Manaslu Trek

Your flight lands at the Tribhuvan International Airport situated in Kathmandu. A company representative will receive you and take you to the hotel. You may choose to relax or explore the nearby places around the hotel.

Today, you can choose to explore the attractions of Kathmandu city. You can visit places such as the three durbar squares of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur or visit religious sites such as Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, and Pashupatinath. All these destinations are enlisted as UNESCO world heritage sites and are the perfect way to learn about Kathmandu and its cultural influences. You can also go shopping for trekking equipment and gears and get ready for your trek.

Early morning, your vehicle will pick you up at your hotel. You will be heading towards Soti Khola along the winding highways on the hillsides. The first half of the drive is rather pleasant with smooth paved roads. However, the second half of the road goes through off-road tracks and can get fairly bumpy. Nevertheless, the whole drive consists of the breathtaking scenery of diverse landscapes. When you reach Soti Khola, you will spend the night here at a guest house and relax.

Your trek starts as you make your way alongside the Budhi Gandaki River. You feel the first sense of ascending altitude as you go along the woodlands that wind up to the mountain path. The trek begins to head north along the river and passes villages like Lapubesi and Khani Besi. As the trek approaches its end, you will be greeted by the views of the Ganesh Himal ranges. Relishing the views, you settle at Machha Khola for the day.

Today, you have a long walk ahead of you. You make your way across Maccha River and Kholabesi to the hot springs of Tatopani. Sandy riversides and lush green forests cover the trails as the scenery changes continuously. The trek continues with occasional glimpses of Ganesh Himal (7422 m) and passes Lhakpa on the way to Jagat.

Today, you will be ascending a great amount of altitude thus, the walk for the day is very tiring. The trail continues through a well-paved village and up to Sirdibas from where you can sight the Shringi Himal (7161 m). The trail leads across a river and through lush landscapes of forests, hills, and waterfalls. After walking for about 8 to 9 hours, you arrive at Deng where you spend the night.

Again, today, you will be ascending a great amount of altitude. This, in fact, is the highest amount of altitude difference you will cover throughout the trip. The trail leads you steeply down to the Budhi Gandaki River. Once you cross the river, you reach a valley where you pass through several settlements. You notice Mani stones and prayer flags that signal that you have arrived at the Tibetan territory. You arrive at Namrung after passing Prok and Ghap on the way and stay here for the night.

Today, you will make your way to Samagaon. You will reach Lohegaon on your way where you will catch sight of Peak 29 (7871 m) from the village of Lho. From Lho, you follow a trail lateral to the Pung Gyen Glacier towards Samagaon. The breathtaking view of the village surely will be struck you completely. The trail is filled with numerous monasteries and passes a number of Tibetan Buddhist villages as well.

Today, you will spend a day for acclimatization at Samagaon. Thus, you can opt for a half or a full day walk around Samagaon and rest in the evening. During your full-day walk, you can visit the Manaslu Base Camp which is at 4,440 meters. The hike offers mesmerizing views of the Manaslu ranges including the Mt. Manaslu (8163 m) itself. You can also visit the Birendra Lake on the way to the base camp. Alternatively, you can also hike to the Pung Gyen Monastery and Glacier.

The trek for the day is fairly short and continues along a now small Budhi Gandaki River. The trail is decorated with pastures, villages, hills, and mountain views including the Manaslu (8163m). Samdo is known to be a Tibetan refugee village as it is situated only a day’s walk away from Tibet. You will reach Samdo in about 3 to 4 hours and you can spend the day exploring the village and interacting with the people.

Your day starts as you cross the Budhi Gandaki River. En route, you will come across Mani walls and prayer flags adorning the trails. After passing a few streams, you will come across the Larkya Glacier. After enjoying a joyful session of viewing the glacier you will make your way to Dharamsala. Here, you can find a few stone huts and houses which are built to shelter the trekkers on the Manaslu treks.

This is the day you will be crossing the Larkya La Pass, which is also the highest point on the trek at 5,160 meters. The trail to the top is snowy and full of stone steps and rocky boulders. Atop the pass, the views of mountains such as Himlung Himal (7126m), Cheo Himal (6812m), Kang Guru and the Annapurna ranges are marvelous. After crossing the pass, you will descend towards grassy moraines. The trails start becoming easier as you trek towards Bimthang.

Now, the trail descends all the way to Dharapani. You will be walking through dense forests, crossing rivers and passing numerous villages on the way. Lastly, you cross the Dudh River and reach the beautiful village of Thonje. Walking through Mani walls and prayer flag, you reach Dharapani where your trek ends. Enjoy a lively or relaxing night at Dharapani before returning to Kathmandu.

It is now time to return back to Kathmandu. You get on your vehicle and proceed for the long drive ahead. This will be the last time you will be seeing the diverse landscapes. Take a good view of nature and relax as you drive back to the city. Once in Kathmandu, you will head to your hotel and relax.

You can visit the locations you did not visit before and look around and shop for souvenirs. You can even opt to go for hikes to one of the hill stations around the Kathmandu Valley. In the evening, a farewell dinner will be organized for you.

Finally, your trip has come to an end. It is time for you to go back home. With great memories and lessons, you hop on your flight and view the Himalayas one last time as you fly away from them