Manaslu Circuit Trek

• 1 day
• 3 Star Hotel

As soon as you reach the international airport in Kathmandu, you will be received by our representative. After you complete the customs formalities there, you will be transferred to the hotel of your stay. Based on the time left, you can go roam around the Thamel area and prepare for the trek; buy important gears. A tasty welcome dinner awaits you in the evening following a short briefing on the trek. Overnight stay at the hotel in Kathmandu.

• 6 to 7 hrs
• Guest House

We head to Arughat, Gorkha on this day from Kathmandu; this will take us around six to seven hours. We move there via private car or by public bus based on your preference. We get lunch in the way. Overnight stay at Arughat.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 3 to 4 hrs
• Guest House

Before the massive earthquake, travelers could travel via bus from Arughat to Soti Khola and most of them stayed here for the night to resume trekking in the morning. However, now it is unpredictable and depends on the road status and the availability of lodges at Soti Khola.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 4 to 5 hrs
• Guest House

Our trekking journey commences on a mule track on this day. We climb up steps that take us to a cliff face before descending to Lapubesi (880 meters). We move forward to Nali Khola and cross a suspension bridge to move along the Budhi Gandaki river to finally reach Machha Khola (900 meters). Reports suggest that this trekking path may be changed away from the river and switched to an overnight stop at Koshi Gaun which lies to the east of the river.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 6 to 7 hrs
• Guest House

Our trekking path moves along the river to get to Khorlabesi and the hot spring at Tatopani (930 meters). We move forward to the bank of the river, Budhi Gandaki to get to DObhan, Yara Bagar (1370 meters) and Thulo Dunga. We cross suspension bridges to enter the entrance of Manaslu Conservation Area along with Jagat (1410 meters) which has a flagstone village square. This area has a conservative area office where permit check is done. If this trek is rerouted, we have to walk along a high path towards the east of the river before we descend to Dobhan.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 6 to 7 hrs
• Guest House

We head up to Salleri as well as Sirdibas before we get to Philim. The path starts getting arid as we move forward. We walk past pristine waterfalls to get to Ekle Bhatti and then to Lokpa as we had to Tsum valley. We move up the confluence of the rivers Shar Khola and Budhi Gandaki and get to Pewa and Deng (1860 meters).

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 5 to 6 hrs
• Guest House

Our destination for this day is Gap. We move through the Bhi village before we reach Bhajan as we move along the Budhi Gandaki river. A side route moves from Bhijam to Prok which is a Buddhist village. Afterward, we head down to Ghap (2110 meters). The earthquake devasted many of these villages before which damaged the paths as well as several lodges.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 3-4 Hours
• Guest House

We walk along the Tom (Tum) Khola to reach Longa Chuta and we walk along with the lush green forests of fir and rhododendron home to many birds as well as Langur monkeys along the northern bank of the river, Budhi Gandaki. We first reach Namrung (2660 meters) which used to a custom post back when this used to be the salt route to Tibet.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 3-4 Hours
• Guest House

We first enter the upper Nupri and then climb the fields of barley which have watchtowers for bears and then we walk along Lihi and Barsam where houses were devastated by the earthquake. We walk past many local gompas and then to the base camp beyond Lihi. We get to the base camps of Himalchuli (7893 meters) before we get to Sho (2960 meters). We get to witness the Manaslu, Naike Peak (5515 meters) and the Manaslu north (7157 meters). We walk up to Strip and then get to Lho (3180 meters).

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 3 to 4 hrs
• Guest House

We move to the place named Shyaula (5320 meters) and then walk past several valleys to get to Sama Gaun (3530 meters). The earthquake destroyed the buildings here as well. There are many intriguing villages around here which present different degrees of damage caused during the massive earthquake.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 1 day
• Guest House

Since we have scaled higher elevation, we take this day for resting and more importantly for acclimatization. We spend the day exploring the nearby surrounding and mainly the gompa located in Pugyen (4070 meters). We hike to this place through the trail between Sama and Syaula. We can even go to the moraine of the glacier, Pugin. We have the choice to go to the lake in Birendra Tal (3450 meters). Or we can climb near the Manaslu Base Camp (4900 meters). Towards the north of Birendra Tal, there is Milarepa cave which is known to have been the meditation retreat for Buddhist saint.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 2-3 Hours
• Guest House

We descend down along Budhi Gandaki and walk ahead to the Birendra Tal along with the Manaslu Base Camp. As you get to Kermo Khadka, the valley broadens and we walk ahead to white Kani which is the entry point to reach Samdo (3860 meters). We will have the time to get to the peak which is above the village to witness the sight of Manaslu.

If you want another day for acclimatization, we can hike till the moraine of the glacier, Fukang which has to offer amazing views to the passes which are usually used the local people to get to Tibet. Note that is not permitted to foreigners.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 2-3 Hours
• Guest House

We descend along the fields before we head to Larya La Pass. We can savor the views of the Syacha glacier and Manaslu and may even spot the Bharal (blue sheep) as we move ahead to get to Dharmasala (4480 meters). We might witness snowfall as we move up. Note to check in about the availability of lodges as the Samdo lodge is normally closed during the months of Mid December-Mid March as snow creates blockage around the Larkya La pass.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 8 to 9 hrs
• Guest House

It is going to take three to five hours for us to cross the pass Larkya La (5100 meters) which is the highest point in this trekking journey. As we scale the higher altitude, it gets windy and cold. Crossing the pass can be dangerous so it is important to check the status quo while we are at Samdo. We first get to the area around the four lakes as we follow the moraine and then we get down to the pass where we can witness the Himlung Himal (7126 meters), Gyaji Kung (7030 meters), Cheo Himal (6820 meters), Kang Guru (6981 meters) and the Annapurna II (7937 meters). We then head to Tabuche on a slippery path and then descend to Bimtang (3720 meters) which is a main trading post around the Tibetan salt trade trail. We can get to the Pungkar Tal (4100 meters) which is a glacial lake by following the rout above Bimtang.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 6 to 7 hrs
• Guest House

We move along greener landscape as we cross lush green forests and fields as we follow the bank of Dudh Khola towards the north to reach Tilche (2300 meters) after Samdo. This village is occupied by Gurung people.

We move to Kani and then we walk along a stream to get to Thonje. We head to Dharapani (1920 meters) as we cross a bridge over the river, Marsyangdi. We gradually get down to Bensi Sahar and then retrace our steps back to Kathmandu.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• 4-5 Hours
• Guest House

We head to Bensi Sahar from Dharapani via jeep and then move to Kathmandu via bus. We head back to the capital with a lot of memories. Overnight stay at Kathmandu along with a farewell dinner.

Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner