Manaslu Circuit Trek — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport. Pre-book a Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel (many are £10-18/night for a private double). Pick up a Nepali SIM at the airport (Ncell or NTC, ~£4-6 for data/talk). Spend the afternoon buying/renting gear in Thamel: down jacket, sleeping bag can be rented for ~£1-2/day, and you'll want a headtorch, water purification tablets and a warm hat. Tonight, arrange your permits with a local trekking agency on Thamel Marg — you'll need passport photos and a photocopy of your passport.

🚌Pre-booked taxi from airport to Thamel, ~£4

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Thamel (private room, ~£12)

• →Airport transfer by pre-booked taxi (~£3-4)
• →Gear rental in Thamel
• →Buy Ncell/NTC SIM card

Morning: finalise your restricted-area permit (Manaslu RAP, ~£75-90 plus ACAP ~£25 and MCAP ~£20 depending on season, all payable per person via an agency in Thamel). Also collect your TIMS card if needed. In the afternoon, self-guide the UNESCO valley sites on foot and by local bus: Kathmandu Durbar Square (~£6 entry), Swayambhunath stupa (~£1.50), Boudhanath (~£2.50) and Pashupatinath (~£6). A combined ticket isn't available so pick your favourites; Durbar Square and Boudhanath are the highlights.

🚌Walking + local bus/tempo (each ride ~£0.30)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Thamel (private room, ~£12)

• →Arrange Manaslu RAP + ACAP + MCAP permits
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square
• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Swayambhunath

Take a local bus or shared jeep from Kathmandu to Arughat/Soti Khola (the latter is the newer route). Local buses leave from Gongabu or Machha Pokhari bus park from around 06:30, ~8-9 hours, ~£8-12. Shared jeeps can be arranged through your agency or directly in Machha Pokhari (~£15-20 pp when shared). Walk or take a short jeep from Soti Khola to Machha Khola (~£2). Settle into a riverside guesthouse, eat dal bhat, and start your first acclimatisation night low.

🚌Local bus Kathmandu–Soti Khola ~£10, short jeep to Machha Khola ~£2

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Machha Khola (~£6)

• →Local bus Machha Pokhari to Soti Khola
• →First trek day logistics with porter/guide

Follow the Budhi Gandaki river upstream. It's around 6 hours of walking through forest and past several hot springs at Tatopani — worth a stop for a soak. The trail picks up the Manaslu trailhead proper past Jagat, so this is where you show your permits and get your first checkpoint stamp. Guesthouses get simpler from here on; expect £5-8 for a double and £3-5 per meal.

🚌Walking (~6 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Jagat (~£6)

• →Tatopani hot springs
• →Manaslu checkpoint at Jagat

Around 6-7 hours of walking. The valley narrows dramatically past Jagat, and you'll cross several suspension bridges on the way to Deng. Eat garlic soup tonight — a Himalayan trekking staple believed to help with altitude. Guesthouse quality is basic; solar hot water only, so shower early.

🚌Walking (~6-7 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Deng (~£6)

• →Budhi Gandaki valley walk
• →Suspension bridge crossings

A tougher, steeper day of 6-7 hours as the trail climbs through pine and rhododendron forest. Views of Sringi Himal and Ganesh Himal start to open up. Above Deng you are now in the restricted-area zone. Namrung is larger than Deng and has a decent bakery and several guesthouses.

🚌Walking (~6-7 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Namrung (~£6)

• →Forest ridge climb
• →Views of Sringi Himal and Ganesh Himal

A shorter 4-5 hour day past Ribung Gompa towards the trade village of Lho. The key reward is the first proper look at Mount Manaslu (8,163 m). Lho has monasteries and a large chorten, plus a good vantage point for sunrise on Manaslu from the plateau above the village — a 30-minute climb worth the alarm.

🚌Walking (~4-5 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Lho Gaun (~£7)

• →Ribung Gompa
• →Manaslu sunrise viewpoint above Lho
• →Lho monastery

A relatively easy 3-4 hour walk across a wide plateau to Samagaon, the largest village on the trek with a school, monastery and dozens of guesthouses. Because you're now at altitude, spend the afternoon resting, drinking plenty of water and eating well. If you're doing the full circuit solo-style, Samagaon is the natural base for acclimatisation days.

🚌Walking (~3-4 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Samagaon (~£7)

• →Samagaon village and monastery

Choose one of the classic acclimatisation walks, all self-guided if you're with a guide: the Manaslu Base Camp day walk (6-7 hours round trip, ~5,600 steps of ascent — this is genuinely hard and you'll want an early start), the Birendra Tal glacial lake walk (half day), or a gentle half-day walk to the glacier viewpoint across the valley. The Base Camp walk is the operator's optional highlight, and you can do it independently with a guide. Sleep low — back in Samagaon.

🚌Walking

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Samagaon (~£7)

• →Optional Manaslu Base Camp day walk
• →Optional Birendra Tal
• →Optional glacier valley walk

A short 3-4 hour walk up the valley to Samdo, the last proper settlement before the pass and just 15 km from the Tibetan border. Samdo has a Tibetan-run culture and a very good bakery. Use the afternoon to rest. Note that locals here will warn you against any off-trail walking towards the border — do respect that.

🚌Walking (~3-4 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Samdo (~£7)

• →Samdo village walk
• →Tibetan border viewpoint (not crossing)

A 4-5 hour walk past the Syacha Glacier to Dharmasala, the very basic stone shelter at the foot of the Larkya La. This is the most uncomfortable night of the trek — expect a dorm dorm bed (~£5) with a shared toilet and a canteen selling simple noodles. Bring your warmest layers, a good sleeping bag, and plenty of water. Go to bed early for a pre-dawn start.

🚌Walking (~4-5 hrs)

🛏Basic stone shelter dorm (Larke Phedi), ~£5

• →Syacha Glacier views
• →Night at Larke Phedi shelter

The big day. Leave Dharmasala by about 03:30-04:00 with a torch for the climb to the Larkya La, reaching the pass around sunrise. On a clear morning you get a panorama of Manaslu, Himlung, Kang Guru and Annapurna II. The descent to Bimthang is long and steep — about 8-10 hours total on the trail. Take it slowly, bring snacks, and watch for icy patches near the top.

🚌Walking (~8-10 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Bimthang (~£7)

• →Larkya La sunrise crossing
• →Himalayan panorama

Descend steadily alongside the Dudh Khola through meadows and forest down to the village of Goa (sometimes spelled Ghoa), about 5-6 hours. This is a gentler day after the pass; use it to rest your knees. Note the trail joins the Annapurna circuit route here, so guesthouses are busier with other trekkers.

🚌Walking (~5-6 hrs)

🛏Teahouse guesthouse, Goa (~£6)

• →Dudh Khola descent
• →Forest and meadow walking

A short 3-hour walk down to Dharapani, then a shared jeep or local bus down the Marsyangdi River road back to Kathmandu. Shared jeeps take ~7-8 hours and cost ~£15-25 split between passengers; buses are slower but cheaper at ~£8-10. Arrive back in Thamel in the evening and check into a proper hotel room for the first hot shower in days.

🚌Walking 3 hrs + shared jeep Dharapani–Kathmandu ~£20

🛏Hotel or guesthouse in Thamel (~£14)

• →Dharapani jeep/bus connections
• →Hotel check-in in Thamel

A free morning in Kathmandu for souvenirs in Thamel or a final café stop, then a pre-booked taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight. Allow 3 hours at the airport for international departures.

🚌Pre-booked taxi to airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Thamel shopping
• →Airport transfer