The Hiking World

Manaslu Circuit

OSM hiking route Manaslu Circuit, Nepal (118.52 km line). Permits are the headline (official NTB/NTNC 2026-09-21). Vertical figures from the Wave N GLO-30 resample.

Last verified 2026-09-24 vs Department of Immigration / NTNC

Cite this record

The Hiking World, Manaslu Circuit, verified 2026-09-24, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/manaslu-circuit

How we verify · last checked 2026-09-24

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial · author

    Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.

Manaslu Circuit between Samagaon and Samdo, Nepal

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

Weather forecast

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Permits and fees

Quota / restriction: Sep–Nov USD 100/week then USD 15/day; Dec–Aug USD 75/week then USD 10/day. Registered agency, minimum 2 trekkers, solo prohibited.

PermitCostQuota / restrictionIssuerSourceVerified
Restricted Area Permit (Manaslu)Reported (secondary) — confirm before travelUSD 100 / week (Sep–Nov)Sep–Nov USD 100/week then USD 15/day; Dec–Aug USD 75/week then USD 10/day. Registered agency, minimum 2 trekkers, solo prohibited. immigration.gov.np not confirmed 2026-09-24.Department of ImmigrationIssuer pageVerified 2026-09-24 vs Department of Immigration
MCAPOfficial sourceNPR 3,000 foreign (tax included)≈ US$21.28 on the first figure, rate as of 2026-09-24—NTNCIssuer pageVerified 2026-09-24 vs NTNC
ACAP entry (exit toward Dharapani)Official sourceNPR 3,000 foreign (tax included)≈ US$21.28 on the first figure, rate as of 2026-09-24—NTNCIssuer pageVerified 2026-09-24 vs NTNC

Annapurna Circuit and Manaslu Circuit — stored fields side by side, not a ranking.

Altitude weather delta

High 5,151 m minus low 856 m is 4,295 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 27.9 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.

That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.

derived:lapse-rate · verified 2026-09-10 · provisional

ISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10

loading map...

Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON

Facts28.254, 84.882
Distance118.52 km*
OSM line (ODbL, rel 19876603) · verified 2026-09-21 · osm · provisional
Ascent+6,010 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · verified 2026-09-24 · dem · provisional
Descent4,904 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · verified 2026-09-24 · dem · provisional
High point5,151 m
Copernicus GLO-30 · verified 2026-09-21 · dem
Low point856 m
Copernicus GLO-30 · verified 2026-09-21 · dem
Routepoint-to-point
Days14
SeasonMar–May and Sep–Nov (NTB / NTNC walking season, checked 2026-09-21)
GradeOSM sac_scale: mountain_hiking · SAC T3 · YDS 2

Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog

DifficultyOSM sac_scale: mountain_hiking

Challenging (OSM mountain_hiking, OSM trail_visibility good)

SAC T3
Demanding mountain hiking. Exposed sections possible; hands may be needed for balance.
YDS Class 2
Class 2. Simple scrambling, occasional use of hands.
openstreetmap.org · verified 2026-09-21
Wikidata Q14223863

Log in to view the elevation profile

Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 19876603 (ODbL). The mapped line is that geometry. Distance, ascent, descent, and high/low points are the Wave N evidence-sheet figures (adjudicated 2026-09-21). Permits are official-sourced; geometry stays OSM-provisional. Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points.

OSM 2D length is 118.52 km (OSM line, ODbL, relation 19876603, lastVerified 2026-09-21). Provisional — OSM line, no official kilometre. ⚠ secondary: operator itineraries cite about 177 km. Cited km is not this DataPoint. SWITCH 2026-09-21: replaced relation 1328173 (146.9 km) with cleaner 19876603 (118.52 km, single component). Wikidata Q14223863 carries over. Cited ~177 km is a secondary cross-check; OSM line is the DataPoint. Relate tsum-valley, do not merge.

typicalDays 14 is the published typical window (operator, secondary), not a DataPoint and not implied by the OSM kilometre.

High 5,151 m is Copernicus GLO-30 (lastVerified 2026-09-21), verified on the walked OSM line. Low 856 m is the same DEM resample, verified. Ascent 18,755 m / descent 17,616 m remain provisional DEM. Landmark Larkya La 5,106 m (Wikipedia; DEM high 5,151 m is the walked line).

Gorkha Manaslu Area (Chumnubri Rural Municipality wards 1–4) is a Restricted Area. NTB trekking-permit table (https://ntb.gov.np/en/plan-your-trip/before-you-come/trekking-permit, checked 2026-09-21): September–November USD 100 per person / week then USD 15 per person / day beyond one week; December–August USD 75 / week then USD 10 / day. Restricted area: Department of Immigration RAP is issued through a registered agency, not self-issued; minimum two trekkers, solo prohibited (https://ntb.gov.np/en/plan-your-trip/before-you-come/trekking-permit, checked 2026-09-21). MCAP NPR 3,000 foreign (https://epermit.ntnc.org.np/, checked 2026-09-21). ACAP is additionally required where the circuit exits toward Dharapani.

Water

No water sources recorded.

Surface

Surface is not recorded. This field is filled only from an OSM surface tag, not from the grade.

Permits & fees

Permit
RAP (Manaslu) + MCAP + ACAP on exit

Log in to view cost, booking, and issuer

Getting there

Sourced legs to the Machha Khola approaches (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.

  1. Road · Kathmandu (KTM) → Machha Khola / Soti Khola

    Road via Gorkha to the published Machha Khola / Soti Khola starts. RAP is agency-issued in Kathmandu before travel (https://ntb.gov.np/en/plan-your-trip/before-you-come/trekking-permit, checked 2026-08-25).

    ntb.gov.np · verified 2026-08-25 · official · provisional

No rail to the trailhead. The OSM line ends near Dharapani on the Annapurna corridor; that circuit was not stitched.

Plan from your location

Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.

Getting there car-free

  • OSM line start: car-free flag unknown. No transit note stored, so this is not a way to get there.
  • OSM line end: car-free flag unknown. No transit note stored, so this is not a way to get there.

Trailheads

  • OSM line start car-free: unknown
  • OSM line end car-free: unknown

Log in to view trailhead transit detail

Hazards

  • Altitude / AMS: GLO-30 high 5,151 m on this line (Larkya La 5,106 m (Wikipedia; DEM high 5,151 m is the walked line)). This is a high-altitude trek, not a casual hike.
  • Related records tsum-valley share geography — relate-not-merge.

Questions

Do I need a permit for Manaslu Circuit?

A permit is listed as required for Manaslu Circuit: RAP (Manaslu) + MCAP + ACAP on exit. Status is reported (secondary). Confirm with the issuer before travel.

How much is the Manaslu Circuit permit?

Restricted Area Permit (Manaslu): USD 100 / week (Sep–Nov) (Department of Immigration, verified 2026-09-24). Status: reported-secondary. MCAP: NPR 3,000 foreign (tax included) (NTNC, verified 2026-09-24). Status: verified-official. ACAP entry (exit toward Dharapani): NPR 3,000 foreign (tax included) (NTNC, verified 2026-09-24). Status: verified-official.

Manaslu Circuit permit quota and booking

Sep–Nov USD 100/week then USD 15/day; Dec–Aug USD 75/week then USD 10/day. Registered agency, minimum 2 trekkers, solo prohibited.

When is the best time to hike Manaslu Circuit?

On this record the best season is: Mar–May and Sep–Nov (NTB / NTNC walking season, checked 2026-09-21).

How difficult is Manaslu Circuit?

Manaslu Circuit is graded OSM sac_scale: mountain_hiking · SAC T3 · YDS 2. A sourced hazard on this record: Altitude / AMS: GLO-30 high 5,151 m on this line (Larkya La 5,106 m (Wikipedia; DEM high 5,151 m is the walked line)). This is a high-altitude trek, not a casual hike.

How long is Manaslu Circuit?

The length on this record is 118.52 km (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail

How do I get to Manaslu Circuit?

The record’s base start is Machha Khola approaches (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.

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