How Hard Is the Manaslu Circuit? A Plain Rating for 2027

Updated 27 October 2026.

Short answer: I rate the Manaslu Circuit Very Strenuous, one step above the Annapurna Circuit, which I rate Strenuous. You walk 5 to 8 hours a day for 9 days, the Larkya La (5,160 m on our itinerary) is an 8 to 10 hour day, and the lodges are basic and far apart. Nothing is technical. A fit walker with good boots and a patient guide can do it. Our 12-day trek costs USD 1,005 Budget, USD 1,599 Standard and USD 2,665 Luxury per person for two to four people.

I am Shreejan. My family is from Gorkha, the district this trek walks through. People ask me two things. Is it very hard, and is it harder than the Annapurna Circuit? The short version: the pass is lower than Thorong La, but the whole trek asks more of you.

Status on 27 October 2026

Two floods hit the Budhi Gandaki valley this autumn, on 6 September and 11 October. The Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) notice of 21 October says the circuit over the Larke Pass is open again, with extreme caution. TAAN also announced the Manaslu and Larke Pass route open, with a call for care (Ekantipur, 22 October 2026).

Some sections of the lower valley are still being repaired. The Tamang Heritage Trail is not possible now. I have written up what changed in Manaslu Circuit reopened after the 2026 floods. Everything below is for 2027 dates. Ask me for the latest before you book, because this changes week to week.

How hard is the Manaslu Circuit, in numbers?

The package page quotes the pass at 5,160 m, and our other blogs use the same figure. Maps and some other itineraries give 5,106 m, and the German site himalaya-info.org says the pass has never been precisely surveyed. I plan for a pass somewhere between 5,100 and 5,160 m. It does not change how the day feels.

Which days are hardest on the Manaslu Circuit?

This is our 12-day plan. The heights and gains come from the night-by-night altitude profile, where I show how each sleeping height is worked out. The last column is my own rating.

The package page says "5 to 8 hours" of walking a day in its description, and its overview box says "approximately 5 to 7 hrs". I use the longer range, because day 11 is a full eight hours after you have already done the pass.

What is the Larkya La day really like?

You leave Dharamsala around 3 am in the dark. You climb about 680 m to the top, then drop about 1,440 m to Bhimtang, 24.7 km in all. Nepali Times describes the same crossing as a 10-hour day. First light comes around half past five.

The part people underrate is the descent. After the top you still have hours of loose rock and moraine before the path eases. Poles help a lot. Your knees will tell you about it on day 11 as well.

Your guide decides on the morning whether to go. Snow or wind can change the day. If we do not cross, we do not cross. I wrote the full walk in my Larkya La guide.

Is the Manaslu Circuit harder than the Annapurna Circuit?

Yes, I think so, even though Thorong La (5,416 m) is about 250 m higher than the Larkya La. Here is how the two compare on our own itineraries. The Annapurna figures are from my Annapurna Circuit difficulty guide.

The Annapurna Circuit puts you higher at night. The Manaslu Circuit gives you longer days, a longer pass day and less comfort. You are also further from a road. If something goes wrong at Samdo, getting out takes much more effort than at Manang. That is part of the difficulty, even though it never shows up in a height number.

Weather moves every rating. My Manaslu versus Annapurna Circuit comparison goes through the rest.

What do the remote lodges mean for effort?

Above Samagaun, all tiers use the best lodge available. Hot showers may not be there. Dharamsala is a stone shelter with a tin roof, not a village, and the choice is small.

That costs you energy slowly. You sleep worse, eat less and recover slower. I tell guests to bring a warm sleeping bag and to expect one cold, poor night before the pass.

How does your tier change the effort?

The route and the pass are the same on every tier. What changes is what you carry and how rested you are.

• Budget has no porter. You carry your own bag, and meals on the trail are not included.
• Standard has one porter for every two guests, so each of you gives 10 kg. The law allows a porter 20 kg at most. A solo Standard trekker has no porter, and the guide carries up to 10 kg of the bag.
• Luxury has your own porter, and your bag can be up to 20 kg.

On the pass day you carry only a light day pack on every tier. The tier matters most on days 2 to 5 and day 11, when a lighter back makes the long days easier. Budget guests who are on the edge of fit should think hard about that.

Do you need a guide and a permit for the Manaslu Circuit?

Yes. Manaslu is a restricted area. You need a restricted-area permit from the Department of Immigration, a licensed guide, a TIMS card and the Manaslu Conservation Area entry. We arrange all of it and the price includes it.

Since 22 March 2026 a single trekker can get the permit through a registered agency with a licensed guide, and we have done this. One guide can be listed for at most 7 trekkers in a restricted-area group. Walking apart from your guide is not allowed, because the guide is named on the permit and checked at army and police posts. More in Manaslu solo trekking permit.

For reference, the official fees are these. The restricted-area permit is USD 100 per person for the first week from September to November, then USD 15 a day. From December to August it is USD 75 for the first week, then USD 10 a day. The Manaslu Conservation Area fee is NPR 3,000 for foreigners (Nepal Tourism Board). These are inside our price.

Who should not do the Manaslu Circuit?

I would steer these people to a different trek.

• You have never walked more than a few hours a day. Eight hours on the pass day is a lot to find out about on the day.
• You have had altitude sickness before and were slow to recover. Two nights on this route are above the usual 500 m a night guideline, and I say so in the profile blog. A slower plan helps.
• You cannot take a cold night with basic comfort.
• You have knee trouble. The descent after the pass and day 11 add up.
• You want a clinic or a road within a few hours. The upper valley has neither.

If that sounds like you, the Annapurna Circuit or Mardi Himal gives much of the mountain feeling with less risk. If you want a longer, gentler plan, tell me and we will look at it.

Best time to do the Manaslu Circuit

The pass is the one day snow can stop. Rain figures here are Pokhara averages (1991 to 2020), because there is no weather station on the circuit.

After this autumn I would book spring 2027 with flexible dates and no fixed flights home on the day after the trek.

Getting there and what it costs

There are no flights. You drive from Kathmandu to Machha Khola (8 to 10 hours on a rough road, about 160 km) and finish at Dharapani, then drive via Besisahar back to Kathmandu. Keep a spare day before your flight home, because the road can be slow.

Prices below are per person for the 12-day Manaslu Circuit trek, read from the live page on 25 October 2026.

Your permits, licensed guide and airport pickup are in the price. Kathmandu hotels are not. You pay a 10% deposit, and the balance in Kathmandu in USD or EUR. A card payment of the balance carries 3.5%, and cash carries none. Buy travel insurance at home that covers trekking to 5,500 m (the pass rounds up to that) and helicopter evacuation.

How fit do I need to be for the Manaslu Circuit?

You should be able to walk 6 to 7 hours with a day pack on hilly ground, two days in a row, and still feel fine. Start training 3 to 4 months ahead with long walks and stairs, and wear your boots in. You do not need to be an athlete. Pace and sleep matter more than speed.

Is the Manaslu Circuit safe after the 2026 floods?

The route is open with extreme caution, as of the 21 October MCAP notice. The damage is in the lower valley, mainly between Machha Khola and Jagat. On our plan we walk that stretch slowly with the guide and follow what local people say that morning. If a crossing looks wrong, we do not use it. I will not send a group over a damaged bridge to keep a timetable.

Can a beginner do the Manaslu Circuit?

I do not recommend it as a first trek. If you have walked a few multi-day treks and coped with 3,500 m or so, it is realistic. If Manaslu is your first trek in Nepal, do Mardi Himal or Poon Hill first. Read altitude sickness prevention before you decide.

How long is the Manaslu Circuit, and can it be done in fewer days?

Ours is 12 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu. Shorter plans exist, but they cut the rest day or the short days to Samdo and Dharamsala, and those are what keep the pass safe. I do not cut them to save a day.

If you want to talk it through, message me on WhatsApp at +977 9810351300 and tell me what treks you have done.