Manaslu Circuit trek cost breakdown

The Manaslu Circuit costs more than most teahouse treks in Nepal for one reason: permits. Using our dated cost data (as of October 2026, at NPR 134 to the dollar), the 14-day plan comes to about USD 830 to 1,200 for one budget trekker, USD 650 to 960 each for two sharing and USD 560 to 830 each for four. With a porter for every two trekkers and better lodges, the range is about USD 1,400 to 2,100 for one person and USD 820 to 1,250 each in a group of four. The TIMS card is the one line without a published price, so it is not included.

If you have seen quotes for this trek that look much higher, they usually add an agency margin, international flights, insurance and Kathmandu hotels, none of which are in our numbers. If you want the fee logic behind the permit line, read the Manaslu restricted-area permit guide. The figures here come from the "What it costs" section of the Manaslu Circuit route page and the Manaslu cost file behind it.

What the 14-day plan assumes

The plan drives from Kathmandu to Machha Khola (870 m, 8 to 9 hours) on day 1, then walks to Jagat (1,340 m), Deng (1,860 m), Namrung (2,630 m), Lho (3,170 m) and Samagaun (3,530 m). There are acclimatisation days at Samagaun and Samdo (3,875 m), then Dharamsala (4,470 m), Larkya La (5,106 m) and Bimthang (3,720 m). The walk ends at Tilije and Dharapani, followed by a jeep to Besisahar and a drive back to Kathmandu. For costing the plan counts:

• 13 nights: 5 below 2,500 m, 5 between 2,500 and 3,800 m and 3 above 3,800 m.
• 14 guide days and 12 porter days.
• 12 permit days for the restricted-area permit.
• Two transport legs: Kathmandu to Machha Khola, and Besisahar to Kathmandu.

Permits: the biggest difference

Three permits apply, and the restricted-area permit is priced by season and by days:

For 12 permit days the restricted-area fee is USD 175 in the autumn peak (about NPR 23,450) and USD 125 from December to August (about NPR 16,750). Add MCAP and ACAP and the three permits total NPR 22,750 to 29,450, about USD 170 to 220. The ACAP is needed because the circuit joins the Annapurna trail near Dharapani. Online payment of MCAP and ACAP adds a 2.9% gateway charge, and a permit issued at a check post costs double, per the NTNC e-permit page.

Restricted-area permits are issued by the Department of Immigration through a registered trekking agency; you cannot buy one at the counter yourself. Press reports say individual foreigners have been able to apply since 22 March 2026, where before a two-trekker minimum applied, but a licensed guide is still required. Confirm the current rule with your agency before you pay a deposit. Children under 10 are free for the conservation area permits, but ask the agency separately about the restricted-area permit.

The guide rule in this region

Manaslu is a restricted area, so the rule is written into the permit: a licensed guide through a registered agency, with the Department of Immigration restating it in June 2026. The checkposts at Jagat, Philim, Namrung and Samagaun inspect the permits, so the guide and the permit have to match the people on the trail. See our guide rule explainer for the wider framework, which differs between restricted areas, Annapurna and Langtang, and Khumbu (checked 19 October 2026).

Lodging and food by altitude

Our data has no Manaslu-specific band prices, so it uses Nepal-wide ranges, labelled as such. Per night, including room and meals:

Over 5, 5 and 3 nights the budget style comes to NPR 39,100 to 60,800 (about USD 290 to 450), mid-range NPR 52,700 to 81,200 and comfort NPR 69,700 to 104,200. Because the upper valley lodges are small and far from the road, plan on the upper end of each range from Samagaun upward, and carry enough rupees for the whole walk. Our teahouse price guide explains what drives the difference.

Guide and porter

Our Manaslu rates are NPR 3,400 to 4,700 a day for a guide and NPR 2,100 to 3,400 for a porter, taken from market ranges in 2026 operator guides; no official minimum was found. On the plan:

At 14 days the guide is the largest single cost for a solo trekker, at about USD 355 to 490. In a group of four it is about USD 90 to 125. Budget trekkers carry their own packs, which saves the porter line entirely, but Larkya La is a long day at altitude and many people hire one for that stretch; guide versus porter roles covers who carries what.

Transport

Kathmandu to Machha Khola is NPR 1,000 to 1,500 per person by local bus (about USD 10) or NPR 24,000 to 29,500 per vehicle by private jeep (USD 180 to 220). Besisahar to Kathmandu is NPR 1,300 to 2,700 per person by bus or NPR 20,000 to 29,500 per vehicle. At the budget level our totals use the bus: NPR 2,300 to 4,200 in all. At mid-range and comfort the jeeps are split across the group, so the transport line is NPR 44,000 to 59,000 for one trekker but NPR 11,000 to 14,750 each for four. Roads after Soti Khola are rough and landslides can cut them in the monsoon, which is another reason to keep a spare day.

The totals

Per person, rounded outward to the nearest USD 10 below USD 1,000 and USD 50 above:

Going from alone to a group of four saves roughly USD 270 to 370 in the budget style and USD 580 to 850 at mid-range. The permits stay at USD 170 to 220 whatever the group size, because they are per person, so a group changes everything except that line.

What is not counted

International flights, insurance, Kathmandu hotels, gear rental, tips, snacks, showers, charging, and the TIMS card are outside the totals. Insurance should cover helicopter evacuation above 5,000 m; Larkya La is 5,106 m, and the pass day is 8 to 10 hours from Dharamsala. Add at least one spare day for road or weather delays.

Where the range comes from, and how to narrow it

The gap between the bottom and top of each cell comes from four choices. First, the season: for 12 permit days the restricted-area fee is USD 175 from September to November and USD 125 from December to August, a difference of USD 50 or about NPR 6,700 per person, and every extra day beyond the first week adds USD 15 or USD 10 depending on the tier, about NPR 2,010 or NPR 1,340. Second, the style of lodging, where mid-range costs about NPR 13,600 to 20,400 more than budget over 13 nights. Third, transport: the bus costs NPR 2,300 to 4,200 in total for both legs, while a private jeep is NPR 44,000 to 59,000 for a solo traveller. Fourth, whether you hire a porter.

The safe ways to lower the total are to share the guide and jeep with partners, take the bus where the road allows and carry your own pack. The risky ways are to shorten the plan so that you skip the acclimatisation days at Samagaun and Samdo, or to travel in a month when the weather makes the pass unreliable. The permit saving from a December to August trip is small next to the cost of a failed crossing, so choose the date by conditions first and price second. Our best time guide explains the conditions month by month.

Where to go next

• Do you need a partner? Not for the permit since the Department of Immigration decision of 22 March 2026; the guide and registered agency are still required. See Manaslu and Upper Mustang permits: do you need a partner?, which puts the Manaslu guide at about NPR 56,700 for 14 days, so about NPR 28,350 each for two, NPR 18,900 for three and NPR 14,175 for four.
• Getting there. Kathmandu to Soti Khola covers the first transport line.
• Insurance. Larkya La is 5,106 m, above a 4,500 m ceiling; read travel insurance for trekking above 4,500 m and helicopter evacuation in Nepal.
• The rule. Solo trekking in Nepal in 2026: what is true separates the restricted-area rule from the conservation-area one.

Using the numbers

Ask your agency for a written quote that itemises the restricted-area permit, MCAP, ACAP, guide, transport and any extras, and compare it with the tables above. A quote far below the budget column is hiding a cost or cutting a service; one far above the comfort column needs an explanation. For timing, see the best time for the Manaslu Circuit and the day-by-day itinerary. If you are deciding between the two big circuits, Annapurna Circuit versus Manaslu Circuit compares them, and the Annapurna Circuit cost breakdown shows the same method on the cheaper route. To split the guide with others (permits stay per person), start with finding a partner for the Manaslu Circuit and the Manaslu partner page, and browse the whole Manaslu region for related treks such as Tsum Valley. All our budget guides are in the costs and budget hub.