A guided Manaslu Circuit trek costs from USD 1,490 per person in 2026, which puts it between the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp. It costs more than a similar Annapurna trek because of the restricted-area permit. That permit runs USD 100 for the first week from September to November and USD 75 from December to August, and it brings a conservation permit and a compulsory licensed guide with it. This is where the money goes on the quietest of Nepal's big teahouse loops.
What does the Manaslu Circuit cost in 2026?
The Manaslu Circuit is a 14-day restricted-area trek around Manaslu (8,163 metres), the world's eighth-highest mountain. Three things decide the cost. Permits first, then the guided package on the ground, and road transport at each end. The permits are what separate Manaslu from an ordinary conservation-area trek, so get those straight before comparing package prices.
The seasonal restricted permit
The Manaslu Restricted Area Permit is priced by season. From September to November it costs USD 100 for the first seven days, then USD 15 for each extra day. From December to August it's USD 75 for the first week and USD 10 a day after that. Our 14-day circuit spends about eight days inside the zone, from Jagat to beyond Larkya La, so budget USD 85 to 115. Two more permits sit on top. The Manaslu Conservation Area Permit costs NPR 3,000 (about USD 23), and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, also NPR 3,000, covers the last stretch down to Dharapani. All the rates are in our Nepal trekking permits guide. Manaslu is restricted, so you need a licensed guide, as whether you need a guide to trek in Nepal explains.
The guided package price
Our Manaslu Circuit trek starts at USD 1,490 per person for 14 days. A pair or group of three pays USD 1,690 each, four to seven people USD 1,540, and eight to ten USD 1,490. Fixed departures run from USD 1,490 in spring and November to USD 1,650 for October 2027. The package covers every permit, a licensed guide and a porter, all teahouse nights and trail meals, and the drives between Kathmandu, Soti Khola and Dharapani. It costs more than the Annapurna Circuit mainly because of the restricted permit and the remote Budhi Gandaki valley, where supplies travel a long way to reach the lodges.
What you would pay arranging it yourself
Then the jeeps. The jeep from Kathmandu to Soti Khola takes seven to nine hours, and the way out from Dharapani joins the Besisahar road. The two together cost roughly USD 150 to 250, depending on whether you share or hire a whole jeep. A licensed guide costs USD 25 to 35 a day and a porter USD 18 to 25. Teahouses are basic and food prices climb with altitude, so expect USD 25 to 40 a day for meals and a bed, more above Namrung.
Manaslu Circuit or Annapurna Circuit on cost?
Manaslu costs about USD 300 more per person than the Annapurna Circuit, almost all of it permit and transport. What you get for that is quiet. Far fewer trekkers, a road only on the lowest stretch of the valley, and a trail that feels like the Annapurna Circuit did twenty years ago. If you want a high trek of similar length for less, our Everest Base Camp cost breakdown starts at USD 1,350.
A sample two-week budget
Here's a 14-day October trek arranged yourself. The restricted permit for about eight days comes to USD 115, and the two conservation permits add USD 46. Jeeps in and out total about USD 200. A guide for the trek costs about USD 400, a porter about USD 280. Teahouse food and beds at USD 30 to 40 a day add roughly USD 450. That's about USD 1,490 before tips and gear, the same as our large-group price, without anyone handling the permit application, the jeeps or the lodge bookings for you.
Where you can and cannot save
Group size. That's the only real lever. The guide, porter and jeeps get split more ways while the per-person permits stay fixed. Trekking between December and August cuts the restricted permit from USD 100 to USD 75 a week, though the pass is colder and sometimes snowbound. You can't drop the guide, which the law requires here, or the permits, which are the price of a trail this quiet. People who try Manaslu on a shoestring tend to hit the permit rules long before the daily costs.
Tips and insurance to budget for
Two costs sit outside any Manaslu package. Tips for the guide and porter usually come to USD 150 to 250 per trekker over two weeks, pooled and handed over at the end, and our tipping guide splits that by role. The other is travel insurance covering trekking to 5,500 metres with helicopter evacuation, which you need for the Larkya La crossing and the long walk out of the Budhi Gandaki. Budget both from day one.
How much is the Manaslu permit?
The restricted permit is USD 100 for the first week from September to November and USD 75 from December to August, plus a daily fee after the seventh day. Add the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit and the ACAP, both NPR 3,000 (about USD 23).
Is the Manaslu Circuit cheaper than Everest Base Camp?
Close. Manaslu starts at USD 1,490 and Everest Base Camp at USD 1,350. Everest adds two Lukla flights, while Manaslu adds a restricted permit and long jeep rides, so the final totals land near each other.
Do you need a guide for the Manaslu Circuit?
Yes. Manaslu is restricted, so a licensed guide from a registered agency is compulsory. The old rule that the permit needed at least two trekkers was dropped on 22 March 2026, so solo trekkers can now go with a guide. Our package includes the guide, a porter and all the permits.
How much should you budget for food on Manaslu?
Plan on USD 25 to 40 a day for meals and a bed, more in the high villages toward Samagaon and Dharamsala where supplies travel furthest. Snacks bought in Kathmandu help keep the daily spend down.
Karma Gyalzen
Trekking Guide, Annapurna Trekking
Karma Gyalzen guides treks across Nepal for Annapurna Trekking. More about our team →
