Restricted Areas · Nepal
The short version
The Manaslu Circuit runs anticlockwise around Manaslu, at 8,163 m the eighth-highest mountain in the world, starting from the Budhi Gandaki roadhead at Machha Khola or Soti Khola and finishing at Dharapani on the Annapurna Circuit. It takes 14 to 16 days. The first week is a hot, steep gorge walk through Hindu Gurung villages; above Jagat the culture turns Tibetan Buddhist, with mani walls, chortens and the monastery village of Samagaon at 3,530 m where most groups take two nights and walk up to Manaslu Base Camp or Birendra Lake. Larke La at 5,106 m is crossed in a single long day from Dharmasala, usually leaving by 4 am, with a 1,300 m descent to Bimthang on the far side. Manaslu is a restricted area: you need a special permit, a licensed guide from a registered agency and a minimum of two trekkers. Tsum Valley branches north as a separate permitted detour.
Twelve months, rated honestly. We would rather lose a booking than sell you a month that does not work.
A restricted-area crossing of the Larke La at 5,106 m, round the eighth-highest mountain
From, per person
$1,980
$130/day
Manaslu is a government-designated restricted area, and the rule for those zones is a minimum of two trekkers on one permit, plus a licensed guide employed by a registered Nepali agency. Solo permits are not issued. If you are travelling alone we pair you with another client on the same dates so the permit is valid.
From September to November it is USD 100 per person for the first seven days and USD 15 for each additional day. From December to August it drops to USD 75 for seven days and USD 10 a day after. On top of that you need MCAP and ACAP conservation permits at NPR 3,000, about USD 23, each.
Slightly. Larke La at 5,106 m is a little lower than Thorong La at 5,416 m, but Manaslu has fewer road shortcuts, longer days in the gorge, colder lodges and no bail-out points once you are past Jagat. Fitness demands are similar; the difference is remoteness and the absence of easy evacuation.
Basic but functional. Expect twin rooms with plywood walls, a shared squat toilet and a dining room heated by a single stove. Hot showers are bucket-fed and cost NPR 300 to 600, about USD 2 to 5. Charging is solar and priced per device. Menus are shorter than on Annapurna but the dal bhat is unlimited.
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