Manaslu Circuit Trek

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 Samagaun. 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 Samagaun today. Overnight in Samagaun.

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 Samagaun.

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 Dharmashala 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 Dharmashala.

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.

Today, you will begin your journey to the next stop on a private vehicle. The road trip is going to be both a bone-jarring as well as a beautiful experience. Driving along the beautiful Marshyangdi River gorge, you will pass by travelers on the Annapurna trail. The road is very narrow with high cliffs on either sides of the bumpy track. You will encounter several waterfalls on the way spilling into the Marshyangdi River. During the drive, you will cross the villages of Chamje, Bahundanda and Bhulbhule, where you may stop for lunch at any one of the villages. Before arriving at Besisahar, you will come across one check post where you stop to get your permits checked. Overnight in Besisahar.

Bidding goodbye to the last mountain views of Lamjung in the Annapurna range, you will drive back to Kathmandu. Driving on unpaved roads, you will cross small townships like Satbise, Udipur, Bhotedwar, Sundar Bazaar, Paundi, Turture, Bhansar, and Thimrabas to ultimately reach Dumre that connects the Prithvi Highway to Kathmandu. Driving along the broader paved highway through meandering roads with the mighty Trishuli River, terraced fields, and roadside shops, you will reach Kathmandu. On arrival at Kathmandu, you will be transferred to you hotel room where you would definitely want to relax and take a rest. Later in the evening, you may wander around the Thamel streets to do some souvenir shopping. Overnight in Kathmandu.