Manaslu and Upper Mustang permits: do you need a partner?

You do not need a second trekker for a Manaslu or Upper Mustang permit under the Department of Immigration decision of 22 March 2026, reported on 23 March 2026, which lets individual foreigners apply for restricted-area permits; as of October 2026 you do still need a registered trekking agency and a licensed guide, because the guide is part of the permit. The older rule issued permits only to groups, usually put at two trekkers, and some older articles, including our own earlier permit guides, still repeat it, so ask your agency in writing what applies on your start date. A partner is therefore optional for the paperwork but not for the budget: our cost data puts the Manaslu guide at about NPR 56,700 for 14 days and the Upper Mustang guide at about NPR 51,700 for 11 days, and two trekkers each pay half. Meet any partner before you commit. We are a free matching site, not an agency, and we do not issue permits or book guides.

What changed in March 2026?

Before 2026 restricted-area permits were issued only to groups, which our earlier guides put at a minimum of two trekkers. The Himalayan Times reported on 23 March 2026 that the Department of Immigration had decided on 22 March to allow permits for individual trekkers as well. The same report says:

• Every applicant, including a solo trekker, must be accompanied by a licensed trekking guide.
• Applicants must apply through a registered trekking agency, which bears responsibility for emergency rescue.
• One guide may lead up to seven trekkers, a cap rather than a minimum.
• Applications run on an online platform, and applicants can use the visa application number from their home country instead of a Nepal visa number.
• The rules cover restricted areas in 13 districts; the report does not name them.

A Diplomat Nepal report on the Department's reminder gives the same picture: a licensed guide assigned by the agency, a maximum of seven trekkers per guide and no stated minimum group. Ekantipur reported on 6 May 2026 on controlled areas in 13 districts and mandatory permits. Our guide rule page keeps the dated position, and what is true about the 2026 solo trekking rules separates the restricted-area rule from the conservation-area one.

What do Manaslu and Upper Mustang each need?

Both are restricted areas, so the guide-and-agency rule applies to both. The fees below are as of October 2026, from the Nepal Tourism Board and the NTNC e-permit page (checked 18 October 2026), and the agency adds its own charge on top.

Permits issued at a check post cost double for the conservation areas, and TIMS may be added. The full documents lists are in our Manaslu permit guide and Upper Mustang permit guide, and the Manaslu route page and Upper Mustang route page hold the day plans.

Why would you still want a partner?

Three reasons, in order of how much they matter.

1. The guide is the biggest fixed cost. Our cost data uses a licensed guide at NPR 3,400 to 4,700 a day for Manaslu (midpoint NPR 4,050) and NPR 4,000 to 5,400 for Upper Mustang (midpoint NPR 4,700), from operator guides such as Himalayan Partner (10 February 2026). At NPR 134 per USD:

Permits, rooms, food and flights do not fall when you share, and we have not found any published rule on how an agency prices a solo permit, so ask for the quote for one, two and three people. For worked per-person totals on another route, see Annapurna Circuit cost per person when two, three or four share a guide.

2. The remote days. Manaslu crosses Larkya La at about 5,106 m and Upper Mustang has long exposed days, with few exits if someone is ill. A partner is a second pair of eyes, and a rule agreed in advance about who turns back, and what happens to the guide's days, avoids an argument at altitude. See what to agree with trekking partners before you book and what if your partner cannot continue.

3. Agency departures. Some agencies still assemble small groups and quote best for two or more. A partner may get you a quote or a departure date that a lone booking does not, though we cannot say how many agencies do this.

How do you find the second trekker?

If your agency still asks for two, or you simply want company:

• FindTrekkingPartner. Post a trip with your route, start window and guide plan, or browse open Manaslu trips. Contact details stay hidden until both trekkers agree, and the service is free. Our Manaslu partner guide shows how a trip is set out.
• Your agency. Ask whether it has other clients on your dates and what the price becomes for each extra person.
• Operator departures. Our departures page lists published group dates for several routes. We do not claim any departure will run; confirm with the operator.
• Kathmandu. Hostels and cafes; see meeting partners in Kathmandu.

Because both permits are tied to dates, a partner must be able to start when you do. Agree dates and a spare day, because a delay can change the permit. Apply our vetting checklist and red flags guide to anyone you meet, and meet in person before you share passport details for an application.

Is a "ghost trekker" or fake second name worth the risk?

No. Older advice, and some agencies and forum posts, suggested adding a second name to a Manaslu permit so that one person could meet a two-person minimum. That workaround answered a rule that no longer applies: since the Department of Immigration decision of 22 March 2026 a single trekker can apply, and what is still required is the licensed guide through a registered agency (restated by the Department in June 2026, checked 19 October 2026). Per The Himalayan Times, the agency bears responsibility for emergency rescue, so a name on the permit for someone who is not walking misstates who that responsibility covers. We found no source saying the practice is allowed or safe, so we do not recommend it. If an agency still asks you to pay for a second person or add a name, ask it in writing which rule it is applying on your dates, and get quotes for one, two and three people from other registered agencies. A real partner from open Manaslu trips is the honest way to split the guide fee.

Where sources conflict or are silent

• Group minimum. The Himalayan Times and Diplomat Nepal report no minimum after 22 March 2026. Older articles and our own earlier Manaslu cost notes still say a minimum of two. We take the reports of the Department's decision as more recent, but we found no Department notice text we can quote, so confirm with the agency.
• Which 13 districts. The reports do not list them in the text we read. Manaslu and Upper Mustang are among the restricted areas named in the guide rule page, but check your district.
• Upper Mustang fee basis. The Nepal Tourism Board says USD 50 a day; TAAN says USD 500 for 10 days then USD 50 a day. They agree for a 10-day stay only.
• New permit system. Ekantipur reported a new permit system for controlled areas in May 2026; we did not find how it changes the agency process in practice.
• Solo pricing. No source we found publishes what an agency charges a solo trekker in a restricted area.
• Conservation-area guide rule. This post covers restricted areas only. For conservation areas such as Annapurna the written rule is the April 2023 Nepal Tourism Board announcement, enforced unevenly (checked 19 October 2026).

What should you do before you pay?

1. Ask two or three registered agencies for a written quote for one, two and three people, listing the permits, the guide, transport and what happens if a partner cancels.
2. Ask which rule the agency is applying on your start date, and keep the reply.
3. Send passport scans and your visa application number early; the application is filed online through the agency, and public holidays such as Tihar can slow it.
4. Check the permit dates against your real plan, with one spare day, because the permit lists dates and a snow day on Larkya La or a late Jomsom flight can shift them. See snow and high pass conditions and Pokhara to Jomsom: flight versus jeep.
5. Agree cost sharing with any partner in writing before either of you pays a deposit, and pay the agency directly, never each other for a permit.

Next steps

For the open-area alternatives and rules, read solo trekking in Nepal and can you trek in Nepal without an agency. To find a partner, browse Manaslu trips, post your trip or read how finding a partner works. We are a matching platform, not an agency: you book your own registered agency, licensed guide and permits.