National park fees: Rara, Khaptad, Shey-Phoksundo and Api Nampa

The Nepal Tourism Board table that prices Rara also prices the Terai parks, and the amounts differ by park. In October 2026 a foreigner paid NPR 3,000 per entry in the three mountain parks and NPR 2,000 at Api Nampa¹. Other permits are on the permits hub. To add the park ticket to a restricted-area permit for your own route and days, use the permit and fee calculator.

Fees at a glance

In October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board park entry-fee table listed these amounts, each per person per entry¹. The Rara, Khaptad, Shey-Phoksundo and Api Nampa rows add “Below 10 yrs free”¹.

The three mountain national parks (Rara, Khaptad and Shey-Phoksundo) share one price. Api Nampa, a conservation area, is cheaper for SAARC nationals and foreigners¹. In October 2026 the three Terai parks charged SAARC nationals NPR 750 and foreigners NPR 1,500¹.

How the far-west parks compare with the rest

Sagarmatha National Park was listed at NPR 100 for Nepalis, NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals and NPR 3,000 for foreigners, and Chitwan National Park at NPR 150, NPR 1,000 and NPR 2,000¹. In the October 2026 table the three far-west mountain parks match Sagarmatha’s prices¹.

The table also carries a Hunting Reserve row at NPR 100, NPR 1,500 and NPR 3,000¹. Chitwan and Sagarmatha sit under a separate heading for national parks designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Natural)¹.

The rule

Every protected area requires a park entry permit, and the Nepal Tourism Board table opens with the rule:

Park entry permit must be obtained to enter protected areas¹

Fees are paid in one of two places: the Tourist Service Center in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, or the entry points of the park¹. The table is compiled from the concerned department, and updates follow verification¹.

Booking online

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) runs an online ticketing portal where visitors can book entry tickets, vehicle permits and event tickets without visiting the park office first². Its user manual is Document Version 1.0, dated August 2026².

A buyer needs an account before booking². On the Entry Ticket tab each card is a ticket type: Nepali, SAARC or Foreigner, with prices shown per day, per person, per entry². A Nepali visitor’s form asks for a citizenship number².

Two payment options are offered²:

• Counter Payment Request: reserve now and pay in person at the gate².
• QR Payment: pay online with a QR code².

A ticket works only for the visit date and entry gate picked at booking, so check both before paying². Until payment the status reads “Unpaid / Pending”, which is not valid for entry². The confirmation page after a counter-payment request is a receipt, not an entry ticket². Once a QR payment succeeds the status changes to “Paid & Confirmed”, and the QR code on the ticket is the entry ticket, shown at the entry counter². Keep a printed or phone copy of the confirmation until you enter the park².

The portal’s Support page lists each park’s email, phone number and location².

Vehicles

A separate “Entry Ticket for Vehicle” tab covers vehicles. Vehicles are grouped by type (cycle, motorcycle, car, public vehicle, truck, and government or NGO vehicle), and each type has its own fee².

The parks, one by one

Rara National Park

Rara covers 106 km2 in the Mugu and Jumla districts and is the country’s smallest national park³. Its lake, the largest in Nepal, has a surface of 10.8 km2³. The district page for Mugu covers getting there, and the Rara Lake trek covers the route.

Khaptad National Park

Khaptad was established in 1984 on the advice of Khaptad Baba and covers 225 km2 across the districts of Bajhang, Bajura, Achham and Doti⁴. See Khaptad National Park for the park in detail.

Shey-Phoksundo National Park

The park was established in 1984 and covers 3,555 km2 in the districts of Dolpa and Mugu⁵. The DNPWC park page calls it the largest national park in Nepal and records Phoksundo Lake’s listing as a Ramsar site in 2007⁷. Shey Gompa, built in the 11th century, is one of several gompas inside it^5,7. The route to the lake is on the Phoksundo Lake trek page.

Api Nampa Conservation Area

Api Nampa covers 1,903 km2⁶. It is named after the peaks Api and Nampa and was established to conserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the area⁶. Its own page is Api Nampa Conservation Area.

Before you pay

The table is organised in four columns: Nepali, SAARC, Foreigners and child discount¹. The online portal uses the same three visitor categories: Nepali, SAARC and Foreigner². Park tickets are separate from the restricted-area trekking permits covered in restricted-area permits and from the TIMS card on the TIMS card page.