Manaslu trek is now a tea-house trek. Some call it the best all-round trek in Nepal and it’s on the Great Himalaya Trail.It is certainly a great alternative to the Annapurna Circuit. Camping is not required unless you go off the beaten track. The map below shows tea-house locations – click the bubbles. 14-day and 18-day sample itineraries are here. Have a great trek!
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icons refer to basic, reasonable, good. This is a subjective rating of food, accommodation, hygiene. It is not a Michelin guidebook rating, nor any other kind of hotel rating! More actual detailed Manaslu & Tsum trekking maps are here (and GPS too for Google Earth) but maybe just skip to the photos. While you’re here – please join our Facebook page for the “Manaslu Circuit Trek”, or share with friends who might be interested in this for their next trek. Thank you!
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Iwill add more information when I get home. I saw a number of new places being constructed, but would not expect them to be completed much before next year. No power tools, everything done with hand tools including making of lumber and furniture.
Would be much appreciated Garfield. Would like this site to have clear, unvarnished (and it’s a bit varnished now) so people can work out if this trek is for them or not, and provided some further useful info if they decide to do it. Hope you enjoyed your trek!
Great job, this is much needed for Nepal’s finest trekking although the road construction is overwhelming Manaslu and Tsum. It would be my pleasure to help to locate tea-houses/home stays in Tsum.
Sonam
During this seasons so many trekers make tea house trek.But this route and people need to change a lot.So please you have to bring some master ideas to change all of that.
Hi phurbu!
I am not clear at all what kind of change do you mean? It would be nice to hear from you more in detail. Otherwise it would be very general which can be of vague!
Also I am not sure I can be the magician to change the people as you and I want for the tourists! I definitely agree this new area is learning so fast in tourism sector which I appreciate on the other hand. What I don’t like to see in future is nether like “Everest region” or “Annapurna Region” where local Nepali tourists are treated as second class guests.
So, in that sense, initiatives are always necessary to make sure that local lodge owner and home stay groups are well organized and supported.
Cheers!
We don’t think its not a good to go tea house trekking in the Manaslu regions, may be in the next 10 years, but we will try not to operate tea house trek even if there will be some in the future. As far as the price for the basic tea house trip is concerned , it may be fine but for those looking for camping in wilderness, it is best to do camping and we would recommend camping treks, which also give the job opportunities for those working in the trekking industry for decades as guides, porters, kitchen boys etc. Three major trekking regions such as , Evertest, Annapurna, Langtang where people go trekking using T-houses throughout is I think more than enough, there is no charm offering T-house treks everywhere in Nepal, it is not beneficial for many many people, other than lodge owners .
Interesting opinion and fair too. Both can exist side by side of course, it does not have to be one way or the other.
You say:
“there is no charm offering T-house treks everywhere in Nepal, it is not beneficial for many many people, other than lodge owners”
But lodge owners are people, have families and relationships to the village itself. Tea-houses are a way of trapping some income in the place being visited. With camping treks, most of the money spent does not benefit the local community even though it does benefit more people!
I am sure there is a good compromise in the middle as different trekkers want different things.
Anyhow, when you have camping treks, you can go anywhere so be creative!!!
Fantastic resource – thanks for all the helpful information. We are heading out to do a Manaslu tea-house trek next week … I will let you know how we get on!
Have a great trek Andy. Please let us know how you get on!
hi,
i heard that since a few weeks, the hotel of Dharamsala (Larkya phedi) is closed by “the community”.
we have to go from samdo to Bimtang… very big day !
does someone have more information about why it is closed ? when can it open again ? other solution if we can’t do two days in one ?
bye
Very sorry to hear about this Tom. There is some local problem between the managers of Dharamsala and the “community” of Samagaon. The lodge at Dharamsala is a business like any other, but it is being singled out for special consideration or taxation. Currently there is a formal agreement with the community of Samdo to give 30% of profits to community projects it being the nearest village. Samagaon (rather certain people in that village), being the main village of the Village Development Committee, wants this money. This is the centre of the dispute. It is quite medieval. Hopefully it will be resolved after the 19th November. If you wish to find out more, please contact tphurbu8163@yahoo.com at the mountmanasluhotel.com who may give you some answers as to why you were turned back.
I received this today from Mount manaslu hotel in Sama
The Lodge at Dharamsala is open at the moment.
And there is not any snow At larke pass
But tempratures very cold.
your coments are most important for all hotel owners.
Very good initiative! Going to Manaslu region for the second time – tenting trek – starting trekking on 8 or 9 January 2012 with three young people (I love being patronizing…). Have done Tsum and part of Manaslu circuit in 2009).
I will see if there is anything I can update when I come back.
Having done 9 previous treks as lodge treks, I loved the Manaslu/Tsum in 2009, because it was so different, being a tenting trek. The community feel of the mess tent (where we broke the caste barrier inviting the guide/porters/kitchen stuff to partake with us – something you cannot force in a lodge trek…), working with the kitchen staff on the menu and the food, the warmth at night! (Yes, surprisingly, sleeping in a tent at -15 degrees outside temperature was much warmer than the same experience in the lodge room…)
We completed the Manaslu circuit in early November and it was a really fantastic trek, the best I have done in Nepal. The quality of the teahouse was higher than we expected, with clean rooms and varied menus at nearly all. I am sorry to hear that there may have been further problems with the lodge at Dharamsala though – it had been closed for some days before we got there but had reopened and we stayed there on the night of 1 November without any problems. We did the trek in 13 days, which seemed about right … we didn’t have an acclimatisation day, but the ascent at the higher altitudes is quite gradual, with shorter walking days and time to acclimatise in the afternoon, so it wasn’t really necessary.
Anyway, thanks again for the information that gave us the incentive to give the tea-house trek ago – I would thoroughly recommend the trek as a better alternative to the usual suspects. Although we were there at the peak season there were relatively few people trekking the route, and even fewer doing it as a tea-house trek. The views were stunning throughout, and the culture of the Nubri region a revelation. And I very much don’t agree with “Mountain Legend Pvt Ltd” – there are already camping groups doing the route of course, but tea-house trekking brings in a whole new group of trekkers who frankly cannot afford the camping prices (the fact that the majority of campers were over 50s probably tells you something). It will bring additional income to the people running the teahouses, the people they employ, etc. etc. and have knock-on benefits for the community at large if it is managed in the right way. The problem is that three tea-house trekking routes is NOT enough if Nepal’s tourism industry is going to expand … really, you should be encouraging this!
aloha!
thank you very much for your posting of this fantastic news to me..
i am a tea house trekker,thats what my low budjet allows me to do..
my time in nepal will be late september, october and november this year..
could you please help me with this trek to tsum valley and manasalu base camp..
need a list of the tea house from village to village to stay at..
also the estimated trekking times..and maybe some of the side trips and highlights..
please,anything else you might think i would need to complete this independently..
thank you,teddy
Andy,
If possible, could you post your 13 day itinerary? I’m doing the trek in late December/January and would love to see where you made your stops for the night. Also, any recommendation for lodges?
Thanks!
Mike
Re Andy’s comments about tenting vs tea house trekking… A few years ago, when the road-building started on the Annapurna Circuit (on both Kali Gandaki and the Marsyangdi valleys) it became obvious to some of us that Manaslu was the natural inheritor of the “best cirucit trek in the world” mantle. Discussion and debates about the benefits/disadvantages of this (for trekkers, locals etc) have been going on for a while. The thing is, Manaslu is now becoming a full lodge trek. Right now it is fastly becoming a year round lodge trek. It is already there probably, or will definitely be in 2012. It will indeed open the area to a lot more trekkers, which is awesome for trekkers experience, and locals incomes. I guess how the environmental aspects are handled, from lodge development to handling the influx of plastic bottles etc – that is another matter. Hopefully lessons from other trekking areas would be learned? I am not sure.
From a trekkers perspective, discussion forums like this one (along with the likes of trekinfo.com or the LP forum) can only be good, in perhaps educating them on the impact of their activities, and helping trekkers to minimize their “footprint”, while going to enjoy amazing places like the Manaslu/Tsum regions. For the locals, I guess that is up to them.Is I mentioned, I hope learning from Khumbu and Annapurna would influence the way the region is being developed.
Having said all this, can’t wait to arrive back in Arughat Bazaar on the 8 of January to start the trek!!!
It is great to hear your feedback Yakshaver and Andy, I walked the Annapurna circuit in 2005 with eight other friends and was keen to do the Manaslu, I would much rather do a Teahouse Trek than a camping trek and spend the money for meals and accomodation in the villages rather than the money be taken out of the region by a large trkking company. I have a number of friends who want to come with me along with a couple of my sons, we will have a group of eight to fifteen, I have been told that a group of this size might have trouble finding accomodation at all stops around the Manaslu circuit, would this be a correct assumption? We are planning to do the trek in November 2012 so I am starting to research guides and trekking companies and costs so that i can start to creat a budget, any feedback would be appreciated.
Regards Chris
Chris, I think it might be risky with 15 people, plus porters, etc.We went in November 2009, with a group of 6, and there were plenty of other groups on the trail. In some parts you might struggle to find sleeping arrangements, if you happen to stumble on a couple of other groups… Plus, we did stay at a couple of lodges during our trek (most nights in a tent). And I must tell you that the food cooked was really terrible. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to Nepal 11 times and I love Nepali food, I am vegetarian (so not demanding in terms of what is available, which is mostly potatoes, onions and something resembling silverbeet but with an attrocious taste), I know what to expect etc. Despite my hunger, I just gave up. Santaman was quite embarrassed and asked our own trusty cooks to do something. Since it was late, I asked them to boil some simple potatoes for the group. I then made a mayonaise, and with some oil, salt and lime juice , we managed to whip up a decent potatoe salad. Else I was determined to eat some coconut biscuits and mars bars. In a group of 15 you’ll find one or two people who will struggle. Manaslu is not (yet) AC or EBC, or Gokyo. Not anywhere near at the standard for food.
I suggest it is much safer at thist stage to still go with a tenting (mostly) expedition, even if for food comfort. I was very happy with Shera our cook, and his helpers. They were awesome, had good skills, and gave us variety for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
If you wish, I can put you in touch with Santaman, with whom I trekked in 10 of my 11 treks, and who organised a splendid experience. Not too expensive either. Santa is not operating a big trekking company, rather he’s leading group of independent guides, porter-guides, and porters, whom he’s trained very well in his customer focused philosophy.
I understand the view that you want to leave your money in the village. On the other hand, a tenting expedition keeps more people employed. Plus, if you think about Annapurna for example, most good big lodges are owned by retired Ghurkas in Pokhara, who invested in bigger/better lodges. Same with the bigger, better equipped lodges on the EBC/Gokyo. They belong to rich former Everest guides, who now live in Kathmandu or Darjeeling. Most of the money goes to those places. Nepal is a capitalistic place, in its own funny way. I guess the same will eventually happen with Manaslu.
You can
Thanks Yakshaver for your comments and advice, i have a friend who runs a hotel and trekking company in Pokhara, i have also spoken to a couple of independent guides who all advise the same, I would be happy to communicate with Santaman about what his trekking company has to offer, it is always a bit difficult arrangeing these things half way accross the world, i like to talk to a variety of people until i find one that i feel most confident with before i put my trust in them, it sounds like Santaman has experience on the Manaslu circuit and if you have trekked with him on ten occasions, that sounds like a fair recommendation. Regards Chris
No problem Chris, I am sure you’ll come to a satisfactory conclusion in your searches. Comparing various offers, asking them to give you various details, this is the way to ensure you get a good support crew. Santaman’s email is: santamn@hotmail.com
Cheers
Very Beautiful website .Manaslu is one of my choice Route
Does anyone have any further clarifications or observations on the quality of food that yakshaver was talking about?
As per food, I can input a little since I was just there.
I was there in the winter/off season and so almost all the food we had was just Dhal Bhat. But….I will say that the Dhal Bhat that we had in most locations was fantastic and each location put there own little twist on it. Toward the end of the trip, I was actually craving dhal bhat because I found it gave me the most energy and also helped me stay the most normal digestively.
In Samagoan, they had a full menu for us (for the most part) and that was nice to have a slight change. They even had desserts there (like mars spring roll) and other delicious stuff. Apple pancakes even. With that said though, after eating Dhal Bhat almost exclusively up to there, my digestive system wasn’t quite ready for some more greasy type food and fried food. It tasted good, but digestively afterward I had some problems (nothing major though). With that said though, it was still nice to have the options in Samagoan.
Along the way, we noticed numerous places had menus with different options, but since it was low season for us, they didn’t offer anything else except maybe pasta. Oh, I should mention whenever we wanted egg noodle soup, or just noodle soup, they did have that everywhere.
So, not terrible, but not the best either if you are a picky eater. If you are fine only eating Dhal Bhat, you’ll love it. I went in, not totally loving Dhal Bhat, but left really wanting it. Haha…I guess 17 days will do that to you.
For mornings, it was almost always eggs and chapati. Coffee was at most places, but just instant of course. Hope this helps!
Thanks Michael!
I was in Manaslu area last October and didn’t notice any problem with food, especially as compared with other treks. I like tibetan tea and bread prepared in traditional way, which is rare. Also, I was surprised how cheap was eggs there. I always have some food ( raisings, dried fruits, chocolate, condensed milk, etc) with me to vary a menu and this is what I recommend. Anyway, Dhal Bhat is always available and it’s quite enough to live and enjoy the trek !
Thanks Oleg!
What I’d like to see on this site – is the description of all mountains in Manaslu area, since map is not informative. I used Google Earth to identify some mountains.
I will bear in mind and see if anything can be done.
What is the status of the shut down rest house below Larkye La?
Good question John.
Currently due to the status of the court case, the police have received no authority to lock the doors and will not do so. So it is technically open, subject to the cold weather warming up. This could change in the coming weeks and months and I will keep you posted.
Rich
Thanks. I am trekking in late March/May, but will plan on bringing a tent as a backup.
electric power supply /generator.
Has anyone found power supply (for charging camera batteries) in any of the vilages?
If not how are you dealing with the power requirement of digital cameras?
Regards Thomas
No problem to charge batteries, but you have to pay. I prefer to carry spare batteries, to be independent. I saw several times people with solar batteries on backpack, but I think it’s not convenient and I’m not sure if it’s enough to charge DSLR batteries.
How many DSLR batteries do you think are needed for a ~21 day Manaslu/tsum trek. I have 4. Think that’s enough?
I had 7 for 21 days trek and it was enough, just keep them in a warm place. In winter trek I even remove a battery after making shots to keep it in internal pocket.
So 7 was enough? Hmm, sounds as if I should take my charger if I only have 4.
tphurbu8163@yahoo.com says via email: These days you will found electric city most of the place.so it will be better if you take charger.
Is December to late to do the manaslu circuit, or is it to risky getting over the pass?
I loved it going again next week
Yeah i dont think that winter is the best time to go. But i did enjoy a short trip their in the summer.
tired, going on the manaslu trek next week and I have just been to Tenerife and Scotland recently.
Interesting website. I have been to Nepal on treks twice and I would like to go back and Manasulu looks interesting. I did the Annapurna Circuit/Annapurna Sanctuary in 1980 and Mt Everest Base Camp/Gokyo Lakes in 1988 as Tea House Treks. It is good to see that there is another Tea House trek because I don’t want to repeat the other two treks and I don’t think that tent treks are my style. On the other hand, I might need a porter to carry my pack as I am not as young as I was for my first treks.
I am sure there are a lot of changes…e.g. we did not have to worry about batteries (they lasted forever on film cameras) but we did need to carry a lot of film. We also had pretty poor maps…this website’s map is 10x better than anything in 1980.