Manaslu trek information site
“Thanks a bunch for putting the site together… best deal I could find on the internet,” Andy W, USA trekking March 2017.
- Update May 2018:
- Avoid the new road! Trek on the east side.
- Short Tsum Valley Itineraries Feb 2018
- A film about the road coming to Tsum Valley Feb 2018
- Everything I know about the Manaslu Circuit trek… 30 Dec 2017
- Itinerary suggestions!: http://langtangtrek.org/3610/manaslu-trek-fresh-info/
- An innovative new bridge / walkway before Jagat,
- and a new trip report from spring 2016.
The Manaslu Trek is now a great tea-house trek. Some call it the best all-round trek in Nepal and it’s on the Great Himalaya Trail. It’s certainly a great alternative to the Annapurna Circuit. Camping is not required unless you go off the beaten track. The Google Map below shows tea-house locations. Here’s a page with a summary of everything you need to get trekking. You can share a jeep to Arughat to make the start of your trek smoother. Finally, don’t forget to read about trekking hygiene before you arrive in Kathmandu.
This website provides the information you need to get on the trek yourself as an independent trekker, or will help you join an group on a fixed-date departure. If you want a trek tailor made, then just ask and we can arrange it for you.
Have a great trek!
If you are looking for the Manaslu Trail Race, then here’s the link.
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!
Hi sonam
during the last seasons,so many tourist had been visit our region.And also more in your Tsum valley/
But what you think about the road trail about tsum valley and may be in Nubri coming future?
does it make sense for the local people And for the tourism? I am scared of road.I think it will bring pollution in our place.What will you think?????
Hi, I love this website which is fantastic.
Actually, I am Nepal Trekking Guide ,The clients who asked me about new rout I would love to suggest them Manaslu Circuit Trek.I know this rout very well because I was born near this reason.
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.
Hello
it was closed for only short time of local confiscation.
But it was already open.be sure that you can night stop in Dharamsala.
But because of bad weather some times they go down.
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
:(( It looks like it won’t be Manaslu, but EBC + Cho La + Gokyo (the later if the crossing is ok) in January… My younger and stupider companions want to see Everest, well, most of them. What can I say…
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.
We have been following the same route but our itinerary have some added days to provide enough time for the body to get acclimatized.We have extended this Manasalu circuit trek to 22 days for the acclimitizaton and explorataion of the himalayan beauty with our putting your health on risk.
What you think about this itinerary please feel free to comment.
Happy Manasalu
Hello all,
Would any of you mind sharing the name of the insurance company you used for your trek here please?
Hopefully it will help others coming to the area.
Thanks a lot,
Rich
http://langtangtrek.org/1268/insurance-for-the-manaslu-circuit-trek/
I have just completed this trek. I am not going to make a detailed trip report, just a few points.
1. I started in Ghorka and walked to Arugat via Garempesang. I would NOT recommend this option, unless you have a tent. The accommodation was dire.
2. The tea houses have adopted standard menus, which have increasing prices as you head upwards. Checking my diary I paid from 1,400 to 2,200 for two people (no beers, cokes, chocolates) but around double that at Daramasala.
3. I hated having the guide. He knew far less than I did about the trek, and cost me USD 18 each day. The route is easy to follow, and I saw no conceivable advantage to having him. This is the single reason why I would NOT do this trek again, or indeed, any other trek, if I have to use a guide. I only took the guide from Arugat to Bimtang.
4. Wild dogs. In Samagoan and Samdo wild dogs come into the villages and bark constantly from around 01:00 am until 04:00 am. Bring ear plugs or sleeping tablets. They are a massive nuisance.
5. The local shops charge much more than the locals pay. Several times I asked the shop owner how much for say a couple of hard boiled eggs. Instead of being given a direct answer, there seemed follow some huge discussion with the guide and other locals before a price was announced. I had the impression it was along the lines, “how much can we charge?”. I did not like this.
6. If you can stand the taste, drinking Tibetan tea is by far the cheapest hot drink. In Samagoan I had a large thermos bottle for 60 rupees. Even hot water was more expensive.
7. There is a lot of lodge construction, they are clearly hoping that this route will become more popular.
8. Checkpoints are at Arugat, Jagat, Phillim and Samagoan (although the guy here did not seem too bothered, we walked past, but the guide insisted on showing the paper)
9. The following additional costs would put me off next time.
– guide (USD 18/day)
– restricted area permit (USD 80 per person, there is some sort of scam here, as I asked for 10 days but only got 8, so I suppose the trekking agent pocketed the other USD 20 which I paid him). I don’t mind paying either for a restricted area pass or the MCAP pass (2,000 Rupees), but not both, thank you very much)
– Annapurna region pass (2,000 Rupees) (Need this because the exit is through Annapurna)
– TIMS is not necessary because the Restricted Area pass covers it. (I have serious doubts about the effectiveness of TIMS in tracking trekkers)
10. My favourite place was Samdo. I recommend you stay a couple of days here and walk through the village and up to a ridge about an hours walk. Great views of the glacier and Manaslu. The walk up to the top of the hill at 5,000 meters is tough but worthwhile too.
On the whole I would rank this trek behind trekking in the Khumbu and Annapurna regions.
If you are doing the Annapurna circuit I can recommend taking a side trip up to Bimtang. I would take two days to get up and two to get down. Very few other trekkers and great views of Manaslu.
Your Mileage May Vary……
Thanks for all of the feedback!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikalpa/sets/72157631945034053/
Hey ppl,, here are some pictures from the trek i took this 2nd week of october. The weather was awesome and sky was clear for photography. Any comments will be appreciated.
Considering the recent tea house construction in the Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley does anybody think that staying at homestays and teahouses would require a sleeping bag on December? I’m planning on taking the heaviest Devold underwear and socks as well as sleeping bag liners (and some handwarmers just in case) for the nights. Would that be sufficient with the blankets available at huts? Carrying bags would be inconvinient as no camping is planned…
It is very cold. Take a sleeping bag, even a light one, as all places might not have blankets available, or the blankets might be sufficient. You won’t regret it.
somebody can recomended me Annapurna or Manaslu circuit¿ . Is possible try Manaslu without guide and porters by tea houses ? . There are so many villages as Annapurma trek? What about the weather from 15 march/ 15 april in Manaslu. Too much snown? Can I do Manaslu alone? What about the permit, is it neccesary? Please tell me every think about Manaslu in March/ April.
I have done both. You see read a few comments I made above.
I would recommend Annapurna.
Manasalu cannot be done alone. You need a guide and a trekking permit.
Check out the rest of this site for more info.
I recently trekked part of the Manaslu circuit (Dharapani to Jagat) without a guide but with a permit. This may be more difficult if you are trekking the circuit in the conventional direction because the checkpoint in Jagat are quite strict apparently. It is possible to do Manaslu without a tent however at the time you mention you may want to check if Dharamsala is open otherwise you will have a long day from Samdo to Bhimthang and you will have to stay in a homestay in Samdo. I do not know when the pass reopens.
I have also trekked Annapurna circuit and prefer it to Manaslu especially if you combine the circuit with the Annapurna base camp trek and a side trip to Tilicho lake.
Hello Harriet,
My wife and I planning on trekking the Manaslu Circuit in March. I read with interest your comment that you prefer Annapurna over Manaslu. I have always wanted to do the Annapurna but changed my mind as a result of the road. I am curious to know if you did this trek before or after the road and also why you prefer Annapurna.
Hello,
We have done Manaslu circuit trek recently December 02 to 15. We met only one couple trekkers in Samdo, In Samdo there is not Lodges open so we stay on Home stay at Samdu and we cross Larke la from Samdo because in Dharmasala lodge is closed. So long day from Samdo to Bhimtang it tooks more than 12 hours even no snow on Larke Pass but freezing cold. -20 at Larke pass. But we had good time.
Hi all,
Thanks to all the people who have left comments as it is very valuable information.
We arrive in Pokhara on the 27th January and are leaving Katmandhu on 13th February. Will we have enough time to do this trek? Do we need a guide? Can we find a guide and get permits in Pokhara? My wife and I are both fit so hiking long days is no problem. Will there be lodges open? Will Larke Pass be open? We will have a tent. Is it necessary?
Thanks!
Well, We do lead the trips all year and you can do this trek. Sure, Winter some time snow level is high but you may need few more days at that case but you still can do that trek any time of the year. If you have 16/16days time plenty enough for this trek but may not have hidden area explore time much.
Thanks.
I am planning to explore Manaslu circuit in March……I have some queries like 1. Is it possible to complete the Circuit under Tent or we have to consider Tea Houses in some places? 2. Is it possible to pass the Larkya La pass without Guide?
Please Help me Guys!!
Please read the information in this website – all the info is there.
As Admin says, you need to read before posting.
1. Yes.
2. No, you are required to have a guide through the restricted area.
Thanks Bob!! I will go through the website…for other infos.
Hey,
can you tell me how cold it was on the pass in march last year?
do you need a down jacket?
thanks in advance
Does any trekking company have packages for domestic tourists? I am planning to trek manaslu circuit in October 2013
Hello Prabesh,
I think there are trekking companies that organize treks for domestic travellers too.
If it is you alone, hire an experienced guide and porter and go tea house style. Being a Nepali, you can probably cope with the basic lodging and food along the trail. If you are seeking more attentive and luxurious service, then go camping with complete camping equipment and food and crew. This is be fun, but will be expensive too.
Go between mid September to October and finish your trek by end of October as it is very cold up there.
Larky pass was colder than South Col on Everest. Of course, I was younger when I was on Everest that may have been a factor for not feeling the cold that much. good for your trek to Manaslu.
Sincerely,
Wangdowa Sherpa
Dear Wangdowa
I consulted some trekking companies in Nepal and they seem very much expensive. What they do is just convert the dollars and offer for domestic tourists. Now i have mentally planned that i will get some frens or will travel alone. What do you think? Can domestic people travel alone in mansalu circuit?
Dear Prabesh,
Nice to receive your email.
I know the facilities around Manaslu trail are not yet developed well in terms of quality lodging and food service. However, you can do a tea house trek there with a good planning on your part if you can accept the basic inn lodging and village/countryside food service.
For your safety, particularly of Larkya Pass, take a guide with you. A guide who has already been there and knows well where the teahouse inns are.
If I were you, I would not hike alone unless you are very, very fit outdoor sports person.
Even then, no matter how tough a person maybe, the high altitude and the change of weather in short time can be dangerous in high places.
My suggestion is get some friends together and hire a guide to lead you will be the most helpful for you.
Once you are up in the Manaslu and Larkya area, if you get sick medical help is far, walking back is difficult and far,helicopter rescue is very expensive. So going well prepared will be wise. Carry lot of electrolytes, emergency medine such diarrhea prevention or cure from diarrhea, water purification tablets/liquid or powder. Because of the eating in the inns, people could catch diarrhea and other water or sanitary borne illness that could ruine your trip.
I feel sad when I see trekkers taking a helicopter back because they got sick from food and water borne illness and could not continue their trek.
Good luck for your Manalsu Circuit trek.
Wangdowa
Dear Wangdowa;
Does Larkya pass have snow during september and october. Because i have fixed my trek from 29 Sep 2013. Please advise.
Prabesh
Hello Manaslu region people, tourism professionals and trekkers,
I have read many comments on this website and want to post a few words of my own based on my experience.
Last fall I did the Manaslu Circuit trek and inspected many lodges and checked out many campsites. I am quite disappointed that the tourism infrastructure along this route is still very basic and limited. It has been 22 years since this area has been open for tourism. If the local people want to reap the benefits of tourism income, they better build quality lodges to accommodate savvy travelers of today. Food hygiene is another major concern that I met many people with intestinal problems including severe diarrhea, and then take helicopter back to Kathmandu. People work very hard to save money to do this trek. It is sad to see that visitors have to get sick because of unhygienic food, then return without completion of the trip and spend more money on the helicopter to return to Kathmandu. I tried to have my clients sleep in local lodges, but they preferred our tents. This tells me something that I cannot fix, but can share ideas on how where and when possible.
In late 1980s, when I went with Manaslu climbing expedition, the foot trail between Gorkha and Sama Gaon was in good shape, but today mules are used in the place of human porters for carrying goods. As a result, the beautiful ancient foot trail has been totally destroyed in many places. If we want tourism to succeed in the Manaslu region, we must stop the mules, rebuild the foot trail and make safe passage for the foreign visitors and locals alike. We waited hours in the sheer rock cliff trails many times to let the mules go past us before could walk. This was dangerous and inconvenient along the Monaslu trek route. There were thousands of mule trains. Few people benefit from mule income, but thousands of porters lose opportunity, and hundreds of thousands of locals and foreign visitors face danger and inconvenience from the mules on the trail. Many cable bridges do not have the capacity to hold multiple mules at a time to walk on. This is another danger I see on the Manaslu trail. The mule poop and urine give a very foul smell as well as spread disease.
Let us try to stop mule usage on Manaslu trail or if some people cannot live without mules, then reduce the numbers to the minimum. Another idea is do not use mule during peak tourism season of October and November.
Let me know your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Wangdowa Sherpa
1. Food hygiene is an issue, as we both had problems on this trek.
2. Until the government allows individual trekkers without the expensive permit and guide requirements I don’t believe this trek will take off to the extent of the other main trekking regions. I myself would never do this trek again until these restrictions are lifted. The number of trekkers has to increase dramatically to allow for the development of decent lodges.
3. I really have no idea what you are on about when it comes to using mules. Compared to the Khumbu and Annapurna treks there are hardly any mules on the Manaslu circuit.
Thanks for your comments.
So far it seems that some people have no complaints at all, and for others, the standard is just too low. That could be said of many places in Nepal.
The food itself is pretty simple so in terms of hygiene, handwashing with soap and water for all kitchen and serving staff would be a simple approach. As a guide, you can ask the lodge owners about this.
Regarding trails – see this:
http://langtangtrek.org/613/road-to-prosperity/
As in many places, many of those who would be porters are overseas working. Mules are less costly. What to do? This is the way people choose to do it there.
What a fantastic web site and source of information. It is very impressive. Thank you to all who are keeping it up to date. I have read the information in detail in preparation for our Manaslu Circuit trek in October/November 2013. It has been extremely helpful. I’m still a little unclear on whether we need to carry tents if we are travelling with a group of 8 people (we don’t mins splitting our group over multiple lodges as long as we get to trek together during the day). Is that too big of a group to rely on the teahouse spaces? It seems like many villages have more than 40beds available. The two smaller villages that I have as part of my itinerary would be Namrung and Loh (30 and 40 beds respectively). Another question I have is whether you recommend carrying a sleeping pad if you are staying in teahouses, or do most of them have some form of mattress? We will be bringing sleeping bags.
Thank you again for such a tremendous website!
VJ
Hello,
As a reference, the http://www.manaslutracerace.org took almost 40 people around the circuit in mid November. All slept indoors. All places have mattresses. Very worst case would be a blanket on the floor, but unlikely. Still hard to predict how busy the season will be this coming year!
Richard
Thanks Richard for your reply! Much appreciated. I guess we’ll just have to keep an eye on the situation (court case) with the guest house at Dharamsala/Larkya Phedi to ensure that it isn’t closed when we come through. I would be hesitant to push through the pass without a proper acclimatization stop at Dharamsala.
Reading your March 4 message posting, I understand what you are saying about the teahouse or inn capacity. You know that October-November is Nepal’s peak trekking season. So 30-40 bed lodging in one village is not enough as there will be many more trekkers on the same route. The 30-40 bed capacity lodging is not available in every village or campsite locations. If your plan is to stay in teahouses during your trek, then no need to carry sleeping pad as there will be foam mattresses in the inns. If inns run out of beds and mattresses, they inn operators will provide you with traditional wool blanket or at least bamboo mattress._Dharamasala/Larkya base camp: As teahouse trekking group, you have no choice, but to stay here before going over Larkya Pass as there are not any another alternative. I have seen that some people plan to cross the pass from Samdo (I think this idea is very dangerous when going over high pass such as Larkya, which is very cold. _I assume you would emplor porters. If you employ a porter or a guide who has gone over the pass before, this can help you a lot on logistics and lodges along the way. _I hope this helps you. Good luck with your trek._Wangdowa
Thank you for your message Wangdowa. We are not planning on bringing porters (we carry our own bags), but we are planning on bringing a guide since that is required in order to trek in the restricted area. What I’m getting from your reply is that a teahouse trek is possible but that in October there will likely be so many trekkers that there isn’t room for everyone. My plan includes stops at villages that have the most amount of beds available but there are a few that don’t have as many as others and that was my concern. I’m also concerned about the possibility of the tea house at Dharamasala/Larkya not being open as I consider that the most crucial stop (I do not want to trek over the high pass from Samdo as I don’t consider that safe without properly acclimatizing). I was hoping not to have to carry tents as we prefer to use teahouses, but if there is a high likelihood that we will not find beds in teahouses, then we will need to rethink our approach. Following are the stops I was planning, but I’m flexible and can modify based on bed availability.
Arughat – many lodges
Soti Khola – 50 beds
Labubesi – 80 beds
Jagat – 75 beds
Deng – 58 beds
Namrung – 49 beds
Lho – 40 beds
Samagaon (for two nights) – 60-67beds
Samdo (for two nights) – 50 beds
Larkye Phedi/Dharmasala – 64 beds
Bimthang – 100+ beds
Tilje – 100+ beds
Sirichaur – many lodges
Hello
We are going to have a Manaslu trek from April 26 to May 12. Some people tell us that it can be very difficult to pass Larkye La and we should have crampons and rope to pass it.
Does anybody have any experience to pass Larkye La in April/May? Is it really so dangerous? Is it good idea to change track to Annapurna?
Thanks in advance,
Denis
Hello Denis,
If you are regular hikers and are in good health, hiking over Larkya La in end of April to May should not be a problem. You do not need crampons and ropes to trek Larkya La in April/May. Ropes and crampons maybe necessary in December, January to March when small streams freeze. With the climate change and global warming, the weather in the Himalaya is changing. So, there may or may not be any snow on Larkya Pass in April/May. Quality hiking boots, quality wool socks, and a pair of gaitors should to keep you dry and warm. Taking warm high altitude travel clothing is best to take with you. An ice axe, a stick or a pair of sticks could help you if there is new snow on the trail. Should fresh snow fall, the rocky moraine glacier is going to be difficult. With fresh snow, you will easily lose the trail there. So taking a guide who has trekked there before is important.
Trekking in high places is always dangerous if one goes there without proper planning or proper clothing.
If you are going to Nepal first time and want to see how the Himalaya and Nepal is, then go the Annapurna Circuit Trek, where more people hike and more lodging facilities are available.
Good luck to you guys!
Sincerely,
Wangdowa
Wangdowa, thanks a lot for your reply! It’s very useful for us.
Namaste Wangdowa
Could you recommend an agency in Kathmandu, which can help to arrange permits for Manaslu Nar-phu and Tsum. I m singl treveller, but I m ready to pay for 2nd person permit, as required by law.I have my guide from last year, so I only need permits+ Annapurna-Manasu fee.Everywhere I addressed already, they ask to much money as comission 100-200$, though they say, it could be done in 1 day.
Hi,
We just completed the manaslu circuit and tsum valley and have some suggestions to make it more enjoyable:
http://leagues.sportsblog.com/
Photos are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mafkaroo/sets/72157633856044191/
Hi
This is to inform you that now here is 24 hrs INTERNET services in Samdo- top village of Manaslu circuit.besides this STD and ISTD phone services is here.
you can enjoy Wi-Fi with coffee
Thank you all visitors
YOUTH COMMUNICATION &CYBER CAFE- Samdo
I have been informed the minimal of two people is needed in order to obtain the permit for manaslu and tsum valley, is there a way that I can do the trek alone? I have heard that people have payed for permits for two people, but then just went on the trek alone with a guide, is this possible?
If I arranged permit for two people and went alone with a guide, would there be a problem at the checkpoints?
I am hoping to do the trek in may 2014.
Best,
Jenn
Dear Jenn,
Thank you very much for your kind mail. I am not sure how did you get
through to me by some other link not by website. As my understanding you
are getting through from great himalayan trail sites. Any way it is
possible that if you are paying for two people permits and trek with guide
your self. many people does like that and It is not a problem to obtain
the permit for two people, the only thing that we have to find the other
passport with nepal visa date. We also can find the people if you are
willing to join or we can joined with other group just obtained the
permit. It is not difficult to manage one of it.
I am locally from that area and we lead many trips every year and if you
confirmed the date in may we can add at our site with group joining and
can find some more people easy. Or similar dates we can have other group
and we can make permit with joining and you can trek alone with own guide.
So you please do not have to worry all about we can manage the permits as
per the situtation. You may not need to pay extra if you can confirmed
the in advance. If you have any confusion with it please you can add me at
skype and we can talk more about.
Looking forward to hearing from when you have time.
Have great days !!!
Sincerely Yours,
Thakur Prasad Khanal
Adventure Alpine Gorkha Treks & Expedition (P)Ltd.
Mobile: +977- 9741 11 43 45, 9851082318
O/Phone: +977-1-4701777,
http://www.adventuretrekking.com
Skype:thakur.treks
—– Original Message —–
From: “Manaslu Circuit Trek”
To:
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:27 AM
Subject: There is a new comment to Manaslu trek route map
>
> There is a new comment to Manaslu trek route map.
> Comment Link: http://langtangtrek.org/#comment-51409
> Author: Jenn
> Comment:
> I have been informed the minimal of two people is needed in order to
> obtain the permit for manaslu and tsum valley, is there a way that I can
> do the trek alone? I have heard that people have payed for permits for two
> people, but then just went on the trek alone with a guide, is this
> possible?
>
> If I arranged permit for two people and went alone with a guide, would
> there be a problem at the checkpoints?
>
> I am hoping to do the trek in may 2014.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
My wife and I are planning on trekking the Manaslu Circuit in March/April. Any advice as to when would be best during this time in terms of rhododendron bloom, clear skies, temperature and clear passage over the Larkya La?
Manaslu is known for anoumalous weather conditions.
We went in February/March and Larkya La was impassable.. no one had opened the pass til then.
But I guess March/April is fine to cross the pass…
One of the best treks i ever did!
Have a look at my travel report of the Manaslu Trek, including Kathmandu sightseeing and Trisuli Rafting.
Travel Episodes
Enjoy watching!
Hello everyone,
I want to do the trek this march. Can anyone tell me how cold it is on the pass durig this time of the year? Is a down jacket needed or is a windbreaker fleece and polartec shirt enough?
and could anyone advise a good agency?
thanks in advance
Take a down jacket as a matter of course. Evenings in tea-houses in Samdo / Sama will be cold. You can buy a pretty good down jacket for $30 in Thamel.
Pass may still have some ice/snow from last year and be covered with new snow from the coming winter. Take some kind of anti-slip devices for your shoes, like yak-trax, or simpler.
Exactly pass is bit technical at last end so you might be needing cram-prom, Definitely down jacket is needed to as it might be still freezing cold during morning although while walking is ok with out down jacket. I hope you have idea about how to get there like you need to take help of local agencies, need to issue three different paper
1- Restricted area pass for Manaslu
2- Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) Entry Permit
3- Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Entry Permit
Another optional side trek is Tsum Valley which can be carried out a side trip of Manaslu Trek but requires another one more week as well as another Restricted area pass for Tsum. However it is not easy to issue that permit as immigration department ask for each and every document of company, so you should be with government authorized agencies with clear documents. For more information you can ask either admin also as well as you can mail us.
i m planning on manaslu trekk..as i m a domestic tourist..i want to complete this trekk in as few days as possible..with low cost…can anyone tell me shortest way possible..??
Hello, friends!
My name is Sergey, I’m from Russia. In November, I gather a group for trekking around Manaslu in November 2018. Just now, tickets to Kathmandu are available for 3 people, but the number of participants can grow to 8. The group will be trackers who have already been in the mountains of Nepal and those who came to Nepal for the first time. I was in Nepal more than 10 times, but it was the other parts of Solu Khumbu, Kaligandaki, Chitwan. Independently reduced 21 people to trekking in different areas of Sagarmatha. To organize the track, I need the following support: all the necessary permits, meeting at the airport Tribhuvan, transfer to the hotel and accommodation in it, transfer to the starting point, a local guide, porters at the rate of 1 porter for 2 trackers, transfer from the finish point to the hotel in Kathmandu, hotel accommodation. I will determine the tactics of movement, the length of the day tracks, food issues, the choice of loggias for nights, taking into account the guide’s advice. Arrival in Kathmandu 28.10.2018 at 18: 00, departure from Kathmandu 15.11.2018. During this time I expect to make a full track and have time to show Kathmandu to the participants who are in Nepal for the first time. Please write if this is possible and how much it will cost to have Your support.
Thanks.