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The Manaslu Circuit Trek is a unique 15-day trekking adventure in the restricted region of Manaslu. It leads you via the rough Buri Gandaki Valley to Nupri as well as via Tsum Valley. If the weather is clear, you can have stunning mountain sceneries along the way. You’ll trek through and, eat and sleep in Tibetan villages and cross the high pass of Larkya La (5,106 m / 16,751 ft).
Manaslu is the 8th highest mountain in the world (8,163 m / 26,781 ft). Its name means “mountain of the spirit” which comes from the Sanskrit word manasa, meaning “intellect” or “soul”. Manaslu is located in the Gorkha district, east of Annapurna.
Both valleys are unique places where mostly Tibetans live. The Tsum Valley that only opened to trekkers in 2008(!), is among the most holy Buddhist areas. For instance, just behind Samagaon, where we can have a rest day, you will find the beautiful Kargyu Chholing Gompa which houses a large statue of Guru Rinpoche.
If this isn’t enough yet: with the Manaslu Circuit Trek you’ll also trek through forests of rhodondendrons, along many mani walls with prayer wheels with gorgeous views over – of course – Manaslu (8,163 m / 26,781 ft), Manaslu North (7,774 m / 25,505 ft) and Naike Peak (5,515 m / 18,093 ft).
The inhabitants of the upper Buri Gandaki, a region known as Nupri (‘the Western mountains’), are direct descendants of Tibetan immigrants who settled here in the early 1600s. In upper Nupri, the speech, dress and customs are almost exclusively Tibetan. Nupri actually paid taxes to Tibet until about 1840 and there is still continuous trade between Nupri and Tibet.
Absolutely! View the 2025 groups and departure dates.
Yes! Just share your preferences via email, and we’ll draft a customized itinerary for you. 🙂
– Govinda & Lilly
Welcome to Nepal! Your international flight lands at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. We’ll pick you up and bring you to your hotel.
At the hotel, you’ll meet your guide and have your pre-trip meeting. Got questions? Feel free to ask! You can also check your gear and trekking equipment together.
airport transfer – hotel
Early morning your guide picks you up from your hotel to catch bus to the Gorkha region. You drive through small villages and bustling bazaars till you arrive in the settlement of Soti Khola (790 m) in the Budi Gandaki valley.
breakfast – bus – dinner – mountain lodge
Today you start your trek. First, the trail descends slowly until you climb to the mountain ridge to Almara. Then, you pass the forest trail to arrive at Riden Gaon. Via the valley, you cross the river to enter Budhi Gandaki. From Lambesi, the trail follows down to the sandy river bed of Budhi Gandaki.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
After crossing the Machha river and Khola Besi, you reach the hot spring of Tatopani. From here, the trail follows a forest whereafter you reach Dovan with just below the massive river Budi Gandaki. From here the elevation increases clearly and your view changes completely.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
The trail begins by climbing a rocky ridge from where views of Sringi Himal (7,187 m) appear. You continue through rich terraced fields of maize, potato and millet before you enter the Nupri, the western mountains, via bamboo forests. Tonight you spend the night in the Buddhist village of Deng (1,855 m).
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
You pass by numerous Tibetan mani walls, intricately hand carved stone walls with Buddhist scriptures. You weave in and out of canyons. And enter into a colourful forest of firs, oaks and rhododendrons until we arrive in the settlement of Namrung (2,660 m / 8,728 ft).
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today the trek climbs steadily into the alpine where you can see the first stunning glimpse of Manaslu North (7,774 m / 25,505 ft) and Manaslu (8,163 m / 26,781 ft). You’ll spend the night at the village of Lho Gaon (3,190 m / 10,465) with locals who wear the traditional Tibetan clothes called ‘chubas’.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today you’ll have a shorter trekking day which allows you to acclimatize and enjoy the spectacular mountain views and villages along the way. You walk through a gully of mosses and rhododendron until you enter the village of Samagaon (3,530 m / 11,581 ft).
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today you stay around Samagaon and hike up to Pungyen gompa and the glacial lake Birendra Tal. This hike takes you through a forested area before you reach a ridge and a grassy plateau. Here you’ll discover the gompa that was destroyed by an avalanche in the winter of 1953. When you continue the hike, you reach the icy waters of Birendra Tal that is situated at the base of a glacier.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today you have another shorter day that allows you to adjust to the altitude. Along the way you pass a land of yaks, plentiful marmots and pastures where only barley and potatoes can grow due the high elevation. Today you finally trek above the tree line.
A pleasant walk takes you to the picturesque village of Samdo (3,850 m / 12,631 ft) a town that is known for its yak herding. Samdo is also at the convergence of three valleys and is only a one day walk from Tibet. You’ll be quite likely to see traders coming from the valley carrying Chinese and Tibetan goods.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
When you continue your trek from Samdo, you follow a wide, broad path, cross the Budi Gandaki river and traverse along a mani wall. Then you climb over the Larkya glacier until you reach a ridge from where you can have grand views over a huge gorge. You’ll spend the night in Larkya Phedi, also known as Dharmashala, before you cross the high Larkya La pass tomorrow.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today is a longer day with a challenging, though not technically difficult trek over Larkya La pass (5,106 m / 16,751 ft). From Larkya Phedi you pass a glacial moraine and four frozen lakes as you make your way to the pass. It takes about 5 hours to reach this point.
From the pass you can see incredible views of Himlung Himal (7,126 m / 23,379 ft), Cheo Himal (6,820 m / 22,375 ft), Gyaji Kung (7,030 m / 23,064 ft), Kang Guru (6,981 m / 22,904 ft) and Annapurna II (2,437 m / 7,995 ft).
After a short break you start your descent down a trail along a steep gully. Eventually the trail peters out into a more grassy level and you continue your descent to Bimthang (3,720 m / 12,204 ft).
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today you cross a glacial stream and climb over the side of the moraine descending into a spectacular forest of rhododendrons and impressive pines. Also, you are likely getting a view of Manaslu providing an equal amount of splendour. You’ll descend towards the Dudh (milk) Khola and continue through a more agricultural landscape until you reach the village of Tilje (2,300 m / 7,545 ft).
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today, you have a more rapid descent into the Marsygandi Valley. You trek through a forest, cross a suspension bridge and make our way to the well-trodden trail of the Annapurna Circuit. You make your way to Chamche where you’ll stay for the night and celebrate your success of completing the Manaslu Circuit!
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
From Chamje you can either continue trekking or take a jeep to Besi Sahar. Contact us for the details.
breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge
Today you hop on the bus back to Kathmandu.
breakfast – bus – hotel
If it’s the final day of your holiday in Nepal. Your international flight departs from Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu.
Goodbye friends! We hope that you will cherish these memories we’ve made together forever.
breakfast – airport transfer
Don’t just take our word for it.
EXCELLENT Based on 36 reviews Culture25343824590November 11, 2024Verified Everest Base Camp or Annapurna circuit. This is why you hire a guide service. I’m an American on my 1st trip to Nepal and found “by Mountain People” through internet searches and booked an Everest base camp trip with them. I arrived in Kathmandu but my bag did not! As soon as I notified Govinda of this he was immediately on top of it. He called the airport and airline everyday to locate my bag, received calls late at night and even contacted the hotel to confirm its arrival after 3 days of waiting. Next, when we arrived at the airport to fly to Lukla no flights were going out due to clouds and fog. For 3 days my guide Buddhi fought the crowd at the airport check in to try and get us on a plane while I sat comfortably with a cold drink in the shade. With more bad weather forecasted we made a new plan. Go back to Kathmandu and do the Annapurna circuit instead. Immediately the next day Govinda and Buddhi had all the transportation and arrangements made and we were off to the Annapurna! We proceeded to trek the next 10 days with tea houses, meals and accommodations always handled flawlessly by Buddhi and the sudden change in itinerary never cost me a thing. Govinda and Buddhi made it a top notch trip and were very professional in every way. They went out of their way to make certain my trip was a success, and it was! When I come back to Nepal I will definitely use by Mountain People again and you should too. Sincerely, Chris Brown. Peter OOctober 21, 2024Verified Best experience in Nepal Everything was perfectly organized. It was the best trek I have done in nepal. Thank you Govi. I definitely recommend Mountain People as a local guide. kirke tOctober 19, 2024Verified Perfect holiday We booked our holiday to Nepal with By Mountain People. We told them what we wanted and based on that they made a personal plan for us. Everything was arranged smoothly and we are very satisfied. The contact was personal and the responses were quick. We really enjoyed our time in Nepal without worrying about anything. We met Govinda in Person and went out for dinner. He is a very spontaneous and warm person with a passion for Nepal. I would definitely recommend By Mountain People if you want a relaxing holiday for a good price! We did the Annapurna Basecamp Trek and our guide was really lovelely (see pictures). Merel LApril 7, 2024Verified Best organisation to book your hike We loved our 4-day trip to the Muldai Viewpoint and Poonhill! By Mountain People suggested to do the Muldai Viewpoint combined with Poonhill in 4 days. The hike to Muldai was a climb but doable for everyone with basic condition. We walked to the Muldai top practically on our own with amazing viewpoints during the hike. From the Poonhill viewpoint there were lots of other tourist but also a little bit more comfort so we loved the combination. Especially our guide Pratap made the trip unforgetable. He knows everything about the nature, birds and animals. By Mountain People helped us with the preparation and fixed everything for us. Permits, food, overnight homestays etc. Would recomment to everyone. Was the best four days of our trip to Nepal Angela MMarch 17, 2024Verified Crafting Memories with By Mountain People in Annapurna When we decided to go to Nepal for our holidays, we knew we wanted to do a trekking in the Annapurna region, but we didnt know from where to start. That's when we met Govinda, who helped us with everything related to our trip, providing a personalised proposal for the 4 days we had, giving us all the information needed, and being a reliable and helpful point of contact during our whole journey before, during and after our trek. In the end we went for the Mulde peak trek, a less crowded route that exceded all expectations.Our guide Ganesh, was the best guide we could have wished for, always with a smile he knew every little secret of the Annapurna range, explaning not only the different routes, but also about the plants & animals present in the area, and about Nepal and its traditions. He was very caring and he made our experience unforgettable. We can only recommend to do a trekking with By Mountain People, they know what they are doing, accomodation and food was included in the total price and we didn't have to worry about anything. Having a guide in the Annapurnas is really an added value, and we can't wait to be back with a little extra time to do the Annapurna circuit next time. If you're looking to get most out of your experience in the Himalayas, and for a personalised and personal approach, then By Mountain People is the right party to team up with. Jess MMarch 7, 2024Verified Keep your head in the clouds but your feet on the trail. The hard miles brought big smiles on this trip with By Mountain People. They were flexible, positive, and really just a joy to be with. Made for a fun and easy trip. I continue to recommend By Mountain People to both friends and family if they have a thought of doing a trek in Nepal. Many Thank You Guys! Sean GFebruary 18, 2024Verified Great people for a great adventure! I can't say enough about how well everything was orchestrated. Our guide and porter were wonderful and very friendly. Nepal is a beautiful country with very friendly people. It's been a few months now and I still think of the trekking almost daily. If I ever have another opportunity to hike in Nepal, I would be blessed! Thank you Govinda! Anouk KDecember 10, 2023Verified Jiri - Everest Base Camp My friend and I booked a 20+ day trek with Lily & Govinda from mid-nov to begin-dec. We loved their personal approach in arranging the trip, from preparations and choosing which trek to go for, to regular check-ins during and a great feedback/debrief session afterwards! We started from Jiri instead of the popular way of flying to Lukla. That was a great experience and an absolute recommend to start lower if you have time! eliza bNovember 19, 2023Verified Magnificent slow trek and bird watching to Khopra Danda! Magnificent trek!! In October 2023 the two of us did this beautiful trek organized by BMP.It all started 6 months earlier, when I was looking for a company that would put people first in organizing treks in Nepal. What a nice coincidence when I learned that Govinda, a former language student of mine, happened to be the owner of By Mountain People, an organization that had customized and small scale treks as its core business!We had very nice and informative preparative talks about our wishes. Being almost 70 years of age, we wanted to have sufficient possibilities to adapt our journey on the way, in case the altitude would cause problems. Also we wanted to visit places off the beaten track and see something of village life on the way. Govinda suggested the Khopra Danda trek with some extra days so we could shorten the daily walking distance. This was a very good advice and he organized it very well! We met Govinda again in Kathmandu before we started out. He introduced us to our guide Pratap Gurung.Pratap was really a very excellent guide!! His knowledge of the natural surroundings and especially of the birds were truly amazing!! He was very attentive to our wellbeing and patiently answered our many questions. He taught us so much about the different species and habitats of all the birds he would point out to us. His experience made that we always felt safe and well looked after. Also we learnt that Govinda stayed regularly in contact to ensure that everything went well. Following our 2 weeks of trekking, BMP also organized an extra 4 days visit to Chitwan National Park. Here we stayed in the nice Safari Club hotel. Her also we were very happy with our guide Yadav Duwadi He is a nice and calm guide with a lot of knowledge and very attentive.We absolutely recommend this “slow trekking” by BMP! Specially for senior travellers such as us, but also for everybody who wants to fully enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas. A guide such as Pratap Gurung was perfectly suited for this type of trekking.Thank you BMP!! Thijl and Linda Gira_svSeptember 12, 2023Verified Tilicho Lake and Annapurna Circuit I went on a 19-day trek on the Annapurna Circuit. I had great communication with Lily and Govinda before arriving in Nepal and throughout my trip. They shared with me all the information that I needed. Ganesh, and a porter, Nima. Both of them were incredibly kind. They literally held my hand through the toughest parts of the trek and we also had lots of fun playing cards, sharing anecdotes and trying to learn each other’s languages. The Annapurna circuit itself is incredibly beautiful and diverse. Since I arrived at the end if the monsoon season there were still some rains and landslides which made the days at lower altitudes a little tricky but once we started to ascend the weather changed and we had wonderful views of the mountains on this range and visited several Tibetan towns and Gompas. Overall, I had a great experience with them I would take a trip again with them in a heartbeat. Thanks, Ganesh, Nima, Lily, and Govinda!
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