Api Nampa Conservation Area: entry fee, permits and how to reach it

Api Nampa is a conservation area rather than a national park: it is named after the peaks Api and Nampa, and was set up to conserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the area⁴. This page covers the area itself, its entry fee and the permit row that applies in Darchula. The walking route to the foot of Api is on the Api base camp trek page, and fee tables for other protected areas are in the permits hub.

Where it is

The area lies in Darchula district and covers 1,903 sq. km in 21 VDCs⁵. It ranges in elevation from 518 to 7,132 m at the Himalayan peak Api and is part of the Kailash Sacred Landscape⁴. A grasslands plateau lies at the centre, mixed with various forest types⁴. About 54,358 people live in 8,966 households inside the area⁴.

Byansi and Shauka communities live in the area, with trans-border trade links to Tibet¹.

Wildlife

The Nepal Tourism Board page records the snow leopard, musk deer, clouded leopard, ghoral, Himalayan black bear and Himalayan tahr in the area⁵. Other mammals recorded include red panda, common langur and serow⁴. Birds include Himalayan monal, snowcock and blood pheasant⁴, and The Record counts 243 bird species⁸.

Entry fee

Entrance fees must be paid to enter protected areas of Nepal². In October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board park entry-fee table listed Api Nampa Conservation Area as follows, with children under 10 free²:

In October 2026 the same table allowed payment of entry fees at the Tourist Service Center in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, or at the entry points². The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation sells tickets through an online ticketing system with ticket types Nepali, SAARC and Foreigner, priced per day, per person, per entry⁶. Each park on the portal has a Book Tickets button⁶. The department’s site also has an Api-Nampa Conservation Area office page¹⁰. Tables for other areas are in national park fees.

Trekking permit

In October 2026 the Department of Immigration trekking permit table did not name Api Nampa³. Its one Darchula row was USD 90 per person per week, then USD 15 per day beyond 1 week, for Vyas Rural Municipality ward 1³. See restricted-area permits for the rest of the table.

Visitor numbers

In June 2019 The Record reported that between September to October 2015 and November to December 2018 only 5 SAARC tourists and 59 non-SAARC tourists visited, 64 people in over three years⁸. Information on Api Nampa was scarce, and organising treks in Darchula was considerably harder than in more established areas because the tourism industry there was nascent⁸. The same report found little to no publicity around the area⁸.

When to go

Pre-monsoon, March to May, is the best season for Api base camp, when rhododendrons are in full bloom, followed by October and November with clear skies⁹. December to February is very cold with blockades due to snow, and the monsoon months of June to September bring rain that makes trails slippery and difficult⁹.

The Api base camp route

Api is the highest mountain in the Far West region, in Darchula district⁷. More than 12 mountains above 6,000 m surround Api Himal⁷. From Api Base Camp the views include Api at 7,132 m, Nampa at 6,755 m and Mt. Bobaye at 6,808 m⁹. The trek normally takes 15 days and is rated moderately hard⁹. The trail follows the Chamaliya River, which rises on Mount Api, and the itinerary reaches Api Base Camp from Dhaulo Odar on day 9⁹. Walking detail is on the Api base camp trek page.

Getting there

In June 2019 The Record described the bus ride from Dhangadhi to Khalanga Bazaar, the Darchula district headquarters, as 18 hours⁸. One operator lists the Kathmandu to Attariya (Dhangadhi) bus at 750 km and 18 hours, or a flight to Dhangadhi of almost 1 hour that cost almost USD 200 one way, as seen in October 2026⁷. From Attariya a night bus covers about 260 km and 13 hours to Latinath, and the Api trek starts at Makarighad in Darchula⁷. The Api route is mostly a camping trek, with porters carrying tents⁹. For the district see Darchula.