Manaslu Circuit Trek - 14 Days

You Should Know

Manaslu Circuit Trek Cost

Manaslu Guide runs the standard 14 days Manaslu Circuit Trek, which starts from $755 per person. That is one of the most competitive prices in the market for a fully supported trek with a licensed guide, all permits, accommodation, and meals included.

Here is what the package covers: airport pickup and drop, two nights in a Kathmandu hotel, bus to Machha Khola, all meals on the trek (breakfast, lunch, dinner), teahouse accommodation, a licensed and insured guide, down jacket, sleeping bag, duffle bag, all four permits, first aid kit with pulse oximeter, and some fresh fruit along the route.

What Costs Extra?

A few things are not in the package. Porter hire if you want one (we can arrange it, the typical cost of porter hire is around $25 per day). Travel insurance, which you absolutely need and should not skip. Hot drinks, soft drinks, beer, and personal snacks on the trail. Hot showers at some teahouses charge a small fee. Tips for your guide and porter at the end of the trek are not mandatory but are expected and appreciated.

Budget an extra $15 to $25 per day in personal spending money for drinks, snacks, tips, and any extras. On a 14 days trip, that is around $200 to $350 on top of the package price.

Food and Accommodation on the Manaslu Circuit Trek

The teahouses on the Manaslu Circuit are simple. Expect a basic shared room with a wooden bed, a mattress, and blankets. Shared bathrooms are standard. In the lower villages the facilities are decent. Above 3,500 m, things get more basic. Warmth at night means sleeping in your down jacket and using the sleeping bag we provide.

The food is genuinely good on this route, especially in the lower and mid sections. Dal bhat is your best friend. It comes with unlimited refills of lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry, and sometimes a pickle or papadam. Trekkers in the Himalayas call it the energy machine. One plate keeps you going for six to seven hours of walking. We have seen trekkers who planned to eat Western food for the whole trip switch to dal bhat by day three and never look back.

The smell of dal bhat cooking at a teahouse hits you. After a long cold morning on the trail, it is one of the best smells in the world.

What Else Can You Eat on the Trail?

Most teahouses offer a broad menu at lower elevations. Tibetan bread, noodle soup, fried rice, pasta, momos, and omelettes are all common. The menus shrink as you go higher. By Dharamsala, you are looking at dal bhat, porridge, and noodles. That is about it.

Himalayan cuisine on this route also includes yak and chauri (a yak-cow hybrid) dairy products in the higher villages. The butter tea made with yak butter is an experience. Some people love it. Some people do not. Try it once and decide for yourself.

Drink only boiled or purified water on the trail. Our team carries water purification tablets as a backup. Stay hydrated. Three to four litres a day at altitude is the target.

How Hard Is the Manaslu Circuit Trek?

Honest answer: It is a moderate to challenging trek. Not the hardest in Nepal. Not a hike in the easy trek either.

The total distance is around 155 km. Over 14 days, that averages to about 11 km a day. Some days are shorter, around 7 to 8 km. Day 11, the pass day, covers 16 km with a big altitude gain and a steep descent. That is the hardest day.

The altitude is manageable if you acclimatize properly. The itinerary builds in a rest day at Samagaon specifically for this reason. Do not skip it, even if you feel fine. Altitude sickness does not always announce itself early.

Larkya La Pass: Highlight and Hard Part

Day 11 is the biggest day on the trek. You leave Dharamsala in the dark, around 4am to 5am depending on your guide's plan. The cold hits immediately. Most people walk in down jackets and gloves for the first two hours.

The trail climbs alongside a glacier moraine. The ground is rocky and uneven. Above the moraine, the path becomes steeper and the air thinner. You hit 5,000 m. Then 5,100 m. The last section to the Larkya La Pass is slow going for most people.

And then you are at the top. Prayer flags everywhere. The view stretches across Manaslu, Himlung Himal, Kang Guru, and the Annapurna range. You earned this. Take the photo, feel it, and then listen to your guide because the descent starts and you want to be down before the afternoon cloud builds.

The descent to Bimthang drops 1,400 m. Your knees feel it. Your poles earn their keep. But Bimthang is beautiful and the teahouse meal that night tastes better than anything you have had all trip.

Key Places Along the Route

Jagat at 1,400 m is your first checkpoint. The government checks your permits here. It is also where the trail starts to narrow and the Manaslu Conservation Area officially begins.

Namrung at 2,630 m is the last big village before the high country. Stock up on snacks here. The teahouses from this point on are smaller and the menus get simpler as you gain altitude.

Samagaon at 3,525 m is your acclimatization stop. You spend a rest day here. Options for the day include a hike to Manaslu Base Camp at 4,800 m, a visit to Birendra Lake, or a walk up to Pungyen Monastery. Most people do at least two of these. The views of Manaslu from Samagaon are some of the best on the route.

Samdo at 3,875 m sits close to the Tibet border. On clear days you can see into Chinese territory from the ridge above the village. The landscape here is open, dry, and very Tibetan in character.

Dharamsala at 4,460 m is the final teahouse before the pass. You stay here the night before Larkya La. It is basic. It is cold. The excitement of the next morning makes it worth it.