Things to know before Trekking to Manaslu Circuit
by Jayaram Thapaliya · Updated August 18, 2023
In Nepal, there are many CIRCUIT TREKKING that circles the entire Himalayan Ranges. Among them, Manaslu Circuit Trek is one of the best explore to collect lifetime hiking experience. Before trekking to Manaslu Circuit, there are many things related to the Manaslu Trekking.
Basically THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE TREKKING TO MANASLU represents what’s types of permits needed , when to go, how to go starting point of the trek, how to back Kathmandu from ending point of trip, why it is known as killer mountain, Guide/Porter Hire cost, WIFI availability and many more things related to the Manslu Journey. Nonetheless, we will highlight the availability of accommodation and food on Manaslu. Hence in this post, you will learn all things Things To Know Before Going on the Manaslu Circuit.
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- Itinerary
- Manaslu Circuit Permit
- Best time to do MANASLU CIRCUIT TREK
- LODGING
- Meals
- Transportation
- Internet During Trekking
- Guide and Porters
- Insurance for Trekking
- Conclusion
ITINERARY OF MANASLU CIRCUIT TREKKING ( Duration )
You might be wondering how many days is needed for Trekking to Manaslu Circuit. If yes, it does take only 2 weeks time. Within two weeks time, you can complete the trip. These days, we can drive up to Machhakhola instead of Sotikhola drive. Hence, you will save 1 DAY TIME.
Morover, we can take a Jeep from DHARAPANI TO BESISAHAR that saves you 3 to 4 days time. All in all, we need 12 DAYS TIME FOR MANSLU CIRCUIT TREKKING.
2. Manaslu Circuit Trek Permit
Likewise other trekking routes, trekking permits are required for the Manaslu Circuit Trekking. Since Manaslu Circuit is restricted for the trekkers, restricted areas permits are needed. 3 types of trekking permits are required for Manaslu. They are:
- Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) Permit
- Annapurna Conservation Area Project(ACAP) Permits
- Tims Permits
Keep in mind, solo trekkers can’t obtain trekking permits as a minimum of 2 people are required to get permits. In order to obtain permits, tourists must go through registered trekking agencies as individuals are not allowed to get permits. And without a local guide, international trekkers are not allowed to enter Manaslu.
Manaslu trekking area is a restricted area as well as it covers Manaslu Conservation and Annapurna Conservation, we need 3 permits for the trekking.
PERMITS COST
The following are the Manaslu permit costs.
For the permits, the government of Nepal charges according to month. September to November:- 100 USD per person per week and 15 USD per person per day ( beyond 1 week ). Similarly, from December to August:- 75 USD per person per week and 10 USD per person per day ( beyond 1 week ).
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit: USD 30 per person
Manaslu Conservation Area Permit :USD 30 per person
If you want to do Manaslu Circuit Trek with Tsum Valley Trek, you must have another special permit that costs below.
Tsum Valley Restricted Permit
Costs September to November, USD 40 per person per week and USD 7 per person & day (beyond 1 week).
Similarly, from December to August, USD 30 per person per week USD 7 per person per day day
Note: Permits cost are cheaper from December to August than September to November.
3. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIIT MANASLU CIRCUIT
Likewise other major trekking in Nepal, the best time to explore Manaslu Circuit is March to May and September to November. It’s due to stable weather which allows us clear scenery of the Manaslu Mountains and also easy to cross Larkey La due to fine temperature.
Whilst Monsoon season, it’s dangerous to visit Manaslu due to landslides’ risky trail. Similarly, wintertime we can’t cross Larkey La, because of very cold temperatures and it is difficult to recognize trails due to thick snow-covered trails.
4. LODGING during the Trekking
Nowadays, trekking to Manaslu Circuit is completely teahouse based trekking. The rooms are basic in Manaslu trekking but it’s neat and clean.
5. Meals During Manaslu Trekking
For the food, you will get a western-type menu and you will get satisfied with food as the hotel owners of Manaslu get trained.
Around Manaslu trek, you will not get star categories Hotel and tourist lodges but you will get basic tea houses to standard lodges in the Manaslu region where a tea House charges about USD 6 to USD 10 a night on a twin sharing room. If you want a single room for yourself, you will have to pay for two people
Concerning the food and drinks on the Manaslu trek, all the tea houses offer basic local meals.
The lower part of Manaslu is cheaper for food and drinks but the upper parts are more expensive than lower. Because it is expensive to transport food and drinks from Aarughat to the upper parts of Manaslu.
In short, in the Manaslu region, the cost of food and beverage items is slightly more expensive than in other trekking areas of Nepal. And it’s due to remoteness.
Cost for Food
The cost of the food starts from around $2 per meal at the beginning of the trekking place and at the higher elevation can go to 10 dollars per meal.
Cost for Drinks
You will get Mineral water most of the parts of the MCT trek but if you can’t find it you can buy boiled water which is safe. You will get tea and coffee in the range of 1 USD to 4 USD per cup and safe drinking at the price range of 0.5 USD to 4 USD. For the soft drinks per 1litre, it charges 2 USD to 8 USD, and for Beer 3 USD to 12 USD.
6. How to get to Manaslu Trek Starting Point and back to Kathmandu
Before Trekking to Manaslu Circuit, we have to know getting there and away of Manaslu Circuit Trek. In order to get Starting point of Manaslu (Machhakhola), you can go to by Jeep or Local Bus.
If you want to make comfort driving, reserve a jeep to get Machhakhola. But if you are traveling with a limited budget, you can drive through local buses but you can’t reach Machhakhola using buses in a single day. It takes 1 full day of trekking to get to Machhakhola from Sotikhola.
In order to get back to Kathmandu, the transportation mode depends on where you stop the trek. If you stop at Nadi, you can drive Kathmandu by local bus. Or you can drive Besisahar by local bus. From Besisahar you will get Micro Bus, Car, or Local Bus to drive Kathmandu.
Nowadays, Trekking to Manaslu begins from Sotikhola. So to get to Sotikhola, we have 2 types of land transport available. One is a local bus and the other one is a private jeep. You should pay around 10 $ per person on a local bus but it takes longer than jeeps and also will be over passengers than seats.
Another alternative is private jeeps which charge around 150 USD to 200 USD from Kathmandu to Sotikhola. It is more expensive than a local bus but it makes a comfortable journey to Sotikhola. If you are in a group, you can share the participants with a maximum of 7 pax.
But at the end of the Manaslu trek, we can take a Jeep from Dharapani to Besisahar(either sharing or private). By sharing 10 to 15 USD and in private will be charged around 20 USD. From Besisahar, we can go to Kathmandu using local microbuses and it charges around 8 USD.
7. Internet and Phone Call
These days you’ll get WIFI at most of the teahouse of Around Manaslu Trail but you should pay a little by using it. There will be problems with a phone call if you have a Ncell or NTC sim card. So Take CDMA ( Sky Mobile Phone) or Satellite phone which works the entire trek. The NTC and Ncell sim cards work only in the initial places.
We can get WIFi and Battery charge facility in most of the spots of the MANASLU REGION and it depends on places. Along the Manaslu trek, a Minimum of 100 to a maximum of 300 per device charge per device.
Whilst trekking to Manaslu, you should pay USD 3-5 for an hour of charging of electronic gadgets such as a camera, or mobile phone. You can’t get charge plugin points, mostly teahouse rooms along the Manaslu Route.
8. Cost of Guide and Porters
Being Manaslu Circuit Trekking is a restricted area trekking, you can’t go SOLO. You must have a guide and there should be at least 2 people to get a permit. You must have a licensed guide for trekking to the Manaslu region. A porter is optional whilst you are going to the Manaslu trek with a guide. For the detailed information of Guide and Porter Hire, please read our Trekking Guide Hire in Nepal page.
9. Insurance Cost for Manaslu Circuit Trekking
As the Manaslu Circuit Trekking is an adventure trek, you should have insurance that covers helicopter rescue up to a height of 5000 meters. For these types of insurance, you can purchase a 30-day insurance policy costing around USD 150 .
Final Words
Though the above factors decide the cost for Manaslu Trekking, trekking style and itineraries vary the Manaslu Circuit Trek cost. Feel free to get in touch with BASE CAMP HIKE for the best deal on packages and make a lifetime memorable trekking to Manaslu.
