Ever wondered what you will eat every day when on the trek in the Himalayas, like the Manaslu Circuit? Expect simple and warming foods designed to keep you fueled for long days in the mountains.
Food availability on the Manaslu Circuit depends on the region’s remoteness. Everything you eat is either grown in the village or carried up. Therefore, as you climb higher into this restricted area, the menu options become limited, prices rise, and food becomes purely functional.
Yet after hours of walking on rugged terrain during the Manaslu Circuit trek, you will be pleased to get a hearty and freshly cooked meal. The variety ranges from simple Nepali food to Western delights, but their ultimate goal is to get you over the Larkya La Pass.
How Food Works on the Manaslu Circuit
You will be eating in family-run teahouses every day on the trekking trail. They serve dishes prepared with ingredients grown locally or carried up by porters or mules. Menus in the Manaslu Circuit are modest, unlike the commercialized Everest or Annapurna region. Food options become limited as you reach the higher camps.
The teahouses in lower villages have access to fresh vegetables and grains. But once you pass Samagaun, supplies drop drastically. The prices rise, and options reduce as they need to be transported here.
Still, meals are cooked fresh each time. And this makes a big difference for hygiene and nutrition at altitude. In addition, the kitchen is usually the warmest room in the teahouse, centered around a wood-burning stove. So, the overall dining experience is warm and comfortable here.
Breakfast: Simple, Filling, and Energy-Focused
Mornings are for calories, so breakfast available on the Manaslu Circuit is also prepared with energy needs in mind. They are warm, heavy on carbohydrates, and intentionally easy to digest. The portions are generous to keep you carrying through your several hours of ascent. Even if you are not hungry at altitude, you should not skip breakfast. You can expect variations of the following in breakfast:
- Tibetan bread (a thick, fried flatbread) or chapati with jam, honey, or peanut butter
- Porridge made from oats, millet, or corn
- Pancakes
- Eggs (omelets or boiled, or fried) cooked in any style
- Boiled or fried potatoes
The Morning Ritual: Hot drinks are a big part of breakfast. Black tea, lemon tea, and instant coffee are standard. But some trekkers swear by ginger tea for warming up before the day’s climb. You can also go for milk tea for extra calories.
Lunch: The Power of Dal Bhat
Around noon, you will stop your hike at a teahouse for lunch — the most common option being the dal bhat. It is a staple Nepali meal that is nutritious and heavy at the same time. This is a platter of steamed rice, dal (lentil soup), vegetable curry, and spicy pickle.
You can also order fried pasta or noodles, noodle soup, veg fried rice, and momos as well. But the clear winner is the dal bhat because it is the only meal with free and unlimited refills.
Also, while it is easily available even in higher elevations, the availability of the aforementioned alternatives might reduce as you go higher. Nonetheless, you can try them if you need a break from rice, though they do not offer the same sustained energy.
Have patience for the lunch to arrive because they cook meals from scratch, and you might need to wait for the lunch. It means you can eat freshly cooked food, and this is exactly something that you want at altitude.
Dinner: Comfort in the Cold
For dinner, most of the options are similar to those of lunch. Yet as it gets freezing at night, most trekkers tend to enjoy food that offers warmth and comfort.
Most menus include dal bhat for dinner, as it is the most reliable option — it offers both warmth and comfort. Garlic soup is also available, and locals believe it helps with acclimatization and blood flow. Whether it is a science or not, it is delicious and warms you up.
Then you may try vegetable soup or potato dishes as well. For those who crave the taste of home, there are options of pasta and pizza included on the menu. But do not expect their flavors to be authentic. Yet you can try them for the change of taste.
As the temperatures drop in Samdo and Dharamsala, you may start to lose your appetite. This is a normal thing at altitude. But you should eat well. And past the village of Samagaun, stop eating meat, as refrigeration is nonexistent, and meat is carried in open baskets for days. So, it is better to opt for vegetarian food.
Snacking and Supplies
Shops along the Manaslu Circuit sell certain snacks. But the selection gets thinner, and you ascend. You may get to buy biscuits and cookies, chocolate bars, instant noodles, tea and flavored drinks, as well as packaged chips. However, they tend to get pricier the higher you go, as they are carried by a porter there.
Therefore, you can bring a personal stash of snacks to avoid relying on what is available on the trail. As such, they provide you with energy in case of the limited teahouse menus. You can pack the following things yourself.
- Trail mix or nuts
- Energy gels or energy bars
- Electrolyte powders or ORS
- Vitamin C or multivitamins
- Any snacks suitable for your dietary restrictions
Food Safety and Hygiene
Food along the Manaslu Circuit is generally safe. But digestion slows down at high altitude. Therefore, you need to keep meals simple to prevent stomach issues.
Below are some tips for safe eating while on this trail:
- Choose freshly cooked meals over raw vegetables.
- Avoid meat above Samagaun — it’s not always safe due to storage issues.
- Opt to drink boiled or filtered water only.
- Purification tablets or a portable filter are essential.
- Soups and hot drinks are particularly helpful in colder sections, where dehydration becomes a risk even if you don’t feel thirsty.
The Bottom Line
Do not expect variety, but do expect hospitality on the Manaslu Circuit. The food here is honest and hearty. If you stick to freshly cooked vegetarian meals, drink plenty of ginger tea, and embrace the power of dal bhat, you will have the energy you need to cross the Larkya La Pass.
However, witnessing the peals is possible even for those who prefer fine dining in Kathmandu over weeks of teahouse menus. For that, you can take a morning helicopter ride to Mount Everest or even choose the Annapurna Base Camp helicopter tour and be back in time for lunch.