Manaslu Circuit Trek can last for two weeks of moderate to strenuous hikes. The trek route is 110 miles long, and the maximum altitude you'll hike is 5,106 metres. Out of many essentials, consuming healthy and nutritious meals is a no bargain to replenish the body's fuel and be fit for hiking.
As a trekker, keeping up with the body's energy is vital for various reasons.
First, the meal you consume affects your health positively and negatively. Hence, consuming quality meals at decent tea houses is a must. With us, we'll make accommodations and meals at decent tea houses that offer hygienic meals.
Second, consuming adequate meals also helps trekkers to avoid altitude sickness. Good food with plenty of drinking water is what you must be focusing on while trekking Manaslu Circuit.
This guide will take you through the meals and menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at tea houses en route to Manaslu Circuit.
Meals option: Western and local cuisines
There were no tea houses or restaurants in the past in the Manaslu trekking region. However, in recent years, there has been a growth in the number of tea houses and restaurants.
Most restaurants here even employ chefs in Spring and Autumn to prepare varieties of cuisines for trekkers. Tibetan, Chinese, Indian, and Continental meals are now typical in tea houses on the Manaslu trekking route at low altitudes. Trekkers also get the option of typical local dishes.
However, locals prepare the meals at high altitude places like Samdo and Dharamshala.
Types of meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Meals in Manaslu Trek is now no longer Dal Bhat-centred. Now, trekkers can have varieties of meals in all, breakfast, lunch, and meals. Let's explore the meal menu items.
Breakfast
Boiled, scrambled, and omelettes with Tibetan bread, porridge with honey, Chapati, and oatmeals are the most common and well-liked breakfast by trekkers. You can also have pancakes, muesli, cornflakes, toast, hot coffee and tea, and milk. Tibetan bread with honey and fruit jam are regular items on the breakfast menu.
Breakfast in Manaslu Circuit trekking differs in low and high-altitude tea houses. The primary reason is the difficulty of transportation and accessibility of food materials.
However, Tibetan Breads, Coffee, Tea, Fruit Jam, and eggs are available even at high altitude places.
Lunch and Dinner
Lunch and dinner are almost identical meals in Manaslu Trek route tea houses. These are the main course of meals, so you must consume them adequately.
The regular lunch and dinner item includes Thukpa, Tenduk, Spaghetti, Dumplings, Vegetable, Salad, Pizza, Pasta, Noodles, and Dal Bhat, rice, cooked vegetables and lentil soup with pickles. Among all, the most nutritious and supplementary diet is Dal Bhat. Trekkers often crack a joke, "Dal Bhat Power, 24 Hour".
Here’s a variety of menu items for lunch and dinner.
Noodles
- Fried or boiled Noodles with either egg or cheese
- Tenduk, Thukpa, or Chow Mein
Pasta and macaroni
- Veg/Cheese fried Pasta with tomato sauce
Sandwich
- Sandwich with or without tomato, egg, cheese or tuna
Dal Bhat
- Cooked rice
- Cooked vegetables that include potatoes and green leaves.
- Lentil soup
- Pickles
Other meals include potato fries, popcorn and snacks, pasta, spring rolls and much more available to trekkers.
Why carry lightweight snacks on your own?
Lightweight snack packs that include dry meats, fruits, potato fries, chips, tuna cans, pickles, and fast foods are best for instant energy. Not every day is a hard day for trekking, but some days hikes in Manaslu Circuit Short Trek become strenuous and lengthy. Hence, at such times, you need an instant energy boost, so choco bars and the above-mentioned lightweight packs are best.
Always remember that buying these items on the trekking route will be very expensive. Also, you may not get varieties of items en route. So, prepare a list of light snacks you want to buy in Kathmandu before leaving for the trip. You'll get the items in Kathmandu at reasonable rates.
Nepali cuisines as Meals in Manaslu Trek
While trekking to Manaslu, make sure you jump off your regular meals and try tasting ethnic meals like Dhindo with Gundruk or Chicken Soup. The energy you get from this meal lasts longer than Dal Bhat and other meals.
Dhindo, a typical Nepali dish, is cooked buckwheat, maize, or millet in water until it turns hot and in dough form. Then, the food is served with soups, typically on Gundruk, fermented and dried spinach, and chicken soups.
It's an ideal meal on Manaslu Circuit Trek if you want to consume potassium, fibre, carbohydrate, protein, and more nutrients to replenish energy.
Non-Vegetarian Meals in Manaslu Trek
Non-Vegetarian meals like meat products are the best source of protein and are essential to keep up the energy level for the trek. However, trekking at high altitudes creates altitude sickness symptoms, and many don't realise that Gastrointestinal problems are also signs of high altitude sickness. The intestines' bowel habits and gas formation often make you feel sick.
Consuming meat and digesting it takes several hours. Also, you'll be at risk of GI problems. Hence, we don't recommend trekkers joining our Manaslu Circuit Trek in 2023 to consume meat products at high altitudes.
Another reason we don't recommend non-vegetarian meals in Manaslu Trek is the quality and freshness of the meat. People here practice Buddhism; hence, they don't kill animals for meat. Mules transport meat products to tea houses and restaurants from town and lower places. Even though the high-altitude areas are cold, it won't be enough to keep the freshness of meat for long. Hence, consuming such products only causes acidity and digestive issues in trekkers.
You can consume meat at low altitudes and in Kathmandu, but not at high altitudes.
Drinks in Manaslu Circuit Trek
We recommend trekkers join Manaslu Trekking in 2022, Autumn and Spring of 2023 to drink plenty of water throughout the trek. Trekkers must drink 3 litres of purified water daily to hydrate and maintain body ions. Another main reason to drink plenty of water is to escape the altitude sickness symptoms.
You'll find water taps at specific intervals throughout the trekking route. Hence, you can remain hydrated all day with a refillable water bottle and some chlorine-purifying tablets.
Drinks to avoid while trekking to Manaslu Circuit
Alcoholic beverages and caffeinated drinks are not recommended glasses in Manaslu trekking. They are also smoking at high altitudes while trekking and often develop breathing issues.
