Mountain Hawk Trek
Season Calendar: Manaslu Circuit

The Manaslu Circuit Year

The number everyone compares, Larkya La's 5,106m against Thorong La's 5,416m, is the wrong way to size up this trek. What actually decides a Manaslu trip is isolation: two guesthouses at Dharamsala, no flight bailout anywhere on the route, and days of walking before the nearest road once you are past Samagaon.

Manaslu Circuit, the year at a glance
The short answer

When to walk the Manaslu Circuit Trek

April, October and November are prime season. March, May and September are good with caveats. February and December are shoulder season. January, June, July and August are the tough months. Every month below opens a full report: temperatures at real waypoints, trail and summit conditions, crowd levels, flights and what we advise.

Prime seasonGood conditionsShoulder seasonTough season
  1. JanuaryTough seasonDeep winter turns the last stop before the pass into the whole problem3-8°Cday, Samagaon-20 to -15°Cnight, Larkya LaQuietcrowds
  2. FebruaryShoulder seasonPeak snow depth on the pass, but the weather windows start running longer5-10°Cday, Samagaon-18 to -13°Cnight, Larkya LaQuietcrowds
  3. MarchGood conditionsThe pass sheds its winter snow and the lower gorge starts to flower9-14°Cday, Samagaon-14 to -9°Cnight, Larkya LaModeratecrowds
  4. AprilPrime seasonThe strongest month on the circuit, with rhododendron at the trailhead end12-17°Cday, Samagaon-9 to -5°Cnight, Larkya LaModeratecrowds
  5. MayGood conditionsThe mildest pass crossing of the year, with haze building in the lower valley15-20°Cday, Samagaon-5 to -1°Cnight, Larkya LaModeratecrowds
  6. JuneTough seasonThe monsoon reaches the gorge and the lower trail slows right down17-21°Cday, Samagaon-2 to 2°Cnight, Larkya LaQuietcrowds
  7. JulyTough seasonThe wettest month on the gorge, and the road decides more than the trail does18-22°Cday, Samagaon0 to 4°Cnight, Larkya LaQuietcrowds
  8. AugustTough seasonMonsoon holds through most of the month before the first clear breaks appear18-22°Cday, Samagaon0 to 4°Cnight, Larkya LaQuietcrowds
  9. SeptemberGood conditionsThe monsoon breaks mid-month and the whole trek changes within days16-20°Cday, Samagaon-2 to 2°Cnight, Larkya LaModeratecrowds
  10. OctoberPrime seasonPost-monsoon air at its sharpest, and Dharamsala at its fullest12-17°Cday, Samagaon-8 to -4°Cnight, Larkya LaBusycrowds
  11. NovemberPrime seasonOctober's air with a thinner crowd, until the cold sharpens late in the month8-13°Cday, Samagaon-14 to -9°Cnight, Larkya LaBusycrowds
  12. DecemberShoulder seasonClear and cheap early, with the pass and Dharamsala closing down late4-9°Cday, Samagaon-18 to -13°Cnight, Larkya LaLightcrowds
Other treks and climbs, month by month
Everest Base CampAnnapurna Base CampGhorepani Poon HillLangtang ValleyAnnapurna CircuitIsland PeakMera Peak
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Manaslu Circuit Trek

15 days5,106m (Larkya La)Prime: Apr, Oct, Nov
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Nepal trekking season 2026

Some mountains
don't wait

Permits close. Weather windows narrow. The best Everest region teahouse beds fill by October, and spring season opens again in March. Our Kathmandu team is already booking for autumn. If you have been planning a trek, this is the window.

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