Manaslu Circuit Trek itinerary: 15 days, day by day

The itinerary at a glance

Here are all 15 days on one screen. Altitudes are where you sleep that night, and distances and times are walking figures unless the row says it's a drive. The full write-up for each day, with our own photos from the trail, is on the Manaslu Circuit Trek page.

Days 1–2: Kathmandu and the drive to Machha Khola

Day 1 is arrival. Our team meets you at your Kathmandu hotel, walks you through the permit paperwork we've already filed, checks your gear and talks through the acclimatization plan. The welcome dinner is your first chance to meet your guide and anyone else on your departure.

Day 2 is a long one in the vehicle: 8–9 hours west out of the valley, over a mountain road toward Arughat, then down along the Budhi Gandaki to the trailhead at Machha Khola (869m). It's the lowest night of the trek, and your first look at the gorge you'll follow for the next week.

Days 3–5: up the Budhi Gandaki gorge

These are the longest walking days before the pass, at 5–7 hours each, but they're at low altitude, so they build fitness without much altitude strain.

• Day 3, Machha Khola to Jagat (1,340m). Through Khorlabesi and Tatopani, where the hot springs make a good break. Jagat is your first Restricted Area Permit checkpoint.
• Day 4, Jagat to Deng (1,860m). Through Philim and a stretch of bamboo forest, as the gorge narrows and steepens and the plant life starts to change.
• Day 5, Deng to Namrung (2,630m). The biggest single climb of the approach, at +770m, into the Nubri valley and its Tibetan villages and prayer wheels. Your Manaslu Conservation Area Permit is checked here, and on a clear afternoon you'll see Siring and Simnang Himal.

Days 6–8: Lho, Samagaon and the rest day

From here the days get shorter on purpose. You're now above 3,000m, so the itinerary slows the climb down.

• Day 6, Namrung to Lho (3,180m). An easier 4–5 hours through Lihi and Sho. The gompa terrace at Lho is one of the best viewpoints on the whole circuit, with Manaslu's summit ridge filling the sky.
• Day 7, Lho to Samagaon (3,530m). Just 3–4 hours into the largest village on the route, with an afternoon free for the monastery.
• Day 8, rest day at Samagaon. You sleep at the same altitude two nights running. If you feel good, hike toward Manaslu Base Camp (around 4,800m) or take the shorter walk to Pungyen Gompa, then come back down to sleep. Climbing high and sleeping low is what gets your body ready for the pass.

Days 9–11: Samdo, Dharamsala and the Larkya La

• Day 9, Samagaon to Samdo (3,860m). A 4-hour day over a high bridge to the last real village before the pass, where a trade trail still runs toward the Tibet border.
• Day 10, Samdo to Dharamsala (4,460m). Only 3–4 hours, to the basic lodges right below the pass. This is your highest night. Eat early and sleep early, because the next start is well before sunrise.
• Day 11, over the Larkya La (5,106m) to Bimtang (3,720m). This is the day the whole trip builds toward: about 26km and 8–9 hours, climbing 646m and then descending 1,386m. You set out by headlamp to clear the pass before the afternoon wind. There's no rope or crampon work on the standard route, but it takes real effort. From the top you see Himlung, Cheo and Annapurna II, and the long descent ends in Bimtang's glacial meadow under Manaslu's west face.

The pass is easier than those numbers look, because the three days before it are short and the rest day at Samagaon has already done its job. There's more on how that works in how acclimatization is built into our itineraries.

Days 12–15: down to Tilije and back to Kathmandu

• Day 12, Bimtang to Tilije (2,300m). Your last walking day: a long descent of 1,420m through pine and rhododendron forest, with the Annapurna range opening up to the west.
• Day 13, jeep from Tilije to Besisahar (760m). The drive runs through Dharapani, where your Annapurna Conservation Area Permit is checked, then down the Marsyangdi valley to a hotel and a hot shower.
• Day 14, Besisahar to Kathmandu. About 7–8 hours on the Prithvi Highway. Traffic around Mugling and the valley rim sets the pace, so expect to arrive in the late afternoon.
• Day 15, buffer day. This day is there in case the road out runs late. If everything is on schedule, it's yours to explore Kathmandu or rest before your flight.

How the altitude is paced

Once you're above 3,000m, the itinerary never adds more than 600m of sleeping altitude in one night, and it puts a full rest day at Samagaon before the last push. Here's the climb, night by night:

The biggest jump, +770m to Namrung on Day 5, happens below 3,000m, where the air is still thick enough for your body to cope with it easily. Above that, the gains shrink, the days get shorter and your guide checks for altitude symptoms at every stop. If you want to know what that check involves, the Manaslu Circuit Trek guide covers it along with difficulty, cost and who the trek suits.

Permit checkpoints along the way

Three permits are checked at points along the route: the Restricted Area Permit at Jagat (Day 3), the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit at Jagat and again at Namrung (Day 5), and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit at Dharapani (Day 13). We file all three before you arrive, and your guide handles each check. There's more on what each permit covers in restricted-area permits explained.

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