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Manaslu from Samagaon
Manaslu circles the eighth-highest mountain on earth through a restricted area that requires a permit, a licensed guide and a minimum of two trekkers — which is exactly why it stays quiet. The route climbs the Budhi Gandaki gorge to Samagaon, crosses the Larkya La at 5,106 m, and drops into the Annapurna region on the far side.
Airport pickup and transfer to your Thamel hotel. Evening briefing, and we collect your passport overnight for the restricted-area permit.
A long drive west then north up the Budhi Gandaki, the last three hours on a rough road in a shared jeep.
Hot, humid gorge walking past hot springs at Tatopani. Jagat is where the restricted area begins and the permits are checked.
The gorge tightens and the trail climbs and drops repeatedly. Hindu villages give way to the first Buddhist prayer wheels.
Through bamboo and then pine, crossing the river repeatedly. Namrung has the first real view of Himalchuli.
Into Nubri proper — flat-roofed Tibetan houses, barley terraces, and Manaslu itself standing at the head of the valley.
Climb high, sleep low: up to Pungyen Gompa beneath the Manaslu glacier, or to Birendra Tal. Afternoon in the village.
A short day by design. Samdo is a Tibetan refugee settlement two hours from the border, and the last real village before the pass.
A walk towards the Tibetan border at the Rui La, then back down. The second built-in rest day, and the one that gets people over the Larkya.
Two and a half hours to a spartan huddle of huts also called Larkya Phedi. Cold, basic, and a very early night.
The big day. A 04:00 start across the moraine, four hours to the prayer flags at 5,106 m with Himlung and Cheo Himal across the glacier, then a long descent to the meadows at Bimthang.
A very long descent through rhododendron forest, rejoining the Annapurna Circuit trail at Dharapani.
Jeep to Besisahar and coach on to Kathmandu. A long day sitting down, which by now is welcome.
Held against a road or weather delay. Unused, it is yours for Patan, Bhaktapur or a very long shower.
Airport transfer for your onward flight — or extend with Chitwan safari or Pokhara.
Prices per person, twin-share · 20% deposit confirms · Balance payable in Kathmandu
We provide free of charge: an 80 L duffel bag, sleeping bag and down jacket for the trek — handed over at your Kathmandu briefing, returned after the trek. Anything missing can be bought or rented in Thamel; your guide will help you shop.
Manaslu is a restricted area. Nepali law requires a licensed guide and a minimum of two trekkers on one permit, issued through a registered agency. We arrange all of it, and if you are travelling alone we can usually pair you with another booking.
Harder, wilder and far quieter. The teahouses are more basic, the gorge days are longer, and there is no road anywhere on the route. If you walked Annapurna ten years ago and want that again, this is it.
It is a long day — eight to nine hours, starting in the dark, with a 650 m climb and a 1,400 m descent. No technical skill is needed, but it is the one day of the trek that asks for everything, which is why we build in two acclimatisation days first.
October to November and April are the windows. The Larkya La holds snow into spring and closes in winter; the monsoon makes the gorge section landslide-prone. We do not run it outside those months.
Simple. Twin rooms with a shared squat toilet in most villages, a dining room heated by a stove, and no hot shower above Samagaon. The food is dal bhat, noodles and eggs, and it is enough.
Fifteen days and we saw more blue sheep than trekkers. The two rest days at Samagaon and Samdo meant the whole group got over the Larkya without anyone struggling. Permits were sorted in three days flat.
I wanted the Annapurna Circuit of thirty years ago, and this was it. The walking through the gorge was challenging, the scenery became spectacular from Namrung onwards, and the whole experience felt authentic, peaceful, and wonderfully remote.
