The Manaslu Circuit is what the Annapurna Circuit was a generation ago: a two-week loop around an 8,000 m peak, from lowland gorges to a 5,106 m pass, with villages rather than roadheads at every stage. It is a restricted area, which keeps numbers down and adds paperwork, and the pass is long and cold. For those reasons it has become the trek that experienced walkers in Nepal choose when they want the classic circuit experience without the traffic. We think it deserves the reputation.
The shape of the circuit
The route follows the Budhi Gandaki river north from the low country west of the Annapurnas, curves around the eastern and northern sides of Manaslu, 8,163 m, crosses the Larke Pass, and drops west into the Marsyangdi valley to join the Annapurna Circuit at Dharapani, 1,860 m. Walked from the usual roadhead it is around 175 km and takes 14 to 16 days on foot. The direction is fixed: everyone walks it counter-clockwise, because the long approach up the Budhi Gandaki provides the slow gain in altitude that the pass demands. Going the other way would put the pass on day three.
The road has reached Machha Khola at 870 m, and most treks now begin there after a long day’s drive from Kathmandu, often nine or ten hours. Some still start lower at Soti Khola. The first three days in the gorge are hot and hard, with the trail climbing and dropping repeatedly above a river that is loud, brown and often far below. Jagat at 1,340 m is the first checkpoint where the restricted-area paperwork is inspected.
Up the Budhi Gandaki
Above Jagat the valley narrows and then, above Deng at 1,860 m, begins to change character. Hindu villages give way to Buddhist ones, mani walls and chortens appear beside the trail, and the forest thickens. Namrung at 2,630 m is the gateway to the upper valley, and from here the mountains take over. Lho at 3,180 m has a large monastery and the first full view of Manaslu, which from this side shows its double summit clearly. Samagaun at 3,530 m is the main village of the upper valley and the standard place for a rest day, with a side trip to Manaslu Base Camp at about 4,800 m, past the small green lake below the glacier, or a gentler walk to the monastery at Pungyen under the east face.
Samdo at 3,875 m is the last village, a Tibetan settlement below the border pass. Above it the trail climbs to the stone shelter and lodges at Dharmasala, sometimes called Larke Phedi, at about 4,460 m. Sleeping there is cold but it makes the pass day manageable; the alternative of crossing from Samdo adds 600 m of climbing before the pass begins.
The Larke Pass
The Larke Pass, or Larkya La, is given as 5,106 m on the sign at the top, though maps vary by a few tens of metres. The crossing starts in the dark from Dharmasala. The climb is gradual at first, along the northern edge of the Larke glacier, then steeper over moraine and, in most months, snow. Four to five hours brings you to the pass, a broad rubble-strewn saddle marked with flags, with Himlung to the north-east and the peaks of the Annapurna group appearing to the west for the first time. The descent is the harder part: a steep, loose, often icy drop of nearly 1,400 m to Bimthang at 3,720 m, taking three to four hours and hard on the knees. In fresh snow the descent is serious and crampons or spikes are a real help. The whole day is usually eight to ten hours.
Bimthang is a beautiful place to arrive, a wide meadow beside a glacier under Manaslu’s west face. From here the trail descends through rhododendron forest and the last villages of the Marsyangdi to Dharapani, one or two days, where the paperwork is checked out and a jeep can be found to Besisahar and Kathmandu. Those with time continue over Thorong La and finish the Annapurna Circuit as well, a combination of three weeks or more.
Restricted-area rules in general terms
The Manaslu valley above Jagat is a restricted area, one of several along the Tibetan border that Nepal regulates more tightly than the main trekking regions. The rules that follow from this are worth knowing before planning:
- A special restricted-area permit is required in addition to the conservation-area permits for both the Manaslu and Annapurna areas, since the route ends in the latter.
- The restricted permit is issued only through a registered trekking agency, not to individuals, and it is priced per week with a higher rate in the autumn season than in the rest of the year.
- A minimum group size of two trekkers applies, and a licensed guide must accompany the group. Solo trekking is not permitted in the restricted section.
- Checkpoints at Jagat, Samagaun and Dharapani inspect the documents, and the dates on the permit must cover the days you are actually in the valley.
The practical consequence is that this is an organised trek, not a spontaneous one. It is still possible to keep it small and simple, with a guide and one companion, but the permits must be arranged in Kathmandu a day or two ahead, and the itinerary should be settled before you go.
Seasons, altitude and what to expect
October and November are the best months, with clear skies and settled snow on the pass. March to May is the second window, warmer below and with more snow above Samdo. The pass is usually crossed by a few determined groups in winter, but Dharmasala may not be open and the risk of a closed pass is real. The monsoon makes the gorge dangerous with landslides and the trail can be cut.
Altitude is handled well by the route’s natural profile, but the rest day at Samagaun should not be skipped, and a second one at Samdo is sensible for anyone feeling the height. The pass day itself goes above 5,000 m from a 4,460 m camp, which is within the normal range for acclimatized walkers. Lodges exist at every stop, more basic and colder than on the Annapurna Circuit, and the upper valley is remote enough that helicopter evacuation is the only quick way out. Carry cash for the whole trek, a sleeping bag good to minus 15, and the attitude that a restricted valley is a privilege rather than an inconvenience.