Karakoram, Pakistan
K2 Base Camp
12 days · 100 miles · operator trek
Askole up the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia and K2 Base Camp, then over the Gondogoro La to Hushe.
- All twelve days
- My GPX files
- How this trek works
- Altitude, explained
Himalaya, Nepal · 10 days · 93 miles · teahouse trek
Manaslu Circuit Hiking Guide
In November 2022 I hiked the Manaslu Circuit in Nepal: ten days and about 93 miles on my GPS from Machha Khola up the Budhi Gandaki to Samagaon, with a day walk to Manaslu Base Camp, over Larkya La at about 16,900 feet and down to Dharapani. It was a group trip I hosted with subscribers, organized by the trekking company Vagabond Trails, with a guide and porters. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, the restricted area permit and the other 2026 fees, the rules about guides, the drives in and out, and every night's height for the altitude.
What's inside
- All ten days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to get off, a map with an elevation profile, and links to that day in my film.
- My GPX files. My own recordings for each day and the full route, with waypoints for the villages where I slept, Manaslu Base Camp and Larkya La, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
- Permits and the guide rule. The Manaslu restricted area permit, the Manaslu and Annapurna conservation area fees and TIMS for 2026, and the licensed guide rule, including the 2026 change for solo trekkers.
- Altitude, explained. Every night's height from my GPS, the Manaslu Base Camp acclimatization day, the CDC's rules of thumb applied to this route, and the signs of altitude sickness.
- Getting there and home. Kathmandu, the long drive to Machha Khola, and the jeep road out from Dharapani to Besisahar, with the 2026 road and trail closures.
- Teahouses, food and gear. What the teahouses, food, Wi-Fi, charging and showers were like, and what I carried.
- Other ways to do it. Tsum Valley, a night in Namrung, and starting higher up the valley.
- Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of year-to-year checks and a printable one-page summary of the whole trek.
Look inside
The details
- Format
- A 59-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
- Edition
- 2027 season edition, updated September 2026.
- Delivery
- Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
- Payment
- Secure checkout through Stripe. The price is in US dollars, and sales tax or VAT is added where it applies.
- Questions
- Email kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions
- How many days does the Manaslu Circuit take?
- I walked ten days from Machha Khola to Dharapani, one of them a round trip from Samagaon to Manaslu Base Camp to help with the altitude. Add a day in Kathmandu and a long drive each way, and plan on about two weeks in Nepal.
- Do you need a guide for the Manaslu Circuit?
- Yes. It's a restricted area, and the permit is issued only through a registered trekking agency, with a licensed guide going with you. Since March 2026 a single trekker can get the permit, but still only through an agency and with a guide.
- What permits do you need for the Manaslu Circuit?
- The Manaslu restricted area permit, US$100 a person for the first week and US$15 a day after that from September to November in 2026, plus the Manaslu and Annapurna conservation area permits, NPR 3,000 each. Your agency gets the restricted area permit for you.
- When is the best time to hike the Manaslu Circuit?
- March to May or September to November. June to September is the monsoon, and in winter snow can make Larkya La hard or impossible to cross. I walked November 4 to 13, 2022, and it was pretty dry, with blue skies most days.
- How do you get to the start of the Manaslu Circuit?
- We drove about nine hours from Kathmandu to Machha Khola, where the trek starts. At the end we drove about five hours from Dharapani to Besisahar and then back to Kathmandu. Ask your agency where the road ends on your dates.
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Get the next guide
I'm making guides for more of my hikes, and I host a group trip about once a year. Get an email when a new guide or trip is out. A few emails a year.