Manaslu Circuit Trek

Take a lesser-known trek around one of the highest mountains in the world

This spectacular and isolated circular trek skirts around the eighth highest mountain in the world, formidable Manaslu (28,258ft/8,163m). We follow the mighty Buri Gandaki River as it narrows into a spectacular gorge, passing through tiny villages perched on valley sides. Eventually, the gorge opens out into alpine meadows inhabited by a cluster of Tibetan communities below the north face of Manaslu. Crossing the Larkya Pass, we see the snow-capped peaks of Himalchuli, Manaslu, Cheo Himal and Himlung Himal, before descending through forest to join the main Annapurna Circuit route.

Why trek with Exodus?

• One of the highest staff-to-traveller ratios on the trek with one staff member to every four travellers
• More than 30 years’ experience organising treks in Nepal
• Carefully planned ascent rates and itineraries with built-in acclimatisation and contingency days
• Experienced English-speaking local leaders who are qualified in first aid and trained to recognise and deal with altitude sickness
• All staff (leaders, guides and porters) are fully insured and paid a fair wage
• Staff carry oxygen, a first-aid kit, and self-assessment acute mountain sickness cards, used to monitor every traveller at altitude
• Speak to Exodus office staff who have done the trek themselves

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 5 (Challenging), mainly due to the varied and changeable terrain. For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

Altitude: The itinerary is very well staged for acclimatisation. There are some long days at the lower altitudes; as we get higher, the days are shorter to allow for acclimatisation. But, as this trip spends time above 9,842ft (3,000m), please refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes for more information and advice on how to limit the effects of altitude sickness.

• Maximum altitude: 18,189ft (5,545m)
• Maximum sleeping altitude: 16,995ft (5,180m) at Gorak Shep

Suitability: This is a lodge-based trek with 14 days of walking and full porterage throughout – you need only carry your backpack. Much of this trek is on established trails and is within the capabilities of a fit and experienced walker. The first half of the trek is at low altitude with approximately five to eight hours of walking a day on reasonably well-maintained trails. However, it can be very hot, dusty and humid at the lower altitudes (especially in spring) and there are some narrow and steep sections on the trails, which may not be suitable for those with a strong fear of heights. The crossing of the Larkya La is over rough, rocky glacial moraine and some of the descent is very steep. The day over the pass is approximately 11 to 12 hours. You should be a confident walker and be comfortable walking for five to eight hours a day, with an occasional longer day. The trails in the Manaslu region are less well-used than those in the Everest and Annapurna regions and are often rocky and uneven, requiring steady footing and concentration. This area was quite badly affected by an earthquake in 2015. Many of the trails have now been repaired but there are still landslides to cross and there may be changes to the descriptions below based on the seasonal monsoon weather bringing the potential for further landslides. Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated exclude lunch stops and vary depending on the group’s pace. There are typically between five and eight hours of walking per day; the Larkya La day is approximately 11 hours of walking.

Vertigo: The trail crosses numerous modern suspension bridges over rivers and valleys, all with mesh sides. Anyone with a strong fear of heights or vertigo may find them difficult.

Nepal flight safety: Many of our treks in Nepal use domestic flights to reach the trekking areas. The mountainous Nepalese terrain is subject to changeable weather, which makes flying conditions complex and challenging and, unfortunately, there are significantly more incidents here than in other countries, including fatalities. The EU highlighted the poor safety record in Nepal in 2013 by including all Nepalese-registered airlines on the EU banned list, which prevents them from flying in EU airspace. While no Nepalese-registered airlines currently fly within the EU, the EU instigated this ban to highlight the risk of flying in Nepal to EU citizens. These airlines are unlikely to be members of any internationally recognised safety audit systems and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Nepal does not operate to the same standards as those of Western nations.

Flying within Nepal is therefore a known risk and we strongly encourage you to consider this carefully before booking. We suggest you refer to the following sources:

• The current travel advice for Nepal issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
• The Air Safety Network entry for Nepal

In response to concerns over this safety record, Exodus arranges for independent air-safety auditors to visit Nepal annually to assess the suitability of the available carriers. We then restrict our use to only those approved as part of this audit. In emergency situations, we will need to use helicopters, so we also have a list of approved helicopter carriers. Should concerns arise regarding the safety of an airline on our approved list, we will remove the carrier from the list immediately, and it would only be reinstated once our air-safety auditors are confident the airline meets acceptable safety standards.

We appreciate you may have concerns about flying within Nepal, so we ask that you consider all the information above when deciding to book this trip.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Nepal

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, cholera, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Some travellers may also need proof of a polio vaccination. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

There is little to no risk of malaria in Nepal; therefore, antimalarial tablets are not usually advised although may be considered for certain high-risk groups. You may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in Nepal. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Most of our trips to Nepal go to high altitudes where there is a risk of being affected by Acute Mountain Sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. Please refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes for further advice on AMS.

When trekking at altitude, and particularly in cold weather, there is a higher chance of developing a cough (sometimes referred to here as the Khumbu cough) or cold symptoms. These symptoms could be a result of inhaling cold mountain air or dust (in the Everest region). You can mitigate against picking up coughs and colds by washing your hands with soap and water at available opportunities and using hand sanitiser. Also wear a buff over your neck and mouth when walking at altitude, particularly in colder weather, which will help limit cold, dry air entering your airways and keep your neck and chest warm.

Visa

Nepal

You can obtain your visa in advance or on arrival. The Immigration Department of Nepal has suspended visas on arrival for certain nationalities – please check if this applies to you with your nearest embassy or consulate.

Visa in advance

To get a visa in advance you can apply online at nepaliport.immigration.gov.np and collect it from your nearest Nepali embassy. Find more information at www.immigration.gov.np.

Visa on arrival

1. When you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, there will be three lines. If you have already secured your visa, go straight to the Immigration line. If not:
   Fill in a tourist visa form at the electronic kiosks. After inserting your passport, the machine will automatically fill out an application form, take an electronic photograph of you and print a paper slip. If the machine won’t read your passport, complete the details manually using the touchscreen. We recommend taking a passport photo with you just in case.
   Top tip: This process can be completed through the online immigration portal (click ‘Visa On-Arrival’) within 14-days prior to arrival in Kathmandu, helping you to avoid lengthy queues at the kiosks when you come through immigration – ensure you print and bring the confirmation with you. If you have completed your visa on arrival form in advance, go directly to the visa fees counters with your printed confirmation and skip the kiosk queues.
2. Proceed to the visa fees collection counter and pay the visa fee (in cash, if possible). Make sure to keep the receipt. Card payments are not always possible, so paying in cash is easiest, most currencies are accepted but US dollars are preferred.
3. Go to the relevant immigration desk and present your tourist visa form, payment receipt and passport to obtain your 15-, 30- or 90-day visa stamp. Please check you have been given the correct visa duration.

Food & Drink

Breakfast is included throughout the trip, as well as the welcome dinner.

In teahouses, breakfast comprises a choice of bread (a slice of toast, chapatti or Tibetan bread), a choice of egg (boiled, fried or omelette), and a choice between either muesli or porridge each day. Hot tea/coffee is also served. On specific days, there will not be a choice for breakfast and either a trekkers breakfast (egg, hash brown, baked beans and toast) or a pancake with jam/honey is served – these options are not available in all teahouses and so we have only included them in locations where they can be guaranteed. You may also be able to supplement your included breakfast with additional items on the teahouse menu should you wish, additional items that are not included in the set menu should be ordered and paid for separately.

Please note, some more remote teahouses/lodges are unable to provide an extensive menu due to irregular delivery schedules and during periods of bad weather or a high volume of trekkers, there may be a more limited menu choice. Also, the higher altitude the more expenses the menus and extras generally are.

Lunch is at a teahouse en route – sometimes one of your guides will go ahead with the group’s order to make it more expedient. Dinner is in the same teahouse you sleep at (this is custom in Nepal as teahouses base their room rate on it).

Although most lodges have almost identical menus, they are reasonably extensive and offer a varied selection, ranging from traditional Nepalese dhal bhat to pizza and apple pie. Dhal bhat is the staple diet in Nepal and comes in many different forms but generally comprises some curried lentils and meat or vegetables, some rice, and a pickle/chutney. Another popular snack is momos, a Nepalese dumpling, fried or steamed and filled with meat or vegetables.

Meat is available in the teahouses but we advise against eating it on trek. The meat has often been carried in the heat from lower altitudes for several days before reaching the lodges and can cause stomach upsets or illness.

If you have a gluten-free diet, we strongly recommend you bring extra food and snacks with you to supplement the food on trek as there will be little variety available for you, particularly for breakfast. Even many of the soups are powdered and contain gluten. Gluten-free breakfast options will be limited to vegetable fried rice and a choice of egg, and on specific days only, a trekkers breakfast (without the toast/with an extra egg) will be served. Breakfast options for vegans will be limited to a choice of muesli/porridge with water each day, and on specific days only, a trekkers breakfast (without the egg), or vegetable fried rice will be served. If you are lactose intolerant, the same will apply although you will also have a choice of egg each day.

If you buy imported food and drink on trek, you will spend more than the suggested amount.

Drinking water

Staying hydrated is important when undertaking any physical activity but particularly so at altitude where it is generally recommended to drink at least 100floz-135floz (3-4 litres) per day.

However, we strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water on trek as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in Nepal.

The teahouses sell boiled water for approximately 150-300 (US$1.15-US$2.30) per litre (the price increases the higher you trek) which should not require treating. This is also perfect for a bedtime refill as it can double up as a hot-water bottle.

Alternatively, all teahouses provide free cold water. Although this should not be drunk untreated, we recommend you bring a reusable bottle/water bladder/Camelpak (ideally two) and use an effective form of water treatment. There are a wide range of products available including Steripens or purification tablets, which are the quickest and easiest options to use on trek – we recommend talking to an outdoor retailer for the latest advice as technologies are improving all the time. Make sure to check the product’s performance in cold/freezing conditions and consider battery life (lithium batteries are best in cold conditions).

Exodus has partnered with Water-to-Go, a filtration system that eliminates more than 99.99 percent of all microbiological contaminants from any non-saltwater source – visit Water-to-Go for more information. Exodus customers can claim 15 percent off their first order and, better still, 15 percent of the purchase value will be donated to the Exodus Travels Foundation. These bottles filter the water as you drink through the spout may not be the most efficient while on the go on a trek. Please note, if the water freezes it will clog up the filter. In this event, defrost before use by sitting the filter in lukewarm water for 10-15 minutes.

Weather

The main trekking season in Nepal is from October to mid-May when daytime temperatures at most altitudes are generally comfortable for walking, the sky is clear much of the time, and rain and snow are occasional occurrences. Daytime temperatures vary from 15C to 35C (59F to 95F) in the Kathmandu Valley to around 10C (50C) at 11,810ft (3,600m) and progressively lower the higher we go. Different seasons offer different advantages for trekking:

Post monsoon/autumn: Mid-September to November. This is the main trekking season in Nepal. Day temperatures in Kathmandu are generally above 20C (68F). For the first few days of the trek, at the lower altitudes, the temperatures can be very hot (up to 30C/86F) and it can be very humid. Once you are over 6,560ft (2,000m), temperatures are more pleasant. Skies are usually clear and days on trek are sunny and mild with clear mountain views. Nights will be colder with temperatures dropping to -5C (23F) or lower at the higher altitudes.

Pre-monsoon: March to May. Both day and night temperatures are warmer in general but haze will often build up in the afternoons. It is very hot and humid at the start and end of the trek at the lower altitudes and temperatures rise to 30C/35C (86F/95F) in Kathmandu and the lower parts of the trek. Flowers bloom in this season and this is one of the reasons people chose to trek in spring.

The crossing of the Larkya La is cold at any time of year. There is sometimes a high wind over the pass, which makes the crossing extremely cold and you must have adequate protection for very low temperatures for this section. There is sometimes snow and ice on the pass. You need to be prepared for this. We recommend you carry Yaktrax in case of snow on the pass.

Snow can be expected on any departure, usually at the higher altitudes above Samdo.

In any mountain area, the weather is never wholly predictable and you should be prepared and equipped to deal with any differences in weather beyond the conditions described above.