Manaslu sees tourism boom

The Manaslu region is witnessing a boom in tourism with more foreign tourists visiting the  region this tourism season than in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. 

According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP), which keeps data on tourists, 1,500 more tourists have visited the Manaslu region during the tourist season of this fiscal year compared to the corresponding period of the last fiscal (2023-24).

MCAP stated that 10,600 foreign tourists visited the region in 2024, compared to 9,177 in 2023. Santosh Sherchan, head of MCAP, said the region draws more tourists from Europe and America than from South Asian countries. In 2024, the highest number of tourists were from France (1,335), he informed, followed by 1,181 German citizens and 796 Americans. As for tourists from SAARC member-states, Indian nationals stood at the top with 159 individuals trekking to the region. The region also draws tourists from other countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain and China.

To enter the Manaslu region, tourists from SAARC member-states have to pay Rs 1,000 per person whereas the individual entry fee is Rs 3,000 for tourists from other countries. Tourists have to pay at the counters at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu and Damsite in Pokhara. According to MCAP chief Sherchan, tourists who have not paid entry fees at either of the two places have to pay double the regular fees at the checkposts in MCAP’s Jagat and Samagaun for entering the region.

Since the Manaslu conservation area is a restricted area, tourists must also obtain permissions from the Immigration Department, which issues one-week permits to visit the area, including Chum and Nubri valleys. Tourists have to pay $50 per person for the Chum valley during the tourist season and only $25 during off-season.

The tourists have to pay $70 per person for the Nubri valley during the season and $35 for off-season. If tourists want to visit the area for more than a week, extra charges apply. The Manaslu region, which is a restricted area, includes seven wards of Chumanubri rural municipality. From this year, the municipality has also started charging domestic tourists as well.

The municipality started collecting revenues from last September. The conservation area covers ward numbers 1 to 7 of Chumanubri rural municipality. Samagaun, Lho, Prok and Bihi VDCs fall under the Nubri valley whereas Chumchet and Chekampar constitute the Chum valley. The Manaslu region has been open to tourists since 2005.