Larkya La and the Manaslu Circuit Altitude Profile, Night by Night for 2027

Updated 25 October 2026.

Short answer: On our 12-day Manaslu Circuit you sleep above 3,500 m for six nights, but only one night is above 4,000 m: Dharamsala, 4,480 m, the night before the Larkya La (5,160 m). The biggest sleeping jump is day 5, Namrung (2,630 m) to Shyala (3,500 m), and the rest day at Samagaun (3,530 m) comes before anything higher. The pass day climbs about 680 m and then drops about 1,440 m to Bhimtang (3,720 m). Our 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. When guests ask me whether Manaslu is "high", I tell them the pass is high and the nights mostly are not. What matters is how fast the sleeping height rises, and that is easy to see if you write it down night by night. So I have.

Manaslu status, 25 October 2026: the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (NTNC-MCAP) said on 21 October that the circuit over the Larke Pass is open again, with extreme caution. After the September and October floods on the Budhi Gandaki, some sections between Khorlabesi and Salleri are still being repaired, and the Tsum Valley (Lokpa to Chumling) is still under repair. I wrote up what changed in Manaslu Circuit reopened after the 2026 floods. Everything below is for 2027 dates.

What is the Manaslu Circuit altitude profile, night by night?

These are the heights from our Manaslu Circuit Trek, 12 days itinerary. The "gain" column is how much higher you sleep than the night before, which is the number your body cares about. I worked it out from the sleeping heights.

Two things stand out. Day 5 is the steepest jump in your sleeping height. And after Shyala the plan turns gentle: +30 m, a full rest day, +345 m, then +605 m. That pattern is deliberate. I do not cut the Samdo night to save a day.

Where do the published heights disagree?

Heights on this route do not match from source to source, and I would rather tell you than pick one quietly. I compared the figures on our itinerary with other published itineraries and maps. The table shows our figure and the range I found.

These are differences of a few tens of metres, except Bhimtang (130 m) and the Larkya La (54 m). The pass has never been fixed to one number: the map figure is 5,106 m, and GPS devices can read 5,135 to 5,160 m. Plan on roughly 5,100 to 5,160 m. For insurance I use 5,160 m, which rounds up to 5,500 m cover.

Which nights are above 4,000 m?

One. Dharamsala, also called Larkya Phedi, at 4,480 m, on day 9. Samdo at 3,875 m and Bhimtang at 3,720 m sleep below 4,000 m. Some itineraries on the web call Dharamsala a village. It is not. It is a basic stone shelter, with no showers to count on, and I describe the night properly in my Dharamsala guide.

If a trek has you sleeping at 4,000 m or more on several nights, ask how it got there. Ours does not, because the pass is the high point and you come down the same day.

How does this compare with the usual altitude rules?

The CDC Yellow Book sets a low-risk pace as no more than about 500 m of extra sleeping height per day above 3,000 m, and the Merck Manual adds a rest day every 3 to 4 days. Against that, our plan has two nights that are over the line: day 5 (+870 m, though part of it is below 3,000 m) and day 9 (+605 m). Every other night is inside it, and the rest day at Samagaun and the short day to Samdo sit between them.

It is a trade-off, and I will not pretend otherwise. A gentler profile would add a night at Lho or Shyala. That costs a day, and most guests have not got it. What I do instead is check you every morning and evening with a pulse oximeter and ask how you slept, whether you have a headache, and how your appetite is. If you are not right, we stop or go down.

What does the pass day look like?

You leave Dharamsala in the dark, usually around 3 am, and climb about 680 m to the Larkya La. Then you descend about 1,440 m to Bhimtang, 24.7 km in total. I plan for 8 to 10 hours, and Nepali Times describes it as a 10-hour day. The first light arrives around half past five, and the long descent starts after the top.

The pass day is not where most people get sick. It is the morning after the night at 4,480 m, so a bad night shows up on the climb. Your guide decides on the morning whether to go, because snow or wind can change the day. For the full walk, read my Larkya La guide.

What are the signs of altitude sickness on this trek?

These are the medical definitions, from the Merck Manual. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a headache plus at least one of tiredness, nausea or vomiting, poor appetite, or dizziness that does not go away. It usually starts 6 to 10 hours after you go higher, which is why the first bad hours are often the evening or the night, not the walk.

The dangerous signs are different. A headache with confusion or drowsiness, or a wobbly walk, can mean fluid on the brain (HACE). Breathlessness on a gentle slope, then at rest, a dry cough and later pink sputum can mean fluid in the lungs (HAPE). Either one means going down at once. Medicine does not replace descent.

On a remote route the decision to go down has to be made early. I explain the stages in AMS, HAPE and HACE on a Nepal trek, and the prevention basics in altitude sickness prevention.

Best time by month for the Manaslu altitude and the pass

Month matters because the pass is the one day that snow can stop. There is no weather station on the circuit, so the rain figures are Pokhara averages from WMO and Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (1991 to 2020), as set out in my month-by-month Manaslu guide. The comments on the trail are our guides' experience, not measurements.

• March: 63.7 mm of rain in Pokhara. Late winter above 3,000 m early in the month, clearer and quiet by the end.
• April: 141.7 mm. Spring peak, the pass usually clear of heavy snow.
• May: 354.7 mm. Good early, a gamble late.
• June to August: monsoon, 648 to 941 mm a month. We do not run it.
• September: 635 mm, easing. Wet trail, landslides still possible.
• October: 159.2 mm on 8 days. Our guides find the pass easiest this month. Busiest, with Dashain.
• November: 17.2 mm. Clear and dry, cold, and fresh snow on the pass is more likely from mid month.
• December to February: very cold and the pass can be snowed shut. We do not run it.

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) and finish at Dharapani, then drive via Besisahar back to Kathmandu. Keep a spare day or two before your flight home, because the road can be slow.

The 12-day price for two to four people, per person, is USD 1,005 Budget, USD 1,599 Standard and USD 2,665 Luxury. Solo is USD 1,595, USD 2,205 and USD 4,015. All permits, your licensed guide and airport pickup are in the price. Kathmandu hotels are not. Budget has no porter, Standard has one porter for every two guests (10 kg each), and Luxury has your own porter (your bag up to 20 kg). Budget meals are not included. You pay a 10% deposit and the balance in Kathmandu, in USD or EUR. A card payment of the balance carries a 3.5% charge and cash in Kathmandu carries none.

The permit fees, for reference, are from the Department of Immigration: the Manaslu restricted-area permit is USD 100 for the first 7 days from September to November (then USD 15 a day), and USD 75 for 7 days from December to August (then USD 10 a day). The Manaslu Conservation Area fee is NPR 3,000 and the TIMS card is NPR 2,000, per the Nepal Tourism Board. We arrange all of these. A licensed guide is compulsory. The two-person minimum was dropped on 22 March 2026, so you can go alone.

Frequently asked questions

How high do you sleep on the Manaslu Circuit?

The highest night is Dharamsala at 4,480 m on day 9. Before that you sleep at Samdo (3,875 m), Samagaun (3,530 m, two nights) and Shyala (3,500 m). After the pass you sleep at Bhimtang, 3,720 m.

Is there a rest day on the Manaslu Circuit?

Yes. Day 7 is a rest day at Samagaun (3,530 m). You can walk to Birendra Tal, a glacial lake at the foot of Manaslu, and come back to sleep at the same height. Sources give the lake at different heights (3,691 m in the two I read), so I do not promise you one.

How much does the sleeping height rise on the biggest day?

Day 5, Namrung (2,630 m) to Shyala (3,500 m), is +870 m by the itinerary heights. Day 4 is next at +770 m (Deng to Namrung, still below 3,000 m), then day 9 at +605 m to Dharamsala. Every other night is +530 m or less.

How hard is the Larkya La compared with Thorong La?

Thorong La on the Annapurna Circuit is 5,416 m, so it is higher. The Larkya La is the harder crossing by most accounts, steeper on the approach and rockier on the descent, as I wrote in my Larkya La guide. Read Samdo and Shyala for the two nights that decide how you feel on the pass.

Do I need Diamox for the Manaslu Circuit?

That is a question for your own doctor. Some trekkers take acetazolamide, and it can help, but it does not replace a slow ascent. Bring any medicine you take with you, and tell your guide what you are taking.

What insurance height do I need for Manaslu?

The highest point is 5,160 m, so cover to 5,500 m. Buy it at home and check that it covers helicopter evacuation. I do not recommend buying insurance in Nepal.

Is the Manaslu Circuit open for 2027?

The MCAP notice of 21 October 2026 said the circuit over the Larke Pass is open with extreme caution. I will confirm the state of the lower valley before each departure, and I will not guess a date for the Tsum side.

If you want your own night-by-night plan for 2027, message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300 with your dates and any high-altitude trek you have done before.