Manaslu Circuit Trekking

Leaving Kathmandu in the morning, we will drive on the Prithvi Highway to Dhading and from there towards Gorkha. After around 6 hours we will reach Arughat Bazaar, where we will spend our first night in a lodge.

On our first day of trekking we leave Arughat Bazaar in the morning and start walking on the main road along BudhiKhola River. The way is not too challenging, going only slightly uphill and downhill. We take lunch at the intersection of BudhiKholariver with SotiKhola River. After a short rest we continue walking on a proper trekking trail along fields and villages with mostly Gurung, Magar and Chettri population. After a total of around 5 hours we reach LabuBesi, where we will spend the night in a homestay like lodge.

This day is not too challenging either, having only some very decent uphill and downhill parts. The temperature can be expected to be quite high as we are still on a relatively low altitude level. The trail leads us through tobacco and buckwheat fields. Domestic farming can be seen on the way. Later, after lunchbreak, we keep following the river and after some time enter a jungle. Today’s destination is Tatopani, which stands for “hot spring”. It is very popular and a great reward at the end of the day to have a chilled beer while taking a bath in the warm and pleasant water. The night will be spend in a homestay.

Leaving the hot springs in the morning, we continue walking through the jungle. It is quite likely to get sight of some monkeys (mostly langurs), jumping from branch to branch. The trail leads mostly uphill until lunch break in a tea house in ThuloDunga, which stands for “big stone”in Nepali. Crossing several suspension bridges we reach Jagat after approximately 6 hours. Before entering the actual village, it is mandatory to show permits and IDs at the localManaslu Conservation Area Checkpoint. Jagat has a mixed population of mostly Chettri, Bahun and Gurung and 5 to 6 lodges. We will spend the night in one of them.

Today we will be walking a relatively short distance on a trail, that is a constant mix of slightly uphill and downhill and leads along small trees. It is still quite warm. Not far from Philim we get to a so called “Mani Wall”. Philim is reached after another 30mins of relatively steep ascent. After getting to village we first pay the MCAP Visitor Centre &Checkpost a visit where we will have to show our documents again. There are a hand full of lodges to spend the night in.

Today’s trek will lead us mostly uphill and is therefore quite challenging. With increasing altitude the Chettri and Bahun population decreases and the ethnic groups of Gurung and Tamang are quantitatively dominating the area. We still walk along BudhiKholariver and after some time we reach a relatively new bridge. Another 1 to 2 hours later we reach Dyang, a commercial centre of the region with a choice of small shops and restaurants. In one of those we spend our lunch break. After a short rest we continue walking mainly uphill and after another 3 to 4 hours, passing by some more Mani Walls we reach todays destination: the village Ghap, which has a couple of homestay like lodges.

Leaving Ghap in the morning we keep walking along BudhiKhola on a moderate trail leading us through potato fields, juniper groves and pine woods. After a few hours we reach Namrung, where we will spend our lunch break. With increasing altitude the influence of Tibetan culture gets noticeably stronger. A couple of Chhortens (Buddhist monuments made of stone) and Gumbas (Buddhist monasteries) can be seen and visited on the way, as well as a Canadian project school, which is very popular among foreign volunteers. After a total of 4 to 5 hours we reach Lihi, where we will spend the night in one of the homestays.

Not far from Lihi is the Tibetan village Sho, which is surrounded by painted chhortens. As we keep on walking we get to see different gumbas and more chhortens, all signs of the dominance of Tibetan Buddhist culture in the region. Shortly after crossing the settlement Shyala we get first glimpses of actual snow mountains, such as Rani Peak (6693m) and the world’s 8thheighest mountain ManasluHimal (8163m). Our trail leads through pine forests and along more chhortens and stupas. Today we rather stop for a short tea break along the way than an actual lunch break. After a total of 5 hours we reach Sama (Ro), a village with 3 to 4 lodges and surrounded by a couple of gumbas and Buddhist statues. The biggest gumba accommodates around 500 to 600 monks and is worth a visit. In the evening and during the night it can get quite chilly due to the altitude.

To begin today’s rest day one is likely to get a magnificent view of surrounding snow mountains from Sama. After breakfast one can choose from many different activities to do during the day, according to one’s energy reserves. The BirendraKunda Lake is around 2 hours far from Sama and includes a very nice walk with excellent mountain views. One can also aim for the Manaslu Base Camp, which takes 4 hours on the way up and 2 hours on the way down. The trail to the Base Camp, the first of 7 camps leading to ManasluHimal’s peak, is surrounded by juniper fields and guarantees decent views of the surrounding mountains, e.g. MansiriHimal (7059m) and Peak 29 (7871m).

Having gained new energy during our rest day, we leave Sama (Ro) in the morning.Chhortens and stupas are still common sights on our way, which leads slightly uphill. Along the trail we get to see wild and domestic yaks and to both sides we can enjoy great views of surrounding mountains, such as Chhamjo (5382m) and SaulaHimal (6238m). Samdo, today’s destination is reached after around 3 hours. It is a small village, mainly busy during seasons. There is also a small Tibetan refugee camp nearby, for Tibetans that once crossed the border to Nepal. We will spend the night in a local homestay.

Leaving Samdo behind us, our trail leads us through juniper feels for about 3 hours until we reach Dharamsala, which is also know as LarkyaPhedi and rather a seasonal camp than an actual village. As we keep on walking, mostly through open grasslands, the trail has a few moderate uphill sections. Another 3 to 4 hours later we reach today’s destination Larkya La, a seasonal camp with only one lodge.

Today is probably the most challenging day of the entire trek, but we get rewarded by magnificent mountain views. As we start walking, the trails leads us moderately uphill for 3 to 4 hours. The perspective from which mountains, such as Larkya Peak (6249m) and ManasluHimal, are seen changes every once in a while. We pass by an old glacier, ice and stone fields. The trail can get quite slippery at times. By the time we defeat the Larkya La Pass (5,212m), we get to see Annapurna 2 as well as Ratnachuli (6767m). After crossing the pass we walk downhill for approximately 2 hours. One should be very careful as the trail can get quite steep and slippery. The last leg of today is a moderate 2 hours to Bimtang, where we will spend the night. The village with mostly Gurungpopulation has 6 to 7 lodges (some with proper heating system) to choose from and is already part of the Annapurna Conservation Area.

After glaciers and grasslands, today we enter the jungle again. If trekking in March/April one can enjoy rhododendron trees blossoming in red, pink and white. Apart from rhododendron, which is known as Nepal’s national plant, pine trees are predominating the forest. We walk along DudhKholariver, which is joined by several smaller rivers. Lunch break is held in Karche, a Gurung village with a couple of small local restaurants. The trail continues to be mostly downhill as we keep losing altitude. Tilche, our today’s destination is reached after a total of 6 to 7 hours. It is surrounded by apple tree fields and has its own apple brandy distillery. Interested trekkers are most welcome to try some in the lodge.

For around 1.5 hours wewalk mostly downhill towards Dharapani, where DudhKhola flows into the big Marsyangdi River. The local population still consists mainly of Buddhist Gurungs and after some time we reach another Mani Wall – one of the last ones on this trek. We stop for lunch in Tal, which is around 2.5 hours from Dharapani and has a nice waterfall as main attraction. This area already belongs to the Annapurna region and there is an ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) Office located in Tal, where one can obtain more information about the Annapurna region and ongoing conservation projects. Chamje is not very far from Tal and we reach there in the early afternoon, after having passed some marijuana fields.

Leaving Chamje behind us, we continue walking along Marsyangdi River. As we get to lower altitude levels the population is slowly changing from Gurung-dominated to mostly Chettri/Bahun-dominated after crossing Ghermu. The trail leads us through maize fields and woods with guava and lemon trees. Terraced rice fields are a sign that we have left the really remote areas. From now on the scenery will be dominated by domestic farming. After Ngadi the Marsyangdi river gets wider and wider until we reach Bhulbule, a bigger village with another ACAP Office, a couple of lodges and a nearby Shiva Temple.

This is our final day of trekking. Shortly after Bhulbhule we cross Marsyangdiriver and keep walking through rice and vegetable fields and grazing lands. There is a small Buddhist temple in the Gurung village Khudi, the next bigger settlement after having crossed the river. As the roads are getting wider and accessible for vehicles one can clearly feel, that one is about to leave the remoteness of Nepal’s Himalayan region. After a total of 4 hours we reach Besisahar, where spend one more night in one of the many lodges before returning to Kathmandu the next day.

After leaving Besisahar in the morning, it will take us around 6 to 7 hours to get back to Kathmandu.