Soti Khola, the starting point for the Manaslu Circuit Trek, can be reached via an 8-hour jeep ride from Kathmandu. While the road distance is only 80 miles (126 km) from Kathmandu, the bumpy roads make this drive a fitting start to a great adventure.
By Private Transfer
Duration: 6+ hours
While it's possible to reach Soti Khola from Kathmandu by public bus, this isn't recommended. You'll be much safer, be more comfortable, and reach your destination much faster by taking a private vehicle. A Jeep is advisable, as parts of the road can be pretty rugged, especially after Arughat.
The first part of the journey follows the Prithvi Highway, the road that connects Kathmandu and Pokhara. Although traffic can be a problem leaving Kathmandu, the quality of the road is about as good as it gets in Nepal. After turning off to Dhading, the landscape becomes even more rural and remote, and the road quality progressively deteriorates, but the views of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and Langtang Himal should make up for the discomfort.
If there's still a lot of rain about, such as if you're trekking at the tail-end of the monsoon in September, you may even need to leave your vehicle behind at Arughat and trek from there. The trek between Arughat and Soti Khola takes about a day.
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