8 Days Short Manaslu Circuit Trek

When it comes to high-altitude adventures, physical prowess plays a vital role in determining the comfort and enjoyability scale. If you put in effort during the preparation part, you will be able to enjoy a more relaxed exploration later on.

The training period for the preparation of the Short Manaslu Circuit Trek should be somewhere between 4 and 6 weeks. You can allocate a few hours from your schedule to make time for training. It will be most effective to do a self-physical assessment and take guidance from a trainer or veteran guides to design a suitable plan.

Your overall strength level and stamina should be optimum if you will cover the trekking distance of about 5-6 hours. Furthermore, you will also need to be able to trek on the gradually ascending route carrying your daypack.

Recommended exercises for your trek:

Strength Training: Push up, pull up, deadlift, plank, goblet squat, wall pushup, overhead press, lateral raise, step up, bicep curl, etc

Stamina Training: Jogging, cycling, dancing, swimming, jumping rope, rowing, lateral jump, powerwalking, etc

8 Days Short Manaslu Circuit is a classical trekking route in the Himalayas. During this exhilarating exploration, you will spend 7 nights at the teahouses in your trekking route.

The accommodation services in this remote trail may not be as well-developed as the mainstream trekking routes. However, you will still be able to enjoy a moderate level of accommodation facilities during your stay.

Most of the teahouses in this remarkable trekking region are run by the natives of the Manaslu region. During your trek, you will stay in a comfortable and warm room. There are mostly two to three beds in each room at the teahouses.

In the lower region, there are Western-style bathrooms attached to your room. But at the higher altitudes, the attached bathroom facilities and hot showers are pretty much limited.

Food

Nepal's diverse regional food menus are a major highlight of this incredible Himalayan adventure. During your everyday trekking adventure, you will be able to enjoy the delightful and tasty delicacies the Manaslu region has to offer. Not only are these dishes amazingly tongue-lingering, but also the ingredients used are super fresh and healthy.

During your Short Manaslu Circuit Trek, you will be able to enjoy a wide range of delicacies. From the diverse traditional dishes that represent different regions of the country to other Asian dishes and Western menus, the options are quite extensive.

Breakfast Menu: Bread, eggs, toast, jam, butter, teas, coffee, juice, muesli, paratha, pakoda, aalu chop, chapati, Tibetan bread, oats, pancake, pudding, etc

Lunch & Dinner Menu: Dal bhat tarkari, gundruk, dhido, chowmein, momo, shyaphale, thukpa, tingmo, riki kur, yak steak, spaghetti, pasta, pizza, sandwich, etc

Beverages

Like the food prospects of this Himalayan exploration, the beverage range is also quite diversified. From traditional warm beverages, juice, and alcohol to canned cold drinks and branded liquor, you can pretty much drink anything you want.

Still, you have to be careful while consuming alcoholic drinks; drink in moderation, or don’t consume alcohol at all. Having alcohol in your system can complicate the acclimatization process, and it is quite risky as well, trekking at high altitudes under the influence of alcohol.

On the other hand, you should drink an adequate amount of drinking water to acclimatize effectively and to maximize your comfort level during the long hours of trek. The recommended volume of water for a high-altitude trek is about 3 to 4 liters per day.

We don’t recommend buying mineral water bottles at the teahouses due to environmental hazard reasons. There are stations along the trekking route with safe drinking water sources. You can fill your bottles at these stations as you move along with your everyday journey.

Just don't forget to purify them using the purification solutions. You will also be able to buy boiled and filtered water from the teahouses en route, which can cost around US$ 1 to US$ 2 per pot.

This short exploration of the west-central part of the Himalayas is definitely a wonderful adventure. But, what makes this Himalayan trekking adventure even more exciting is that anyone can do this trek. If you have a basic level of physical fitness and good health conditions, you are more than just qualified to do this trek.

The success rate of this exhilarating adventure is 98% to 100%. That pretty much defines the overall difficulty level of this remarkable adventure. In its trekking history, even children under the age of 10 and trekkers older than 70 have completed this short-circuit trek.

You will also face a moderate level of challenges in this trek compared to other high-altitude remote explorations. This trekking adventure is close to and crosses the mainstream route of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. So, the services and amenities along the trail are on the moderate and well-developed side compared to the isolated regions.

Your Short Manaslu Circuit Trek will be led by a government-certified and trained guide with relevant years of experience. Our guides have also received training for high altitude response by the Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP).

The safety and well-being of our guests are our top priority. During the trek, your leader will evaluate your physical condition and oxygen saturation every day. Our head office, located in Kathmandu, will receive data on your location and your health conditions every day.

If you are wondering about what happens in case of sickness during your trek, your guide will take proper measures and coordinate with the head office for the next step. If the condition is minor, the trekkers are transferred to the nearby health facilities.

However, in case of emergencies, a helicopter rescue operation is initiated. We can also arrange supplementary oxygen bottles if the trekkers feel like they might need them at higher altitudes.

You will need four permits to explore the charming trails of the Manaslu Circuit.

• Restricted Area Permit (RAP)
• Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP)
• Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP)
• Chumnubri Rural Municipality Permit

The permit needed for the Short Manaslu Circuit Trek is a little high in number, as you will traverse several restricted areas during your exploration. The region between Jagat and Dharapani is designated as a special restricted area as it sits near the Tibetan border.

To get the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), you will have to pay US$ 100 (December to August) and US$ 75 (September to November) for the first week.

Similarly, the cost of the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) is US$ 30 for foreign trekkers and US$ 10 (Approx NPR 1,000) for SAARC Nationals.

You will also enter the Annapurna Conservation Area during the Dharapani to Besisahar route. So, you will need to get the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) as well, which costs approximately US$ 10 for the citizens of SAARC nations and US$ 30 for other nationals.

Chumnubri Rural Municipality Permit is a local entry fee that goes directly to the regional conservation and development. This permit costs US$ 10 per person. 

The lower trails in the Manaslu Circuit have sufficient electricity facilities. You can charge your devices easily at the teahouses for some extra cost. However, the high altitudes are more dependent on solar power as electricity isn’t available all the way to the top.

So, it will be best if you pack power banks and solar chargers for your adventures. This way, you won’t have to worry about your devices running out of battery.

As for the internet connection, the local networks like Ncell and NTC are not reliable throughout the region. You can use the Wi-Fi card for the internet connection where the mobile network has no coverage. The teahouses in the lower region also provide wifi services, and you can connect to the network by paying a little extra.