Simikot is the district headquarters of Humla, on a ridge at about 2,910 m above the Humla Karnali. It is really two settlements: a lower bazaar strung along the airstrip, holding the government offices, banks and cell towers, and an older stone village above it. It is the last place with services of any kind before the border, and the place where acclimatisation actually happens.
The two towns of Simikot
The first thing to understand about Simikot is that it is not one place. The lower town is the modern one, laid out along the flat ground beside the runway because that is where the flat ground is. Corrugated roofs, concrete, painted signboards, the district administration offices, bank branches, a line of shops selling everything from instant noodles to trekking rope, and the mobile towers that put the town on the network at all.
Above it, up the slope, is the older village: flat-roofed mud and dry-stone houses stacked stepwise so that one roof is the yard of the house above, prayer flags on poles, and carved mani walls along the paths. The population up here is predominantly Lama, or Bhotia, of Tibetan cultural descent, and the character is completely different from the bazaar fifteen minutes below.
Walking from one to the other takes very little time and tells you more about Humla than anything else you can do in a day. The lower town is where Nepal administers the district. The upper town is what the district was, and largely still is, once you go north. The Humla district guide covers how that division runs through the whole district rather than just this ridge.
The airstrip, and why it governs the town
Simikot has a short asphalt STOL runway, and until July 2025 it was the only way in that could be relied on. It still is. A road now reaches Simikot from Surkhet, closed at the last by a Nepal Army Bailey bridge over the Chuwa Khola at Kharpunath, but that track is unpaved, single-lane, cut from cliff, and it closes with weather. The aircraft are what the town actually depends on.
The consequence is that Simikot runs on the weather, not on a timetable. Flights operate in the morning, on visual rules, into a mountain strip with terrain on both sides. When the cloud is in, nothing moves, and nothing moving means both directions: neither the people trying to leave nor the freight trying to arrive. A backlog of a few days is unremarkable and a longer one is not unheard of.
Plan for it rather than around it. Anybody flying out of Simikot to catch an international connection should hold spare days on the Nepal side, not on the calendar at home. No published schedule is worth quoting here, because it changes with the operator, the season and the day.
What Simikot is the last of
| Service | In Simikot | North of Simikot |
|---|---|---|
| Banks and cash | Bank branches in the lower bazaar | Nothing. No branch, no reliable ATM for a foreign card |
| Mobile coverage | Towers in town, generally working | Patchy, then absent for long stretches |
| Vehicle service | Improvised only | None whatsoever, all the way to the border |
| Fuel | Decanted from drums and containers | Nothing dependable |
| Medical care | District-level facilities | Basic posts at best, days from anything more |
| Electricity | Local mini-hydro and solar. No national grid | Solar, and only where somebody installed it |
| Shops | General stores, some trekking supplies | Village shops with a shelf, or nothing |
The cash line deserves emphasis. Everything north of Simikot is a cash economy, and there is no facility beyond this town that will reliably give a foreign traveller money. Draw what you need in Nepalgunj or Kathmandu, carry it in small notes, and assume that the largest note in your wallet is a problem rather than an asset.
Power, water and being off the grid
Simikot has no connection to the national grid. Power comes from local mini-hydro schemes and from solar, which means it is real, it is limited, and it is not constant. Lodges charge devices when there is power to spare and sometimes for a fee, and the supply drops when the water is low or the sky has been grey for days.
The practical answer is to carry your own capacity: a large power bank charged before you fly in, and a solar panel if you are going north for any length of time. Everything you depend on, including a headtorch and a satellite messenger if you carry one, should be chargeable from what you brought.
Water is glacial and river-fed and needs treating. Filter or boil it, and keep drinking well past the point where you feel thirsty, because at this elevation dehydration and the early symptoms of altitude illness are hard to tell apart.
Two rest days, and why they are not optional
The flight into Simikot brings you from Nepalgunj, at around 150 m in the Tarai, to about 2,910 m in under an hour. That is a jump the body has no way to prepare for, and it is why the standing advice for this town is to take at least two full days here before going anywhere higher.
The reason is what comes next. North of Simikot the route climbs to Nara La (Nara Lagna) at 4,580 m, and the road toward Nyalu La (Nyalu Lagna) reaches close to 4,990 m. Gaining that much altitude on wheels in a day is far more dangerous than gaining it on foot, because a vehicle removes the natural brake that walking imposes. It is entirely possible to drive yourself into serious altitude illness in an afternoon.
The specific rule that matters in Humla: never go from Simikot to the high road cuts in twenty-four hours. Sleep at Kermi or higher only after the town has done its work, and descend at the first sign of anything worse than a headache. Our altitude and acclimatisation guide covers the symptoms and the decision rules in full.
The two days are not wasted time. They are the only part of the itinerary that reliably determines whether the rest of it happens.
Lagnapau viewpoint
The best use of a rest day is the walk up to Lagnapau, roughly an hour and a half north of the runway, at about 3,200 m. It is a straightforward climb on a used trail, it gains just enough altitude to be useful for acclimatisation, and it puts the whole geography of the district in front of you at once.
From the top the Karnali gorge runs away below, the ridges guarding the Limi country stand to the north, and Saipal, at 7,031 m, sits out in the distance. Standing there is the moment most visitors understand what the numbers in a guidebook actually describe: the scale of the ground between Simikot and the border is not something a map conveys.
Go in the morning. Cloud builds through the day here as it does everywhere in the Himalaya, and an afternoon walk to a viewpoint frequently arrives at a view of cloud.
Walking out of town: Buraunse
The other worthwhile day walk is west to Buraunse, about two hours on foot. It is a working village rather than a sight, and its value is that homestays there put money into local households rather than into an agency in Kathmandu. If you want a rest day that is also useful to somebody, this is it.
The same applies to how you spend money in Simikot itself. Eat at the local places, buy your supplies in the bazaar, and hire locally where you have the choice. Slow travel in Nepal makes the broader case, and it applies with particular force in a district where tourism money is concentrated in a very small number of hands.
Permits, and where they are checked
Everything north of Simikot toward Limi and Hilsa is a restricted area. The structure is that the permit is charged per week rather than per day, there is a two-person minimum, and a registered Nepali guide is mandatory. Papers are checked at Simikot, again at Muchu, and again at Hilsa, and a checkpoint that is not satisfied is the end of the trip.
No figure is quoted here on purpose, because rates change and a wrong one on a page that ranks is worse than none. Confirm the current position with the Department of Immigration or with an operator in Simikot before you travel. Our restricted area permits guide for Dolpa, Humla and Mugu sets out the structure district by district.
Where to stay and what to eat
Lodges and guesthouses are in the lower bazaar, near the runway, and they are simple: a bed, a shared bathroom, hot water sometimes and by the bucket. Nobody is grading them and there is little point comparing. What matters is whether there is a room, which in the flying season is not guaranteed if a backlog of grounded passengers is sitting in town.
Food is dal bhat, thukpa, noodles, eggs, biscuits and tea, with more variety in the shops than in the kitchens. Fresh vegetables depend entirely on what came up the road or off the aircraft recently. Anything specific you need, including medication, should be in your bag before you arrive.
For most travellers Simikot is the start rather than the destination. The Humla and Limi Valley guide covers where the routes go from here.
Before you travel. Humla is a restricted border district and conditions change without notice. Roads close, flights are cancelled, permit rules and fees are revised, and the Hilsa crossing opens and shuts to different categories of traveller. Confirm the current position with the District Administration Office in Simikot, the Department of Immigration, or a registered local operator before you commit to a route.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high is Simikot?
About 2,910 m. Sources and pages differ slightly, giving figures between 2,910 and 2,950 m, and the difference is inside normal variance for a town spread across a ridge. What matters practically is that you arrive there from around 150 m in Nepalgunj in under an hour.
How do you get to Simikot?
Usually by fixed-wing flight from Nepalgunj to the STOL airstrip. A road now reaches Simikot from Surkhet, completed when the Nepal Army bridged the Chuwa Khola at Kharpunath in July 2025, but it is unpaved, single-lane and seasonal. Flights remain the dependable option.
Is there an ATM in Simikot?
There are bank branches in the lower bazaar, but no traveller should count on drawing money on a foreign card here, and there is nothing at all further north. Bring cash from Nepalgunj or Kathmandu in small notes and bring more than you expect to need.
How many days should you spend in Simikot before going higher?
At least two full days. The flight puts you at about 2,910 m within an hour of leaving the Tarai, and everything north of the town climbs steeply toward passes at 4,580 m and higher. Two days in town, with a walk up to Lagnapau, is the standard and sensible minimum.
What is there to do in Simikot?
Walk up to the old stone village above the bazaar, hike to the Lagnapau viewpoint at about 3,200 m for the view over the Karnali gorge toward Saipal, and walk out to Buraunse village. All three double as acclimatisation, which is the real reason to be there.
Is there electricity in Simikot?
Yes, but not from the national grid. Power comes from local mini-hydro and solar, so it is limited and intermittent. Carry a large power bank charged before you fly in, and a solar panel if you are heading north for more than a few days.
Can you get a vehicle serviced in Simikot?
Not by an authorised workshop. There is no service centre and no parts stock in the district, and there is nothing at all between Simikot and the border. Anyone driving or riding here carries their own spares and consumables and expects to do their own repairs.
Do you need a permit to travel north of Simikot?
Yes. The area toward Limi and the Hilsa border is restricted. The permit is charged per week, there is a two-person minimum and a registered Nepali guide is required, with checks at Simikot, Muchu and Hilsa. Confirm current rates and conditions with the Department of Immigration or a Simikot operator.