- Explore the ancient and beautiful Manaslu region in the central Himalayas
- Cross the amazing Larkya-La pass at 5100m altitude
- Remote, off-the-beaten-path trek that is less crowded
- The extreme beauty of forests, rivers, valleys, and flora
- Stunning views of some of the highest mountains in the world, Manaslu and Annapurna
- Explore old trade routes nearby the Tibetan Border
- Immerse yourself in the Tibetan-Nepalese culture and lifestyle
Manaslu Circuit Trek
Grade:
Difficult
Group Size:
Min 2 people
Transport:
Local Bus and Jeep
Altitude:
5,106m
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Starts At:
Kathmandu
Ends At:
Kathmandu
Accommodation:
Hotel and local lodges
- Best Price Guaranteed
- Well Crafted Itinerary
- Group Discount Available
- Instant Online Booking
Highlight
Overview
This is a characteristic outing of the real Manaslu Circuit Trek with fabulous scenery from the beginning to its conclusion. A well-designed program for great acclimatization with one rest/acclimatization day before breaking through the Larkya La front…
The Manaslu circuit trek is one of the finest remote treks in Nepal. It is a relatively new trekking circuit and the most challenging outdoors across the Manaslu region where the trail remains peaceful and breathtaking mountain views can be seen all around. Most trekkers visiting Nepal are generally attracted to the profitable routes of either the Everest or the Annapurna region but the Manaslu circuit trek is in a league of its own in comparison…
Manaslu region has opened for trekkers since 1991. It takes backpackers near the Tibetan border, which is why this trek requires special trekking permits. This trek circles around the impressive Mt Manaslu at (8156m) which is the eighth highest peak in the world. The trek offers diverse wildlife and lush green vegetation in this area along with prehistoric culture and traditions experienced in this unique region.
Manaslu round trekking is a little bit difficult over the Larkya La pass from where the altitude rises from 5106m above sea level. Going down from the Larkya pass is easier. But you will be away from this because of our carefully trained crew and their experience of a decade. The Manaslu trek can also be done by camping or you can also bunk out in teahouse lodges which are the best way to explore local lifestyles and culture along the trails.
Summary of the itinerary
After your brief tour of Kathmandu, you will be driven the next day to the trailhead at Soti Khola. A bus or a private jeep can be arranged. Staying overnight at Soti Khola, the trekking officially begins as we move towards Maccha Khola and onwards to the villages of Jagat, Deng, Namrung, Dharmasala, Bimthang via Larke La pass and others along the way.
We will spend an additional day at Samagaun for acclimatization purposes exploring the nearby scenery. Exploring the region near the Tibetan Border, we get to Dharmasala nearby where is the Larkya Bazaar, an old trade town. From Samagaun, we trek all the way to Bhimthang, crossing the Larkya La pass. This would be the most challenging part of the trek. During the whole trek, we will be having meals and staying overnight at basic teahouses. As we finish the trek at Dharapani, we get a drive back to Kathmandu via Besisahar
Best Trekking Season for Manaslu Circuit Trek:
Every season has its essence and ambiance. From the empty, snowy trails in winter to the, milder, greener days of autumn, we can have both pros and cons. Hence, the best seasons are autumn and spring to be in the Manaslu Circuit. Mainly, we have to be aware of the rainy and extremely cold seasons.
Either side of late May to mid-September the Monsoon season is a perfect time a lot. Late September-November and March-May are the major trekking months with good stable conditions, fair visibility, and tolerable temperature in mountain regions. It might get up to about -6°C to -10°C. At Manaslu Base Camp, there is a high probability of encountering with groups of climbers in late April or early May preparing for their attempts on Manaslu. During late Nov-Feb are extremely cold, around -15°C by day and much colder at night, clear skies can be seen and captured accordingly. In this season it is quieter. Trails and tea houses ease the exhilarating feeling of wild and unadulterated isolation to some extent. In addition, visit our trekking season information section for further details.
Check our designed itinerary of the Manaslu circuit trek which is made for trekkers. But if you have any special plan or interest then we can customize your itinerary according to your needs. Just get friendly and send us an email if you are interested.
Trip Route Map
Itinerary
01
DAY
Arrival in Kathmandu and transfer to the hotel. (1400m)
You arrive in Kathmandu and our representative will be on standby with our office vehicle to transfer you to your hotel. A pre-trek briefing will be scheduled to discuss the trekking program and coordinate any last-minute arrangements. You can refresh yourself, go for a walk down the street to get familiar with your surroundings before preparing for a tasty dinner of local Nepalese cuisine which you will truly enjoy accompanied by a cultural dance performed by the local belles. Your first overnight in the city of temples, probably the most in the world.
Meals included: Welcome dinner
02
DAY
Kathmandu sightseeing tour and trip preparation
Today we explore Kathmandu on an organized sightseeing tour. This will include a visit to the Bodhnath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world. We also visit Pashupatinath, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River and home to the most famous Hindu temple in the country. Here we will see Hindu holy men (sadhus) and pilgrims performing ritual bathing, and occasionally, funeral pyres burning on the ghats. The cremation site here is used by the royal family and also for the simple man living next door. Your early afternoon will be free to relax in the hotel garden or visit Thamel for some curious shopping. You will be supplied with your trek departure information in the afternoon.
Meals included: Breakfast
03
DAY
Drive from Kathmandu to Soti Khola (700m) - 8hrs drive
Our trip to Soti Khola takes-off early morning after breakfast. We take a local bus from Gongabu Buspark early morning around at 7:00 am. Driving along the Prithivi Highway following Trisuli River, we get to enjoy the aspects of the countryside with the scenery of the gorgeous landscapes. Following a 3 hrs of drive and some rest breaks between, we will stop at Kurintar for lunch. We continue our journey through Gorkha Bazaar, Taple, Baguwa, Tandrang and get off-road from Arughat Bazar following Arkhet Bazar along the Budi Gandaki River. Although it will be quite bumpy and dusty road. After about an 8hrs of the long drive from Kathmandu, we finally reach Soti Khola around 3-4 pm. You can also freshen up by taking bath in the river. We stop overnight at one of the local teahouses in Soti Khola.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
04
DAY
Trek to Machha Khola (990m) - 6 hrs walk
Our trek begins from Soti Khola. After a hot breakfast, we set off for Macha Khola along the river. The landscapes change as we go higher, the wide valley narrows and at times the trail cuts into the steep valley which is densely forested. Then we pass a number of small villages tucked into the hillside, until we reach a widening of this valley, on our opposite where a large tributary stream enters the Buri Gandaki. The terraced farmland here belongs to the village of Lapbesi. We descend once again to the wider section, sandy Riverbank and follow a path, which runs below the steep, craggy valley path. In the end, we have to climb up once again to get to Machhakhola, which has a number of teashops.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
05
DAY
Trek to Jagat (1370m) - 6 hrs walk
We cross over Machha Khola and head upstream to the tiny village of Khorla Bensi and the hot springs at Tatopani. The whole valley here becomes steeper to the limits till the route to cross then switches to the left bank by a suspension bridge. The trekking trail is quite exposed and challenging in some places. After a short section of forest trail, we reach a single teahouse at Doban. Above Doban village, the Budi Gandaki descends with some notable flowing of rapids. Beyond this hard steep section, the River is much more placid, meandering across a wide gravel bank, and from Lauri, we will cross the river by crossing a suspension bridge, and then climb on a high trail to the fields of Jagat.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
06
DAY
Trek to Deng (2095m) - 8 hrs walk
The next 8 hours walk is to reach up to Deng. The trail goes ascending through a terraced hill of Salleri village where you can get enchanting views of Sringi Himal (7,177m). We can rest a while to enjoy the views of beautiful mountains. Continuing the journey, the trail goes through Sirish Gaon and narrow Gandaki valleys and some tall walls. Overnight at Deng at the local lodge.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
07
DAY
Trek to Namrung (2630m) - 6 hrs walk
After having a hot breakfast, we will set off for Namrung which is about a 6 hours walk. The trek starts following Deng River and the trail next goes through a newly built rock tunnel. The influences of Tibetan culture start to appear as you can see Mani stones and Chortens around it. Overnight at the local lodge.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
08
DAY
Trek to Syala (3500m) - 6 hrs trek
Today, we are heading to Syala. Travelers often set their camp in Samagaun from Namrung but we stay in Syala. The views seen from Syala village are far more attractive than from Samagaun. Today is the day that -we are going to climb almost 1000m elevations, hence we advise our trekkers for an easy and slow walk as we are gaining the high altitude within a short period.
Leaving Namrung, the trail leads us through barley fields, ethnic settlements and the picturesque village of Banham, Lihi, Sho, and Lho. Lihi and Sho are the traditional Tibetan villages in the Manaslu region. Lho, is one of the largest villages decorated with lots of Buddhist prayers flags with a beautiful monastery and mani walls. In addition, the sight of gorgeous Simnang Himal (6251m), Ganesh Himal I, Manaslu, Kutang Himal, Phungi, Peak 29 and Himalchuli add some pleasant flavor to our today’s tough hike.
After long day haul ups and down walks, we reached Syala, a beautiful village surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Stay overnight at a local lodge in Syala.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
09
DAY
Trek to Samagaun (3530m) - 5 hrs walk
We wake up, be fresh, have breakfast and walk up to Samagaun. Another 5-6 hours trek and the journey goes through a wooden bridge over Budi Gandaki River. Going forward the trail passes some houses and cultivated fields. We follow the right section of the Riverbank, with views of Peak 29 ahead. As we continue on the main trekking trail, we reach the first section of Sama Gaon, 3500m. The trail also provides you the view of peaks like Naike peak, Manaslu north (7,774m) and Manaslu (8,150m) which will lessen your exhaustion. Overnight at the local lodge. We reach Sama Gompa, 20 minutes beyond the village called Samdo, near the Tibetan border.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
10
DAY
Acclimatization: Samagaun Exploration Day
Surrounded by mountains in a peaceful forest hideaway, we take an acclimatization day here and explore around and relax. Maybe you can catch up on that book you love so much or even do some washing, if not this then just contemplate on your lovely surroundings. Overnight at Sama Gaon.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
11
DAY
Samagaun to Samdo (3850m) - 4 hrs walk
The thundering Budi Gandaki trickles to a stream as we walk ahead to its upper course which seems to never end; hereabouts we are surrounded by spectacular mountains from all around. Manaslu is particularly impressive after crossing over to the east bank of the River; we reach the last permanent settlement in the valley, which is called Samdo. The Village has well-established Tibetan refugee inhabitants. Overnight at Samdo.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
12
DAY
Trek to Dharmasala (4,460m) - 4 hrs walk
After Samdo, we cross the stream, which runs down from the Gya La (Pass), way to Tibet. We come to the ruins of an abandoned village, known as Larkya Bazaar. Perhaps, this village must have been a trading point with Tibet lying over the Gya La at some time in the past. The local market seems to have dried up leading to the migration of the settlement near the Larkya Glacier; Climbing further, we arrive Dharmasala at 4460m, the teahouses have been built for travelers before they cross over the Larkya La. Overnight at a local Teahouse.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
13
DAY
Trek To Bhimtang (3,950m) via Larkya La (5,106m) - 8/9 hrs walk
Today is a little adventurous and longer trek than before as we have to walk for about 9 hours passing an altitude of 5,106 meters. Our journey starts after we have our breakfast. The trail ascends towards Cho Chanda and then slowly goes steep up to the Larkya La pass which requires lots of strength and stamina. After we reach the top, we can have a magnificent view of the snowy peaks of Himlung Himal (7,126m), Cheo Himal (6,820m), Gyagi Kung, Kang Kuru (6,981m), and the Annapurna II (7,937m) standing in front of us. After this, we descend to Bhimtang walking over steep paths. Overnight at the local lodge.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
14
DAY
Trek to Dharapani (1680m) - 7/8 hrs walk
Conquering heights and lengths, the trail today goes easy and normal. The trail to Dharapani drops further, through meadows, pine, and rhododendron forest until reaching Hampuk. Moving forward, we Follow the course of Dudh Koshi River, and then the trail further drops down to Tilche and Thoche. Crossing the Marshyandi River, we reach the village of Dharapani. Overnight at the local lodges.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
15
DAY
Drive back to Kathmandu (1400m) - 11 hrs drive
This is an approximately 9 hour’s scenic drive to Kathmandu. In the first part, we take 4 hours off-road jeep drive to Besishar from Dharapani and then a further 5 hours bus drive to Kathmandu. We lunch out A la carte at a good roadside restaurant. After so long, we will drive back to Kathmandu by bus goes through Marshyangdi and Trishuli River. You can observe the people and their lifestyles staying beside the highway. After we reach Kathmandu, you will be taken to your hotel. You can freshen up and enjoy an evening walk around Thamel.
Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch
16
DAY
Departure Day
Our office support staff will be on standby with a vehicle to take you to the airport for your connecting flight home. On the other hand, if you prefer to stay longer you can go for short tours such as game drives, some go-wild safaris at National parks, or maybe some white water rafting, there are mountain biking thrills or you can even get bolder & cross the border for some fantastic overland tours to Tibet.
Meals included: Breakfast
Trip Includes
- Airport pick-ups and drop-offs by private vehicle.
- Nepalese cuisine welcomes dinner at a typical restaurant with a cultural show.
- 3 nights of 3-star standard hotel accommodation in Kathmandu city inclusive breakfast.
- 12 nights of twin sharing local lodges accommodation while on the trek.
- 1 day Kathmandu sightseeing tour guided by a city tour guide with private transport.
- Meals on full board while on the trek. (15 Breakfasts, 13 Lunches & 13 Dinners)
- All the essential trekking permits and official paperwork for the trek. (Manaslu region is a restricted zone and it requires a special trekking permit from Nepal immigration.)
- An experienced and government-certified trekking guide for the trek.
- Supporting porters to carry your belongings during the trek. (1 porter for 2 guests)
- All our trekking staff has accidental insurance, salary, meals, accommodations, and transport.
- All the required long rage ground transports by local jeeps and buses.
- Waterproof duffel bag and sleeping bag to use for the trek. (provided on request)
- First aid medicine with an oximeter to check your pulse and oxygen level while on the trek.
- Trip achievement certificate after the successful trip completion.
- All government taxes and company service charges.
Trip Exclude
- Nepal entry visa and international flights
- Your travel insurance.
- Your personal expenses such as hot shower, charging, use of WIFI while on the trek.
- Entrance fees for Kathmandu sightseeing.
- Tips to the guide and porters.
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Choose a Private Trip
If you’d prefer to share this with your own group of friends, we’ve got good news, it’s also available as a Private Adventure!, Our Private Adventure specialists are on hand to give you a quote or talk through some different options. Feel free to give them a call on +9779843760242 or Email us at info@glorioushimalaya.com
Traveller’s Review
We, four friends from Malaysia had an amazing time in the Manaslu region with Glorious Himalaya’s guide and porters. From the beginning to the end of the trek, they took care of us and assist us in anyways.
Our private trek was well organized by this agency. Their provided itinerary was well crafted and enough acclimatize for this trek. We stayed 2 nights at Samagaun for acclimatization and visited Birendra lake and Manaslu base camp. The Larkya La high pass required a daylong hike that was extremely difficult and hazardous. We are grateful to the Glorious Himalaya crews for their professionalism. Their guide, Raju and porters Akash and Deepak were very helpful, experienced and smiling faces. We felt secure and were able to make minor changes to the schedule as needed.
Our guide Raju was very knowledgeable and made a lot of effort to ensure that we were safe and fit every day.
In conclusion, our Manaslu circuit trek was an unforgettable trip. We are happy to recommend this agency to all those thrill seekers for your memorable holiday in Nepal.
Zara
Malaysia
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We recently completed a customized 12 days Manaslu circuit trek with the support of Glorious Himalaya trekking crews. It was our first trip to Nepal and made it a momentous trip in the Himalayas. I can honestly say that the Glorious Himalaya team did everything in their ability to make my trip as enjoyable as possible, from the moment I landed at Kathmandu International Airport until the end.
Trekking to the Manaslu circuit might be quite challenging if you don’t have an experienced guide. We appreciate the support of Bodhi and having him as our guide for the Manaslu Circuit Trek. We had the best mountain views from Shyala, Samagau, and Dharamsala. We recommend trekkers stay a night at Syala instead of 2 nights in Samagau because Syala village offers better views of the mountains than from Samagau. The view from Larkya la was amazing and the trail was full of snow. Though the weather was not in our favor at the beginning we successfully did Larkya La pass.
Without a doubt, Glorious Himalaya is a genuine trekking company in Nepal that they are very sincere in the needs of their customer. Contact this team for your wonderful Manaslu circuit trek. They are experts in many ways, they are capable to ensure your safety, enjoyment, and satisfaction.
Eddie Baroo
Australia