Manaslu Circuit Trek

5 to 6 hours
Your tour to Manaslu Circuit begins from Kathmandu. To start, you can take a direct bus at 6 am and 8 am from Gongabu Bus Park, Kathmandu, to Arughat. Or, you can take the bus to Dhading or Malekhu on the Prithvi Highway and take the local bus or jeep thereafter.

Although the road is dusty and bumpy, you will catch the best landscape views from your window seat. En route, you can stop at many rests stops for short breaks and meals. Overnight at one of the teahouses in Soti Khola.

5 to 6 hours
The next morning, you will enjoy a warm breakfast at the teahouse at Soti Khola while enjoying the scenic landscape. Then, you will start your trek of the day. Unlike other trekking trails, the road from Soti Khola to Machha Khola is rocky and narrow.

Despite the uneven road, you will have the most amazing walk on the first day of this trek. The stunning countryside views will keep you engaged throughout the trail.

On walking, you will pass through Sal forests, where you can take short rests during the tiring walks. Following the forest trails with many rivers, waterfalls, and towering cliffs, you will encounter a few Gurung and Ghale inhabitants of the region.

In the dispersed settlements, you can enjoy local milk, yogurt, Dal Bhat, seasonal vegetables, and typical pickles.

Once you reach Nyali Khola, you will notice a rocky edge of the hill. Standing there, locals and trekkers pray to the local deities, rivers, and mountains to keep them safe throughout the trail.

Following the river trail, you will climb several ascends and descends across the winding road. On this day, you will encounter hundreds of mules on the route. So, you must be careful as you see them approaching you. You need to stand on the wall side of the road to prevent it from slipping down the hillside.

With such experiences, you will reach Machha Khola to find many teahouses for a comfortable night’s stay.

5 to 6 hours
The following day, you will start walking across the twisting road on the bank of the Budi Gandaki river. As you enter the forest trail, you will witness many monkeys and langurs.

After the forest, you will walk to the Gurung villages, like lower Khorlabeshi. In the village, you will notice the shepherds clad in a typical smoke-browned cape called Bokkhu.

On walking further, you will reach Tatopani ‘hot water’, where you can take warm showers and relax your soaring body. After hot water relaxation, you cross a new suspension bridge over Bhudi Gandaki river to reach Doban.

After a landslip and Yaruphant, you cross a wooden bridge to the left of the Buri Gandaki river and avoid a torturous 3-hour climb up Gurung village trails.

Following the waves, you will find the river flattening at Yaru, from where you cross a long cantilever bridge to reach Jagat, a neatly flagstoned Gurung village. Upon entering the village, you will have to verify your trekking permits at the check post. From this day, you will be walking in the restricted region.

5 to 6 hours
The next day, you will walk to Salleri and descend to Sirdibas. The village welcomes you with several gompas and Buddhist prayer flags. You can also try the local alcohol at many stopovers on the route before you reach Phillim. At Phillim, you will have your permits checked, and then you will continue along the western bank of the river.

The trail is beautiful, with unique sculptures over the boulders on the river bank formed due to river water. Leaving the riverbank, you proceed through rhododendron forests, Himalayan pine, and the overhanging rocks on the towering peaks. These highlights beautify the trail.

On proceeding further, you cross the Siyar Khola bridge and reach a junction where the trail separates to Tsum valley on your right.

Finally, you will reach Pewa, the final destination of the day. There are only two teahouses in the region where they serve basic food and a night of cozy sleep. Pewa has the best Dal Bhat in Nepal with the Shilong Acha.

You can gather around the fireplace in the evening and share your experiences with fellow trekkers and locals before you go to bed.

5 to 6 hours
After the sun rises, you will have breakfast and start the day’s trek. Before ascending the winding trails, you will walk across the bamboo forest to reach Deng. Moving further, you will cross a suspension bridge to climb to Rana and Bihi Phedi. On the trail, White Faced monkeys visit villages looking for a free feed.

The trail then proceeds to Ghap through several landslide zones. At this point, you must be extra careful as you walk. Plus, you must be attentive to your guide’s instructions to maintain physical safety. After the landslide zone, you will follow the trail up to Namrung.

After about 1hr on the uneven trail, you will climb a zigzag from the river to the neat village of Namrung (2660m). The place has some of the best teashops, a restaurant, and rest houses on the trek. A local businessman worked for over a decade in Hong Kong, then returned to Namrung and built a modern restaurant and hotel with Cappuccinos and WiFi.

Witnessing the lifestyles of the Nubri people, you will start the day. Exploring their Tibet-influenced typical lifestyle, you will walk past several mani walls, lush terraces, and houses through Banjam to enter the fir, rhododendron, and oak forest before climbing to Lihi and then to Sho.

As you start walking, you will see most locals clad in traditional Tibetan dress. As you start further, you will notice some fine paintings in the Kani (gate arches) that you pass before Sho. Walking across the rocky hillside routes, you will finally reach Lho.

You can catch stunning views of Manaslu (8163m) and Manaslu North (7157m) from the place. You will gain a high altitude on this day, so you must walk slowly and check your body signs.

The next morning, on walking, the picturesque view of Mt. Manaslu accompanies you. You will walk across the easy trail to Shyala, passing through pine and rhododendron gully with moss and gin-clear stream. From Shyala, you will walk for almost an hour to reach Sama Gaun.

Once you enter the village, mountain views fade; however, the yak pastures and typical settlements will attract you.

Sama Gaun is the principal village of the Nubri people, which holds a large gompa, many shops, a health post, a heliport, telephone/wifi access, etc.

This is the day of acclimatization at Sama Gaon to prevent altitude-related illness. And, as an acclimatization hike, you will walk to Pungyen Gompa east of the Nubri Valley. On this acclimatization hike, You have to take a pack lunch.

Once at the hilltop, you will get enticing views of Manaslu. Nearby, you will see many Himalayan Thars and Yaks grazing.

Or, you can hike to Manaslu Base Camp north of Sama Gong. You can follow the trail past Birendra Tal and turn left onto the base camp track.

You will climb the steady trails. However, the altitude may cause breathing difficulty. So, you need to maintain body hydration and walk slowly. Proceeding slowly, you will walk north of Manaslu glacier to basecamp at 4,400m / 14,435, then return.

Or, you can hike to Birendra Tal, a short walk from Sama Gong. This is an option if you feel the need for a rest or if you are finding the altitude difficult.

On this new day, you will reach the newer destination ie Samdo. But, as you are in a high altitude, you need to walk slowly so this is a short day trek. You will notice extended yak pastures up a broad valley with long mani walls, with a variety of birds.

From there, you will leave the tree line and climb to a ridge across the wooden bridge of Buri Gandaki before you reach white Kani. It is a neighbouring village to Samdo, a very picturesque village dedicated to yak herding.

Once at Samdo, you can explore the nearby villages or hike to Samdo Peak. The Larkya La trail is on the left above the valley. You can also see the main track for Tibet over the Larjyang La forming slopes on the Larkya La trail.

As a day for rest, you will stop at Samdo where you will go for a day trip to the Tibetan border. From the border, you can also see parts of Tibet and Nepal. If lucky, you can also witness the Yak caravan passing the border.

Once at the border, if you look towards the south of Samdo Glacier you will get excellent photos with a huge serac near the top of the glacier. You can also frame Blue Sheep, Pica’s, and Marmots in season.

This is another adventurous day in the high altitude. So, you must watch your body signs properly. Enjoying the scenic views of the chain of the Himalayas, you will walk slowly across the rugged terrains of the Manaslu region before you reach Dharmasala.

This is a special day as you will walk to the trail’s highest point. On this day, you will walk to Larkya La Pass (5,160m / 16,929 ft). The walk could be quite challenging in bad weather and the snow, yet; it is doable. You will cross the pass before the afternoon, so you must wake up early( 3 am), have breakfast, and leave the teahouse early. This is the challenging part of the trek, but if you walk steadily, you can walk to the pass successfully.

The stunning views you will witness once you stand at the pass make the trip more enlightened. You will catch views of Himlung (7,126m/ 23,379 ft) near Tibet and Kang Guru (6,981m /22,903 ft), and Annapurna II (7,937m / 26,040 ft) in the Annapurna Range.

Spending your particular time at the pass, you will walk down for around 3 hours toward Bimthang for an overnight stay. On descending, you will get views of huge icefalls and mountains in all directions, Pongkar Tal between the Pongkar and Salpu Danda Glaciers.

This is the final day you will be walking on the trails of the Manaslu region. On climbing downhill, you will walk through the lush forests full of flora and fauna, including rhododendron bushes.

Walking back across the Dudh Khola, you will walk to Karche for lunch. In the next hour, you will see many signs of a glacial flood, with tree trunks smashed and banks undermined, the track becoming rough. And the trail drops to Gurung Goa, the first village since Samdo.

The valley becomes more agricultural and lush as you pass fields and copses of oak and rhododendron, staying on the north (true right) bank until Tilije. From there, you will continue your stroll toward Dharapani.

You will take a jeep from Tilije to Beshi Sahar. From there, you will take a ride back to Kathmandu. After the 6 to 7 hours drive from Beshi Sahar, you will get to rest in one of the sophisticated hotels in Kathmandu.