TIMS card and a licensed guide.
Sources: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board
Gorkha · Best time: Mar–May & Sep–Nov · Advanced
The loop circles 8,163 m Manaslu and follows the old salt-trade route along the Budhi Gandaki. It runs through the restricted area of Chumnubri rural municipality: the permit from the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu costs USD 100 per week from September to November plus USD 15 per extra day, and USD 75 per week plus USD 10 per day from December to August.
Sources: Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Tourism Board
Mustang · Best time: Mar–Nov · Advanced
Upper Mustang is a restricted area: Lo Manthang, Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda and Baragung Muktichetra rural municipalities may only be entered with a special permit from the Department of Immigration in Kalikasthan, Kathmandu, USD 50 per person per day. Carry it and show it to police or immigration on request; the Upper Mustang trek also requires a TIMS card and a licensed guide.
Sources: Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Tourism Board