Manaslu Circuit Trek but why?? Sharing you the genuine Manaslu Circuit Trek review. I’ve done Everest Base Camp Trek. I’ve done the Annapurna Circuit trek. Both were brilliant but by the time I was planning my third Nepal tour, I wanted something that didn’t feel like a conveyor belt. I wanted to actually feel like I’d gone somewhere. A mate of mine had done the Manaslu Circuit Trek the year before and described it as “EBC, but without the crowds and with better vibes.” That was enough for me.
I booked through Alliance Treks after a quick video call with Mr. Kul (expert himself) in Kathmandu. They were straightforward, friendly, and knew the route inside out. No upselling, no nonsense. Within a week I had my itinerary, a kit list and a permit sorted. Easy. Three months later I was on a bus out of Kathmandu at 5am wondering what on earth I’d got myself into.
“My mate said it was ‘EBC but better’. He was not wrong.” — Timothy, Canada
The Manaslu Circuit Trek is a 17-day loop around Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world at 8,163m. The route follows the Budhi Gandaki River through subtropical forests, climbs through Tibetan-influenced villages, and tops out at the Larke La Pass at 5,160m before dropping into the Annapurna region. It’s a restricted area trek, meaning you need a special permit and have to go with a registered company. That’s exactly why it’s still so unspoiled.
Here are the fast facts before we get into the good stuff:
| Duration | 17 Days |
| Max Altitude | Larke La Pass – 5,160m |
| Difficulty | Moderate to Challenging |
| Start/End | Kathmandu |
| Best Season | Spring (Mar-May) & Autumn (Sep-Nov) |
| Type | Restricted Area / Tea House Trek |
| Operator | Alliance Treks & Expedition Pvt. Ltd |
The Alliance Treks itinerary is well thought out. There’s a proper acclimatization day in Samagaon before the big pass, the daily walking stages are manageable, and nothing feels rushed. It’s 17 days well spent.
The early section of the Manaslu Circuit Trek is genuinely underrated. Everyone talks about the high pass and the mountain views, but days 2 through 5 along the Budhi Gandaki gorge are something else. The trail squeezes through narrow canyon walls, crosses suspension bridges that definitely test your nerve, and passes through villages that look completely untouched by the modern world. No souvenir shops. No espresso machines. Just kids playing in dusty courtyards and old men spinning prayer wheels in doorways.
I’d been worried these early flat-ish days would feel slow. They didn’t. Every bend in the gorge revealed something new — a waterfall, a painted chorten, a herd of yaks blocking the trail for 20 minutes. Our guide Jaybir from Alliance Treks knew every family along the route. At one teahouse he stopped to check in on an elderly woman like she was his auntie. That kind of warmth sets the tone for the whole trek.
Around day 7 of Manaslu Circuit Trek, somewhere above Namrung, the valley opens up and Manaslu appears. And I mean appears — like someone pulled back a curtain. One minute you’re walking through pine forest, the next you round a ridge and there it is. The entire south face of an 8,000-metre peak filling the sky directly in front of you. I stopped walking. I just stood there with my mouth open like an idiot.
From here through Lho and up to Samagaon, the landscape shifts completely. Stone villages with flat roofs and prayer flags. Yaks grazing on impossibly steep hillsides. Monasteries perched on cliffsides with views that would make a grown person cry. This is the Manaslu Circuit Trek that people come back raving about — and honestly, no photo does it justice. Not even close.
“I stood on a ridge above Lho with Manaslu directly in front of me and genuinely forgot how tired my legs were. That mountain is absurd.” — Timothy, Canada
The rest day at Samagaon sounds like a treat. And it is — right up until Jaybir explains, very casually over breakfast, that it’s also the thing standing between you and a very bad time on the pass. So yeah, luxury with a purpose.
Jaybir and our porter Race took us up toward Manaslu Base Camp in the morning. Now, Race — this guy. Five-foot-nothing, carrying what felt like a small car on his back, somehow always ten steps ahead and not even slightly out of breath. The rest of us were panting through fleece buffs while he stood on a boulder looking at the icefall like he was waiting for a bus. Sherpas are just built different. There’s no other explanation.
We got close enough to see the icefall properly — that cracked, groaning wall of blue-white ice with Manaslu looming behind it — without going high enough to feel terrible. It’s a fine line and Jaybir walked it perfectly.
The afternoon was ours. We wandered through Samagaon, poked around the monastery, and somehow ended up drinking yak butter tea with a monk who had the greatest laugh I have ever heard in my life. Full body, completely unhinged, echoing off the stone walls. I don’t know what was funny. It didn’t matter.
Alliance Treks builds this day into every itinerary and honestly — it’s not filler. It might be the best day of the whole trip.
Right. The Larke La Pass. This is why you’re here. On Day 12 we got up at 3:30am in the dark at Dharmasala — a cluster of basic stone shelters at 4,460m that serve as the last stop before the pass. It was minus twelve degrees. My water bottle had frozen inside my sleeping bag. Jaybir appeared in the doorway looking annoyingly cheerful, handed me a cup of hot lemon tea, and said, “Today is the best day. Let’s go.”
The walk to the pass in the dark is surreal. You’re moving by headlamp through a glacial landscape, with ice and moraine crunching under your boots and the silhouettes of peaks appearing above you as the sky slowly lightens. It takes about four to five hours to reach the summit at 5,160m. The final push is steep and rocky, and your lungs are working harder than they’ve ever worked. But then you’re there.
On top of the Larke La Pass, with the Annapurna massif spread across the entire western horizon and Manaslu behind you and the sun burning orange across the snow — that is one of those moments you can’t manufacture. It just hits you. Several people in our group were crying. I was one of them. I’m not ashamed.
“I ugly cried on top of a 5,000-metre pass at 7am in front of strangers. No regrets whatsoever.” — Timothy, Canada
Let’s talk food and accommodation, because this is the stuff people worry about most. The Manaslu Circuit is a tea house trek, which means you sleep in family-run lodges along the route. The rooms are basic — wooden walls, thin mattresses, a blanket that you’ll supplement with your sleeping bag above 3,500m. Higher up near Samdo and Dharmasala, it’s pretty stripped back. Lower down, some teahouses are genuinely lovely.
But here’s the thing: the food is fantastic. Dal bhat — rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, and often a side of spinach or pickle — is available everywhere and it’s legitimately delicious. Unlimited refills are the standard and you will need every one of them. I also had a surprisingly good filter coffee in Samagaon that I still think about. The homemade bread at a little teahouse in Lho was the best bread I’ve eaten in years. Simple, honest, brilliant.
Alliance Treks has been running the Manaslu Circuit Trek for over 30 years, and you feel it the moment you walk into the first teahouse. The owners know them by name. We got the best rooms, first pick at meals, and a warmth that no newcomer operator can buy. That kind of relationship takes decades to build.
Alright, a few things people don’t always mention. First: the bus from Kathmandu to the trailhead at Sotikhola takes about 8 to 9 hours on roads that range from “rough” to “is this a riverbed?” Pack your motion sickness tablets. Second: the first few nights in the lower villages can be warm and a bit sticky. Don’t bother bringing your down jacket until day 5 or so. Third: the Larke La crossing day is long and brutal and you will feel it. Eat everything Jaybir tells you to eat the night before. Do not skip dinner.
And this is important, don’t underestimate the mental game. By day 14 or 15, after the pass is done and you’re heading back toward civilization, there’s a strange flatness that settles in. The big moment has passed. The trail is easier. You’re thinking about a hot shower and a proper bed. That’s normal. It doesn’t mean the trek is less good. It means you actually did something hard and your brain is processing it.
None of this is a complaint, by the way. It’s all part of it. The discomfort is part of the point.
The Manaslu Circuit Trek costs more than a standard Nepal trek and there’s a straightforward reason for that: the restricted area permit is expensive. You’re also paying for a compulsory licensed guide, which on a route this remote is genuinely not optional — logistically or legally.
What Alliance Treks includes in their package is comprehensive: airport transfers, all accommodation, daily breakfast, guide, all permits including the restricted area permit, first aid kit with supplemental oxygen, and satellite communication on the trail. When you break it down per day over 17 days, the value is actually excellent. You’re not paying for luxury. You’re paying for expertise, safety and access to one of the most spectacular off the beaten path treks in Nepal.
Was it worth it? Without question. I’d pay it twice. Contact Alliance Treks directly for current 2026/27 pricing — they’re transparent about costs and will tailor a quote to your group size.
October is the sweet spot — clear skies, dry trails, perfect Larke La conditions. April and May are a close second, with the bonus of rhododendron forests going absolutely wild in the lower sections. Avoid December to February unless you genuinely enjoy suffering.
You don’t need to be an athlete, but you do need to put in the work beforehand. Six to eight hours of walking per day for 17 consecutive days is no joke. Start hiking with a loaded pack three months out. Your knees will thank you.
You need three: the Manaslu Restricted Area Permit, the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit, and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit for the final section. Alliance Treks handles all of this for you. You don’t need to think about it.
Sleeping bag rated to at least −10°C is non-negotiable. Layers, waterproofs, good boots with ankle support, trekking poles for the pass day, and way more snacks than you think you need. Jaybir will tell you the same thing.
It’s comparable in terms of daily effort but the Larke La Pass is a bigger physical challenge than anything on the EBC route. The 17-day Alliance Treks itinerary builds acclimatization in properly, which makes a huge difference. If you’ve done EBC, you can do Manaslu.
Dramatically so. On the busiest days of October we passed maybe 30 other trekkers on the trail. Compare that to the queues at Namche Bazaar or Thorong La. The restricted area permit does its job.
It helps but it’s not required. What you do need is good fitness, a willingness to listen to your guide, and no ego about pacing. Jaybir will keep you safe if you listen to him.
No. The restricted area permit legally requires you to be with a licensed guide from a registered Nepali company. Alliance Treks handles all of this. It’s genuinely not a burden — having Jaybir with us made the experience ten times richer.
The Manaslu Circuit Trek is the best thing I’ve done in fifteen years of travel. Not just trekking — travel. It’s a route that gives you everything: wilderness, culture, challenge, community, and one of those rare moments on a mountain pass at sunrise that reminds you why you started doing this in the first place.
Alliance Treks ran it flawlessly. Jaybir was exceptional. The food was better than I expected, the people along the route were warmer than I deserved, and the mountains were more beautiful than any photograph prepared me for.
If you’re sitting on the fence about whether to do the Manaslu Circuit Trek — get off the fence. Book it. Do it with Alliance Treks. Ask for Jaybir. And make sure you eat a proper dinner the night before the pass.
You can explore the full 17-day Manaslu Circuit Trek itinerary and get a personalized quote at www.alliancetreks.com/manaslu-circuit-trek/
“Seventeen days, one mountain, the best guide I’ve ever had, and a pass crossing I will never stop talking about. That’s the Manaslu Circuit Trek.” — Timothy, UK
Book your Manaslu Circuit Trek with Alliance Treks.
Alliance Treks & Expedition Pvt. Ltd. Once is not enough for naturally and culturally Himalayas
