Kathmandu to the trailhead.

Every Drokpo journey starts and finishes in Kathmandu, and the whole route is overland. There is no flight into the Manaslu region and no need for one.

The drive to the trailhead takes seven to nine hours by private jeep, west along the highway towards Pokhara and then north up the Budhi Gandaki. The road now reaches Machha Khola reliably and sometimes goes further, as far as Salleri, which means the lowest and hottest stages that people used to walk are now usually driven. It is a long day and the last three hours are rough. The return from Dharapani or Besisahar at the far end is similar.

Arrive in Kathmandu at least one full day before departure. That day is not padding: it is when permits are finalised, kit is checked, and you meet your guide. It is also the buffer that absorbs a delayed international flight without costing you the trek.

Three permits are needed for the full circuit, and we arrange all of them before you arrive.

The Manaslu Restricted Area Permit is the significant one. From September to November it costs USD 100 per person for the first seven days and USD 15 per person for each additional day. From December to August it is USD 75 for the first seven days and USD 10 per additional day. The Manaslu Conservation Area Permit is USD 30 per person, flat, in any season. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit covers the final stage from Dharapani out to Besisahar, and carries no day limit, so it also covers you if you continue onto the Annapurna Circuit.

One rule changed recently and a lot of published advice has not caught up. Until March 2026, a restricted-area permit had to be issued to a minimum of two trekkers, which meant solo walkers had to be paired with a stranger to get on the trail. The Department of Immigration removed that requirement on 22 March 2026. A single foreign trekker can now hold a Manaslu Restricted Area Permit alone.

What has not changed is the guide requirement. Every trekker in the restricted area must walk with a licensed guide from a registered agency. Independent trekking is not permitted here and there is no way around it, which is a large part of why the valley is in the condition it is.

For paperwork, bring your passport with at least six months of validity, a Nepal visa, and four passport photographs. We need a scan of the passport page in advance to begin the permit application. Bring your travel insurance certificate too, showing high-altitude trekking cover and helicopter evacuation, because we check it.