Finding a trekking partner for the Manaslu Circuit

You find a trekking partner for the Manaslu Circuit by posting your dates, pace and budget style and then agreeing the terms with people who match before the agency books the permit, because the Manaslu Circuit is a restricted area where a registered agency, a licensed guide and the permit paperwork come first. On FindTrekkingPartner the service is free, contact details stay hidden until both trekkers agree, and it is not an agency. The Manaslu Circuit partner page lists open trips, and the trekking partner hub explains the process.

The Manaslu Circuit route page has the 14-day plan: a jeep to Machha Khola (8 to 9 hours), the Budhi Gandaki valley through Jagat, Deng, Namrung and Lho to Samagaun (3,530 m), a rest day, Samdo (3,875 m) with a second rest day, Dharamsala (about 4,470 m), the Larkya La crossing at 5,106 m, Bimthang, Tilije and a jeep from Dharapani to Besisahar and Kathmandu. It is rated hard, and the Manaslu region page covers the wider area. A partner matters here for cost, for the restricted-area logistics and for safety on the pass.

The permit and the guide

In restricted areas (13 districts, including Manaslu, Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpo) a licensed guide through a registered agency is part of the permit, and the Department of Immigration reminded stakeholders of this in June 2026. Since 22 March 2026 one trekker can apply for a restricted-area permit, but the guide is still required. A group of two is no longer required for the permit, but the guide and agency still are, and a partner halves the guide cost; ask your agency in writing what it needs, because the rule has changed before. The Manaslu restricted-area permit costs USD 100 per person per week from September to November plus USD 15 per day beyond one week, and USD 75 per week plus USD 10 per day from December to August. You also need the Manaslu Conservation Area permit and the Annapurna Conservation Area permit at the end of the route, each NPR 3,000 for foreigners, plus a TIMS card where required. See our Manaslu permit guide, the guide rule by region and the guide rule explainer.

What a partner saves

The guide, porters and jeep are shared. The pack's dated cost data (checked 18 October 2026) gives a guide at NPR 3,400 to 4,700 a day and a porter at NPR 2,100 to 3,400 a day, with 14 guide days and 12 porter days. At NPR 134 per USD:

A pair sharing one porter pays NPR 12,600 to 20,400 each for 12 days. The jeep from Kathmandu to Machha Khola is NPR 24,000 to 29,500 per vehicle (about USD 180 to 220 each way) against a local bus at about USD 10 a head, and the return from Besisahar to Kathmandu is NPR 20,000 to 29,500 per vehicle or NPR 1,300 to 2,700 by bus. Permits are personal and the restricted-area fee also rises by day count, so agree the schedule before the agency calculates it. Our splitting guide works through the method on Everest and shows the Manaslu figures.

What to match on

Match on the rest days. The plan has two, at Samagaun and Samdo, and they are part of the acclimatisation, not spare days. Pungyen Gompa (about 3,870 m) is the typical Samagaun hike. A partner who wants to skip them is a bad match.

Match on Larkya La. The pass day starts before dawn and takes 8 to 10 hours from Dharamsala (about 4,470 m) over moraine and snow to 5,106 m and down to Bimthang. Agree who decides to turn back, in what conditions, and who pays if the group splits. Ask the guide what the retreat is: it is back to Samdo, not forward. Our snow and high-pass conditions guide and crampons and microspikes guide cover what you need.

Match on tolerance for simple lodging and long drives: the road to Machha Khola is rough and dusty, and Tibetan-influenced villages above Namrung have basic menus. If you are deciding between this and Annapurna, compare Annapurna Circuit versus Manaslu Circuit.

Where the plan strains a partnership

The first six days are long and steady: 6 to 7 hours a day along the Budhi Gandaki on suspension bridges and stone steps, climbing from Machha Khola at 870 m to Samagaun at 3,530 m. That is the stretch where a difference in fitness shows up before the altitude does, and where the guide should walk with the slower person. The two rest days then reset the group. Dharamsala, also called Larkya Phedi, is a stone shelter with a few lodges at the foot of the pass, so the night before the crossing is basic and cold, and both of you need to be honest about how you slept at 4,470 m. If one of you has a headache that does not clear, the right answer is to descend, and the agreement you wrote at the start is what makes that decision painless.

After Larkya La the descent through Bimthang, Tilije and Dharapani is long and hard on the knees, and the trek ends where the Manaslu trail meets the Annapurna Circuit. A jeep from Dharapani to Besisahar is a shared cost per vehicle. If the road is blocked you will want the spare day you agreed to keep.

Choosing the agency together

Because the agency applies for the permit and supplies the guide, you and your partner are choosing one agency, not two. Ask for the same things in writing: the licensed guide's name, the permit fee and how it is calculated by dates, the number of porters, what the price includes, the cancellation terms and what happens if one of you leaves. Compare at least two quotes and keep them in a shared note. FindTrekkingPartner does not collect or hold money, so each of you pays the agency directly, and the cost splitter on a posted trip is an estimate only.

Seasons

October to November and March to May are the best months on the pack; the permit costs more from September to November. Read best time for the Manaslu Circuit. Start recruiting a partner two to three months ahead, because the agency needs names, passport details and dates to apply for the permit.

Agreeing the plan

Agree dates and spare days, who pays the agency, the guide, porter and jeep split, who may call a descent, and what happens if one person leaves, especially before Jagat, where the permit is checked on day two. The permit is applied for with names and passport details, so tell the agency promptly if someone drops out and ask in writing how that changes the price. Use what to agree with trekking partners, the vetting checklist and what if your partner cannot continue. For the road logistics read Kathmandu to Soti Khola for the Manaslu Circuit, and for the day-by-day plan the Manaslu itinerary. If you also want Tsum Valley, see Manaslu Circuit versus Tsum Valley.