1
Day 1
Arrive in Kathmandu
↑ 1,400 m
Meet your Green Pastures team for a permit and route briefing. We finalise the restricted-area paperwork, check gear, and answer questions over dinner in Thamel.
Manaslu · Challenging
Manaslu Circuit
The serious trekkers’ alternative to Everest and Annapurna, wilder, less crowded, and permit-controlled.
Duration
16 days
Max altitude
5,160 m
Best seasons
Mar-May · Oct-Nov
Difficulty
Challenging
Route planning map
Explore the route
before you commit.
Switch between topographic context, overall route shape, and stage-by-stage stops to see how the trek unfolds in real terms — not just as a line between famous names.
Route map
Manaslu Circuit
Loading route map
Drawing the topographic base, route line, and stage markers for this itinerary.
Route read
Soti Khola to Larkya La
A longer wilder line where the remote valley structure and Larkya approach read clearly in relief. Destination focus: Larkya La at 5,160m, the circuit’s signature pass and one of its most important guided mountain days.
Route progress
Stage 1 of 60%
0 km
Completed
~77 km
Total route
Elevation profile
↑ 2,270 m
Elevation gain
↓ 3,120 m
Max elevation
Current leg
Soti Khola to Jagat
25 km
Est. distance
Transit
Stage type
Duration
16 days
Max altitude
5,160m
Best seasons
Mar-May · Oct-Nov
Starting rate
$2,790+
Permits and access
Permits
Restricted Area Permit, MCAP, ACAP, Licensed guide required
Access
Private jeep approach and exit
Stay style
Kathmandu hotel + upgraded teahouse logistics + permit handling
Day-by-day itinerary
How the journey unfolds.
A representative 16-day plan. Every departure is private and can be paced, shortened, or extended around your dates.
2
Day 2 · 8–9 hrs
Drive to Machha Khola
↑ 870 m
A long private-jeep day west along the Budhi Gandaki, past Arughat and Soti Khola into the mouth of the valley. The road is rough but scenic — terraced hills, river crossings, and the first restricted-zone checkpoints.
3
Day 3 · 6–7 hrs
Machha Khola to Jagat
↑ 1,340 m
The trail proper begins, following the river through hot-spring hamlets to Jagat, the official entry to the Manaslu Conservation Area. Permits are checked here — this is where the crowds thin out for good.
4
Day 4 · 6–7 hrs
Jagat to Deng
↑ 1,860 m
A dramatic day in the Budhi Gandaki gorge — suspension bridges, waterfalls, and steep forested climbs. Tibetan-Buddhist influence grows stronger as you reach the small Nubri village of Deng.
5
Day 5 · 6–7 hrs
Deng to Namrung
↑ 2,630 m
The valley opens and mani walls, chortens, and prayer flags line the trail. A steady climb through Ghap brings you to Namrung, where classic Tibetan architecture takes over.
6
Day 6 · 4–5 hrs
Namrung to Lho
↑ 3,180 m
A shorter, rewarding day. The first close views of Manaslu (8,163 m) appear, and Lho's Ribung Gompa sits against a wall of white peaks — one of the trip's great sunset viewpoints.
7
Day 7 · 4 hrs
Lho to Samagaun
↑ 3,530 m
Through Shyala with mountains on every side, then a gentle walk to Samagaun (Sama Gaon) — the cultural heart of the Nubri valley and our acclimatisation base for two nights.
8
Day 8 · 4–6 hrs (optional)
Samagaun — acclimatisation
↑ 3,530 m
A rest-and-adapt day with an active hike: either up toward Manaslu Base Camp (≈4,800 m) or the shorter walk to sacred Birendra Lake and Pungyen Gompa. Sleep low, climb high.
9
Day 9 · 3–4 hrs
Samagaun to Samdo
↑ 3,860 m
A quiet, high walk to Samdo, the last permanent village before the pass — a Tibetan trading settlement backed by yak pastures and the Rui La border route.
10
Day 10 · 3–5 hrs (optional)
Samdo — acclimatisation
↑ 3,860 m
A second adaptation day at altitude. An optional hike toward the Tibet border at Rui La sharpens acclimatisation and rewards you with wide Himalayan and Tibetan-plateau views.
11
Day 11 · 3–4 hrs
Samdo to Dharamsala (Larkya Phedi)
↑ 4,460 m
A short but important stage to the stone huts of Dharamsala, the spartan camp at the foot of the pass. An early night — the crossing starts before dawn.
12
Day 12 · 8–10 hrs
Larkya La to Bimtang
↑ 5,160 m → 3,590 m
The defining day. A pre-dawn start for the long climb to Larkya La (5,160 m) — 8–10 hours with a summit panorama of Himlung, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru and the Annapurnas — then a knee-testing descent to the meadows of Bimtang.
13
Day 13 · 6–7 hrs
Bimtang to Dharapani
↑ 1,970 m
A beautiful descent out of the high country — rhododendron forest, river flats, and villages — dropping into the Marsyangdi valley to join the Annapurna Circuit at Dharapani.
14
Day 14 · 8–9 hrs
Drive to Kathmandu
↑ 1,400 m
Private jeep from Dharapani to Besisahar, then onward by vehicle to Kathmandu. A celebratory dinner marks the end of the circuit.
15
Day 15
Kathmandu — contingency & leisure
↑ 1,400 m
A buffer day held in reserve for weather or trail delays. If all has gone to plan, it becomes a free day for heritage sightseeing, shopping, or a spa recovery.
16
Day 16
Departure
↑ 1,400 m
Private transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for your onward flight, with a Green Pastures send-off.
What's covered
Included & excluded
at a glance.
Included
- Total of two nights' accommodation in Pokhara (before and after the trek) at the operator's guesthouse
- Guide
- Assistants, (maximum weight to carry is 12 kg for female assistant and 15 kg for male assistant).
- 3 meals per day, afternoon tea & snacks,
- Accommodation is typically arranged on a twin-share basis, though peak-season departures may occasionally require a triple or four-bed room.
- Manaslu Park entry, TIMS fees and Special permit,
Not included
- Mineral water
- Beverages- soft and hard
- Extra dessert
- Souvenirs
- Tipping to staff
- Any entry fee during cultural (monastery/temple heritage visit)
Manaslu Trek · Updated May 21, 2024