Two great circuits that meet at Dharapani. We compare the Manaslu Circuit and the Annapurna Circuit on days, altitude, the Larkya La and Thorong La, permits and cost, crowds, roads, teahouses, culture and difficulty, and explain who each one suits and how to walk both.
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Choosing between the Manaslu Circuit and the Annapurna Circuit is a choice between two of the best teahouse treks in Nepal, and they sit side by side: the Manaslu Circuit finishes at Dharapani, exactly where we start walking on the Annapurna Circuit. Choose Manaslu if you want a quieter, more remote trek with a more traditional feel and do not mind longer days and simpler lodges. Choose the Annapurna Circuit if you want the higher pass, better lodges, easier logistics and a single cheap permit.
In short: Manaslu is wilder, Annapurna is easier to organise. Manaslu's Larkya La (5,106 m) is lower than Thorong La (5,416 m), but the Manaslu Circuit is the harder trek overall because of its long days in the Budhi Gandaki gorge and the length of its pass day. It also costs more because of the Restricted Area Permit.
Below we compare them point by point, then explain who each one suits and how to walk both in one trip.
On our itineraries the Annapurna Circuit takes 10 days from Kathmandu to Pokhara and the Manaslu Circuit 12 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu. Annapurna goes higher, Manaslu walks further and longer each day. The table compares the two treks as we run them.
Manaslu Circuit | Annapurna Circuit | |
|---|---|---|
Our trip length | 12 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu | 10 days, Kathmandu to Pokhara |
Walking days | 10 | 8 |
Pass | Larkya La, 5,106 m | Thorong La, 5,416 m |
Highest night | Dharamsala, 4,460 m | Thorong Phedi, 4,450 m |
Choose the Manaslu Circuit if
Choose the Annapurna Circuit if
The Manaslu Circuit is harder overall, even though its pass is about 300 m lower. Most Manaslu days are six to eight hours on rough, up-and-down trail; most Annapurna days are three to seven hours on better paths. The Larkya La day is also longer, eight to ten hours against seven to nine for Thorong La.
The difference shows in the first days. Manaslu's walk up the Budhi Gandaki gorge from Machha Khola to Jagat, Deng and Namrung is three long days of climbing over spurs and dropping back to the river, often in heat. On the Annapurna Circuit we drive past the equivalent lower section and start walking at 1,860 m on a gentler trail.
Thorong La is the steeper and higher pass. The climb from Thorong Phedi is short and steep at first, and the 1,600 m descent to Muktinath is hard on the knees. The Larkya La has a gentler but longer climb over moraine and a descent that is often icy at the top. Our view: Thorong La is the harder single day, and Manaslu is the more tiring trek.
Thorong La, at 5,416 m, is 310 m higher than the Larkya La at 5,106 m. But both treks sleep at almost the same height the night before the pass: 4,450 m at Thorong Phedi and 4,460 m at Dharamsala. The acclimatisation challenge is similar.
Both of our itineraries are built around one rest day: at Manang (3,540 m) on the Annapurna Circuit, and at Samagaon (3,530 m) on Manaslu, each with a hike higher. After that, both climb in short stages to the foot of the pass. On Manaslu the extra climbing on pass day is smaller, about 650 m, because Dharamsala is close to the top; on Annapurna it is just under 1,000 m.
Two things make the Annapurna side a little easier to manage if someone gets sick. Jeeps reach Manang, so going down is quick, and lodges and the Himalayan Rescue Association's Manang aid post are close by in season. On Manaslu, Samdo is the last practical helicopter pick-up before the pass. Our altitude sickness guide covers both routes.
The Annapurna Circuit needs only the ACAP permit, NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals. The Manaslu Circuit needs the Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (USD 100 for the first week from September to November, USD 75 from December to August, then a daily rate), plus MCAP and ACAP at NPR 3,000 each. That makes Manaslu's permits several times more expensive.
Permit | Manaslu Circuit | Annapurna Circuit |
|---|---|---|
Restricted Area Permit | USD 100 first 7 days Sep–Nov (then USD 15/day); USD 75 Dec–Aug (then USD 10/day) | Not needed |
Conservation area | MCAP NPR 3,000 and ACAP NPR 3,000 | ACAP NPR 3,000 |
TIMS | Not used | Not checked in practice |
Who can apply | Registered agency only |
Restricted area fees are set by the Department of Immigration. Our Nepal trekking permits article lists them for every region.
Beyond permits, the main differences are trip length, transport and lodge prices. Manaslu is two days longer on our itineraries, so two more days of guide and porter wages, meals and rooms. The Annapurna Circuit includes the Jomsom to Pokhara flight, while Manaslu returns by road, which is cheaper but a long day. Lodge prices are similar, rising with altitude on both.
Across the market, a guided Manaslu Circuit usually costs more than a guided Annapurna Circuit of similar standard, mainly because of the permit and the extra days. For our own prices on either trek, ask us for a quote. Our Nepal trekking cost guide breaks the costs down.
On Manaslu a licensed guide is compulsory and enforced: it is a restricted area, and checkpoints at Jagat and Philim turn back anyone without one. On the Annapurna Circuit, Nepal Tourism Board rules since April 2023 also require a licensed guide, but enforcement has been uneven. We run both fully guided.
Since 22 March 2026, the Department of Immigration issues Manaslu permits to single trekkers, so a solo traveller no longer needs to find a partner. You still trek with a guide, and one guide may lead at most seven people. For the Annapurna Circuit there was never a group minimum. Our guide rules article explains the background.
The Annapurna Circuit is far busier. In a normal peak season several hundred trekkers a day pass the Dharapani checkpoint; Manaslu sees a fraction of that. Manaslu's numbers are rising, with a record of more than 12,000 foreign visitors to the conservation area in the year to mid-May 2025, but its permit costs and guide rule keep it quiet.
On the trail, the difference is clearest in the evenings. On the Annapurna Circuit, Manang and Thorong Phedi lodges in October are lively and full, and you meet the same faces day after day. On Manaslu, lodge dining rooms are smaller and quieter, except at Dharamsala before the pass, where the few lodges can fill in the busiest weeks and some groups sleep in tents.
Manaslu has much less road where you walk. A dirt road reaches Machha Khola at the start, and a farm road comes up from Dharapani to Tilije at the end; in between, it is footpath. On the Annapurna Circuit, jeep roads reach Manang on the east side and Muktinath on the west, and only the section over Thorong La is road-free.
That is why good Annapurna itineraries drive the lower valley and walk from Dharapani or Chame, using the waymarked NATT trails and the high trail through Ghyaru and Ngawal to avoid the road. Done that way, the road barely affects your walking days. Our Annapurna Circuit guide explains where to drive and where to walk.
The roads also have advantages. On the Annapurna side they make evacuation easier, they open up side trips such as Tilicho Lake and Nar Phu, and the Jomsom flight saves a long drive at the end.
Annapurna Circuit lodges are among the most comfortable in Nepal, with hot showers in most villages up to Manang, wide menus and bakeries. Manaslu lodges are simpler, with mostly shared toilets and fewer showers above Samagaon, and Dharamsala is basic. Both are teahouse treks; neither needs camping.
On Manaslu, Namrung, Lho and Samagaon have the best lodges, many rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake. Food is simpler higher up, and meat is scarce in upper Nubri, where slaughter is avoided. On the Annapurna Circuit, Manang has apple pie, coffee and gear shops, and over the pass Muktinath and Jomsom have proper hotels. Our teahouse trekking guide explains what to expect on any route.
Both are outstanding. Manaslu gives you one huge mountain close up, from Lho, Samagaon and Bimthang, and the deep Budhi Gandaki gorge. The Annapurna Circuit gives you a wider range: the Annapurna II, III and IV wall from Ghyaru, Gangapurna at Manang, then Dhaulagiri and the dry Kali Gandaki after the pass.
Culturally, Manaslu feels more traditional. Nubri's villages are Tibetan Buddhist farming communities with long mani walls, chortens and gompas, and tourism sits lightly on top of village life. The Annapurna Circuit is more varied: Gurung villages, the Tibetan-style villages of Manang, the pilgrimage temple of Muktinath sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, and the walled village of Kagbeni. It is also more commercial.
The seasons are the same for both: October and November first, March to May second. Winter snow can close both passes for days, and the Larkya La is often shut from December to February. In the monsoon, landslides affect the approach roads on both sides.
Manang and Mustang are in the rain shadow, so the upper Annapurna Circuit stays drier in the monsoon than Manaslu's gorge, though getting there and flying out of Jomsom is unreliable. The Manaslu RAP is cheaper from December to August, but that is not a good reason to go in winter. Our best time to trek in Nepal guide goes month by month.
Choose Manaslu if you have trekked before, want quiet trails and traditional villages, and accept longer days, simpler lodges and a higher permit cost for that. It suits people who found the Annapurna or Everest trails busy, people who want to walk on footpath rather than beside a road, and anyone keen to add the Tsum Valley.
It is now a realistic choice for solo travellers too, since the March 2026 rule change. Our Manaslu Circuit guide covers the trek in detail.
Choose the Annapurna Circuit if you want the higher pass, more comfort, simpler permits and a shorter trip, or if it is your first trek at this altitude. It suits people with 10 to 14 days, people who want to add Tilicho Lake, and anyone who likes the idea of finishing with a 20-minute flight down the Kali Gandaki gorge rather than a long drive.
If neither feels right, our Everest Base Camp vs Annapurna Base Camp comparison covers two treks without a high pass.
Yes. The Manaslu Circuit ends at Dharapani, which is where our Annapurna Circuit starts walking. Instead of driving out, you keep walking up the Marsyangdi to Chame, Manang and over Thorong La. It makes a trek of around three weeks with two passes above 5,000 m.
The combined trip works well for acclimatisation. You cross the Larkya La first, drop to 1,860 m at Dharapani, then climb again over five days to Manang. By the time you reach Thorong Phedi your body has already been above 5,000 m once. Some people skip the Manang rest day for this reason, but we still prefer to keep it, because the second climb is higher and your legs will be tired.
You need the Manaslu RAP and MCAP for the first part, and ACAP, which covers both the descent from Bimthang and the whole Annapurna Circuit. Nar Phu can also be added from Koto, near Chame, with its own Restricted Area Permit. Ask us and we will plan the combined route.
The Manaslu Circuit, by far. From Lho, Samagaon and Bimthang the mountain fills the view. On the Annapurna Circuit you see Manaslu only briefly, looking back east from around Timang between Dharapani and Chame.
Neither is technical in the main season. The Larkya La descent is more often icy, and the route is more remote, so help is further away. Thorong La is higher and windier. Both have closed after storms, and on both your guide decides on the day whether it is safe to cross.
Both now work. The Annapurna Circuit has always been open to individuals, and since 22 March 2026 single trekkers can get the Manaslu permit too, with a licensed guide. If you want company in the lodges, the Annapurna Circuit is more sociable.
Both are good from March to May. Manaslu's forests below Namrung and Bimthang have rhododendrons in flower, and the Annapurna Circuit has them in the lower valley. Early in spring both passes can still have snow and ice, so microspikes are useful.
Yes. Our Annapurna Circuit is 10 days from Kathmandu and our Manaslu Circuit 12 days. Add arrival and departure days in Kathmandu and a spare day, and either fits in two weeks.
Route guides
Plan the Manaslu Circuit for 2026–27: the Restricted Area Permit fees by season, MCAP and ACAP, the March 2026 rule that lets solo trekkers get a permit, acclimatising at Samagaon, Larkya La day, the road to Machha Khola, teahouse standards, seasons and adding the Tsum Valley.
Pass day |
8–10 hours, about 650 m up and 1,400 m down |
7–9 hours, about 970 m up and 1,600 m down |
Typical day | 6–8 hours | 3–7 hours |
Our grade | Strenuous | Challenging |
Permits | Manaslu RAP, MCAP, ACAP | ACAP |
Guide | Compulsory, restricted area | Required by 2023 rules, unevenly enforced |
Solo trekkers | Since 22 March 2026, with a guide | Yes |
Road | Ends at Machha Khola; farm road from Tilije down | Reaches Manang and Muktinath |
Teahouses | Simpler, basic at Dharamsala | Some of the best in Nepal |
Culture | Gurung lower down, Tibetan Buddhist Nubri | Gurung, Manangi, Thakali; Muktinath pilgrimage |
Getting out | Drive from Dharapani to Kathmandu | Flight from Jomsom to Pokhara |
Best months | Oct–Nov, Mar–May | Oct–Nov, Mar–May |
Anyone, in Kathmandu, Pokhara or online
No. The packing list is the same: warm layers and a down jacket for the pass, walking poles for the descents, a headtorch for the early start and a filter for water. We lend you a down jacket and sleeping bag on both.
The Annapurna Circuit. Most villages up to Manang and from Muktinath down have signal, and lodges sell wifi. On Manaslu signal is patchy above Namrung and unreliable beyond Samdo.
If quiet trails and traditional villages matter to you, yes. The permits add roughly USD 100 to 150 per person over the Annapurna Circuit for a standard trek. If comfort, a higher pass or budget matter more, the Annapurna Circuit is the better choice.