Is the Manaslu Circuit Trek Budget-Friendly
The Manaslu Circuit Trek is an off-the-beaten-path journey in Nepal, where you’ll travel in the lap of Mount Manaslu (8,163 m/26,781 ft), the world’s 8th highest peak. It’s a dream adventure for nature lovers worldwide, offering remote routes, rich culture, and stunning mountain views.
The route lies in a restricted area. It requires special permits and experienced guide to enter the region. Therefore, people mostly think that this trek is expensive. It’s normal to think so, as there are no extra requirements on the other famous trails like the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) Trek and the Langtang Valley Trek.
Yet, we say that this Himalayan trip can still be affordable. All that is needed is good planning, trekking in a group, sharing guide fees, staying in simple hotels, and opting for local transportation.
Total Cost Breakdown Of The Manaslu Circuit Trek
The total cost for trekking the Manaslu Circuit typically ranges from a low to a medium budget, which is generally more affordable than trekking in other restricted areas in Nepal. It’s expensive compared to the ABC and Langtang Valley Treks; nonetheless, we can still make it budget-friendly by planning wisely and sharing costs.
During the trek, the average daily expense is USD 70 to 120. However, it depends on group size, season, and personal spending nature. We strongly recommend you make a group for this trek or join another group to lower the overall cost, mainly for guide fees.
The costs of this journey include Manaslu Restricted Area Permits (RAP), a licensed guide, food, accommodation, and two-way transportation (from Kathmandu to the starting point and back). Among these, RAP and guides’ per-day wage exceeds the budget.
Also, if you don’t spend responsibly on hot showers, charging electronic gadgets, snacks, and drinks, it increases your expenses. Just avoid high services and monitor your daily spending, you’ll be able to keep the trek under control.
Permit Costs And How To Reduce Them
For the Manaslu Trek, Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP), Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), and Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS) card are required. Besides the guide, you must also have these permits, as they’re checked at several places along the way.
Regarding their costs, MCAP, ACAP, and TIMS cards are charged almost the same amount, USD 20-30 per person. But RAP is more expensive than them.
RAP costs around USD 100 and 75 per person during the autumn and spring, respectively, for a week. After that, during both seasons, it charges USD 15 and 10 per person per day.
There’s no discount on the fees for these permits. On top of that, there must be at least two people in a group, excluding the guide. If you don’t have a group, but still want to experience this trek, you need to hire an extra person, which increases your expense.
For this reason, group size matters when it comes to reducing costs. The larger the group, the easier it is to control expenses. You can share the guide and administrative costs with your companions.
Guide and Porter Costs: Budget Tips
Since the trekking route is in a restricted area, it’s compulsory to hire an experienced or licensed guide, costing USD 25 to 35 per day on average. Apart from leading you to the correct path, they also ensure your safety, manage permits, and help you in emergencies. With them by your side, your trek will be both legal and secure.
If it’s hard for you to carry your backpack by yourself, you can also hire a porter for around USD 20 to 25 per day. They carry 20 to 25 kg. However, this way your spending increases if you hire a porter only for carrying your belongings.
Most trekkers carry their backpack by themself. If you’re trekking in a group and some friends also don’t want to carry their belongings, you can hire a shared porter to help manage your expenses. But don’t hire only for yourself as far as you can carry your own.
When travelling in a group, the cost of a guide and a porter can be split among the friends. So, sharing costs is one of the best ways to keep your expenses low.
Food And Accommodation Costs On The Trail
Speaking of food and accommodation on the Manaslu Trek, there are enough tea houses and hotels available along the trail. They all provide basic rooms, usually with twin beds and a shared bathroom.
For food, they have a variety of options on the menu, from local to western cuisines. Local items, such as dal bhat, momo, and chowmein, are cheaper compared to western ones.
The meal costs around USD 5 to 10 in the lower sections and can increase up to USD 10 to 15 in the upper areas. Therefore, choose simple foods to reduce your expenses. We recommend you have vegetarian dishes during the trek.
Transportation Costs: Kathmandu to Trailhead
Transportation from Kathmandu to the starting point of the Manaslu Circuit Trek is one of the major expenses. Generally, tourists travel to Soti Khola (710 m/2329.4 ft) or Machha Khola (900 m/2,952.76 ft) either by local bus or private jeep, depending on their budget and comfort.
Travelling on a local bus and hiring a private jeep both have advantages and disadvantages. If you choose the local bus, it’ll be cost-saving, but it takes a long time to reach the trailhead, and the journey will also be less comfortable.
If you reserve a private jeep for your group, it’ll be easy to travel with comfort and reach the trailhead faster, but this option is expensive. It’s all up to you which option you prefer, depending on time, comfort, and budget.
To lower the costs, you can share a jeep with other trekkers if you don’t have a large group and split the total fare among the group. After concluding the trek in Dharapani (1,860 m/6,100 ft), take a shared jeep with locals or other trekkers to Besisahar (760 m/2,493 ft).
From Besisahar, take a local bus to Kathmandu. This is among the best money-saving tips for the Manaslu Trek.
Best Time To Trek Manaslu On A Budget
The best time for trekking the Manaslu Circuit on a budget is spring. The fee for RAP is USD 75 for this season. During autumn, the cost is USD 100, which is expensive. However, both are trekking seasons. Just the RAP fee in autumn is more than in spring. Therefore, we highly recommend planning this trek in the spring to keep your expenses low.
In particular, April offers the best weather conditions and mountain views during spring. The other permits and administrative costs are the same throughout the year.
Packing Smart To Avoid Extra Costs
We advise you to pack your items wisely for budget trekking in Nepal, as it’s one of the easiest ways. You don’t even have to purchase new gear to trek the Manaslu Circuit. You can rent a sleeping bag, a down jacket, and a backpack in Thamel, Kathmandu, which is cheaper than buying them.
Don’t bring any extra items; only necessary gear, including proper trekking shoes, trekking poles, warm layers, a raincoat, and a good backpack. Overpacking can make you hire a porter, resulting in high expenses. Also, don’t buy gear on the route because prices are higher in such remote locations than in cities. Hence, prepare everything when you’re in Kathmandu and save money.
Hidden Costs To Avoid On The Manaslu Circuit Trek
On the trekking trail, everything’s costly, unlike in city areas. In hotels and tea houses, you can have the facilities of electricity, a hot shower, and internet. However, to use them, you’ll need to pay an extra amount, which isn’t included in food and accommodation. These are the hidden costs that you should focus on avoiding during the Manaslu Trek.
Yes, we can understand that when you go hiking at such high-altitude locations, like the Manaslu Region, you certainly want to capture the peaks and other landscapes you witness along the way on your camera or phone for memories. Such gadgets are electronic and need to be charged to operate.
Don’t use it in excessive amounts while hiking and save charge, so that you don’t need to charge your devices daily later in hotels. Since you have to pay extra for a hot shower, don’t take a bath every day during the trek as well. The weather is already cold at higher elevations throughout the year. So, taking a bath, even if it’s a hot shower, can be risky for your health and increase your expenses. Moreover, don’t use Wi-Fi unless it’s necessary.
