Strenuous13 days · 5,320 mRestricted area

Nar Phu Valley Trek

Thirteen days in a restricted Tibetan-Buddhist valley that opened to outsiders in 2003, over the Kang La at 5,320 m.

Nar Phu Valley Trek — drop a photo

Nar and Phu are two walled villages in a side valley north of the Annapurna Circuit that stayed closed to foreigners until 2003, and it still shows. There are no lodges for long stretches, the monasteries are working Tibetan-Buddhist institutions rather than exhibits, and yak caravans on the trail are transport rather than scenery. You need a Restricted Area Permit, a licensed guide and a registered agency to go — as of March 2026 the old two-trekker minimum has been dropped, so a solo traveller can now hold the permit. The route finishes over the Kang La at 5,320 m, dropping you back onto the Circuit at Ngawal with the whole Annapurna range suddenly in front of you.

Why you'll love it

Nar and Phu — restricted Tibetan-Buddhist villages, opened only in 2003
Kang La at 5,320 m and the Annapurna range from the top
Tashi Lhakhang gompa and working yak caravans
Solo trekkers can now hold the restricted-area permit (rule change, March 2026)

Day by day

A long jeep day up the Marsyangdi via Besisahar and Chame to the police post at Koto, where the restricted valley begins.

What's included

Licensed English-speaking guide with high-altitude experience
Restricted Area Permit, ACAP & TIMS arranged by us as a registered agency
Teahouse, homestay & monastery-guesthouse rooms + 3 meals a day
Private jeep Pokhara–Koto & Besisahar–Pokhara
Porter (1 per 2 trekkers, 9 kg each)
First-aid kit, oximeter checks, down jacket & sleeping bag hire

Not included

Nepal visa & flights to Nepal
Travel insurance (required, incl. helicopter evacuation above 5,000 m)
Drinks, snacks & hot showers on trail
Personal trekking gear (rentable from us)
Tips for guide & porter

Guides that cover this trip

Written by the people who run it — what the trail is like before you book.

Which permits you need, region by regionThree categories cover almost everything: conservation area, national park, and restricted area. Knowing which one you are in explains every rule you will meet.6 min read →Tilicho Lake, and the path that scares peopleA turquoise sheet of water at 4,919 m in a valley with no trees, no villages and no colour but rock. Plus the landslide traverse everyone asks about.8 min read →Nar and Phu — two medieval villages behind a gorge nobody walks intoA restricted valley off the Annapurna Circuit where the architecture, the language and the Buddhism are essentially Tibetan, and you may not see another trekking group for days.8 min read →Coming back: what to do on a second visit to NepalYou have done Annapurna Base Camp or Everest and the classics are behind you. Here is where the people who live here would send you next.6 min read →

from

Rs 239,900 per person

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