Manaslu Circuit Trek

The Manaslu Circuit Trek is a 15-day teahouse trek that circles Mount Manaslu (8,163m), the world's eighth highest peak, through the Gorkha district of western Nepal. The route follows the Budhi Gandaki river upstream from Soti Khola at 700m, climbs through Tibetan Buddhist villages, and crosses Larkya La Pass at 5,106m before dropping to Dharapani at 1,860m. Manaslu sits inside a restricted area. Only 12,512 foreign trekkers completed the circuit in the 2024/25 season, a fraction of the traffic on the Everest Base Camp trek or the Annapurna Circuit. For a full breakdown of the route, culture, and logistics, read the Manaslu Circuit Trek complete guide.

The trail starts at Soti Khola (700m), where the Budhi Gandaki river cuts through a subtropical gorge thick with sal and bamboo. Over the first four days, trekkers pass through Machha Khola (870m) and Jagat (1,340m), where a checkpoint marks the entrance to the restricted zone and the cultural border shifts. Above Jagat, the valley opens into Tibetan Buddhist territory. Mani walls line the trail between Deng (1,860m) and Namrung (2,630m). Gompas dot the hillsides at Lho (3,180m), where a monastery faces Manaslu's north face across a narrow valley. Samagaon (3,530m), the largest village on the circuit, sits below Birendra Lake, a glacial pool 3km from town that most groups visit on their acclimatization day. All trekkers entering the Manaslu Conservation Area need three permits, processed through a registered agency.

Larkya La at 5,106m is the single hardest day on the circuit and one of the most demanding pass crossings in Nepal. Trekkers leave Dharamsala (4,460m) between 3am and 4am, walking the first two hours in the dark on frozen ground. The climb gains roughly 650m over rocky terrain that can hold packed snow or ice depending on the season. The descent to Bimtang (3,720m) drops nearly 1,400m on loose scree and moraine, harder on the knees than the ascent was on the lungs. Total day length runs 8 to 10 hours with no teahouse or shelter between Dharamsala and Bimtang. Temperatures at the summit drop to minus 10 to minus 20 Celsius in October. Two acclimatization stops, at Samagaon (3,530m) and Samdo (3,860m), build the altitude tolerance needed for this crossing. Read the full altitude sickness guide before booking.

Three permits are required for the Manaslu Circuit in 2026. The Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (RAP) costs $100 per person for the first seven days in peak season (September to November), then $15 per additional day. Off-season rates drop to $75 for the first week and $10 per extra day. The Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP) and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP, needed because the trail exits through Dharapani into ACAP territory) each cost NPR 3,000, roughly $22. A licensed guide from a registered trekking agency is mandatory by law. Since March 2026, solo trekkers can apply individually for the RAP, ending the old two-person minimum rule. Only TAAN-registered agencies can file the paperwork. Full permit details, costs, and required documents are on the trekking permits page.

October is the best month for the Manaslu Circuit. The monsoon clears by mid-September, and stable high pressure over Gorkha district holds through November. Daytime temperatures at Samagaon (3,530m) sit around 12 to 15 Celsius in the sun, and Larkya La pass-day success rates are highest from early to mid-October. April is the second pick: rhododendrons bloom between Soti Khola and Deng, spring crowds thin out, and permit fees drop to off-season rates. Monsoon months (June to August) bring genuine risk. The Budhi Gandaki gorge between Machha Khola and Jagat has narrow, landslide-prone sections, and leeches populate the forest below 1,900m. Winter crossings (December to February) are possible but Larkya La can hold enough snow to require crampons or force a turn-back. Teahouses at Dharamsala sometimes close entirely in January and February.

Mountain Hawk Trek's Manaslu Circuit package starts at $1,675 per person, all-inclusive: licensed guide, porter, all three permits (RAP, MCAP, ACAP), teahouse accommodation, three meals a day on the trail, and private jeep transfers from Kathmandu to Soti Khola and from Dharapani back. Budget an extra $15 to $30 per day for wifi ($3 to $8 per night), hot showers ($2 to $6), device charging ($2 to $4), and boiled water ($1 to $3 per liter, rising with altitude). Tips for the guide and porter typically add $200 to $300 total. Compared to the Everest Base Camp trek, which runs $1,500 to $2,500 largely because of the $340+ Lukla flight, Manaslu lands roughly 30% cheaper once you account for that missing flight cost, even with the restricted area permit tacked on. The Annapurna Circuit costs $1,000 to $1,500 with cheaper permits but road traffic on up to 75% of its original route.

Trekkers with three or more weeks can extend the Manaslu Circuit in two directions. The Tsum Valley add-on branches off the main trail near Lokpa, adding 5 to 7 days through a sacred beyul valley with active monasteries at Rachen and Mu Gompa. Tsum requires its own restricted area permit on top of the standard three. For trekkers who want to keep walking after Larkya La, the trail meets the Annapurna Circuit at Dharapani (1,860m), making a combined Manaslu and Annapurna Circuit trek possible over 22 to 25 days. That combo crosses both Larkya La (5,106m) and Thorong La (5,416m) in a single trip. On the starting end, some groups now drive to Machha Khola (870m) instead of Soti Khola (700m). That cuts a full day of lower valley walking. The jeep road has pushed further each year, though the last stretch to Machha Khola is still rough.

Manaslu is what the Annapurna Circuit was 20 years ago, before roads reached 75% of its original route from both the Besisahar and Jomsom sides. Above Jagat, no road exists on the Manaslu trail. Everything, food, gas cylinders, building materials, still arrives by porter or mule train. The restricted area permit caps the number of trekkers: 12,512 in the 2024/25 season versus roughly 250,000 across the Annapurna Circuit network and 50,000 on the Everest Base Camp route. Villages like Lho, Samagaon, and Samdo remain primarily yak-herding and farming communities, not tourism economies with bakery strips and gear shops. For trekkers who have already done EBC or Annapurna and want a route that feels genuinely remote, the Manaslu Circuit is the most authentic multi-day circuit trek left in Nepal. The Langtang Valley is a shorter alternative at 7 to 10 days, but it does not cross a high pass and reaches only 3,870m at Kyanjin Gompa.

The first three days of the Manaslu Circuit follow the Budhi Gandaki river through one of the deepest gorges in Nepal. The trail begins at Soti Khola (700m) and climbs to Jagat (1,340m). The trail is narrow, carved into cliff faces in places, and crosses the river on suspension bridges that swing 30 to 50 meters above the water. Bamboo and sal forest close in from both sides. Waterfalls drop directly onto the path after rain. At Machha Khola (870m), teahouse owners cook dinner on wood-fired stoves while the river drowns out conversation. The gorge section feels nothing like the open valleys that come later. It is subtropical, humid, and green, a different planet from Larkya La at 5,106m twelve days later.

Above the Jagat checkpoint (1,340m), the Budhi Gandaki valley opens and the culture shifts from Hindu lowlands to Tibetan Buddhist highlands. Mani walls, some 50 meters long, line the trail between Deng (1,860m) and Namrung (2,630m). Prayer flags stretch between rooftops. At Lho (3,180m), a monastery sits on a ridge directly opposite Manaslu's north face, close enough that the glacier above Samagaon is visible in detail from the courtyard. Samagaon (3,530m) is the largest village on the circuit, with roughly 400 residents, a small school, and a gompa whose monks still conduct daily puja. Samdo (3,860m), two days further, sees yak caravans headed for the Larkya Bazaar trading post near the Tibet border. No bakeries, no gear shops, no wifi that works past sunset.

Larkya La Pass at 5,106m is the high point of the Manaslu Circuit and the reason the trek is rated moderate to strenuous rather than moderate. The climb from Dharamsala (4,460m) gains 650m over frozen rock, and the first two hours are walked in total darkness with headlamps. At the pass, the view opens west to Himlung Himal (7,126m), Cheo Himal (6,820m), and Kang Guru (6,981m), with Annapurna II rising beyond. The descent to Bimtang (3,720m) drops 1,400m on loose scree, taking three to four hours. Oxygen at the summit sits near 50% of sea level. Trekkers who have crossed both Larkya La and Thorong La consistently rank this day as the harder one, despite Larkya La sitting 310m lower than the Annapurna Circuit pass.

Samagaon's acclimatization day is not a rest day in the lazy sense. Most groups hike to Birendra Lake at 3,691m, a glacial pool fed by meltwater off the Manaslu Glacier, roughly 3km from the village and 120m higher. The water is still enough in the early morning to reflect Manaslu's summit before wind picks up. Stronger walkers head toward Pungyen Gompa at approximately 4,000m, a 15km round trip through yak pastures alongside the glacier, with some of the best close-range views of Manaslu's north face on the circuit. Both options follow the climb-high-sleep-low principle: gain altitude during the day, descend to sleep at 3,530m. This day prevents altitude sickness. Skip it and the pass gets harder.

The Manaslu region above Jagat belongs culturally to Tibet, not to the Nepali lowlands. Villagers at Lho, Samagaon, and Samdo speak a Tibetan dialect, raise yaks, and maintain gompas that predate the arrival of trekkers. Samagaon's monastery holds multi-day festivals during Losar (Tibetan New Year, usually February), and village life at Samdo still revolves around seasonal yak migration rather than trekking season. The mani walls between Deng and Namrung are among the longest on any Nepal trek, with carved stones piled for generations. Above 3,000m, the architecture shifts from stone and slate to flat-roofed Tibetan-style houses with firewood stacked on the roof. These are working communities that happen to sit on a trekking route.

The Manaslu Circuit ends at Dharapani (1,860m), where the trail meets the Annapurna Circuit in the Marsyangdi river valley. From Dharapani, a jeep road runs to Besisahar and then to Kathmandu, roughly 10 to 12 hours by vehicle. Trekkers with time and permits can continue west on the Annapurna trail toward Chame, Manang, and Thorong La, turning the Manaslu Circuit into a combined 22 to 25 day route. The Dharapani junction also makes it possible to end in Pokhara instead of Kathmandu, three hours closer by road. The descent from Bimtang (3,720m) to Dharapani passes through Gho and Tilje, small villages where the Tibetan highland feel fades back into Hindu valley culture over the course of a single afternoon.

Mountain Hawk Trek processes all three Manaslu permits (RAP, MCAP, ACAP) through its Kathmandu office, typically within two working days of receiving the trekker's passport. The agency is registered with the Nepal Tourism Board and a member of TAAN, one of the requirements for filing a Manaslu Restricted Area Permit. Since March 2026, solo trekkers can apply individually, and Mountain Hawk Trek handles the updated paperwork under the new rules.

Every Manaslu departure includes a licensed guide who has walked this specific route before, not a general-purpose city guide reassigned from Kathmandu. The guide carries a pulse oximeter and checks SpO2 readings twice daily from Samagaon (3,530m) onward. On Larkya La pass day, the guide wakes the group at 3am, manages the pace across the 5,106m crossing, and makes the call on whether to proceed or wait if weather deteriorates at Dharamsala. Porters carry up to 15kg per trekker in a duffel, leaving the trekker with a 5 to 8kg daypack.

The 15-day itinerary builds in two acclimatization days, not one. The first rest day at Samagaon (3,530m) includes a side hike to Birendra Lake at 3,691m or toward Pungyen Gompa at 4,000m, following the climb-high-sleep-low principle. The second comes at Samdo (3,860m) with a shorter walk toward the Tibet border. Trekkers who skip rest days or compress the schedule to 12 or 13 days run significantly higher altitude sickness risk. Mountain Hawk Trek does not offer shortened itineraries that cut both acclimatization stops.

The package price of $1,675 covers the full trek from Kathmandu and back: airport pickup, pre-trek hotel, private jeep to Soti Khola, teahouse accommodation for every night on the trail, three meals a day, all three permits, licensed guide, and porter. What is not included: international flights, Nepal visa ($50 for 30 days), travel insurance with helicopter evacuation coverage, alcoholic drinks, wifi, hot showers, and tips. No hidden charges. The 30% deposit holds the booking and the permit slot.