The Himalaya

The Manaslu region, explained.

Where it is, how the trail runs, who lives along it, when to come and what altitude asks of you. Read this before you choose a journey.

A guide beside a trail signboard in the Manaslu region

Jigme Dorje, founder of Drokpo, in traditional Nubri dress — golden fur hat, brocade collar and leopard-trimmed chuba — arms folded in his village, the valley wall behind him

Manaslu: 8,163 m · 8th highest
Conservation area: 1,663 sq km
Larkya La: 5,106 m
Opened to trekkers: 1991

Manaslu is the eighth-highest mountain in the world and, by some distance, the least visited of Nepal's three main trekking regions. It sits in northern Gorkha district, between Annapurna to the west and the Ganesh Himal to the east, with the Tibetan border along its top edge.

The region stayed closed to foreign trekkers until 1991 and remains a restricted area today, which means a licensed guide on every party and no independent walking. That single rule is the reason the valley still has mule trains, working monasteries and villages that are not built around trekking. It is also the reason the paperwork is more involved than for Annapurna or Everest, and worth understanding before you book.

These pages cover the region rather than our journeys: the geography, the route, the people who live along it, the monasteries, the weather month by month, what the altitude actually asks of you, and how the permits and the drive from Kathmandu work. Between them they should answer most of what you need before choosing a trek.

If you would rather talk it through than read it, a journey designer will answer anything these pages do not.

In this section

A high ridge trail with the Manaslu range on the skyline

Manaslu Region

Manaslu, 8,163 m, is the eighth-highest mountain on earth. The region around it, in Gorkha district, is a conservation area and a restricted zone that has kept roads and crowds away.

A trekker walking a forest trail in the lower Manaslu valley

Manaslu Circuit

Roughly 177 kilometres from Machha Khola to Dharapani, crossing the Larkya La at 5,106 m and joining the Annapurna Circuit at its end.

Stone houses and terraced fields of a village above the Budhi Gandaki

Villages & Communities

The lower valley is Gurung and Magar; above Deng the people are Nubri, of Tibetan origin, and in the side valley they are Tsumba. Each has its own dialect, dress and calendar.

Still glacial water at Birendra Lake below the Manaslu glacier

Mountains & Passes

Manaslu, Himalchuli, Ngadi Chuli and the Ganesh range, seen from three passes and a handful of high pastures.

A stone hut in the mist of the Budhi Gandaki gorge

Culture & Monasteries

Nubri and Tsum practise Tibetan Buddhism of the Nyingma and Kagyu schools. The valleys hold monasteries, nunneries, meditation caves and a living tradition of non-violence.

Yaks grazing on high pasture below Manaslu

Seasons & Weather

October and November are clear and settled. March to May brings rhododendron and warmer nights, with more afternoon cloud. The monsoon and deep winter close the pass.

Altitude & Acclimatization

The trail rises from 900 m to 5,106 m. Our itineraries follow the standard guidance: no more than 500 m of sleeping altitude gained per day above 3,000 m, and a rest day every 1,000 m.

Getting There

All journeys begin and end in Kathmandu. The drive to Machha Khola takes eight to ten hours by private jeep; the return from Dharapani or Besisahar is similar.