The Trek

The Manaslu circuit trek is one of the most beautiful treks in Nepal. It takes you around the Manaslu Conservation Area and leads to a breathtaking view of the eighth-highest mountain in the world. Flanked by the Annapurna’s to the West and Ganesh Himal to the East, it is one of the most graceful of the 8000-meter giants.

This trek usually sees fewer people along its route. It is remote and physically demanding, but also culturally enriching and scenically enchanting.

The circuit takes you from the lowlands of rice and millet terraces through the mighty gorges of the Budi Gandaki with its turquoise waters and amazing waterfalls. Suspension bridges on this trek are in a league of their own for both length and height, and the yearly monsoon often washes minor bridges away, leaving trekkers to use semi-submerged rocks.

The Manaslu circuit trek is a visual feast from start to finish. It is suitable for experienced trekkers, and extremely fit individuals.

The Area

Manaslu is the highest peak in the Gorkha District and is about 64 km (40 mi) east of Annapurna. It is in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. The name Manaslu means “mountain of the spirit” and is derived from the Sanskrit word manasa, meaning “intellect” or “soul”.

Expected Weather

• Chances of Rain/ Hail – Mild drizzles
• Temperatures- Afternoon upto 20 degrees in lower camps, 7-8 degrees in higher camps and sub zero in higher camp at night.

Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu. Drive to Darechok
Drive time: 4 hrs. Overnight stay in Darechok

Day 2: Drive from Darechok to Jagat (1,340 m /4,396 ft)
Time: 6 hours. Overnight stay at tea house in Jagat

Day 3: Jagat to Deng (1,804 m / 5,918 ft)
Distance: 20 kms; Trek Time: 7-8 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Deng.

Day 4: Deng to Namrung ( 2,630 m / 8,628 ft)
Distance: 18 kms; Trek time: 8 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Namrung

Day 5: Namrung to Syala
Distance: 13 kms; Trek time: 5 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Syala

Day 6: Syala to Sama Gaun (3,530 m / 11,581 ft)
Distance: 5 kms; Trek time: 2 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Sama Gaun

Day 7: Acclimatization Day at Sama Gaun
Overnight stay at tea house in Sama Gaun. Visit to Monastery and Birendratal. Total distance : 4 kms

Day 8: Sama Gaun to Samdo (3,865 m / 12,680 ft)
Distance: 9 kms; Trek time: 5 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Samdo

Day 9: Samdo to Dharmasala (4,460 m / 14,632 ft)
Distance: 6 kms; Trek time: 4 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Dharmasala

Day 10: Dharmasala to Bhimthang (3,590 m / 11,778 ft) via Larkya Pass
Distance: 16 kms; Trek time: 6-7 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Bhimthang

Day 11: Bhimthang to Gowa (1,970 m / 6,463 ft)
Distance: 15 kms; Trek time: 8 hrs. Overnight stay at tea house in Gowa

Day 12: Drive to Pokhra
Hike to road head and drive to Pokhara. Hike distance- 6 kms, Time 2 hrs. Drive time 7 hr (3 hrs on off-road)

Day 13: Buffer Day

• Stay in Darechok on Day 1.
• Accommodation (On twin or triple sharing basis) for the trek duration.
• Drive from Kathmandu to Jagat & from Tilije to Pokhra.
• All meals & drinking water for the entire duration of the trek.(Hot water is payable in Nepal)
• All National Park entry, forest permit fee.
• Rentals for all common gear provided to you like tent and sleeping bags.
• Guide and Expertise charges.
• A high-altitude medical kit which includes oxygen cylinders, Oximeters, BP meter and Medicines.

  •  5% GST
  • Stay in Pokhra on last day.
  • Rentals for personal gear.
  • Flight/train till Kathmandu.
  • Buffer day charges.
  • Backpack offloading charges. You are expected to carry your own backpack. Trekkers unable to do so can opt for a porterage service.
  •  Trek insurance (mandatory). We can help facilitate your insurance.

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Select Date and Pricing Options for this trip in the Trip Options setting.

We recommend each trekker take his/her individual travel insurance from India/ own country itself. The travel insurance in Nepal is very expensive. To be on a safer side and for a strong mind set, having an individual travel insurance that covers medical emergencies is recommended specially when one undertakes outdoor expeditions such as trekking and mountaineering.

Yes, If you're flying into Nepal you need a passport to show at the airport in Nepal.

Please note, Nepal does not accept Aadhar Card or Indian Driving License as a valid identification document. Nepal only accepts Indian Voter's Id as valid identification document.

You can arrive in Kathmandu on day 1 till 5:00 PM (latest) and leave from Kathmandu on last day (after considering buffer day) by noon (12:00 PM)

You can prepare for the trek with a combination of Cardio & Strength activities
7-8 kms slow jog OR 25kms kms cycling. Pace is not important, consistency is important (non-stop jogging/running/cycling)
Squats 30 x 3, Lunges 30 x 3, Calf raises 30 x 3
All of the above at least 6 times a week
Climbing stairs 75 floors with backpack (Once a week, ideally after a run)

Good Sturdy Backpack: Prefer a trekking pack over a backpacking one. The size of the backpack depends upon the participant. Normally for a 7-9 day trek a 50-60 litre pack should suffice.
Shoes: Any waterproof trek (not hike) shoes would be ideal.
Socks: 3 pair cotton/performance and 3 pairs of woollens.
Trek pants (Ideally Water Resistant): Get one quick dry summer trek pants and one thicker/shell pants. If you don’t have trek pants you can replace it with Gym track pants.
T-shirt/Base layer: Get 3 T-shirts/ trekking base layer on the trek, two of which should be thick and full sleeve. Avoid cotton and prefer dry fit.
Fleece/ Sweater/ good quality Hoodie: Get 1 fleece jacket or sweater. Fleece is preferred over sweater or hoodie as it is lightweight and easy to carry. Sweaters and Jackets can be heavier than Fleece for the warmth they offer.
Down/ Padded Jacket – Down/ Padded jacket (Upto -10 degrees ). If you don’t want to get a padded/ Down jacket, get two fleeces.
Cotton track pants for camp – These are specifically for cold evenings at the campsite. This can be ignored if you are comfortable wearing your trekking pants in the camp.
Thermals: 1 pair. We wear thermals only upon reaching the campsite not while trekking.
Windproof Jacket: All rain proof can be used as wind proofs. Required as an additional layer during trekking in windy conditions. Avoid if you have a rain proof jacket.
Rainwear:
Option A – Rain set – One Waterproof jacket (3000 mm waterproofing), Rain proof pants and Bag cover
Option two – Poncho that covers your body and bag completely.
We ideally recommend Option 1 as poncho makes trekking difficult.
Woolen Cap/ Balaclava -1: To cover your ears, head and neck.Get one woolen cap and one neck warmer or balaclava.
Neck Warmer/ Scarf -1: For evenings. Avoid if you are comfortable using a Balaclava.
Gloves: 2 gloves out of which 1 can be water proof and one woollen. The waterproof one has to ideally be padded and a size larger than you normally use. This is so that you can wear both your gloves together if required.
Suncap – 1
Sunglasses – 1
Toiletries – Also include sunscreen, moisturizer and lip-cream
Headlamp/Torch – 1. Preferably headlamp.
2 water bottles (1 litre each) – One can be a thermos flask. One can also get a hydration pack.
Camp shoes/ Flip flops for camp
Plastic covers for inside the backpack to keep your clothes dry
Day pack – Required if you have a summit days climb. Preferably one that can be compressed.
Documents: 2 passport sized photograph, Address and Photo proof (Driving License or Aadhaar card), Doctor’s medical certificate saying that you are fit for the trek. We reserve the right to not take you on the trek if you fail to produce this.
Trekking pole

A certified trek leader, a guide, cook & porters will accompany you during the trek.

We will be staying at tea houses for the entire duration of the trek. Some tea houses will have two-in-a-room accommodation, and as we go higher, due to space constraints, it may be three to four trekkers in one room.

We’ve been organizing treks for over five years and have had many female trekkers trek with us. In fact, a lot of them come solo for treks. There has never been a complaint about the atmosphere of a trek, about other trekkers or our professionalism. They have all been kind enough to leave a review.

The tea houses will have Indian style washrooms on shared basis (no attached washrooms with rooms).

Yes, the tea houses will have electric points to charge your phones and cams. Some tea houses charge for the usage of electric points for charging. This will be an additional cost borne by the trekker.

No, the tea houses will not have heating facilities. For sleeping, the tea houses have blankets which serve well for keeping warm.

Wifi is available in most tea houses. If you want to communicate back home, there is an SAT phone available in tea houses which takes a little bit of extra money to make a phone call back home. Local telephone hardly works on this trek. Nepal Telecom has better coverage than Ncell in the Manaslu region.

Yes. Indian currency in the form of 100 rupee and 500 rupee notes works in Nepal. You will have SBI ATMs in Nepal.

On a trek one is expected to carry your own backpack. Trekkers unable to do so can opt for a porterage service accordingly. The charges for this are 1000 INR per day per bag(weight not exceeding 8kg).

You will travel 160 kms / 99 miles from Kathmandu to Maccha Khola via SotiKhola from Kathmandu. It takes 7 hrs by private jeep. The journey is an adventure off-road ride. End of the trek, you will be driving 6 hrs from Dharapani in a jeep and changing it to another jeep for a 7 hr drive to Kathmandu.

Tea houses will be basic, with two single beds. Toilets are mostly shared and can be outside of the tea house. Heating is only available in the dining area. Foods are available in teahouses. You will stop in teahouses for lunch during the trek.

Approximately 700 NPR for hot water (per day) Approximately 1500 NPR-2000 NPR - for 3 meals (per day)

The common perception is that alcohol makes you feel warmer, however it also dehydrates you & dehydration can be fatal while trekking. Hence consumption of alcohol is prohibited. Smoking in camps is not allowed.

If you cancel –
– 60 days before the trip: we can process a complete refund minus minimum processing charges.
– Between 30-45 days before the trip: you will be refunded 50% of the trek fee.
– Within 30 days before the trek starts: No refund.
– If your spot is replaced in a full batch: we will process a complete refund after canceling minute operational charges. (For fixed departures only)