Manaslu & Annapurna Circuit Trek

Beginning the day’s walk after a hefty breakfast, you will cross a bridge and hike through spectacular Sal forests, winding rocky trails and sublime waterfalls over a steep cliff. Walking past crystal clear streamlets and magnificent waterfalls across terraced paddy fields, you will arrive at a Gurung village of Labu Besi. Hiking along rocky terrain where valleys open and the rivers twist, your walk will lead towards the riverbed. Walking for some time along the bank of the river, it is then a gentle ascent over a valley ridge. You will finally make a subtle descend to the river once again to reach the Machha Khola Village. Overnight in Machha Khola Village.

After breakfast today, you will begin hiking by crossing the Thado Khola through several ups and downs and takes you to Khorla Besi. Walking through similar trails, you will arrive at a village with natural hot springs known as Tatopani (literally Hot Water in Nepali). Climbing a valley ridge and then crossing the Budi Gandaki River over a suspension bridge, it is another ascent passing a landslide zone to reach Dobhan. From here, you get another opportunity to walk over a suspension bridge to reach Duman. Traversing through undulating paths several times and crossing several tiny rivers and suspension bridges, the rugged trails will lead you to Thado Bharyang (which means steep staircase in Nepali). Crossing the Budi Gandaki River one more time at Lauri and then gently walking along the riverside, you will arrive at Jagat, a small farming village with a decent number of stores and shops. Overnight in Jagat.

Today, it is required for you to complete the formalities of the ACAP process before leaving Jagat and walking towards Deng through rocky trails over a ridge to Salleri, and then gently descending to Sirdibas. Crossing the Ghatta Khola over a suspension bridge and following a rivulet along a long hanging bridge, you will arrive at Philim, a considerably large Gurung village. Hiking past this village through amazing fields of millet at Ekle Bhatti, you will bump into another check post. Climbing the steep gorge before walking along the Budi Gandaki and descending the fertile slopes, you will reach a Y-junction, one of which leads towards the Tsum Valley and another towards Manaslu. You will take the left route as you are heading towards Manaslu. It is at this point that the trails of the valley begin to widen and leads amidst bamboo forests to Deng Khola. It is a short walk from this river after crossing a bridge towards the eastern bank that will lead you to the minuscule hamlet of Deng. Overnight in Deng.

Today, your hike requires crossing the Budi Gandaki River several times before reaching the destination at Namrung. After breakfast, you will cross the river and climb up to Rana passing the track up till Bhi. Crossing Serang Khola and walking past canyons, it is a steep ascent before heading towards the curves of Ghap. Following the route through Prok village, you will be blessed with mesmerizing views of the Sringi Himal from a viewpoint, although there is an alternate route bypassing Prok village. Several Buddhist monasteries emanate inner peace to your soul during your tiresome saunter. Beautiful fir and rhododendron forests with countless species of birds twittering soothing tunes will definitely energize your day’s walk. You will finally arrive at the historical Namrung village following the river upstream and ascending on decently constructed staircases. You should not miss an opportunity to capture the tantalizing views of the Sringi Himal, Ganesh Himal and Mt. Himal Chuli from this excellent viewpoint. Overnight in Namrung.

Climbing steadily after a scrumptious breakfast through mani walls, fields of barley and potato, and forests of fir, rhododendron, and oak, you will reach a tiny village of Lihi. The trail droops beyond Lihi and you will enter the valley shrouded by Simnang Himal and Ganesh Himal. You will then pass petite dazzling villages of Sho, Lho, and Syala before you reach Samagaon. There are some beautiful paintings at the gate arches which you will observe while crossing Sho village which includes idiosyncratic houses and atypical costumes. You will have your lunch at Lho village and enjoy awe-inspiring views of Mt. Manaslu from the mani walls of the village. Exploring the Ribung Monastery that lies on a hill towards the west is worth a walk. While in Syala you will be captivated by the splendid views of the soaring mountain peaks including Manaslu, Himal Chuli, Ngadi Chuli aka Peak 29, and Ganesh Himal. Offering great cultural spectrum to empathize the Buddhist culture, the trip concludes in Samagaon today. Overnight in Samagaon.

Today is the first acclimatization day after several days of spectacular hiking especially for getting to know higher altitudes on a closer prospect. It is also a perfect moment to get well accustomed to the prevailing Sherpa cultures in the vicinity of Samagaon. Besides opting to hike up to an old monastery, the Pungyen Gompa, lying atop a small hill, you may also hike up all the way through the base camp of Manaslu via the popular Birendra Lake. Today you will get ample opportunities to witness quite a bunch of Sherpa womenfolk in their traditional attires and iridescent ornamental make up. Overnight in Samagaon.

It is comparatively a shorter trekking day today, so after breakfast, you will kick off with a moderate climb to Budi Gandaki River traversing through yak paddocks. Continuing ahead, you will begin losing the inspiring views of Mt. Manaslu until you reach a junction, the left route leading towards Manaslu Base Camp and the right path on the Larkya La trail, the one you will be treading on surpassing numerous Mani walls. You will arrive Kermo Kharka passing juniper and birch forests after crossing a wooden bridge over the infamous Budi Gandaki River one more time. After walking uphill for a while you will reach a white kani beyond which lies a very picturesque village dedicated to yak herding, the Samdo village. The village offers exciting evening walks with eye-catching views, but since the cold winds could assault you, you may need a jacket for the purpose. Overnight in Samdo.

After a second acclimatization day at Samdo, you will begin the drop down on a broader trail after your breakfast. After crossing the reduced Budi Gandaki river over a wooden bridge, you will begin walking uphill till you cross two ravines on tapered trails and two streams from where you can catch a sight of the Larkya Glacier around the valley of the Salka Khola. Several trekking maps may have it asserted, but in reality, you won’t find any Larkya Bazaar. During ancient times, it is believed that the traders from Namche Bazaar traveled through Tibet to this place for the trading purpose, hence there used to exist a marketplace then. Some scattered stone huts during those times were supposedly a part of that trading market known collectively as Dharamsala and otherwise called the Larkya Phedi or the base camp. Here, you may meet trekkers who possibly crossed the Larkya Pass from Bimthang side. Overnight in Dharamsala.

Today, you will climb consistently over a ridge behind Dharamsala towards the enormous flat glacial moraines of the Larkya Glacier. Astonishing views of Cho Danda and Larkya Peak can be perceived from this viewpoint. The climb may seem quite challenging due to the sheer rocky trails especially at the top of the moraine, though the climb is not technically difficult. Passing four frozen lakes while hiking downhill following the cairns and the metal snow poles, you will be doing a final steep climb up to Larkya La Pass which is blotched by colorful prayer flags. Outstanding views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kanguru, and the gigantic Annapurna II will make your day a blessed one. Hiking downhill over the moraine and making a long vertical descent, you will now walk through loose gravel on a leveled path enclosed with grass. The route from here leads through a stunning valley gradually widening as you progress all the way to the picturesque Bimthang village. Overnight in Bimthang.

Today, you will cross the Bimthang glacier and high pastures following a path through a narrow valley till the highest cultivated land at Karche. You will get magnificent views of Mt. Manaslu, Lamjung Himal, Himlung Himal, and Cheo Himal during the walk today. The trail drops to the river bank from where a short walk will lead you to Gho, a Gurung settlement. Walking past the Gho village, the valley shows signs of greenery and fields along with forests of oak. You will then arrive at the village of Tilije. From here, you will ascend up a tiny ridge along the path paved with stones leading to a beautiful village. At Thonje village, you will need to pass a security checkpoint before continuing to Dharapani that lies in the Annapurna circuit segment. From Tilije, it is several hours of hike to reach Dharapani village passing through several police checkpoints. Overnight in Dharapani.

After a hearty breakfast today, you will depart from Dharapani along few steep ridges surpassing pine and pine forests to reach Bagarchhap and Danaque villages within a couple of hours. Continuing to trek along with implausible views of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II and Annapurna IV throughout the entire trek, you will climb up rigorously till the village of Timang. In the course of your trekking spree, you will leave behind small settlements of Lattemarang and Kotho over several ridges and small hot springs to arrive at Chame. Chame is the administrative headquarters of the Manang district. Overnight in Chame.

From Chame, you will continue walking on a tapered path passing dense pine and fir forests, several suspension bridges and apple orchards to reach Bhratang. Walking along the steepest part of the Marshyangdi valley through a very thick forest, the valley broadens towards Paungda Danda exposing the grand vistas. This ridge is an enormous oblique rock face soaring above 1500 meters above the trekking trail. You will keep moving to cross a ridge adorned with fluttering colorful prayer flags and stone cairns to enter the large Pisang village. This village is split into lower and upper Pisang. You can experience some amazing views of the snaky villages and long-winded houses of lower Pisang from the monastery at upper Pisang. Overnight at lower Pisang.

There are two routes that lead you to Manang from lower Pisang. After breakfast today, you will tread on the upper (north) trail via upper Pisang to Ghyaru instead of the southern trail via Hongde. En route you will witness the calm Mringchho Lake and also be able to observe stupendous vistas and marvelous views of beautiful landscapes and mountain peaks of Annapurna and Pisang. Before continuing to Ngawal village, you may visit the old monastery during your hike today. After lunch at Ngawal, the path descends gently until you reach Braga village from where it gets cold and the dry weather creates an inconsiderate environment. At Braga, you will get a chance to visit the largest monastery in the entire Manang district, the Braga Monastery. Finally, from Braga, it is a short walk till you arrive at Manang, your destination. Overnight in Manang.

Today is the acclimatization day at Manang. However, being active is only the right way to adapt and get acquainted and adjust with the higher altitude and the thinning air rather than laying low. To help to get acclimatized, there are options for a hike to Bojho Monastery or to the ridge nearby Gangapurna glacier or walking up to the cave above Manang village. Another option would be a hike up to Chhunker viewpoint from where marvelous views of the Annapurna ranges and peaks like Tilicho, Pisang, Chulu, and Thorong can be appreciated. Remaining time can be spent wandering around the villages savoring the beauty of the village, native people, their culture and lifestyle. You can also visit the Himalayan Rescue Association and learn about the altitude sickness. Overnight in Manang.

After a scrumptious breakfast in Manang, you will begin a relaxing hike today as it is a short walk to Yak Kharka. The walk becomes gradually challenging from Tengi village as the air begin thinning so you are advised to walk at a slower pace and frequent halts. Entering the valley of Jarsang Khola, you will continue to Gunsang, a tiny hamlet with flat-roofed mud-built houses. The trail after this small village is on a leveled path and enters into pastures and small forests where you may witness barberry and juniper forests. Grazing yaks or horses in the picturesque meadows is a common sight before crossing a small streamlet on a wooden suspension bridge. Beyond the bridge, the path leads you to an ancient Mani wall in a pleasant meadow to reach Yak Kharka, a tiny settlement. Overnight in Yak Kharka.

After breakfast and a steep climb from Yak Kharka for less than an hour, you will cross a suspension bridge and reach Letdar village. This village is also used by some trekkers as a stopping point instead of Yak Kharka. You may probably encounter a herd of yaks as you tread on the narrow valley with steep slopes along with outstanding views of Annapurna III and Gangapurna. The dreamlike beauty of multi-hued hills envelope the areas from Letdar to Thorong Phedi. After a brief climb, it is a drop down till the river whereupon you will cross a wooden bridge. From here, the path ambles with a steep ascent up the other bank to a petite teahouse. After a brief halt at the teahouse, you begin hiking across a landslide-prone area which must be crossed in a jiffy and very carefully. You will now enter Thorong Phedi after a gentle downhill ramble. This place is nothing more than a beautiful rock-strewn meadow. Overnight in Thorong Phedi.

Today is perhaps the most enlivening portion of the entire trip for which you are required to wake up early to reach Thorong La Pass, the highest pass in the world at 5416 meters. The path takes a steep course on leaving Phedi but it is well defined and easy as it is regularly used by aboriginal yak herders and mule trains since ages. You will reach a teahouse at the top of the pass after almost 4 hours of the rigorous climb, all adorned by prayer flags and a small chorten. The views of the grandiose snow-clad peaks, hills of Mustang and Kali Gandaki Valley are simply awe-inspiring. You will retrace back with gentle descend after spending some finest moments at the highest pass in the world. The downhill walk to Mustang is quite tiring and seems more demanding on your knees; nonetheless, it is highly reimbursed with tantalizing views of Dhaulagiri peaks. Finally, you will arrive at Muktinath walking along the Jhong River Valley. Muktinath is a famous pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhist faith-worshippers. Overnight in Muktinath.

You will have ample time this morning in Muktinath to ramble around as hiking from Muktinath to Jomsom, after a grueling and a languid spell of trekking, is relatively very easy and barely a few hours walk. And yes! This is your last trekking day. There are plenty of Hindu temples as well as Buddhist monasteries which you would want to visit before leaving Muktinath. Your initial trail from Muktinath will lead to Ranipauwa village from where you will descend down the spectacular Kali Gandaki Valley passing the tiny picturesque villages of Jharkot and Khingar. These petite villages are adorned with idiosyncratic Tibetan structural drawings. There is a notable monastery and plenty of Buddhist caves in Jharkot if you wish to have a brief peek before continuing your trek. Walking past gorgeous paddocks, streams, rivulets and fruit gardens, and a breathtaking village of Kagbeni, you will reach the district headquarters of Mustang that is Jomsom, following the valley floor. Throughout the entire walk today, you can savor the incredible and astounding views of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri peaks. Overnight in Jomsom.

After an early breakfast, you will today embark on a scenic flight from Jomsom to Pokhara along the Kali Gandaki Valley which proffers excellent views of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Ranges. On arrival at Pokhara airport, a private vehicle will be waiting for you that will take you to Kathmandu. The road trip itself is exciting as you will observe scenic greeneries, small roadside shops, small settlements, streams, and vegetation farms on the entire trip. On arrival in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to your hotel room. In the evening you may relax in some cozy bar or pub, watch and enjoy live music show or grab your favorite cocktail. Overnight in Kathmandu.