Annapurna Conservation Area halts tourist permits

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project has stopped issuing entry permits to tourists, citing the risk of heavy rain and snowfall.

Under a decision by the project's head office in Pokhara, under the National Trust for Nature Conservation, permit distribution was halted from Thursday. ACAP Jomsom office chief Rajesh Gupta said permits had been stopped for three days, though the head office's decision states the suspension will remain until the weather improves.

Tourists travelling to Mustang, Manang, Lamjung, and the upper regions of Myagdi and Kaski are affected by this.

A notice from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority had forecast heavy rain and snowfall for four days starting Thursday.

The project normally collects entry fees through an online system. Gupta said that if roads are blocked and travel becomes risky, fees will be collected from tourists present at the office itself to facilitate their travel, and services would resume through the previous system once the weather returns to normal.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there is a possibility of rain or snowfall with thunder at some places in the mountainous and hilly regions of Gandaki Province today as well.