The Manaslu Circuit trekking is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It lies at an elevation of 8156m and is the 8th highest mountain.
It is one of the hardest and most adventurous treks in Nepal. You will get the most beautiful scenery while crossing Larke Pass at 5000m. This trek is for one who wants to avoid crowds of Everest Base Camp Trek and Annapurna Circuits. Manaslu is considered as best trekking experience by other trekkers.
There is advancement in another trekking trail, but Manaslu remains quiet, silent, and untouched in many parts. The village of Ghale, Gurung, Bhotia, and Tibetian Buddhists warmly welcome you and it gives chance to explore their religion by visiting Ghumba and Monasteries.
Manaslu Circuit Trek Highlight
- Explore the culture of Ghale, Gurung, Bhotia, and Tibetian Buddhists.
- Drive to Kathmandu to Soti Khola
- Spectacular mountain view of Mt Manaslu, Mt Annapurna, and other peaks on the Tibetan side.
- Experience typical Nepalese and Tibetan mixed culture
Manaslu circuit trekking details
No. of days required: 13 days
Distance covered: Trek starts from Maccha Khola and ends in Dharapani; 180km
Highest Point: The highest point will be Larkya Pass, 5200m
The difficulty of this trek: This trek is difficult compared to Everest Base Camp, which is 30% longer and is a commercialized trek. We need to walk around 6 hours to 10 hours per day by covering an altitude of 5200m. This trek will be better for acclimatization if the trekking days will be around 12 days.
Permits: For trekking in this region, you need a permit which is taken care of by the tour operator. You must need a guide to trek in this region.
Guide: You need a guide for trekking in this region. The guide takes care of your logistics, tea houses, and directions. The path is not clear compared to other treks, the guide will clear the path.
Accommodation
Manaslu Circuit Trekking is a tea house trek where you will spend about a week in a tea house along the trekking route. On your trek to this region, the tea house provides food, accommodation, and other facilities like a hot shower and charging facilities. Most of the tea house trail is well-managed Depending on altitude, the services are also limited because of remote places and the unavailability of transportation.
Manaslu trek permits
The permit costs $70 and $10 per additional day at the time of September to November. It costs $50 per day at the time of December to August.
Permit for Manaslu Conservation Area
The cost of the entry fee is 200 NPR for SAARC National and NPR 2,000 for Nationals per person.
Before Trekking to Manaslu Circuit
- Find the right time for the trek
- Short hiking
- Purchase reliable trekking gears
- Hire a porter and guide
13 Days Manaslu Circuit Itinerary
Day 1: Kathmandu to Sotikhola (730m)
Early in the morning, we will catch the bus from Machhapokhari to Sotikhola. The bus goes through hilly areas, the bus will stop in many places throughout the journey.
Day 2: SotiKhola to Machhakhola (869m)
Early in the morning, after breakfast, we will start our trek to Machhakhola. The trail goes through the river bank of Budhigandaki, We will encounter several villages throughout the journey.
Day 3: Machhakhola to Jagat (1340m)
The trail goes through the Gurung and Magar village. Jagat is a big village and is also known as the entry to the Manaslu region.
Day 4: Jagat to Deng (1860m)
Today we will trek to Deny through the Budhigandaki River trail surrounded by green forest. We will encounter Shringi Himal (7151m).
Day 5: Deng to Namrung (2630m)
After breakfast early in the morning, we will walk towards Namrung (2630m) village. On the way to Namrung, you will encounter villages like Bhi, Magar Gaon, Prok, and Kwap. Before you reach Namrung we will walk through a lush green forest where you will encounter monkeys and musk deer.
Day 6: Namrung to Lho (3180m)
Early in the morning after breakfast, we will begin our trek from Namrung to Lho. The trail is decent, and during the trek, you will encounter beautiful landscapes including forests and a traditional village. We will gain around 1,100m elevation on this day of the trek and the distance between Namrung to Lho is around 12km approximately.
Day 7: Lho to Samagaon (3520m)
On this day, you will encounter the beautiful Manaslu mountain, as well as the surrounding peaks. On the way to Samagaon, you will get an opportunity to visit Samagaon Gompa Monastery. You will gain around 800m altitude and a distance of 8km approximately.
Day 8: Rest day at Samagaon (3520m)
Take a break, it is essential for acclamation also you can visit some places at Samagaon. You can visit a monastery and explore its culture and history. You can see the daily lifestyle of the people and visit nearby hills for a spectacular view of the Manaslu region.
Day 9: Samagaon to Samdo (3800m)
The trek starts from Samagoan which covers around 12 km. It takes around 4-5 hours to reach Samdo. Samdo is one of the small villages located near the Tibetan border and you will encounter Manaslu mountain and other peaks as well that surround the place. It is a restricted area of the trek and you will need a permit to pass through this area.
Day 10: Samdo to Dharamsala (4450m)
The trek starts from Samdo to Dharmasala which is also known as Larkya Phedi. The trek becomes moderate to challenging from this day of the trek. You will gain around 600m which covers around 9 km. You will stay overnight at Dharmasala.
Day 11: Dharamsala to Bimthang (3720m)
Trek to Bimthang takes around 8-9 hours. This will be more challenging from this day. You will also encounter Larkya Peak during the trek, you will climb the Larkya la pass at an elevation of 5,213m this is the highest point of this trek. From Larkya la Pass you can see Annapurna II, Humlung Himal, Cheo Himal, and Kang Guru.
The trek becomes easy once you will start to descend downwards, after 6 hours of walking you will reach Bimthang, Stay overnight at Bimthang.
Day 12: Bimthang to Dharapani (1860m)
You will decent to Dharapani, it will take around 7-8 hours to walk and it will cover around 34 km. You will encounter the amazing Marsyandi River on the way to Dharapani.
There is a police checkpoint on the way to Dharapani, it is also known as the entry point for Annapurna Circuit Trekking.
Day 13: Dharapani to Kathmandu (1440m)
On this day you will drive from Dharapni to Kathmandu around 10-11 hours drive. It will take 2-3 hours to reach Besisahar, from Dharapani. You will drive back to Kathmandu which takes around 5-8 hours through the green forest and settlement of small houses.
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