Manaslu Circuit Trek – 15 days

You will land at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Our agency representatives will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to a comfortable hotel in the heart of Kathmandu. The hotels we book are mostly located inside the tourist hub of Thamel.

Once you reach your hotel, you will have ample time for rest. If you feel fresh by the evening we can indulge you in Nepali cuisine and cultural shows. You can also take a short walk around the alleys of Thamel.

Today is a free day which is reserved for preparation activities for the trek. We will organize a short meeting between you and your trek associates so that everything related to the trek is well addressed in advance.

Kathmandu Durbar Square is situated at only a few minutes of distance from Thamel. The Square  and many ancient temples nearby are UNESCO world heritage sites. You can take a short visit to the place today if you are interested.

We will begin our trip with a drive from Kathmandu to Machha Khola Khola. The road leads westwards from the southern mouth of Kathmandu valley. Our vehicle will follow the Trishuli river up until we reach a place called Malekhu. We cross the river from this point and head further west.

Our second major destination is Arughat, an old trading outpost. We will meet the Budhi Gandaki river for the first time as we reach Arughat. The road ahead of Arughat starts revealing Manaslu, Ganesh and Himalchuli mountains. We will Sotikhiola Soti Khola, and reach machha Khola our resting spot, after about an hour’s drive from Sotikhola.

Today we will once again follow along the path created by the Budhi Gandaki river. The river gets more thunderous as we gain height. We will then cross another river called Thado Khola and reach a place known as Khorla Besi. This place is a village of local Gurung people. We will enjoy hot Tibetan tea at one of the teahouses.

There is a Tatopani (hot water spring) ahead of Khorlabesi. You can immerse yourself in the pool if you are willing. A place called Yaru Phant welcomes us. Phant means a big open land area in Nepali. The forest starts to get very dense at this stage. We will then reach the beautiful village of Jagat and rest there for the night.

Once we move ahead of Jagat, we will come to a place known as Salleri. Ghatta Khola comes soon after. Upon crossing a bridge from here, we will come to a place known as Philim. It is a large village of Gurung people. Our trekking permits will be checked here. We will rest at Philim for a while.

The road now turns north. There are many terraced fields of barley and millet on the road. Our next destination is ekle bhatti. There are numerous waterfalls on our way that flow into the Budhi Gandaki River. We will walk through a beautiful forest of pine and Rhododendron and cross Siyar Khola. Tsum valley will be to our right as we reach Deng, our resting spot for the night.

The trek from Deng starts after breakfast. We will reach a place known as Rana hilltop first. We will then cross a bridge to reach Bihi Phedi. This trail separates into two parts – one regular route and one path to the village of Bihi. Budhi Gandaki valley opens wide in front of us now.

Many major peaks like Manaslu, Ganesh, Annapurna II etc. start to appear in front of us. We will then come across Prok and Ghap villages. They are traditional villages of the Gurung people. Pork offers a stunning view of the Siringi mountain. We will reach Namrung at the end of the day and take a rest here.

The first part of the trek from Namrung takes us to the Rupinala pass. Once we cross the pass we will reach the village of Lihi. There are many monasteries, stupas, chortens and mani walls on our way. The road starts to go downwards from here. Simang Himal and Ganesh Himal are very close.

We will meet beautiful villages like Sho, Lho and Sama on our way. Sama village houses the beautiful Ribung monastery. We will also come across Shyala village, which offers a beautiful view of Himalchuli, Manaslu, Peak 29 (Ngadi) and some large glaciers. We will reach Samagaon village at the end of the journey and take a rest there.

Today is a day reserved for acclimatization. Samagaon is one of the largest villages in the Manaslu region. It is a Buddhist community of Gurung and Sherpa people. You can explore around the village and learn more about their culture. Hiking to the famous Pung Yen Monastery is also an option.

Some people prefer to skip acclimatization and take a trek towards Manaslu Base Camp. This takes about 5-6 hour and is equal to a day’s trek. If you are interested in this detour, we request you to inform us in advance so we can set aside another day for acclimatization.

We will trek to the far northern borders of the Manaslu region today. Budhi Gandaki river is once again our companion for the day. There is a diversion ahead with one road leading to Manaslu Base Camp (MBC) and another road leading to Larkya La Pass. We will take the one towards Larkya La.

The path ahead is easy as it takes us to Kemro Kharka – a yak grazing field. Forests of birch, pine and Juniper are common in the region. The village of Kani is also ahead of us. Samdo is mostly a village of Tibetan asylum seekers. We have the option of hiking to Samdo Monastery upon reaching the village.

We will begin our trek after breakfast. The trek today is relatively short in terms of distance but is also very difficult to charter. Once we move ahead from Samdo, we will come to a place known as Larkya Bazaar – which is a seasonal market of the local people. There are many monasteries and stupas on the way.

There are three rivers on our way – Athara Saya river, Larke River and Salka Khola. We will see a stunning view of the Larke Glacier as we are close to Dharamsala. Dharamshala is located at the base of Larkya La Pass – also known as Larkya La Phedi. We will rest here for the night.

Today we have a long and hard day’s trek day ahead of us. This is the most challenging part of the trek because we will have to cross Larkya La Pass, the highest altitude point in our trek. Today We will first walk very early in the morning and as we have to navigate the icy glacial moraines of the Larkya glacier. The view of Larkya Peak and Cho Danda is stunning from our way.

We will reach Larkya La Pass after a grueling attempt. Mountains like Manaslu, Himalchuli, Cheo Himal, Gyagi Kunja, Kang Koru, Ganesh Mountain and Ratna Chuli blaze with glory in front of us. We will spend a few moments at Larkya Pass and take photographs. Then we will begin a descent towards Bhimtang, which will be our resting spot for the day.

We will be awake with a beautiful panoramic view of the mountains in front of us. After enjoying the scenery and a well laid breakfast, we will move towards a yak grazing field known as Sangure Kharka. The road is mostly downhill. Forests of Rhododendron start to dominate the terrain as we lose altitude.

There are terraced fields and well-kept lands as we reach a valley called Karche. A small river flowing out of Dudh Pokhari greets us on our way. The road starts to get more and more scenic with beautiful flowers blooming in the forest. We reach the village of Gho and continue to Tilje. Tilje is one of the beautiful village around here with Gurung people inhabitants. Overnight in teahouse.

Today’s trek brings us near to the end of the journey. We will start navigating south-eastwards. There are many beautiful villages like Thonje on our way. We will meet the Marsyangdi river – one of the tributaries of Narayani, as we get closer to the lower belt. The Dudh Khola river flows into Marsyangdi.

At a place called Dharapani, we will also meet people who have taken the Annapurna Circuit route. Most of the forest is dominated by Rhododendron, pine, utis, khayar and sal trees. We continue to walk to Chyamje  and it is a large settlement that serves as a gateway to the upper reaches of Annapurna and Manaslu. We will rest here today.

Today is the final day of the trip. The first part is a drive to Besisahar from Chamje. The road is somewhat bumpy. We will see many waterfalls and rivers flanking beautiful little traditional villages on our way.

The second part is an easy and memorable drive from Besisahar to Kathmandu. The road leads south up to Dumre and turns eastwards from there. We will drive along the banks of Marsyangdi and Trishuli river. The path serpentines through the Mahabharata hill range and enters Kathmandu through the Nag Dhunga Pass. Overnight at Hotel in Kathmandu.

You have successfully completed the Manaslu Circuit Trek. You have two options now – return back to your home country or extend the trip. We will bid you farewell and drop you to the airport if you wish to return home.

If you wish to extend the trip and explore other parts of Nepal, then please inform us about your wish.