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A visa you get on arrival, trekking permits you get in town, and altitude that rewards going slow
Nepal is welcoming at the border and demanding on the trail. Most visitors get a tourist visa on arrival, no embassy visit needed, and can speed the airport queue by filling the form online first. The trails are the reason people come, but they run on permits you arrange in Kathmandu or Pokhara, and on a rule the mountains enforce without exception: go up slowly, because altitude sickness does not care how fit you are. This guide covers the visa, the trekking permits, the money, the altitude, and why data still matters between the valleys.
The great treks, on the right permits
Nepal's trekking regions, the Everest and Annapurna trails above all, are the headline experience, and they run on permits you arrange before you set off. Most treks need a TIMS card plus a national park or conservation area permit, such as Sagarmatha for the Everest region or ACAP for Annapurna, issued through Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara or a registered agency.2
Our take: sort your permits in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you head to the hills rather than assuming you can buy everything at the trailhead, and build acclimatisation days into the itinerary. The mountains are the trip, so give them the time they need.
Flights for the mountains, buses and apps for the rest
Between the main hubs, short domestic flights save long days on winding roads, and they are how many trekkers reach the mountain airstrips. On the ground, tourist buses link the popular routes, and in Kathmandu a ride-hailing app sets a fair price for a taxi or a scooter without the roadside negotiation.
Our take: book mountain flights with buffer days, because they are weather-dependent and cancellations are common. For city and valley travel, use an app to price rides so the fare is agreed before you set off rather than argued after.
VAT is 13% and the currency is the rupee
Prices are in Nepalese rupees (NPR), and value-added tax is 13%, administered by the Inland Revenue Department and generally included in displayed prices. Cards work in Kathmandu, Pokhara and larger hotels, but the trails, villages and small shops run on cash, so carry rupees and draw out enough before you leave the towns.4
Most visitors get a visa on arrival
Citizens of most countries can get a tourist visa on arrival at the airport and land borders, priced by length of stay: about US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days, as multiple-entry. You can fill the application online in advance and bring the confirmation, which shortens the queue at immigration on landing.1
Fill the form before you fly
The online application can be completed in the days before arrival and held ready to present at immigration, so doing it in advance turns the airport step into a quick payment instead of a form-filling scrum. Bring the fee in an accepted currency, and a passport with enough validity for your stay.1
Altitude is the real risk, and going slow is the fix
Acute mountain sickness can develop above roughly 2,500 metres. The Himalayan Rescue Association's advice is plain: ascend slowly on a planned schedule, watch for headache, fatigue and loss of appetite, and descend if symptoms appear, since even a few hundred metres of descent brings relief. Being in a hurry high in the Nepal mountains can be dangerous, so build in rest days.3
Save the emergency numbers before you trek
Nepal's emergency lines are 100 for police and 102 for an ambulance, though in the mountains help is often organised through your lodge, guide or trekking agency rather than a direct call. On the popular routes, aid posts staffed by professionals treat altitude sickness, so know where the next one is before you climb higher.
Nepal sits outside every regional free-roaming zone, so a home plan roams here at a charge whatever your country, and a local eSIM keeps data at a predictable and generally low price. Coverage is good in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the lower valleys, and it thins as you climb, with patches of signal at villages along the popular trails and long dead stretches between them, which is exactly where an offline map earns its place. You will lean on data before and during the trip: the visa form is filled online, permit and flight logistics run through your phone, and in the mountains a connection is how you check weather windows and reach help when a lodge has signal. Because so much depends on being reachable, get a plan sorted at arrival rather than after, and download your maps and route notes for the days you will spend beyond the last reliable bar of signal.
Usually not. Citizens of most countries can get a tourist visa on arrival at the airport and land borders, priced by stay: around US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days, multiple-entry. You can fill the application online beforehand and bring the confirmation to shorten the queue, and pay the fee in an accepted currency on arrival.1
Most treks need a TIMS card plus a national park or conservation area permit for the specific region, such as Sagarmatha for the Everest area or ACAP for Annapurna. Arrange them through Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu or Pokhara, or a registered trekking agency, before you set off, not at the trailhead.2
Go up slowly. The Himalayan Rescue Association's advice is to ascend on a planned, gradual schedule with acclimatisation days, watch for headache, fatigue and loss of appetite above about 2,500 metres, then descend if symptoms appear, because even a few hundred metres of descent helps. Rushing high in the mountains is the real danger, so build rest into the itinerary.3
Usually not. Nepal is outside every regional free-roaming arrangement, so roaming on a home plan is billed whatever country you come from. A local eSIM keeps data at a predictable price in the cities and valleys, though on high treks coverage is patchy either way, so download offline maps for the stretches beyond signal.
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on September 5, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.