Darchula: Khalanga, Api Nampa and the Mahakali border

Darchula is the north-western corner of Nepal, where the Mahakali River forms the border with India and the Api and Nampa massifs rise above the country’s westernmost protected area^1,2,4. This page covers the whole district; its neighbours are in the districts hub, including Bajhang.

Where it is

Darchula is one of the nine districts of Sudurpashchim Province and one of Nepal’s 77 districts¹. With Khalanga (Mahakali Municipality) as its capital it covers 2,782.28 km2¹. The 2011 census gave 133,274 people and the 2021 census 133,310¹. The main languages are Dotiyali and Nepali¹.

The district consists of nine municipalities, two urban (Mahakali and Shailyasikhar) and seven rural¹. Darchula is also known for its traditional Thapla system, a cultural practice preserved for generations¹.

Byans and the Tinkar Valley

The northern part of the district contains the Nepali portion of the historical Byans region¹. The principal villages in the Tinkar Valley are Chhangru (100 households) and Tinkar (80 households), populated by the Byansi people, who speak Byansi¹. Byangsi is a West Himalayish language of India and Nepal⁸. In Nepal its villages are in the Byans municipality of Darchula District, bounded to the east and south-east by the snowy range of Tinkar, Nampa and Api⁸. A figure of 3,300 native speakers is cited from the 2000 to 2011 census⁸.

Khalanga and the border

Khalanga is a town and the district headquarters of Darchula, in Sudurpashchim Province². It lies on the bank of the Mahakali River, on the border with Dharchula District of Uttarakhand, India². The Mahakali River is the border between Nepal and India, with a suspension bridge connecting the towns on the two sides². In October 2026 the border was listed as closed at night for security reasons². The Mahakali Highway is listed as the district’s major highway¹.

The Mahakali River originates in the northern Uttarakhand state of India, in the Great Himalayas on the eastern slopes of the Nanda Devi massif⁹. Its basin is one of the five major river basins of Nepal shared with India, with a basin size of 14,871 km2⁹. The Mahakali Treaty, signed on 12 February 1996, set a framework for the integrated development and management of the river’s water resources⁹.

Getting around: the highway and the trails

The Mahakali Highway is National Highway 66, in Sudur Province, and its total length is 364.93 km¹⁰. It formerly was a 325 km road with the old number H14 that connected Dhangadhi in Kailali District to Mahakali Municipality in Darchula District, passing through Doti, Dadeldhura and Baitadi districts¹⁰. The road from Syaule in Dadeldhura to Satbanj in Darchula was built with US assistance between 1967 and 1985¹⁰.

In 2019 an alternative route, Gokuleshwor to Khalanga, lay incomplete at 44 km, with construction started around three decades earlier¹². The Decentralised Rural Infrastructure and Livelihood Project had opened the track of the incomplete stretch about five years before 2019, and the 72 km stretch of the Mahakali Highway from Khalanga to Gokuleshwor was in operation¹².

Reaching Chhangru and Tinkar from Khalanga meant passing through Indian territory, as there were no roads or foot trails on the Nepali side¹⁰. For more than two decades Khalanga residents had been compelled to use Indian territory to reach them¹¹. In October 2020 the Nepal Army handed over a newly built trail linking Khalanga with Changru of Byas Municipality and Tikar village¹¹.

Api Nampa Conservation Area

Api Nampa Conservation Area was established in 2010 in Darchula district and covers 1,903 km2, and it is Nepal’s westernmost protected area⁴. It ranges in elevation from 518 m to 7,132 m at the Himalayan peak Api³. It is named after the two peaks Api and Nampa³, and encompasses Api (7,132 m) and Nampa (6,755 m)⁴. For route detail see the Api base camp trek page and the Api Nampa Conservation Area page.

Trekking conditions

In June 2019 the conservation area covered 21 VDCs and lay under the shadow of Mounts Api and Nampa, the two highest peaks in western Nepal⁷. Hiking trails ran directly up the Mahakali, along the Indian border, to the base of the Api and Nampa massifs, while other trails ran deep into the interior⁷. In June 2019 tourism in Darchula was nascent, and obtaining trekking gear and organising treks was considerably harder than in more established areas⁷. Information on Api Nampa was scarce, and most trekking agencies in Thamel knew little about it⁷.

When to go

October to March gives clear weather in most regions, and March to May suits high-altitude treks⁴.

Permits and fees

In October 2026 the Department of Immigration’s trekking route and permit fee table listed Darchula at USD 90 per person per week, with USD 15 per day beyond 1 week⁵. The area it names is Vyas Rural Municipality, ward 1⁵.

Api Nampa Conservation Area charges an entry fee per person per entry; in October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board’s park entry-fee table listed it as follows, with children under 10 free⁶:

Rules for each area are collected in restricted-area permits.