What you'll pay for the TVRAP + MCAP + the new 2024 Chumnubri + USD 10 trail-development fee. Agency timeline, the March 2026 solo update, and the 5-permits-quoted scam.
The Tsum Valley trek needs TWO permits — a Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit (TVRAP) and an MCAP — plus two cash fees you pay on the trail. Total cost: roughly USD 110 for a foreigner on the standard 12-day trek in October 2026. Here's the breakdown that most "trek cost" articles get wrong.
The expensive one. Issued by the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu through a TAAN-licensed trekking agency. Fee structure for 2026:
For the standard 12-day Tsum itinerary, you only need TVRAP coverage between Lokpa (day 3) and back to Lokpa on the descent (day 11) — roughly 7 trekking days inside the restricted zone. Most agencies file for exactly 7 days = USD 40 (peak) or USD 30 (off-peak) per person.
Tsum Valley sits inside the Manaslu Conservation Area, so MCAP is required even though you never cross to the main Manaslu Circuit trail. Same NPR-priced structure as ACAP or Sagarmatha NP:
Issued at the NTNC Tourist Service Centre in Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu. Bring passport + 2 photos + NPR 3,000 cash; walk out in 15 minutes. Get it the same morning your agency files the TVRAP.
Since 2024 there are also two cash fees collected ON THE TRAIL at the Jagat check-post — separate from your pre-issued permits:
Introduced in 2024 by the local government. Cash only, paid at the Jagat check-post when you enter the restricted Manaslu region. Receipt provided. Goes to rural-infrastructure spending in the Chumnubri Rural Municipality (which covers Jagat through Larkya La).
Introduced September 6, 2024. USD 10 per trekker, collected in cash at Jagat by the local government for trail-maintenance + environmental-preservation funds. New + sometimes inconsistently enforced — bring exact USD or NPR equivalent (~NPR 1,400).
Total cash at Jagat: ~NPR 2,400 per trekker. Don't pay this in advance to your agency; the collection happens at the check-post.
The biggest 2026 change: TAAN issued an update on March 22, 2026 allowing solo trekkers to obtain the TVRAP. Previously the rule required a minimum of 2 trekkers per group. Now a single trekker + a licensed guide can get the permit issued.
Caveats:
See our Tsum Valley solo guide for the full enforcement breakdown.
From the day you book the trek with a Kathmandu agency:
If you land in Kathmandu on a Sunday, you can legally start trekking the following Thursday. Don't book a Wednesday-start trek expecting to apply for the TVRAP on Tuesday.
For one foreign trekker on the standard 12-day Tsum Valley in October 2026:
For the same trek in April (off-season):
Cheaper than Manaslu (which adds the RAP-Manaslu at USD 100/wk peak), more expensive than ABC or Mardi Himal (which only need ACAP at NPR 3,000).
Don't pay TVRAP cash at Jagat. Unlike MCAP/ACAP, the TVRAP cannot be issued at the trailhead. If your agency forgot to file it, you turn back at Lokpa.
Don't trust agencies that quote you 5 permits for standalone Tsum. Some package quotes itemise RAP-Manaslu + MCAP + ACAP + TVRAP + TIMS. For standalone Tsum you only need 2: TVRAP + MCAP. Plus the 2 cash fees at Jagat.
Confirm insurance heli-evac to 5,000 m in writing. Tsum's max altitude is 4,200 m (Ganesh Himal Base Camp side hike) or 4,060 m (Dhephyudonma side hike from Mu Gompa). Standard 4,500 m + heli-evac cover is enough.
Standalone Tsum Valley is one of the more affordable restricted-area treks in Nepal — USD 70–80 in permits + cash fees, far less than Manaslu's USD 174 or Upper Mustang's USD 500+. The March 2026 solo update removes the last administrative friction. The cultural depth at Mu Gompa monastery + Rachen Nunnery is the trek's value proposition; the permits are a 1-day administrative task.
Plan your trek with the Tsum Valley planner; the Mu Gompa monastery stay is the trek's defining experience; 12-day itinerary is the day-by-day.