Manaslu Circuit Trek
Overview
- Duration: 16 days / 15 nights
- Departures: Private, any date
- Group size: Private, from 2 travellers
- Accommodation: Comfortable 3–4★ hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara, basic teahouse lodges on the trek
- Country: Nepal
A quieter teahouse trek in a restricted area of Nepal, up the Budhi Gandaki gorge to the Tibetan Buddhist villages below Manaslu and over the Larkya La at about 5,100 metres, with an acclimatisation day at Samagaun.
The Manaslu Circuit loops around Manaslu, at a little over 8,000 metres the eighth-highest mountain on earth, in a part of Nepal that saw few outsiders until recent decades. It starts low in a hot, steep river gorge and climbs into high valleys where Tibetan Buddhist villages, monasteries and long mani walls line the trail, before crossing the Larkya La at about 5,100 metres and descending into the Annapurna region.
The sixteen days begin with two in Kathmandu, then a long drive to Machha Khola. Eleven days on foot take you up the Budhi Gandaki, through Namrung and Lho to Samagaun, where you spend an extra night to acclimatise, and over the pass to Bimthang and Dharapani. A drive to Pokhara and a short flight back to the capital complete the loop.
Because the upper valley is a restricted area, you need a special permit and a licensed guide, and permits have normally been issued for at least two trekkers. We arrange this for you and confirm the current rules when we book. Porters carry your main bag, and you sleep and eat in simple family-run teahouses, with all meals on the trek included.
Some honest notes. This is a demanding trek on rough, sometimes narrow paths, best for walkers with some multi-day experience. Lodges are more basic than on busier routes, and the pass day is long, cold and steep on the descent. Altitude affects everyone differently, so please see a doctor before you book and take out insurance that covers high-altitude trekking and evacuation.
Share your dates, group and walking experience on our plan your trip page.
Day-by-day itinerary
A driver meets you at the airport and brings you to your hotel. Take the afternoon slowly after your flight, perhaps with a walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square and its old palace courtyards. In the evening your trekking guide joins you to go over the route, the restricted-area rules and the kit you will need above 4,000 metres.
Overnight: Kathmandu
Climb the long stairway to Swayambhunath with a local guide, past monkeys and shrines, for a view over the whole valley. Your passport details are needed for the special permit, which we apply for in advance and finalise today. In the afternoon, go through your gear with your guide and pack your porter bag.
Overnight: Kathmandu · Meals: Breakfast
Leave early for the long drive west along the Trishuli river and then north on a rough road into the Budhi Gandaki valley, about eight to nine hours in all. The last part is slow and dusty. You arrive at Machha Khola, a small riverside village at about 900 metres, warm and green, with banana trees around the lodges.
Overnight: Machha Khola · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Follow the narrow trail along the Budhi Gandaki, sometimes beside the water and sometimes high on the cliff, crossing suspension bridges over the roaring river. Pass the small hot spring at Tatopani. At Jagat, at about 1,400 metres, your guide shows the permits at the checkpost that marks the entry to the restricted area.
Overnight: Jagat · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The gorge tightens and the path climbs over ridges and drops back to the river through bamboo and forest. You may share the trail with mule trains carrying supplies to the upper villages. Beyond Philim the valley grows wilder, and you reach the small settlement of Deng, at about 1,800 metres, in the afternoon.
Overnight: Deng · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you notice the culture changing. Mani stones carved with prayers line the trail, chortens mark the villages and the houses take on a Tibetan style. Walk on the left of the mani walls, as local custom asks. Climb through forest to Namrung, at about 2,600 metres, where the first clear views of the high peaks begin.
Overnight: Namrung · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Walk through barley fields and the stone villages of the Nubri people, passing prayer wheels turned by streams. The valley opens out, and in the afternoon Manaslu itself appears at the head of it. Lho, at about 3,150 metres, has a monastery on the hill above the village, a fine place to watch the evening light on the mountain.
Overnight: Lho · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A shorter day across meadows and past the old gompa at Shyala, with glaciers spilling down from the peaks on your left. You arrive at Samagaun, the largest village in the upper valley, at about 3,500 metres. Settle in early, drink plenty of water and take a gentle walk around the village to help your body adjust.
Overnight: Samagaun · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Spend the day around Samagaun to prepare for the higher ground ahead. Hike up towards the old monastery of Pungyen Gompa or to the glacial lake of Birendra Tal below the Manaslu glacier, climbing a few hundred metres before returning to sleep. In the afternoon, rest, visit the village monastery and keep warm.
Overnight: Samagaun · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A short walk up the open valley, past juniper and yak pastures, brings you to Samdo, at about 3,850 metres, one of the highest permanent villages in the area and close to the Tibetan border. With time to spare, take an afternoon walk above the village for wide views back down the valley, then return to rest.
Overnight: Samdo · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Climb steadily across the slopes to Dharamsala, also called Larkya Phedi, a small group of basic lodges at about 4,450 metres. The landscape is bare and rocky now. Arrive by early afternoon, eat a good meal, pack your bag for the morning and go to bed early. Nights here are very cold.
Overnight: Dharamsala (Larkya Phedi) · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Set off in the dark and climb along moraine ridges to the Larkya La, at about 5,100 metres, strung with prayer flags, with Himlung and the Annapurna peaks spread out before you. The descent is steep and can be icy, so take it slowly. After nine or ten hours, reach Bimthang, at about 3,700 metres, a grassy valley beneath the glaciers.
Overnight: Bimthang · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Leave the high country behind on a long descent through rhododendron and pine forest, where the air feels warm and thick after the pass. Follow the Dudh Khola down past Tilije, a village of stone lanes, to Dharapani in the Marsyangdi valley, at about 1,900 metres, where the trail meets the road and the walking ends.
Overnight: Dharapani · Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride by jeep down the bumpy Marsyangdi road to Besisahar, then continue by car to Pokhara, about seven to eight hours in all. Arrive in the late afternoon in time for a walk along the shore of Phewa Lake and a celebratory meal. If you prefer, we can route you straight back to Kathmandu instead.
Overnight: Pokhara · Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy a slow morning by the lake, perhaps rowing out to the island temple of Tal Barahi or simply sleeping in. In the afternoon take a short flight back to Kathmandu, or travel by road if you prefer, about six to seven hours. Spend your last evening with a farewell dinner, and collect the bags you left at the hotel.
Overnight: Kathmandu · Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast you have time for last purchases or a final visit to Boudhanath if your flight leaves later in the day. Your driver takes you to the airport for your journey home. This day also gives a little margin should any part of the trek take longer than planned.
Overnight: — · Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
- Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara with breakfast
- Teahouse lodge accommodation on the trek with breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Private airport and hotel transfers
- Road transport to Machha Khola and from Dharapani to Pokhara
- Short flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu, where chosen
- Licensed English-speaking trekking guide and porters
- Restricted area permit and conservation area permits (we arrange them; confirmed in your quote)
- Local guide and entrance fees for sightseeing in Kathmandu
- 24/7 support during your trip
Not included
- International flights
- Visas
- Travel insurance covering trekking at high altitude and helicopter evacuation
- Meals in Kathmandu and Pokhara other than breakfast
- Drinks, hot showers, charging and wifi in mountain lodges
- Tips for guides and porters
- Personal trekking gear
Good to know
Sample itinerary: we adapt the route, hotels and dates to you and confirm everything in your written quote. Best October–November and March–May.
You drive to the trailhead at Machha Khola, about eight to nine hours, the last stretch on a rough mountain road. On the trek you walk about five to seven hours a day, with a longer pass day, and porters carry your main bag. At the end, a jeep and car take you from Dharapani to Pokhara in about seven to eight hours, and a short flight or about six to seven hours by road brings you back to Kathmandu.
Frequently asked questions
The upper Manaslu valley is a restricted area, so trekkers need a special permit as well as conservation area permits, and must walk with a licensed guide. The rules have usually required at least two trekkers per permit, but they change from time to time, so we confirm the current requirements and arrange everything when we book.
Both cross a high pass, but Manaslu is quieter, with fewer lodges and a more remote feel, and the teahouses are simpler. The trail up the gorge is rougher in places. It suits trekkers who already have some multi-day walking experience.
The highest point is the Larkya La at about 5,100 metres, and the highest night is at Dharamsala, at about 4,450 metres. The route gains height gradually, with an acclimatisation day at Samagaun and a short day to Samdo. Talk to a doctor before you go, and make sure your insurance covers high-altitude trekking and evacuation.
