Besisahar: The Start of the Annapurna Circuit and the Way Out of Manaslu and Nar Phu

Ask ten trekkers where the Annapurna Circuit starts and you will get several answers, because the road runs a long way up the valley. Ask where the circuit road starts and the answer is Besisahar. It is the district town of Lamjung, and for us it matters in three different ways: it is the start of our Annapurna Circuit bike tour, the lunch stop on the way to Nar Phu, and the place where our Manaslu Circuit treks finish. This page is about the town itself, what our own itineraries say about it, and what I know and do not know about the road beyond it after the September 2026 floods.

Where is Besisahar?

According to Wikipedia, Besisahar (also spelt Besishahar) is a municipality and the district headquarters of Lamjung District in Gandaki Province, established on 15 May 2014 by merging several village development committees. It sits on the Marsyangdi River, covers 127.64 square kilometres, and is described as the starting point of the Annapurna Circuit. The highway runs from Dumre on the Prithvi Highway through Besisahar to Chame, and Wikipedia gives the distance as 178.8 kilometres to Kathmandu and 108.9 kilometres to Pokhara. Wikipedia lists Annapurna II, Machhapuchhre and Lamjung Himal among the mountains visible from the north.

Wikipedia also records two population figures that do not agree, 38,232 in the 2021 census and 44,598 for 2024, so I will not quote a number of people. What I can say is that it is a district town with a community hospital, according to Wikipedia, not a trailhead hamlet like the villages further up.

How high is Besisahar?

Wikipedia gives 760 metres, and our Manaslu Circuit, Nar Phu and bike tour itineraries all say the same, 760 metres. It is warm, subtropical country, which is why the first hour on the bike or in the jeep feels more like the lowlands than the Himalaya. The altitude work starts much further up the valley: our bike itinerary has you at Tal at 1,700 metres on day 2 and at Chame at 2,670 metres on day 3.

How far is it from Kathmandu, and how long does the drive take?

Our own pages disagree a little, so here are all of them. Our bike tour itinerary says 185 kilometres and six to seven hours by road, west along the Prithvi Highway and then north from Dumre up the Marsyangdi. Our 19-day Tsum Valley and Manaslu itinerary says five to six hours from Besisahar to Kathmandu on the bus or jeep home. Our Nar Phu itinerary says about 180 kilometres and eight to ten hours for the same road, which includes the stops. Wikipedia's 178.8 kilometres is the best figure for distance. For time, plan on six to seven hours without delays and allow more in the festival season and the monsoon, when traffic and landslides decide the day.

Which of our treks go through Besisahar?

It is not always the start. Here is what each itinerary actually says.

One thing that surprises people: the Manaslu Circuit and the Annapurna Circuit meet. Our bike itinerary describes Dharapani as the place where the Manaslu trail comes in from the east. So the walker who finishes Manaslu and the cyclist who started in Besisahar share the same road for the last stretch, and both end up in the same town.

What permits does this side of the valley need?

I will not guess where each permit is checked, because I cannot source it, and we arrange them for you in Kathmandu in any case. What I can give you are the official fees, which come from the Department of Immigration (restricted areas) and the Nepal Tourism Board (conservation areas and TIMS), as we last checked them in September 2026.

• Manaslu restricted-area permit: USD 100 for the first week from September to November (USD 75 from December to August), then USD 15 a day (USD 10 a day from December to August).
• Nar Phu restricted-area permit: USD 100 for the first week from September to November (USD 75 from December to August), then USD 15 a day.
• Annapurna Conservation Area permit (ACAP): NPR 3,000.
• Manaslu Conservation Area permit (MCAP): NPR 3,000.
• TIMS card: NPR 2,000. A restricted-area permit does not replace it.

Manaslu and Nar Phu are restricted areas, and the rules are firm. You trek with a licensed guide, the guide is named on your permit, and you do not walk apart from him. Since 22 March 2026 a restricted-area permit can be issued to a single trekker, but it still goes through a registered agency and a licensed guide, and one guide can be listed for at most seven trekkers. Our restricted-area permits guide, our Manaslu solo permit post and the complete permits guide go through each one.

What should you plan for on the way out?

The exit day from Manaslu is the one people forget to plan. Our itinerary for the 12-day circuit says to reach Besisahar before 3 pm to catch the last bus to Kathmandu, and that if you miss it we extend the trip by a day. Our 19-day itinerary gives the same 3 pm rule. If you are flying out of Kathmandu the next morning, book the flight for the day after you expect to arrive, not the same evening.

I will not list shops, banks or hotels in town, because I have no source for them that I would stand behind. Do your last shopping in Kathmandu and carry your bag from there.

Is the road north of Besisahar open right now?

I do not know, and nobody should tell you it is clear without checking that morning. This is what I can source from the last week of September.

On 27 September, according to Nepal Press, a landslide at Kharkhere Bhir in Besisahar blocked the Besisahar to Chame road completely, and about 200 metres of road was washed away just north of the slip, as confirmed by the district police information officer. No repair date was given. The Kathmandu Post reported on 28 September that the Lamjung to Manang road was cut at several points, including three wooden bridges washed away at Chame, with the planning chief saying repairs would start that Monday and the road could be passable by Dashain. On 29 September the Post reported machinery clearing the blocked Marsyangdi at Chame, and on 30 September it reported that the river had cut off Upper Manang again, with a submerged bridge and debris blocking the main road. I looked for a report that the road had reopened and did not find one, so as of 4 October 2026 I cannot tell you that it has.

Two more things to keep in mind. The Manaslu side had its own floods in early September, and our Manaslu flood update has that account. And Dashain traffic is heavy: Ghatasthapana is on 11 October and the government holiday runs 17 to 23 October, so expect crowded buses on the Prithvi Highway whatever the weather. Our road versus trail guide, the late September travel update and our post on the Annapurna Circuit road explain the difference between a blocked road and a blocked trail. If your departure is close, ask us for the position on the day.

When is the best time to start here?

The same two windows as the rest of the high Himalaya: October and November in autumn, and March to May in spring. The monsoon, June to September, is when the road valley is at its most landslide-prone, and this September showed it. Our autumn Annapurna Circuit guide and autumn Manaslu guide go month by month.

The short version

Besisahar is the district town of Lamjung at 760 metres, about 179 kilometres and six to seven hours from Kathmandu. It is where our Annapurna Circuit bike tour begins, where we stop for lunch on the way to Nar Phu, and where our Manaslu Circuit treks end, with a last-bus deadline of 3 pm. I cannot promise you the road beyond it this month, but I can tell you which day of which trek touches the town. If you want to talk it through, message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300. For the first village on the Nar Phu road, read our Koto guide, and for the junction where the two circuits meet, Dharapani.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation family guide. TAAN Member #1586.