Trekking is one of the best ways to break from everyday mundane life. Let's be honest; most of us are stuck here with our nine to five jobs or schools, busy building our future. However, it is mentally taxing and exhausting. So, one of the best way to take a break from this is to take a week-long trek across the mountains. 

The good news for us is that Nepal has a ton of destinations where you can do just that. But even among those destinations, Manaslu trek stands out as one of the best trekking destinations in Nepal, along with Annapurna Circuit Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Everest Circuit trek, Upper Mustang trek, and Everest Base Camp trek. 

There are many things you should prepare before going on this trek. It is a long walk across the mountains, after all. Among many things you should prepare, budgeting is the most important one. You cannot plan anything if you do not know how much it costs. 

So, what is the Manaslu Trek Cost? Let's find out!

What Is The Cost of the Manaslu Circuit Trek?

What does the total Manaslu Trek cost? The honest answer is - it depends on how much you want to spend. However, the Manaslu trek cost ranges from a low $282.5 to $684 for a week or two of trekking activity. Converting this into Nepali rupees, this ranges around Npr 35000 to Npr 85900. 

A wide gap between the lower and upper price ranges may confuse you. Let us break down the cost estimation to be easier for you. 

Manaslu Trek Cost for Permit

Yes, you need a permit to go on Manaslu trekking. In fact, you need four different types of permits for Manaslu Trek. These permits are:

• Trekkers Information Management Systems Permit (TIMS)
• Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP)
• Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAO)
• Manaslu Restricted Area Permit

Besides this, if your trekking route includes Tsum Valley, you need to get a Tsum Valley Permit for this as well. If you are Nepali, you don't need to spend much on this since you can get Manaslu Restricted Area Permit and Tsum Valley Permit. 

The cost of the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit and Annapurna Conservation Area Permit for Npr 100 each. As a Nepali, the most you will need to spend is Npr 2000 per person for TIMS. 

However, if you are not a Nepali, you will need to spend anywhere from $140 to $200, depending on the season and inclusion of the Tsum Valley route. To simplify things, here is a table showing the cost of the permits. 

Table showing Cost of different Permits for foreigners, SAARC personnel and Nepali

If you want to know more about the permits, do check our Quick Guide on Manaslu Circuit Trek. 

Transport Cost for Manaslu Circuit Trek

Depending on your transport mode, you may need $10 or $350 to transport cost for Manaslu circuit trek. 

Let us explain. 

Although the specific costs vary depending on the travel agency, the general transport cost from Kathmandu Valley to the Manaslu Trekking area vary from transportation means. Below are:

• Chopper (helicopter): $350
• Local Jeep For foreigners: $10
• Local Jeep for Nepali: $6
• Private Jeeps to Auraghat: $150 to $200
• Private Jeeps beyond Auraghat: $200 to $240

So as you can see, your method of traveling to the Manaslu Trekking zone has a lot of influence on your overall Manaslu Trek cost. 

Guide and Porters

Technically you can avoid the cost of Guides and Porters on Manaslu Trek. However, you need to be an expert with the routes and heavily optimize your gears. Since most of us cannot do this, hiring guides and porters is the norm. 

The good news is that you can easily find many porters and guides for your Manaslu Trek. Although you will need to spend a bit, the cost is well worth the investment. With just $20 to $25 per day, you will get a travel companion and someone willing to lift your weight for the entire day. This cost includes food, accommodation, and insurance cost for the porter. 

At the same time, if you need a guide, investing another $20 to $25 for manaslu travel guide is always a good traveling decision. The best part about this is that you can get a porter who can act as a guide for you if you are lucky enough.

Note:  a single porter will generally have a weight limit of 15Kg. If you have gears that weigh more than 15 Kg, you will need to hire multiple porters. 

Accommodation

Did you know that Manaslu Trek is also known as Tea House Trek? The reason behind this is the accommodation. While you can find hotels on Manaslu Trekking routes, you will be spending most of your nights in small and cozy Tea Houses. 

These accommodation centers are small hotel-like establishments for trekkers and only have the most basic facilities. You will not get warm water or an attached bathroom here. However, you will get a warm and cozy room and experience the classic Nepali life. 

You won't have many choices about the rooms since most of the rooms in Tea Houses are rooms with two twin beds. These rooms usually cost somewhere between $6 and $9 per night. If you manage to find a single room, they cost less than $6, usually around $3 per night. 

Food and Drinks

If you expect international cuisines in Manaslu Trek, you would be severely disappointed. The food in Manaslu Trek Area is all about the classic food of Nepali Villages, i.e., Rice, lentils, vegetables, pulses, and meats from local animal husbandry. 

Besides this, you might also find some noodles. 

As for the drinks, you can get local tea, coffee, and beer. While you can find local alcohol in this trek, we do not recommend this if the purpose of your journey is trekking. However, if the purpose of this journey is to visit the Manaslu Trekking area, be sure to try some. 

Now that we have clarified what you can expect for food and drinks. Let's talk about the costs on food you will need to spend:

• Roughly $5 per meal ($15 to $20 per day)
• Roughly $1.5 to $4 per 10 cups of tea 
• Roughly $2 to $4 per 10 cups of coffee
• Roughly $2 to $5 per pint of Alcohol (including beer)
• Roughly $0.5 to $4 per bottle of soda or water

This is an extremely low price for organic and nutritious food, which you will need for your journey in Manaslu Trek. 

How much do you need to pay in total for Manaslu Circuit Trek?

As we mentioned at the start, you will need to spend somewhere around Npr 35,000 to Npr 85,000 for Manaslu Trek. While Npr 35,000 is not cheap for the travel, it isn't all that expensive either. 

This Manaslu Trek Cost includes travel expenses, permits, porters, guides, food, and accommodation. That said, even with all of these, Manaslu Circuit trek is still cheaper than Annapurna Base Camp trek or Everest Base Camp Trek to some extent. 

Below table shows how much one needs to pay for Manaslu Circuit trek in total:

In the End

The best part about Manaslu Trek is that you can travel here any time of the year so, plan for Manaslu Circuit Trek if you want to feel breathtaking mountain peaks. However, the risk and cost do increase during off-seasons, i.e., winter and early summer, this trekking area is still one of the best travel destinations in Nepal, especially if you consider the view from Larke La Pass. If you wonder why the cost would increase during off-seasons, it's because of the additional gears. 

Regardless, you do not need much to travel to the Manaslu circuit area, especially if you are a working person. With a few months of saving, you can afford this journey. Furthermore, the cost per person drastically decreases if you use a travel agency like Mount Glory to purchase a Group Travel pack. 

We hope this was helpful for you.