GORKHA, May 27: By mid-May of the current fiscal year, 12,259 foreign tourists visited the Manaslu region in northern Gorkha, marking the highest number recorded to date, according to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP).
MCAP Chief Santosh Sherchan confirmed the figure, noting the steady rise in annual tourist arrivals. The region received 9,782 tourists in FY 2023/24, 7,705 in FY 2022/23, and 2,284 in FY 2021/22.
MCAP had aimed to attract 12,500 tourists in FY 2024/25 and has already reached 98.07 percent of that target. Sherchan said he expects the final tally to exceed the goal by the end of the fiscal year.
"Tourist numbers dropped sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic," Sherchan said. "In FY 2020/21, only 194 tourists visited, the lowest on record." Tourist numbers stood at 5,338 in FY 2019/20 and 7,655 in FY 2018/19.
Manaslu conservation area records lowest number of tourists in...
MCAP Chief Santosh Sherchan said SAARC country tourists must pay Rs 1,000 per person, while tourists from other countries must pay Rs 3,000 to enter the Manaslu region.
He stated that officials accept entry fees at designated counters in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, and Damsite, Pokhara.
"If tourists skip these counters, they must pay double the fee at MCAP's checkpoints in Jagat and Samagaun," Sherchan said. Since the government classifies the Manaslu region as a restricted area, he added, tourists must also obtain a permit from the Department of Immigration.
The Department of Immigration grants tourists a one-week permit to visit the Chum and Nubri valleys. MCAP Chief Santosh Sherchan said tourists must pay USD 50 per person to enter Chum Valley during the tourist season and USD 25 during the off-season.
Sherchan added that tourists visiting Nubri Valley must pay USD 70 per person in the tourist season and USD 35 in the off-season. Those who plan to stay longer than one week must pay an additional fee.
Seven wards of Chumnubri Rural Municipality fall under the Manaslu Conservation Area. The conservation area includes the former Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Sirdibas, Lho, Prok, Bihi, Samagaun, Chumchet, and Chekampar. Among these, Samagaun, Lho, Prok, and Bihi make up the Nubri Valley, while Chumchet and Chekampar form the Chum Valley.
The government opened the Manaslu region to tourists in 1995.
