- Take a magnificent off-the-beaten-track circular trek around Manaslu
- Cross the remote Larkya La
- Enjoy rare views of Manaslu
- Trek through picturesque traditional Tibetan villages

Manaslu Lodge Circuit
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- Manaslu Lodge Circuit
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Reviews
Add your own reviewManaslu Circuit quiet and authentically enchanting.
A beautiful journey with a great variety of culture and landscape from agricultural to forest and mountain scenery. It’s a peaceful trek away from crowded routes but get there as soon as you can before the road that is being built changes everything. The route is occasionally just a little exposed due to landslides caused by the recent long monsoon. A gentle acclimatisation schedule leads up to highest point at Larkya La just a little over 5000m. There are wonderful mountain views of Manaslu from a number of various aspects and distances.
Most Inspirational Moment
Being lucky enough to be on this trip with of our wonderful guide Valerie Parkinson who was the first British woman to complete a successful Manaslu ascent without oxygen. Her bedtime stories of her mountain adventures kept us enthralled. .
Thoughts on Group Leader
I have travelled previously with Valerie and her gentle encouragement, expert care, attention to detail and ability to keep an entire group motivated, combined with keeping expectations realistic, led to an unforgettable and happy experience for all of us.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Get friendly and make connections with the local guides, porters and the lodge owners to genuinely enhance your understanding of what goes into making these trips work so well. Some of the lodges are quite basic so please don’t expect too much in terms of amenity or comfort. However, I was genuinely surprised that some had Wi-Fi (payable),decent hot showers (payable) and occasional power sockets (free) in the rooms to keep devices charged up and that really did feel like luxury!
Suggestions
Read the trip notes thoroughly and be prepared physically and mentally ready for quite a long walk. There are optional beautiful afternoon walks available on some of the shorter days which I highly recommend as most of us only have the opportunity to visit these special places just once in our lifetimes.
Fantastic Scenery but tougher than Annapurna Circuit
This is an amazing trip which, unlike the Annapurna Circuit (which I did in 2019) brings you far closer to the big mountains including the 8,000 metre massif of Manaslu. Due to the recent hard monsoon on 2022 the trail had been recently modified and included a number of narrow paths across landslides (think traversing high screes in rthe UK) which wouldn’t be to everyone’s tastes but were necessary in the circumstances. The Manaslu Circuit is much quieter than the Annapurna Circuit, takes in a lot more villages and general culture of Nepal and doesn’t include the dusty main roads that seem a feature of the Annapurna Circuit nowadays. As such, the whole group found it more authentic, the scenery a lot more spectacular and a thoroughly enjoyable trip from start to finish. In teh Exodus brochure it has teh same difficulty rating as the Annapurna Circuit but our group thought it was a few grades harder and because of the time of the year we were wearing crampons for 4-5 hours on the ‘pass day’ due to amount of compacted snow on the ground. A thoroughly memorable trip in an amazing region.
Most Inspirational Moment
We had a number of health issues within the group due to the altitude, cold and a few bugs which spread around. The way the group, which was largely the same as on the Annapurna Circuit in 2019, pulled together and everyone supported each other was inspirational. It just goes to show that when you get really good people around you it makes a huge difference and we all felt that a bit of adversity helped the group really bond together
Thoughts on Group Leader
We wre a tailormade trip so we requested to have Tsering Dorje Sherpa as our Guide as he was the guide on our 2019 Annapurna Trip. We also had Tsering and Kaji who were both multiple 8,000-metre peak summiteers! To say we felt humbled was an understatement but they were all absolutely fantastic and we really appreciated their company, their experience and their shared recollections of time on the big peaks
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the trip notes well, be prepared for all weathers and eventualities and enjoy it
Manasalu Nov
A challenging and adventurous trip which I thoroughly enjoyed
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Manasalu at sunrise
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent and very helpful
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you are fit, there are some long trekking days
Suggestions
The day we crossed the Larke Pass we were trekking for 12 hours. On the descent I felt light headed due to lack of of food, I asked for the group to have a rest to eat which we were given. I felt the time between setting out and reaching the lunch stop was too long. I was not the only one of the group who felt like this. I would like to suggest a packed lunch is provided for everyone and this is eaten at the shelter passed on the ascent to the pass.
Amazing adventure with stunning views
3rd time in Nepal after doing Annapurna and Base Camp. This trek was by far the best views of all 3. Tough trek with lots of up and down but well worth it
Most Inspirational Moment
Crossing the high pass after getting up at 2.30am. It was hard but the views are worth it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sukman was a great leader. Always happy and smiling and kept our spirits high.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Hardest of all the treks in Nepal so need a good level of fitness. Also take snacks to keep your energy levels up.
Suggestions
Well worth doing the trek now while its still relativity quiet compared to other treks on Nepal. A road is slowly being built which could ruin some of the trail so best to do it now
Amazing Experience with a Superb Leader
Overall the trip was well planned – mainly due to our leader Sukman Pakhrin. Sukman and the experienced guides supported us as a whole group through the trip, managing difficulties of skills, illness and being on hand 24/7. Even after an exhausting day Sukman organised arrival teas, organised dinner, beds, paying bills and with a positive attitude inspired us all for the next days adventure of trials and difficulties. Giving us clear understanding of next days adventure, Sukman was the glue that made the team great and worked together well. I can’t thank Sukman and his guides enough for the patience he offered me for helping me get over the pass as I found that day really challenging. Thank you Karen
Most Inspirational Moment
Getting over the pass with a chest infection
Thoughts on Group Leader
amazing leader and couldn't thank him enough for his patience on my difficult day
Advice for Potential Travellers
be prepared for hard and some long days
Suggestions
I would like to nominate my leader Sukman Pakhrin
5 years and 4 rebooking’s later finally completed the trek and it was so worth the wait!
It is hard to summarize such a great trek, with outstanding leadership (Bikash/Kushman) and trail buddies, but I’ll try. Having trekked in the Everest Region twice with Exodus (2015/2017), I didn’t know if the Manaslu Circuit trek could match those experiences – it did and even surpassed them in some areas. The trip notes are pretty spot on with regards to the trek and while the road continues to push further, our guides did a great job of avoiding it in parts and minimizing the road sections. As a result, it doesn’t really dimmish the trek (yet), which is still remote and goes through multiple climate and cultural zones as you ascend to, and descend from, Larke La. It is very hot at the lower altitudes and it is cold at the around the pass – so you have to pack accordingly. The daily schedule works very well and we had no acclimatization issues within the group, which was of varied ages and experience. The scenery is dramatic and ever-changing, the views of Manaslu are excellent – showing its different faces over multiple days. Take advantage of the acclimatization opportunities and in Samagaun and Samdo do make an effort to get into the heart of the villages as the culture and architecture is authentic and you can see daily life play out. Make sure you visit Birendra Tal outside Samaguan. The lodges were good but mostly more basic than the Khumbu. Dharamsala is no longer just tents but is still very basic. So happy to have completed this trek with Exodus – 192miles / 32,000ft of ascent over 14 days, with a high point of 16,945ft/5165m.
Most Inspirational Moment
Three things for me personally – 1) crossing the Larke La and being over 5000m again, 2) the rest day in Bhimtang was so welcome with great weather, views, and a quiet teahouse, and 3) the last night's celebration in Bhundanda, which fell on Nepali New Year, so much drinking and dancing – never to be forgotten!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Bikash was an outstanding leader. Always present, always well organized, always supportive and encouraging. Above all reassuring and confident. I’d trek with him and Kushman, our guide, again anytime. Our porters were great people also.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do it – this is an outstanding trek for so many reasons. Be patient in the first couple of days as it is very hot and the road plays its part, but that’s all quickly forgotten as you push on.
Suggestions
Do the trek soon as the road is going further and will be increasingly difficult to avoid. It will inventively make the area more accessible, which is really good for the local communities but will lessen the trekking experience.
Walking the quieter circuit brings its own reward.
This is a fantastic trek through scenery varying from: farmland, forests of pine trees, walking along river gorges beside foaming rivers, through villages full of character and smiling children and finally beside amazing snow clad high mountain peaks. All of which we did with very few other trekkers.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking up to the Larkya Pass as the dawn slowly broke behind us revealing snow covered mountains all around.
Thoughts on Group Leader
As always Valerie looked after us really well and added that bit extra to the enjoyment of the trip. This time sharing her experiences of climbing Manaslu by reading excerpts from her diary of the trip.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I was pleasantly surprised with my first experience of a lodge (Teahouse) based trip. Remember you need to budget for buying your own lunches and evening meals on this trip but the food available is tasty and the choice varied enough to cover most desires. if you need a 'pick me up' along the way then try the Apple Fritters with Custard! Although the rooms in the lodges are basic they were all clean and the beds comfortable. Remember a supply of wet wipes for the nights when it is too cool for a proper wash.
Suggestions
A fantastic, quieter alternative to the more well known Annapurna Circuit but don't wait too long before doing this trip. Roads are slowly being driven in from both ends which will be good for the local population but could detract from the scenic value of the trip.
Highly recommend this trek.
This is my fifth trek in Nepal and definitely my favourite. Happy to have done this before the road is complete as this will change the remote nature of this trek.
We had a fantastic group who supported each other, particularly on the day crossing the pass.
This trek is more challenging than Annapurna Circuit and Gokyo/Everest.
Our guide Keshar was simply the best, can’t say enough about him. Also great to have Zoe from Exodus London office as my roommate. I feel very fortunate to have been on this trek.
Most Inspirational Moment
Hard to choose as each day was inspirational for different reasons.
Manaslu Lodge Circuit
A wonderful and inspiring experience
Crossing the
Most Inspirational Moment
Crossing the Larke pass was awesome even to the point of being spiritual. Visiting the Tibetan villages high up near the border was a privilege and seeing how the villagers live and survive in such austere circumstances given the altitude and logistical challenges with getting supplies across the mountain passes
Thoughts on Group Leader
Dorjee was just brilliant; intelligent, entertaining , respectful, attentive and informative. He ran an excellent team of porters and guides who all got on very well together
Advice for Potential Travellers
Potential travellers do need a certain level of fitness but you don’t need to be an elite Athlete or a regular on the triathlon circuit. The main issues that can cause pain and grief are of course the lower limb joints namely feet, ankles, knees and hips, so be prepared. The trip allows for good acclimatisation for the high pass at just over 5100 meters. Personally, I did take diamox which caused me no side effects although I did continue to suffer from early morning headaches over 3,000 meters and I would definitely take it again if I do another high altitude walk. I suppose in some ways I was using the diamox as an insurance against feeling very unwell with the altitude. The exodus team also insisted we complete the lake louise scoring system for AMS every day which ensured that appropriate action could be taken in good time in case of AMS
Suggestions
Considering I was very apprehensive when the holiday was approaching in case I wouldn’t cope with the physical challenges and fitness required, I managed extremely well; just sore knees on the last day. The trip proved to be a memorable experience and I would not have missed it for the world.
Do it while you can
This is a slightly tougher trek than say EBC or Annapurna Circuit, but you cover all the usual habitat zones via stunning valleys and incredible panoramas that I had no idea existed.
I had a smile on my face every day from little children saying ‘Namaste’ to use as we walked by, and my mouth open at jaw-dropping views, particularly on the pass crossing and descent the following day.
You cover quite some distance on a few days, but others are shorter as you get higher giving you plenty of time to admire the views, acclimatise and explore.
It’s a beautiful and quiet place, so if you’re tempted, the I’d recommend doing it sooner rather than later before the road changes things too much.
Most Inspirational Moment
Interestingly it was the day after the pass crossing. With the uphill sections behind us and the tiring pass crossing behind us, it was possible to fully relax on a long downhill day through stunning forests. The autumn colours were out, the sun was shining, the birds were tweeting, and the moneys were monkeying. All the while the white peaks of Manaslu, Peak 29 and Himal Chuli towered over us and could be seen between the tall trees or from clearings. We were so lucky with the weather, if it had been cloudy then it wouldn't have looked the same, but the yellows and reds of autumn, coupled with the blue sky and the white mountains meant it was a photographer's dream. My advice is spread out, find a gap for some quiet-time and stop from time to time to listen and look. I saw four langur monkey family groups because I was quiet. The birds were fast and harder to photograph, but the whole day was a treat for the senses,
Thoughts on Group Leader
Keshar was outstanding. All the guides I've had in Nepal have been. As with most trips, there can be unexpected things to sort out and without going into detail, Keshar sorted them. We had snow for a couple of days before the pass crossing, and Keshar was planing our exit strategy and preparing us for that should it be needed, luckily the snow simply made things pretty. There are so many little (and big) things all the guides and support crew do make our treks a success, and this is why I've returned to Exodus again and again. We didn't need our spare day, and Keshar decided to use it to split the last long walking day onto 2 shorter days. This was an excellent idea, we had an intermediate night in Tal on the Annapurna Circuit, and the two shorter days meant we had time to relax rather than blasting out of the mountains as often seems to be the case when the main objective of the trek has been achieved.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Time is running out. The 'road' is encroaching at both ends. The first 3 days were long and mostly on the dusty road, there is very little traffic at the moment but it won't last. Landslides make the road turn into narrow ledge paths from time to time and at the moment it's hard to see how a permanent road could hope to exist in such a dynamic landscape, but you can see people working to repair damage and hacking away at the mountainside to further its progress. The road brings people/tourists and other developments like new lodges. There are new lodges springing up all over the place, so the Manaslu Circuit will soon be as commercial as the Annapurna or Everest areas, so I'm pleased I've seen it when I have. My advice is to do it now whilst it's still a more remote trekking route and before it gets too 'touristy' Take ear plugs for the lodges at night. Take one of those concentrated squash things to mix your own drink for lunch and dinner, no need to buy plastic fizzy drink bottles (or water bottles). Take a light-weight buff to breath through to keep dust out of your lungs. If you can spare the time, fly out a day or two early to get over the jet lag. I went with Qatar Airways this time and I have to say it was a much nicer experience than the usual Jet flights.
Suggestions
I've done many Nepal treks and this is one of the tougher ones. Mainly because of the pass crossing. The pass is a more gradual approach than say the Thorong La, so nothing too steep, but once on top it's a chaotic jumble of moraine to cross. There is a trampled path to follow, but there's a lot of slow up and down over the waves of rubble. We didn't have lying snow on the pass or down the other side, but I can see how this would slow you down further if the conditions were bad. A frozen lake provided a nice flat section, but the rest is tiring and cold. The rewards are the views, the panorama that greets you once you can see over the other side is out of this world. The lodges were all fine. Deng was draughty and the whole building moved, but still warm at night, and Dharamasala was a sort of pre-fab box with 4 people to a box on a mattress on the floor, but all quite acceptable given what you are doing. Our trip was made by the amazing crew and by the weather, so I suggest you do your homework and go when statistically the weather looks best. It's beautiful, the valleys, people, mountains, rivers, trees, wildlife, waterfalls, glaciers... the list goes on.
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10 Oct 2024 09 Oct 2024
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27 Oct 2024 27 Oct 2024
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03 Nov 2024 03 Nov 2024
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Led by Valerie Parkinson, Wanderlust World Guide Awards Winner 2021
Led by Valerie Parkinson, Wanderlust World Guide Awards Winner 2021
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24 Oct 2024 23 Oct 2024
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10 Nov 2024 10 Nov 2024
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31 Oct 2024 30 Oct 2024
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17 Nov 2024 17 Nov 2024
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08 Dec 2024 08 Dec 2024
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22 Dec 2024 22 Dec 2024
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23 Mar 2025 23 Mar 2025
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06 Apr 2025 06 Apr 2025
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13 Apr 2025 13 Apr 2025
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27 Apr 2025 27 Apr 2025
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17 Apr 2025 16 Apr 2025
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04 May 2025 04 May 2025
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02 Nov 2025 02 Nov 2025
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06 Nov 2025 05 Nov 2025
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23 Nov 2025 23 Nov 2025
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13 Nov 2025 12 Nov 2025
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30 Nov 2025 30 Nov 2025
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20 Nov 2025 19 Nov 2025
Sunday Sunday
07 Dec 2025 07 Dec 2025
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04 Dec 2025 03 Dec 2025
Sunday Sunday
21 Dec 2025 21 Dec 2025
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