Trekking routes also called circuits coming within the Machhapuchchhre Rural Municipality, Kaski will now cost fees for both Nepali and foreign tourists. An assembly of the village determined the charges for four popular trekking destinations within its jurisdiction.
It has been explained that the charges were fixed for infrastructure construction and management of the circuits.
Chief Administrative Officer Gopi Krishna Aryal shared that the village assembly set two different charges for Nepali and foreign tourists. The local body has informed about the pricing via a notice.
Ram Bahadur Gurung, Ward Chairman of Rural Municipality-8, informed that the charges have been set according to Schedule 6 Section 7 of the Financial Act 2080 of the municipality. He said that the details of the paying tourists will be recorded which will help devise plans for maintenance.
We currently have four trekking routes. We don’t have the exact details of how many people come for the trek a year. This will help in the documentation here,” Gurung said. “We have decided to collect the fees as per the rules. The money raised from this is spent on footpaths. We have prepared to build an information center here. It also helps in rescue in case of an accident.”
Mardi Himal Trekking Route, Machhapuchhre Model Trek, Great Machhapuchhre Trail (Khumain-Korchon Danda), and Ghalekharka Tarahill Trek are the trekking routes in Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality.
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Trekking cost for Machhapuchchhre Rural Municipality
The local body notified about the fees on Friday, October 27. As per the local body, the trekking routes coming within the Machhapuchchhre Rural Municipality will cost Rs 100 for Nepali and Rs 500 for foreign tourists.
The funds gathered from the trekking fees will be utilized for infrastructure construction, light installation, waste management, information center establishment, etc.
The charges will come into effect within a week.