An Annapurna trekking permit set is two documents, the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) at NPR 3,000 and a TIMS card at NPR 2,000, that together cost NPR 5,000 and cover every standard route in the Annapurna region. One combination pays for the Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, and the Tilicho Lake extension, a simplicity Everest's separate permit system does not offer. Ramesh Rai, our permits and logistics manager, processes roughly 900 permits a year across all regions and wrote this guide from the counter side of the Annapurna paperwork; Mingma Tendi Sherpa, our Senior Guide and Safety Lead, reviewed it for accuracy against current trail rules.
The sections below cover both fees, where to buy each permit, which routes the two-permit system reaches, checkpoint locations, and how the 2023 licensed-guide requirement connects to TIMS issuance.
In this guide 5
What do ACAP and TIMS cost for Annapurna trekking permits?
ACAP costs NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals in 2026, issued by the National Trust for Nature Conservation on behalf of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. TIMS costs NPR 2,000, issued jointly by the Nepal Tourism Board and TAAN. Together the two permits total NPR 5,000, about USD 38 at 2026 exchange rates, and cover a single entry with no fixed expiry, so a 7-day Poon Hill trip and a 20-day Circuit-plus-Tilicho itinerary pay the identical fee.
| Permit | Fee (2026) | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
| ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) | NPR 3,000 | NTNC / Nepal Tourism Board |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 | Nepal Tourism Board / TAAN |
| Total | NPR 5,000 (about USD 38) |
SAARC nationals pay a reduced ACAP fee of NPR 1,000, though the TIMS fee stays the same for every nationality. Rates on this page were checked against the Nepal Tourism Board fee schedule in July 2026 and have held since 2021.
Where do you buy the ACAP and TIMS permits?
Both permits are sold at the Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu (Bhrikutimandap) and Pokhara, the two counters most trekkers use before leaving for the trailhead. Buying in Pokhara suits anyone flying or driving directly from the Kathmandu valley to the Annapurna region, and the counter takes Nepali rupees, a passport, and two passport photographs.
Trekkers who arrive at a trailhead without either permit can still buy ACAP at the checkpoint counters in Ghandruk, Chhomrong, or Chame, though the on-trail price carries no discount and the counters can queue heavily on a busy October morning. TIMS is not sold at these trailhead counters; it must come from a Kathmandu or Pokhara NTB office, or from a registered trekking agency filing on your behalf before departure.
Which Annapurna routes does this two-permit system cover?
ACAP and TIMS together cover the Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, and the Tilicho Lake extension from Manang, every major route in the region built on this single fee structure. This is the region's real advantage over Everest, where a separate municipality permit replaced TIMS in the Khumbu in 2018 and created two distinct systems for one mountain range; Annapurna's routes never split that way, so trekkers combining a Poon Hill warm-up with the full Circuit pay one permit set for both.
The Tilicho extension needs no third document, a detail that surprises trekkers used to Manaslu's restricted-area layering. Full route-by-route paperwork for Manaslu, which does require a separate restricted-area permit, sits in the Nepal trekking permits master guide.
Where are the Annapurna permit checkpoints on the trail?
Ghandruk holds the checkpoint most Poon Hill and Annapurna Base Camp trekkers pass, an ACAP post that logs entry into the conservation area at the start of the walking route. Chhomrong, the Base Camp trail's gateway village, carries a second check on the way into the sanctuary, and Chame, the Manang district headquarters, checks both ACAP and TIMS for trekkers on the Circuit. A trekker moving between routes, from Ghandruk toward the Circuit side, for example, should expect a checkpoint re-verification at each transition point.
Carrying both permits in a daypack pocket rather than a porter's load avoids the common problem of a porter reaching a checkpoint a village ahead of or behind the trekker who holds the paperwork. Lost permits are replaced only at full price back in Kathmandu or Pokhara, with no digital record a trailhead post will accept in its place.
How does the 2023 licensed-guide rule tie into these permits?
TAAN's 2023 rule requiring a licensed guide on national park and conservation-area routes is enforced through TIMS issuance, since the Nepal Tourism Board ties the card to a registered agency booking rather than selling it to an unaccompanied individual. Annapurna's routes fall squarely inside that TIMS-governed system, unlike the Khumbu, so the guide requirement applies across the Circuit, Base Camp, Poon Hill, and Mardi Himal alike. What the rule changed in practice, and where solo travel still stands as of this July 2026 update, is covered in the solo trekking guide requirement guide.
Every departure we run includes a TAAN-registered guide as part of the permit and safety package, so the TIMS requirement adds no separate booking step for our clients. Trekkers arranging permits independently should confirm their agency's TAAN registration before paying, since an unregistered operator cannot file a valid TIMS application.
FAQ
Common questions
Do I need separate permits for Poon Hill versus the full Annapurna Circuit?+
No. The same ACAP and TIMS combination, NPR 5,000 total, covers Poon Hill, the full Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, and Mardi Himal. There is no route-specific permit inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so combining routes on one trip adds no extra paperwork.
Can I buy ACAP and TIMS on the trail if I forgot in Kathmandu?+
ACAP is sold at trailhead checkpoints in Ghandruk, Jhinu, and Chame, so a missed ACAP purchase in Kathmandu is recoverable on arrival. TIMS is not sold at these trail counters; it must come from an NTB office in Kathmandu or Pokhara, or from a registered agency before you leave, so plan that one in advance.
Does the Tilicho Lake extension need an extra permit?+
No additional permit applies. Tilicho Lake sits inside the same Annapurna Conservation Area that ACAP already covers, so trekkers extending from Manang pay nothing beyond the standard NPR 5,000 permit set, though the extra days do add to guide and porter costs.
What identification do I need at the permit counter?+
A passport and two passport-sized photographs cover both ACAP and TIMS applications. Counters take Nepali rupees in cash only, and carrying the full NPR 5,000 in small notes avoids change problems at busy Kathmandu and Pokhara offices during October.
