Self-Launched Manaslu Circuit Trek: Kathmandu to Larkya Pass Indie Style

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport, get a 30-day tourist visa on arrival (US$30 for 15 days / US$50 for 30 days — bring cash and a passport photo), and pick up a Nepali SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3–5 for data). Stay in Thamel, where every permit office and gear shop is walkable. Spend the afternoon at the Nepal Tourism Board office or with a registered Kathmandu trekking agency to lodge your Manaslu Restricted Area Permit application (needs your passport, photo, insurance details and a licensed guide's details), plus MCAP and ACAP cards. Rent or buy a down jacket, sleeping bag and microspikes in Thamel if you don't have them. Tonight: dal bhat and an early night.

🚌Airport-to-Thamel taxi ~£3–4; walkable otherwise

🛏Thamel hostel or budget guesthouse (dorm or private twin)

• →Apply for Manaslu RAP, MCAP and ACAP permits with a local agency
• →Buy Ncell/NTC SIM and data
• →Rent trekking gear in Thamel
• →Dal bhat dinner in Thamel

Take an early local or shared tourist bus from Kathmandu's Gongabu (Machha Pokhari) bus park to Arughat/Soti Khola — roughly 8–9 hours via Dhading Besi and Arughat Bazaar, often finishing with a shared jeep on the last rough stretch. Cost is about £6–10. This replaces the operator's private transfer. Check in at a simple teahouse in Soti Khola, register your permits at the checkpost, and sort your duffel for the days ahead.

🚌Local/shared bus Kathmandu–Arughat ~£5–7, plus shared jeep to Soti Khola ~£2–3 (8–9 hrs total)

🛏Teahouse in Soti Khola (twin room, shared bathroom)

• →Permit checkpost registration
• →Riverside walk in the evening

First proper trekking day: ~14km, 6–7 hours, gently climbing through sal forest, past the Gurung village of Labu Besi and over several suspension bridges above the Budhi Gandaki. Buy lunch at a trail teahouse (dal bhat or noodle soup, ~£2–3) and carry 2 litres of water — refill from teahouse filters or use purification tablets. Overnight in Machha Khola with Ganesh Himal views up the valley.

🚌On foot (~14km)

🛏Teahouse in Machha Khola

• →Sal forest trekking
• →Suspension bridge crossings over the Soti Khola
• →Labu Besi Gurung village stop

~15km, 6–7 hours. Follow the Tharo Khola and Budhi Gandaki past Khrola Besi and Dovan, with the highlight being a soak at Tatopani's riverside hot spring (small entry fee, ~£1). Climb to Jagat, the gateway to the restricted area, where your permits get checked again. Teahouse dinners run £3–5; expect simple but filling menus of dal bhat, fried rice and garlic soup.

🚌On foot (~15km)

🛏Teahouse in Jagat

• →Tatopani hot spring soak
• →Restricted-area permit check at Jagat
• →Budi Gandaki river valley trekking

~15km, 6–7 hours through Gurung villages and terraced fields, with a detour to the Salleri viewpoint for Shringi Himal. The trail is a mix of stone steps, riverbed and forest, and it stays quiet — this is the uncrowded Manaslu you came for. Deng is a small settlement with basic teahouses; charge devices early as solar power is limited and costs ~£1–2 per charge.

🚌On foot (~15km)

🛏Teahouse in Deng

• →Salleri viewpoint
• →Gurung village walking
• →Shringi Himal views

~16km, 6–7 hours, crossing the Budhi Gandaki on a long suspension bridge and climbing into Tibetan-influenced country. Mani walls, chortens and gompas start appearing, and you can side-trip up to Prok village for views of Siring Himal. Namrung is the largest village so far — good place to restock snacks and buy a hot shower (~£2).

🚌On foot (~16km)

🛏Teahouse in Namrung

• →Budi Gandaki suspension bridge
• →Prok village side trip
• →Mani stones and gompa wandering

A shorter day, ~9km and 5 hours, easing upward to aid acclimatisation. The trees thin out, the air cools, and Manaslu itself starts to fill the skyline. Spend the afternoon hydrating, playing cards in the teahouse and eating carbs — this is where altitude management begins in earnest. Keep an eye on headaches and sleep quality.

🚌On foot (~9km)

🛏Teahouse in Syala

• →Acclimatisation-paced trekking
• →Manaslu viewpoint photos

~10km, 5 hours, arriving at Sama Gaon (3,530m), the biggest village on the circuit and a good pivot point. Visit Ribung Gompa above the village in the afternoon for monastery views, and grab a coffee at one of the newer cafés. If you're feeling the altitude, this is the natural place to take a rest day — most independent trekkers build one in here.

🚌On foot (~10km)

🛏Teahouse or guesthouse in Sama Gaon

• →Ribung Gompa visit
• →Village café stop
• →Mount Manaslu views

~8km but only 3–4 hours, gaining altitude to 3,875m. The route crosses the Budhi Gandaki on a wooden bridge and passes Kargyu Chholing Gompa and the pastures of Kemo Kharka through juniper and birch. Samdo sits just below the Tibetan border and is genuinely atmospheric — yak herders, tin roofs, and the last shop before the pass. Sleep low, drink plenty, walk slowly.

🚌On foot (~8km)

🛏Teahouse in Samdo

• →Kargyu Chholing Gompa
• →Tibetan border village atmosphere
• →Altitude acclimatisation

~8km, 4–5 hours, short on purpose to position you for the pass. Cross a wooden bridge over the Budhi Gandaki, walk past the Larkya Glacier and open fields to the basic lodging at Dharamsala (4,460m). The facilities are the most spartan of the trip — bring your own snacks, a headtorch and earplugs. Eat an early, carb-heavy dinner and be in bed by 7pm. Check the weather and confirm your pass timing with other trekkers heading up.

🚌On foot (~8km)

🛏Basic teahouse/dorm at Dharamsala

• →Larkya Glacier viewpoints
• →Early night at altitude
• →Pass weather check

The big day: leave by 4–5am with a headtorch, climb steadily onto the moraine, and reach Larkya Pass around 5,100m — typically 4–5 hours up. Views of Larkya Peak, Cheo Himal and Himlung Himal are the payoff. The descent is long, steep and loose (this is the hardest part of the trek) — 4–5 hours down past Tauhuche to Bhimtang's green meadows and welcome potato-and-cheese comfort food. Total ~20km, 9–10 hours.

🚌On foot (~20km, 9–10 hrs)

🛏Teahouse in Bhimtang

• →Larkya La crossing at 5,100m
• →Larkya Peak and Himlung views
• →Moraine descent

Easy, beautiful walking: ~13km, 5–6 hours through rhododendron forest and the villages of Karache and Gho down to Tilje. Many independent trekkers push on to Dharapani the same day (~6km more) to catch an early jeep the next morning — do whichever your legs and permits allow. Dharapani has better transport links and a wider choice of lodges.

🚌On foot (~13–19km)

🛏Teahouse in Tilje or Dharapani

• →Rhododendron forest walking
• →Karache and Gho village stops
• →Marsyangdi valley descent

Take a shared jeep from Dharapani or Besi Sahar down the Marsyangdi valley to Besi Sahar (~£5–8, 2–3 hours), then a local bus from Besi Sahar to Kathmandu (~£5–7, 5–6 hours, scenic along the Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers). Alternatively, shared jeeps can be arranged direct from Dharapani to Kathmandu for ~£15–20 if you want to save a transfer. Arrive in Thamel in the evening, shower, and eat something that isn't dal bhat.

🚌Shared jeep Dharapani–Besi Sahar ~£5–8; local bus Besi Sahar–Kathmandu ~£5–7 (or direct shared jeep ~£15–20)

🛏Thamel hostel or guesthouse

• →Marsyangdi and Trishuli river valley drive
• →Thamel celebration dinner