A guided Manaslu Circuit trek costs from USD 1,490 per person in 2026, sitting between the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp on price. The reason it costs more than a comparable Annapurna trek is the restricted-area permit, which is seasonal: about USD 100 per week from September to November and USD 75 per week from December to August, plus a conservation permit and a licensed guide that the rules make mandatory. Here is where every dollar goes on the world's quietest big teahouse loop.
What does the Manaslu Circuit cost in 2026?
The Manaslu Circuit is a 14-day restricted-area trek around the world's eighth-highest mountain, and its cost has three moving parts: the permits, the guided package on the ground, and the road transport at each end. Permits are the part that separates Manaslu from an ordinary conservation-area trek, so they are worth getting right before comparing package prices.
The seasonal restricted permit
The Manaslu Restricted Area Permit is priced by season: roughly USD 100 per week in the September to November high season and USD 75 per week from December to August. A 14-day circuit spends about 7 to 8 days inside the restricted zone, so budget around USD 100 to 200 for it. Two more permits stack on top: the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit at USD 30, and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit at NPR 3,000 (about USD 23) for the final section where the trail drops into Annapurna territory near Dharapani. The permit types and current rates are laid out in our Nepal trekking permits guide, and because Manaslu is restricted, a licensed guide is required, as covered in whether you need a guide to trek in Nepal.
The guided package price
Our Manaslu Circuit trek starts at USD 1,490 per person for the 14-day itinerary, with the per-head price dropping as group size rises. The package covers all three permits, a licensed guide and a porter, every teahouse night and meal on the trail, and the road transport between Kathmandu and the trailheads at Soti Khola and Dharapani. That base price runs above the Annapurna Circuit largely because of the restricted permit and the remoteness of the Budhi Gandaki valley, where supplies travel further to reach the lodges.
What you would pay arranging it yourself
Transport and daily spending fill out the total once permits and guiding are set. The Kathmandu to Soti Khola jeep is a 7 to 9 hour ride, and the return from Dharapani connects to the Besisahar road, together costing roughly USD 150 to 250 depending on whether you share or charter. A licensed guide runs about USD 25 to 35 a day and a porter USD 18 to 25, both required here. Teahouses are basic and food climbs with altitude, so expect USD 25 to 40 a day for meals and a bed, higher in the villages above Namrung.
Manaslu Circuit or Annapurna Circuit on cost?
Manaslu costs a few hundred dollars more per person than the Annapurna Circuit, almost entirely because of the restricted permit and the extra transport days. What that money buys is solitude: far fewer trekkers, no road on the trail, and a stronger sense of the Annapurna Circuit as it was two decades ago. For the full side-by-side on scenery, difficulty, and crowds, see how the two loops compare, and for a cheaper high trek at a similar length, our Everest Base Camp cost breakdown starts from USD 1,350.
A sample two-week budget
A worked example shows where a Manaslu budget goes. On a 14-day trek in the October to November season, the restricted-area permit for about 7 to 8 days runs close to USD 130, the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit adds USD 30, and the ACAP another USD 23. The jeep transport in and out totals roughly USD 200, a guide across the trek about USD 400, and a porter about USD 280. Teahouse food and lodging at USD 30 to 40 a day add around USD 450 over the trek. That comes to roughly USD 1,500 before tips and gear, which sits right at the guided package price once the operator's handling of permits, transport, and bookings is counted.
Where you can and cannot save
Group size is the one lever that moves the total meaningfully, because the guide, porter, and jeeps split across more people while the per-person permits stay fixed. Trekking in the December to August window trims the restricted permit from USD 100 to USD 75 a week, though it brings colder passes. What you cannot cut is the guide, since Manaslu is a restricted area that legally requires one, or the permit stack, which is the price of a trail this quiet. Attempts to trek Manaslu on a shoestring usually run into the permit rules rather than the daily costs.
Tips and insurance to budget for
Two costs sit outside the package on any Manaslu trek. Tips for the guide and porter are customary and add roughly USD 150 to 250 across a two-week trek, pooled and handed over at the end. Travel insurance that covers trekking to 5,500 metres with helicopter evacuation is the other, non-negotiable given the Larkya La crossing and the remoteness of the Budhi Gandaki valley. Neither is optional in practice, so budget both from the start rather than treating them as an afterthought once the package price is set.
How much is the Manaslu permit?
The Manaslu Restricted Area Permit is about USD 100 per week from September to November and USD 75 per week from December to August. Add the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit at USD 30 and the ACAP at NPR 3,000 (about USD 23) for the Annapurna-side exit.
Is the Manaslu Circuit cheaper than Everest Base Camp?
They are close. The Manaslu Circuit starts from USD 1,490 and Everest Base Camp from USD 1,350, but Everest adds two Lukla flights while Manaslu adds a restricted permit and long jeep transfers, so the real totals land near each other.
Do you need a guide for the Manaslu Circuit?
Yes. Manaslu is a restricted area, so a licensed guide from a registered agency is mandatory, and historically the permit needed a group of at least two trekkers. Our package includes the guide, the porter, and all three permits.
How much should you budget for food on Manaslu?
Plan on USD 25 to 40 a day for meals and a teahouse bed, rising in the higher villages toward Samagaon and Dharmasala where supplies travel furthest. Carrying some snacks from Kathmandu takes the edge off the daily spend.
Karma Gyalzen
Trekking Guide, Annapurna Trekking
Karma Gyalzen guides treks across Nepal for Annapurna Trekking. More about our team →
