Manaslu Lodge Circuit

The tour starts at the hotel in Kathmandu. The group flights arrive into

Kathmandu today, and those travelling on them will be met and transferred to

the hotel. Free arrival transfers are available for any flight, provided you

have supplied Exodus with your flight details in advance and have requested a

transfer. There are no planned activities today so if making your own travel

arrangements you may arrive at any time - however, bear in mind that tomorrow

is a long drive so it's better not to arrive too late.Upon arrival to the

hotel please look out for an Exodus noticeboard with details of where and

when the welcome/trek briefing will be held this evening. 

We have an early start for the long drive to Arket Bazaar (approx 7hrs). We

drive out of the Kathmandu Valley and head west following the Trisuli River

towards Pokhara. At Dading we turn off the main road and drive into the hills

through Dading Besi and Arughat in the Buri Gandaki Valley. From Arughat we

continue on a rough road to Arkhet Bazaar (be prepared for an adventure).

From here we start walking and have a short (approx. 2hr) walk to Soti

Khola.Teahouse (sleeping altitude approx. 720m)

The first few days of this trek are quite long in terms of hours walked due

to the lower altitudes and availability of decent lodges. It can, therefore,

be very hot, especially in the spring trekking season. Our route begins by

following the Buri Gandaki Valley north. There is a road being blasted out of

the hillsides and we try to avoid it where possible. From Soti Khola we drop

to the river and cross to the other side of the valley where the trail climbs

up steeply for a while through some forested areas and small villages and

then undulates through farmland and finally drops to cross the river again to

lunch at Lapu Besi. From Lapu Besi, we follow the undulating jeep track to (sleeping altitude 875m)

Another quite long day as the trail undulates throughout, sometimes by the

river and sometimes high above the river, passing several small hamlets and

farms. The valley narrows and there are some spectacular waterfalls. We start

off with a short climb followed by a descent to Khorla Besi. From here we

follow the wide track to Tatopani (which means 'hot water'). The water from

the natural hot springs here is funnelled through a few taps in the centre of

the village. Crossing the river by bridge, the trail wiggles its way to

Dovan, where we stop for lunch. We continue heading north and after an hour

we pass through Shyauli from where there are more ups and downs (some quite

steep sections) until we drop to the river at Yaruphant. The trail levels out

for a while and then we cross a suspension bridge after which the trail

undulates to Jagat, a well-kept paved village, where we start to see the

first signs of Tibetan Buddhism.Teahouse (sleeping altitude 1725m)

A long day due to the lack of decent lodges. From Jagat the trail continues

up the valley through the villages of Salleri, Sirdabas and Ghate Khola,

offering great views of the Shringi Himal ahead. We then drop down to the

river, cross a long suspension bridge and climb steeply up to lunch at Philim

(1565m). From Philim the trail undulates spectacularly with impressive

waterfalls on either side of the valley. Passing the small settlements of

Chisapani and Eklabatti we descend a little and cross the river by bridge. At

the bridge the trail splits, the trail on the right-hand side of the valley

leads to the remote Tsum Valley. We cross to the left and continue following

the Buri Gandaki, climbing up at first as the trail rounds the valley, which

becomes narrower. We cross the river twice more as we undulate up the valley

through forest to Phewa, and further on to the small village of

Deng.Teahouse (sleeping altitude 1870m)

A shorter day today. From Deng, we descend to the river and cross by bridge.

After the river, our route climbs, steeply in places, up onto a spectacular

trail. We pass through some small settlements as we ascend the impressive

valley. We will see mani stones (prayer stones) carved into wayside rocks, a

sign that we are now in a Buddhist area. We pass through the small

settlements of Rana and Bihi Phedi. The trail continues ascending (sometimes

steeply) but at one point descends to cross the river. We will get to Ghap by

lunchtime and in the afternoon, there is an optional walk up the hill behind

the lodge for spectacular views across to Prok and of the whole

valley.Teahouse (sleeping altitude 2110m)

Today is quite a strenuous day with a lot of ascent. The valley now becomes

wider and there is extensive farmland all around where we may see the

occasional look-out platform, built to ward off bears. From Ghap we cross the

river three times and have a long steady climb through the forest (look out

for langur monkeys), to Namrung. A short descent followed by another climb

brings us to Lihi, where we will have a simple lunch. Another descent to the

river and climb brings us to Sho, after which we climb further to Lho. We are

now passing through Tibetan style villages and we start to see the

magnificent mountain views all around. From Lho we get our first view of

Manaslu, Naike and Larkya Peak.Teahouse (sleeping altitude 3170m)

A short but magnificent walk as we continue up the valley and gain altitude.

The trail climbs out of Lho to the monastery, which we can visit. We then

follow the valley with great views of Manaslu ahead. The trail climbs for a

couple of hours to Shyaula village, from where we are surrounded by amazing

views. Manaslu is ahead and we can also see Himalchuli, Peak 29, Maike and

Larkya Peaks. Soon we reach the fields and stone houses of Samagaon (3,530m),

where we stay for the night. From the lodge, there are magnificent views of

Manaslu. We should arrive at Samagaon by lunchtime so there will be time to

explore the village and visit the monastery in the afternoon.Teahouse

(sleeping altitude 3530m)

The trail crosses grazing areas and gradually climbs the valley. We have

fantastic views of the mountains especially Himalchuli behind us. We can also

see Baudha and Ngaddi Peaks and as we reach our destination Samdo Peak rears

up behind us. It’s an easy half-day walk to Samdo, the last permanent

settlement in the valley. This remote village is only a day's walk from the

Tibetan border. In the afternoon, there will be time for an acclimatisation

walk and time to explore the village. (Please note the lodges in Samdo are

basic).Teahouse (sleeping altitude 3860)

Leaving the village, we cross a stream (the last time we see the Buri

Gandaki) and climb steadily to the deserted Larkya Bazaar. Years ago, this

village thrived off trade with Tibet. Behind we can see Samdo Peak and as we

climb Manaslu comes into view to our left and we can see the whole

spectacular climbing route to the summit. Climbing all the time with a few

steep sections, we reach a very basic lodge at Dharamsala at 4,480m, which is

the last place to stay before the pass. Look out for Blue Sheep which often

come down to the small stream near the lodge. In the afternoon, the energetic

can climb a hill behind the lodge for even better views of the surrounding

mountains.(Please note that the accommodation at Dharamsala is extremely

basic. There are three-person prefab huts and two-person tents. Mattresses

are provided in the huts and tents and there is a basic dining room and basic

toilets).Teahouse (sleeping altitude 4480m)

An early start (usually in the dark). Today is a long day and if there is any

snow it can take us a long time to cross the pass, especially the descent.

The trail leaves Dharamsala and climbs steeply at first but then more

gradually by the side of the moraine of the glacier with great views of

Larkya Peak. The ascent is gradual most of the way and is easy if there is no

snow (if there is snow or ice it will take us much longer). As dawn nears

Hindu Peak glows orange with the first rays of the sun. It’s a long and

rocky ascent on the moraine with some short steeper sections all the way to

the top of the Larkya Pass (5,130m). The first area of prayer flags at 5,130m

is the official Larkya La from where the views are outstanding - a wonderful

panorama of peaks including Larkya Peak, Cheo Himal and Hindu Peak and in the

distance, we can see the tip of Annapurna 2. From the top, there is a 10

minute almost level walk to the second summit (which is a little higher and

is also marked with a few prayer flags). From here the long very steep

descent starts. We need to take care as the path is steep and narrow. It is a

sandy scree trail when there is no snow but if there is snow and ice we need

to take care on the descent. There is a landslide which we must cross

carefully. The steep part of the trail eventually eases off onto a path which

takes us down to the glacial moraine. The views are superb as we descend, and

we can just spot Pongkar Lake, a brilliant blue glacial lake amidst the three

glaciers below us. We stop for a well-deserved rest at the bottom of the

steep part of the descent surrounded by immense snow-capped peaks. The

descent now becomes a bit easier, but no less spectacular, as we descend the

valley to Bimthang, where we stay tonight at 3,700m. If it’s clear, we can

just see the summit of Manaslu high above.Teahouse (sleeping altitude 3700m)

A spare day to be used as and when required - if the weather is good and

everything runs to schedule then we will spend the day exploring the area

around Bimthang and resting after the pass. There is a half-day walk to a

beautiful glacial lake, Pongkar Lake, which we can do in the morning, then

return to the lodge for lunch and have a free afternoon to rest. If however

there has been a delay earlier in the trek, the group needs more

acclimatisation or rest before the pass, or if there is poor weather, your

leader may decide to use the spare day earlier in the trek. Also if the

weather is bad at Bimthang your leader may suggest trekking down the valley

earlier. This is at the leader's discretion.Teahouse (sleeping altitude

3700m)

From Bimthang we cross high pasture land and have a magnificent walk down

into the valley of the Burdin Khola. The walk from Bimthang is one of the

most spectacular of the trek as a wall of mountains lies behind us and in

front of us. We pass the terminal moraine of the Cheo Himal and cross a small

wooden bridge. Ahead we have our last magnificent views of Manaslu. We now

descend into rhododendron forest and follow a trail through a narrow valley

to Karche and the Soti Khola. A short climb past terraced fields brings us to

the Karche La from where we will be in sight of the Marsyangdi River below.

Descending through forest we come to Tilje, where we spend the night.Teahouse

(sleeping altitude 2,240m)

From Tilje we walk through the village and cross the river by bridge. A small

footpath then leads away from the main trail and we follow this uphill

through the forest. A higher path takes us to a small monastery set amongst

pine forests. We get great views of Dharapani below and Annapurna 2 above. We

then descend past terraces to a suspension bridge which we cross The trail

then climbs up to Nache village (1940m). This beautiful old village rarely

sees trekkers and has beautiful traditional Gurung houses. We can also see

Manaslu and Himalchuli. We then descend quite steeply to the main Annapurna

trail at Korto. Staying on the same side of the river we follow the old trail

which climbs high above the river and undulates until we descend to Tal for

the night.Teahouse (sleeping altitude 1700m)

A short climb out of Tal brings us to a long descent to cross the Marsyangdi

by bridge followed by a short climb to Chyamje. From Chyamje to Jagat we can

climb above the road and follow the old trekking trail through the forest to

Jagat. From Jagat to Syange we have to walk on the jeep track for a short

while. After Syange we cross the river to Germu and have a final climb up to

Bauhundanda for our last night of the trek.Teahouse (sleeping altitude

1290m)

Leaving early, we have an easy 5.8km walk downhill to Ngaddi, from where we

meet our bus for the long drive to Kathmandu (approx. 6/7hrs). We should

arrive at our hotel in the late afternoon.

Today is free for sightseeing in Kathmandu. You may wish to visit the monkey

temple at Swayambunath, one of the largest Buddhist Stupas in the world at

Boudhanath, or the most important Hindu temple in the valley at

Pashupatinath. We offer a full range of sightseeing tours, which can be

booked and paid for locally. Please see the Optional Excursions section of

the Trip Notes or the Exodus notice board in the hotel in

Kathmandu.

The trip ends after breakfast. A group departure transfer to Kathmandu

airport is included for flight-inclusive passengers. Free departure transfers

are available for any flight, provided you have supplied Exodus with your

flight details in advance and have requested a transfer.