Nepal bans solo trekking for foreigners from April

As per the latest development, Nepal has decided to go ahead with barring solo or independent trekkers from going trekking in Nepal starting from April 1, without the help of a guide. This was recently announced by a senior official of Nepal Tourism Board.

Referring to this, Mani Raj Lamichhane, who is the board’s spokesperson, added that the tourism organisation has now made it mandatory for a sole foreign trekker to take a guide. He added that this decision has been taken after considering the safety of such trekkers.
The spokesperson also added that they have received around 40 to 50 cases of trekkers being out of contact during the treks annually, which has been sending out the message to the world that Nepal is not a safe destination.

He also added that because of this reason that they have decided to promote an organised trekking in Nepal with this decision, and that another reason behind this decision is to create more employment opportunities in the country.
As for free and independent trekkers, they are those who plan their own trips and prefer to travel alone without taking any assistance from trekking agencies. This kind of travellers are considered as price-conscious travellers.

According to Lamichhane, the tourism board in 2019 gave permission to more than 46,000 solo foreign trekkers, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

If records are to go by, the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal has been lobbying for a one-trekker one-guide system since 2012.