Best Nepal Treks Compared: Annapurna Circuit, 7 Days ABC & Manaslu Circuit

Nepal’s Himalayas offer some of the best trekking routes in the world. Three popular choices for mountain lovers are the Annapurna Circuit Trek, the 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek, and the Manaslu Circuit Trek. These treks vary in scenery, difficulty, culture, and adventure style. Choosing the right one depends on your goals, fitness, and travel plan. Below, we compare these treks in a simple and useful way.

Overview: Exploring Three Major Nepal Treks

It is a trek around the huge Annapurna and passes Thorong La Pass at an elevation of more than 5,400 m. It encompasses varied sceneries and is characterized by panoramic landscapes and cultural diversity. 

Trekking the 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp is a trek that will bring you to the center of the Annapurna Sanctuary. You are engulfed by huge mountains such as Annapurna I and Machapuchare. 

The Manaslu Circuit Trek is an ordeal, rounding the eighth-highest mountain on earth, the mountain Manaslu (8,163 km), and traversing the difficult Larkya La Pass. 

Location and Geography

Annapurna is located in Nepal in the middle. Its routes begin either around Pokhara or Besisahar. The trail travels along the river valleys, high passes and alps. 

Another trek in the same Annapurna region is the Base Camp trek, but shorter and more direct. It starts close to Nayapul or Chhomrong. 

The Manaslu is located northwest of Annapurna, close to the border of Tibet. The strategy is more distant and remote. Its villages are not so affected by tourism. 

Scenery and Views

The varying scenery of the Annapurna Circuit is provided. You begin in subtropical forests and ascend to rugged mountains. Streams carved deep canyons and mountain ridges display expansive Himalayan views. 

The 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek will go through bamboo and rhododendron forests. The trail leads out into alpine meadows at base camp. Mountains with snow-caps on them envelop you. 

The Manaslu Circuit Trek exhibits dramatic mountain scenes with fewer trekkers. The valley of the Budhi Gandaki River, the mountain passes and deep valleys provide a rough and uncivilized impression. You will get the peaks of Manaslu, Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal. 

Most Interesting Viewpoints and Highlights

Thorong La Pass is one of the best places in the Annapurna Circuit Trek. It is located at an elevation of more than 5,400  meters, and it has panoramic views of the Himalayas. The road also cuts across various sceneries and cultural heritage sites such as the Muktinath Temple. 

The 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek provides a dramatic mountain amphitheater in the base camp. It is a memorable sunrise and sunset amid the mountains. Poon Hill and other neighbouring sights such as Poon Hill are also good side trips for many trekkers. 

Larkya La Pass is the highest point in the Manaslu Circuit Trek. We have here a view of pure mountain ranges and broad valleys. Scenes of Mt. Manaslu emerging above the untapped villages are a big attraction. 

Duration and Itinerary

The Annapurna Circuit Trek is more of a longer trip which usually occupies 12-20 days, depending on the paths taken. You are given time to acclimatize and excursions. 

The 7-day Annapurna base camp trek is shorter and narrower. You go back to the base camp in a week. This becomes convenient to those with time constraints. 

Ordinarily, the Manaslu Circuit Trek takes 14-18 days. Its length is increased by the remoteness and the high-pass crossing. 

Difficulty and Altitude in Trekking

Thorong La (5,416 3 m ) is a very high pass in the Annapurna Circuit. It needs sound physical conditioning and acclimatization. 

The 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek is at a lower altitude of around 4,130. It is not as steep but there is a lesser altitude risk. 

The Manaslu Circuit Trek touches Lorkya La (5,106). It is a hard day that requires great legs and discipline at altitude. 

The three treks should be gradual and have rest days to prevent the occurrence of altitude sickness.

Weather Conditions

The most suitable seasons of all three treks are spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November). The weather is clear and the weather is stable, making trekking safer and better to view. 

Rain, wet tracks, and potential landslides in the low places occur during the monsoon (June-August). High passes can be closed by snow, especially in winter. 

Cost and Price Comparison

The Annapurna Circuit Trek is typically cheap, including teahouses and food that are well-connected. There is an Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and a TIMS card. 

Similar permit requirements are associated with the 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek, but the trip is less expensive in general because it takes fewer days. 

Special permits are needed to do the Manaslu Circuit Trek: Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP), and ACAP. Guide accompaniment and group trekking are compulsory. This adds a little to logistics and cost. 

Frequently Asked Frequently Trek Comparisons

• Is it better to Annapurna Circuit, ABC, or Manaslu?

There’s no absolute best. Select the Annapurna Circuit Trek because it offers diversity, culture, and extreme altitude.

Choose the 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek when you desire the mountain scenery within a lesser time frame. 

Choose the Manaslu Circuit Trek if you like wild nature and loneliness.

• Harder than the Annapurna Circuit? ABC.

Yes, in most cases. The circuit is more extensive in length and height. The 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek is not as high and long. Both are still in need of good fitness and acclimatization. 

• Do you see anything in the Annapurna Circuit Trek that is comparable to Manaslu?

The landscape is unlike yet magnificent on both. 

The Annapurna also encloses you with well-known mountains, Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri and Tilicho Lake choices. 

Manaslu offers personal and unfiltered mountain sceneries of Mt. Manaslu and other surrounding ranges. 

Conclusion

All three expeditions are spectacular options as far as Himalayan adventure is concerned. Annapurna Circuit Trek is archetypal and heterogeneous. The 7 Days Annapurna Base Camp Trek is ideal when one has limited time and has beautiful scenery. Manaslu Circuit Trek is pure as well as cultural and wilderness.

The choice must be as long as your time and fitness allow and the type of experience you want. Regardless of the route you take, your journey to Nepal will not be in vain without amazing memories of the mountains there.We’re Nepal High Trek And Expedition Pvt. Ltd., based in Kathmandu, specializing in treks, climbs, and more for solo travelers and private groups.

Contact us at info@nepalhightrek.com or WhatsApp +977 9851142116.