Manaslu Circuit Trekking 16 days

As you fly into Kathmandu, you’ll be looking at amazing views of the valley, Himalayas and terraced fields below. As per your flight details, you will be greeted by our representative at the international airport with your name and WALK MOUNTAIN written on it. The representative will then guide you through the traditional alleys and winding streets of Kathmandu towards our hotel. Then, you will assist you to transfer to the hotel with a warm welcome by tea/coffee. In the evening, you serve you with a welcome dinner organise by our team to get to know each other and wave you good night!

As you wake up the first morning in Kathmandu, you’ll find out that Kathmandu is at its best and unparalleled in the early morning hours when the city is calm and less chaotic. So, after a quick briefing, our tour guide will take you to Kathmandu UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pasupatinath temple in the morning and then drive to another nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bouddhanath stupa. Shortly after that, you drive to Swyambhunath stupa, popularly known as “monkey temple”, located on the small hill from where you can observe the whole Kathmandu valley. At last, you drive to an Ancient Royal Palace, “Patan durbar square”, that constitutes numbers of Hindu temples such as; Bhimesh temple, Vishwanath temple, Taleju Bhawani temple and the famous Krishna Temple. Later in the evening, you will hold a meeting with the trekking guide, make your trekking preparation and check trekking equipment. This would be your second overnight in Kathmandu

You start your first day of the trek by driving west along the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway to Soti Khola Village in the early morning, heading off to the Dhading hilltop village. The road goes through rural villages, settlements, green terraces, and lush hills. Inevitably the road would be a dirt track, and you start to see views of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and Langtang Himal on the southern slopes. There are several rest stops along the way where you can take a quick break and lunch. You will be having your overnight at a teahouse in Soti Khola.

You will begin this thrilling trek after breakfast in Soti Khola. You'll be passing through spectacular landscapes, including woods and swirling rice paddies, a cliff-face ridge, a rumbling river and also some awe-inspiring waterfalls. Regardless of the rugged trail, the first day of this trek will be an unforgettable experience. The breathtaking views of the landscape will amuse you throughout the trail. The trek begins by crossing a bridge; then, you walk through a Sal forest to the ridge above the river Budhi Gandaki (joined by the Tum Khola river in the Tibetan mountains) on top of the mountains. After two tropical waterfalls sticking to a cliff side, you reach Khorsane. You will finally go down and pass through the rice paddies, continuing up to the beautiful Labubesi village of Gurung. You start ascending past a steep hillside where the valley opens up next to the river. Going down to the shore of the river, you'll stroll over rounded stones before climbing over a side ridge. Descend down again to the river and pass through another suspension bridge to enter the village of Machha Khola, where you will find many teahouses for a night stay

The next day, you'll begin walking along the winding route along the Budi Gandaki River's bank. You get to see many monkeys and langurs as you enter the forest trail After this wilderness, you stroll through Gurung villages such as lower Khorlabeshi. The shepherds in the village wear the traditional smoke-brown cape known as Bokkhu. You reach Tatopani ‘hot water' after a short stroll, where you can take hot baths and calm your soaring body. From there, you have to cross a suspension bridge across the Budhi Gandaki river to get to Dobhan. Then, you hike up the stone stairs after crossing the Yaru Khola, then drop to the stream and climb more stone stairs to Tharo Bharyang. You cross the Budhi Gandaki on the west bank, walk over a slope, trek along the waterway, and then make your way to Jagat. Overnight at Jagat.

You will begin the day with breakfast in the village of Jagat. You then walk-through diverse sceneries and subtropical forests as well as the small rivers and simple yet attractive villages to reach your final destination. You start the journey by moving to Salleri on a rough trail, then to Sirdibas. The valley widens a little as the route keeps going towards Ghatta Khola. You also walk uphill to a long suspension in a famous Gurung town, Philim. The trail turns north over the lowest village house from here and remains on a very low road as it goes through millet fields to Ekle Bhatti. The road now reaches a steep gorge from which the grassy paths descend, and then the Budhi River Gandaki is crossed. Walk a bit around the west shore, then cross the east shore before returning again to the west side. As you continue along the trail, the valley expands, and you pass the bamboo forest to the Deng Khola. You reach the village at Deng after crossing the Khola, where you will spend your cozy overnight.

You depart the Gurung village of Deng, enjoying the view of the Siringi Himal and walk past the Bihi Phedi and Bihi to reach the Ghap. You cross the Budhi Gandaki on the north bank after a short distance past Deng and then ascend to Rana at 1980m. You climb a little from the bridge to reach a Bhi trail, then go west up the Budhi Gandaki valley. Then, enter the Sringi Valley after crossing several streams and rivers. You pass through the forests and Mani Walls to Ghap, where you will spend the night. You may also take a short side trip to Prok to see Tibetan Gompas.

The tour begins by ascending through a dense pine forest before crossing a river running down a narrow gorge. You move ahead on the narrow trail through the forest to Namru, where there is a checkpoint, and then on to Lihi through the forest route past small Tibetan villages. Then you reach lho village. The cluster of stone homes and the Chorten with intricate paintings makes this small village extremely pleasant to stay. The views of the mountains get more sensational with rising altitude. As you drive towards the village of Lho to spend the overnight, you can see Manaslu, Manaslu North, Himalchu, Saula Himal and Dwijen Himal on either side of the trail.

Your trek begins with a steep descent through the Thusang Khola, a rock-strewn river. You climb to Shyala Village on a plateau by hiking through the shady fir trees. You will get to observe a magnificent view of Himal Chuli, Peak 29 (Ngadi Chuli), Manaslu, and Ganesh Himal surrounding the village as you pass through a big Chorten into a little downturn where the main part of the village of Samagoan is made by two rows of homes. You will stay at Samagoan overnight. Samagaon has a renowned Sama monastery.

For acclimatization and rest, you spend our day in Samagoan. You can walk to the famous monastery Pung Gyen Gompa from where you can have a stunning view of the glacier. You can enjoy observing a thousand mani stones inscribed with Buddhist texts, portraits of Sherpa women in traditional clothes and ornaments and Buddhist books. You can spend your day exploring and digging into the village's everyday life.

You start moving from Sama, at the foot of the massive Manaslu Glacier, where the path to Manaslu Base Camp splits. As the valley widens, you take the trail towards Larkya la, passing several Mani walls. You enter a birch, juniper, and rhododendron woodland, cross a wooden bridge, and climb slowly onto a hillside between two river forks before arriving at Samdo for the night.

After having your breakfast in Samdo, you'll travel through Larke Bazaar, a seasonal Tibetan market, before descending to the Budi Gandaki River. Cross the wooden bridge and continue ascending, passing two streams and enjoying the Larkya Glacier. You'll travel through the Salka Khola valley before climbing back up to Dharamsala, also known as Larke Phedi. Many traditional monasteries can be encountered along the way.

After a brief climb, you arrive in a valley on the north side of the Larkya Glaciers, from which you can see Cho Danda and Larkya Peak. You walk over the glacier moraines, gradually ascending to the pass, where you will be blessed with spectacular views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kanguru, and Annapurna II. You continue our walk through the yak pastures towards Bimthang, taking in the beautiful view from the past and enjoying the evening mist. You will have a night stay at Bimthang

It's the last day you walk on the Manaslu trails. As you descend, you will pass across lush forests bustling with flora and fauna, particularly rhododendron. You'll walk straight across the Dudh Khola to Karche for lunch. In the next hour, you'll see several signs of a glacial flood, including smashed tree trunks and bank erosion, and the path will get very rugged. The trail then descends to Gurung Goa, the first true village since Samdo. The valley starts to look more agricultural and greener as you drive through fields and forests of oak and rhododendron, continuing on the north bank until you reach Tilije. You will continue your walk towards Dharapani and then to Tal from there.

You drive to Kathmandu for 7 to 8 hours along the Marsyangdi and Trishuli rivers banks overseeing the beautiful views of green hills, mountains, agricultural terraces, and villages. You freshen up and take a walk around the city before returning to your cozy hotel in Kathmandu for the night. In the evening, you will have a farewell dinner with our office team leader where you can share your experience about the Manaslu Circuit trek.

On your last day in Nepal, our office staff will drop you off at the airport two hours before your departure, leaving you with some fond memories of us and a memorable trekking experience.