Manaslu Circuit Trek

Today, we will start our sightseeing tour of Kathmandu Valley. The tour includes excursing the cultural heritage sites listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List, which includes Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Swayambhunath Temple, Bouddhanath Stupa and the Pashupatinath Temple. These heritage sites present a sense of nostalgia because of their unique architectural integrity. Enjoy the artistically opulent palaces, cultural quintessence, old priceless paintings, sculptures and a brief history of Nepal. Overnight at the hotel, breakfast included.

Our guide will pick you up at 8:00 am for approx. 8-hour drive to Arughat. Through paved roads, the drive is rather pleasant for the first four hours to Dhading Bensi, the district headquarters of Dhading at 1050 meters. But we will be on rougher surfaces for the second section to Arughat. From Arughat, we will drive for another hour and a half to Soti Khola. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Today’s walk constantly follows an undulating trail mainly through woodlands as we continue to head upstream along the Budhi Gandaki. We will then descend to the wide, sandy riverbed and then continue along a winding mountain path overlooking the river. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

After crossing the Machha River and Khrolabesi, we will pass through the hot springs at Tatopani. The trail follows a forested area until we cross the Dovan Khola from where we will make our way to the Budhi Gandaki Valley. With white sandy areas along the riverside, the scenery undergoes a drastic transformation as the elevation increases until we reach Jagat. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

The trail continues through Jagat, a well-paved village, and climbs up the valley to Sirdabas, offering great views of the Shringi Himal. We then drop down to the river, cross a long suspension bridge and climb steeply up to Philim. Then the trail passes through impressive waterfalls on either side of the valley today. We will pass Ekle Bhatti from where we will head towards the river and cross it twice over suspension bridges. From Ekle Bhatti we trek along to pass Pewa, traverse along a small campsite and continue through the valley until we reach the village of Deng. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Today, we will scramble steeply up onto a spectacular trail before descending to cross the river. Once we cross the river we will climb through an impressive valley to pass through some small settlements. This is where we’ll encounter Mani stones carved into wayside rocks – a sign that we are entering Tibetan territory. In the afternoon, we may take a side excursion to the small settlement of Prok – a two hour round trip – to return back to Namrung for the night. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Walking through the long Mani stone walls of the village of Lho, with an astounding view of Peak 29 ahead, we will pass a large stone gate. We’ll take a small detour to the Pungen Glacier for up-close views of the stunning Manaslu from this village. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

The trail then follows a lateral moraine of Pungen Glacier towards Samagaun, perhaps the most beautiful village of the entire trip. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

It is advised that you always trek high during the day and sleep at a lower altitude for proper acclimatization. This day has been set aside specifically for that and you can either opt for a full day or a half day walk.

If you want to do the full day walk, we will trek towards the Manaslu Base Camp (4750m) which is approximately a 7-8 walk to and back. Alternatively, you can do a half day hike to the glacier across the valley or to Birendra Ta. We’ll head back to Samagaon. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

We cross pastures and gradually ascends to the valley below. Witness fantastic views of the mountains, especially Manaslu, that lies ahead of us as we reach Samdo, a Tibetan refugee village. This remote village is only a day’s walk from the Tibetan border. In the afternoon we will explore the village and the surrounding hills and come back at Samdo to spend the night. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

After crossing a couple of streams, we’ll reach the Larkya Bazaar. This village began thriving from the trade with Tibet years ago. After a steady climb, we will arrive at our lodge in Dharmasala where we’ll stay the night and prepare for the big pass climb tomorrow. Overnight at Basic Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

From Dharamshala, walking for approximately 8-9 hrs, we will trek to Bhimphedi the Cross Larkya La pass that lies at 5220 meters 17121 feet! We will climb Cho Chanda and then slowly head uphill towards the steep snow-covered pass. The panoramic views of the mountains from the top are truly magnificent. Witness spectacular views of the snow-capped Himalayas like the Himlung Himal (7126 meters), Cheo Himal (6820 meters), Gyagi Kung, Kang Koru (6981 meters) and Annapurna II (7937 meters). It is then a steep descent as we pass through moraines to Bhimphedi. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

With a gentle climb through paddy fields, we will head towards the small Karcher La pass. The trail descends through fig trees and rhododendron forests to reach Tilje. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

We begin with a climb over a small ridge and enjoy a stone paved trail as it passes through a beautiful village. Crossing the bridge over the Dudh Khola River, we will climb up through a Chorten-shaped arch, pass a Mani wall to reach the village of Thonje. From Thonje we will enter into the Annapurna Region at Dharapani where we will need to go through a police checkpoint before continuing our trek. Walking further down, we will come across the village of Karta to later cross a bridge over the Marshyangdi Khola. We can admire the Mani walls along the way before reaching the village of Tal, situated at the foot of a large waterfall. Another short descent and we’ll reach our destination for the night at Chamje village. Overnight at Guesthouse, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

This is the last day of our journey in the Manaslu Mountains. From Chamje, we will take a jeep to Besisahar from where we will then drive to Kathmandu in our private vehicle. We will then head to our hotel where you can relax and take a moment to think about all that you’ve just achieved. Overnight hotel, breakfast, and lunch included.

A representative from Nepal Hiking Team will drop you off at the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. Breakfast included.