Record breaking number of tourists in Manaslu area.

According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, by mid-May of the current fiscal year, the Manaslu region in North Gorkha was visited by 12,259 foreign tourists, the highest number ever recorded.

MCAP chief Santosh Sherchan confirmed the figure, noting a steady increase in annual tourist arrivals. The region received 9,782 tourists in FY 2023/24, 7,705 in FY 2022/23 and 2,284 in FY 2021/22.

MCAP had set a target of attracting 12,500 tourists in FY 2024/25 and has already achieved 98.07 per cent of that target. Sherchan said he expects the final number to exceed the target by the end of the fiscal year.

MCAP chief Santosh Sherchan said tourists from SAARC countries have to pay Rs 1,000 per person to enter the Manaslu area, while those from other countries have to pay Rs 3,000.

He said the authorities accept the entry fee at designated counters in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu and Damsite, Pokhara.

"If tourists skip these counters, they have to pay double the fee at MCAP's checkpoints in Jagat and Samagaon," Sherchan said. He said since the government classifies the Manaslu area as a restricted area, tourists have to obtain a permit from the Immigration Department as well.

The Immigration Department gives tourists a week's permit to visit the Chum and Nubri valleys. MCAP chief Santosh Sherchan said tourists have to pay US$50 per person to enter the Chum valley during the tourist season and US$25 during the off-season.

Sherchan said tourists visiting the Nubri Valley will have to pay US$70 per person in the tourist season and US$35 in the off-season. Those who plan to stay for more than a week will have to pay an additional fee.

Seven wards of Chumnubri Rural Municipality fall under the Manaslu Conservation Area. The conservation area includes the former village development committees (VDCs) of Sirdibas, Lho, Prok, Bihi, Samagaon, Chumchet and Chekampar. Of these, Samagaon, Lho, Prok and Bihi form the Nubri Valley, while Chumchet and Chekampar form the Chum Valley. The government opened the Manaslu area to tourists in 1995.