Manaslu High

From the Hindu middle hills culture to the Tibetan high-country dwellers, the Manaslu Circuit trek in the heart of the Nepal Himalaya is a cultural trek par excellence, without a doubt one of the best treks in Nepal. Manaslu, 'The mountain of the spirit', is the eight highest peak in the world, and from upper Nubri must be one of the most beautiful ones; the spectacular mountain scenery has to be seen to be believed. We trek the classic high trek around Manaslu from the historic town of Gorhka, with its wonderful 'durbar', or palace, to Kutang in lower Manaslu and on to upper Nubri, where trade with Tibet continues as it has for hundreds of years. We experience incredible mountain panoramas after the first few days, and add extra days at the most beautiful villages before the Larkya La (pass).

The diverse Tibetan culture, spectacular scenery and snow peaks of the Manaslu Himal Circuit make it one of the most interesting, as well as one of the most challenging, treks in Nepal. Don't miss it, and if you have time, add the Nar Phu extension for a real journey into the lost worlds of Tibet.

Outline Itinerary

The Route

Note: The Lonely Planet guide book describes the Manaslu trek as tougher than most, but this is now wrong. There have been new trails put in that significantly reduce the climbing involved and reduce the exposure. The trails are now wide and good unlike in Tilman's time (1950) where in one part the trail was a few narrow planks resting on branches that had been hammered into cracks in the rock!

Detailed itinerary

Early Arrival

Providing you have sent us your arrival details, you should be met at the airport and escorted to the guest house. A representative from the Kathmandu Guest House will met you there if you have sent your arrival details. Kim will book the rooms for you, just let her know.

Day 1 - Arrive Kathmandu 1350m

You’ll be met at the airport by Kim and/or a representative from the Kathmandu Guest House, so look out for a Project Himalaya or a Kathmandu guest house sign. They will have your name and be looking for you. If, for some reason, you have any problems at the airport, either contact us or take a taxi (we will reimburse you) to the Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel, every taxi driver knows it.

If Kim wasn't able to come to the airport, she will meet you at the guest house and introduce you to Thamel, the main tourist area of Kathmandu. Thamel is a myriad of banners, signs, music shops, bakeries, internet cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, shops of all imaginable varieties and eccentrically clad backpackers. Over dinner we collect your passports, check your insurance details (please have a copy of your travel medical insurance policy with you), go over gear and get to know each other over a beer at New Orleans cafe.

Day 2 - Kathmandu 1350m

Today we explore the Kathmandu valley with Kim. Options (we usually have time to do three of these): Climb the many steps to Swayambhunath (the monkey temple), with its commanding views of Kathmandu (at 1420 m), its whitewashed stupas and its unique synthesis of Buddhism and Hinduism. The striking Buddha eyes of Boudhanath Stupa watch over a lively and colorful Tibetan community and attract pilgrims from all over the Himalayan Buddhist realm. In the midst of traditional gompas, and hung with long strings of multi-colored prayer flags, Boudhanath attracts Sherpas, Tibetans and tourists alike for daily circumambulations (koras) of the stupa. Durbar Square, one of the old capitals of the Kathmandu valley, is a synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist temples, stupas and statues, and is often the site of festivals, marriages and other ceremonies. Hindu Pashupatinath and its sacred temple complex on the banks of the holy Bagmati river. Here, monkeys run up and down the steps of the burning ghats, and trident-bearing saddhus draped in burnt-orange and yellow sit serenely meditating - when they’re not posing for photos-for-rupees.

We'll have time for a bit of gear shopping in Thamel for anyone who needs to do this, and then for dinner wood-oven pizza at the Roadhouse Cafe.

Day 3 - Drive to Gorkha, trek to camp above Gorkha

We're up early for our scenic six-hour drive to the historic town of Gorkha, with it's old 'durbar', or King's palace, a mix of Buddhist and Hindu deities, perched high up in the surrounding hillsides and reached by worn stone steps. After organizing the gear and loads with the porters, we head up to our first night's campsite above the Gorkha palace, stopping en route to visit this well-maintained (but fortified) site.

Day 4 - Trek to Arkole 570m

The middle hills of Nepal are timeless, and we trek for the first two days through classic middle hills scenery; rolling, forested hills, snaking rivers with rounded rock strewn on the beaches, local fishermen casting their nets, iridescent rice fields, papaya, lemon and orange trees, water buffalos, thatched huts and local 'battis' (Nepali tea-houses) along the trail for a quick dal bhaat or cup of chai. We camp along the beach at a lovely campsite just below the small village of Arkole, and enjoy our first mountain sunset over the adjacent river.

Day 5 - Trek to Kalibote 800m

A continuation of yesterday's scenery, we trek though Gurung villages, over several swaying suspension bridges spanning the river, and we reach our camp at Kalibote in the early afternoon. Tomorrow we have a steep climb ahead of us, and this is the last campsite before the (large) hill.

Day 6 - Trek to Barpak 1915m

Have a big breakfast this morning; we head off early to avoid the afternoon sun for our steep, long climb up to the wonderful village of Barpak, situated perfectly on a green ridge overlooking the misty valley below. Barpak is a large Gurung village, extremely clean, with a weekly market, wide alleys between the houses, grain and vegetables drying outside on the patios, several shops, viewpoints and flowers planted along the decks of these Gurung houses.

Day 7 - Trek to Laprak 2200m

Another early start and another climb; after a few hours, we reach the ridge which separates Laprak and Barpak, and are rewarded with panoramic mountain views (along with herds of sheep grazing on the grassy hillsides) from the peak. Another hour or two brings us down to another large Gurung village, Laprak, perhaps not quite as scenic as the last. The Maoists often stay in this village, and we might be paid a visit for some friendly indoctrination.

Day 8 - Trek to Korlebesi 875m

A classic Nepali trekking day; it's an extremely steep decent to the river, and after crossing a very rickety suspension bridge, we climb equally steeply back up, past terraced fields of pink sorghum and rice. We contour around several hillsides on a narrow trail, barely visible at times, up to a small chorten just below the village of  Singla. From here, the going is easy, and we enjoy the views of the Manaslu Himal, Kutang Himal and Sringi Himal to the north as we walk down through more terraced fields and papaya trees, through the Gurung village of Korla, and then down along a narrow, winding trail to Korlebesi on the Buri Gandaki river. Look out for the local women weaving straw mats in the village ...

Day 9 - Trek to Jagat 1370m

A few hours of walking by tobacco and buckwheat fields, past rocks washed smooth by the river, we reach the hot springs in the centre of the small, terraced village of Tatopani, where we have plenty of time to soak our grungy bodies in the gushing hot water, and then perhaps go for a swim in the icy river below, drying off on the wonderful river-side beach. A gentle climb through the woods past some spectacular waterfalls, across another suspension bridge and through a short section of forest path and we reach Dobhan, where we stop for lunch. Above Dobhan, the Buri Gandaki descends in an impressive series of steep rapids. Here, our trail climbs high above the river to descend through what appears to be a huge gateway into some secret place; in front the valley widens, the river calms, and we splash through streams before coming into our camp below Jagat, the entrance to the Manaslu park. It is worth wandering around this beautiful, paved village, where proud villagers have recorded how much they contributed to these paving schemes; Jagat people love their village! Our campsite is impressively clean and grassy, with cold beers available at the shop next door.

Day 10 - Trek to Philim 1570m

After descending a long series of stone steps to the river, we climb a terraced hill to Saguleri, from where we can see the impressive Sringi Himal, 7187m. We pass through the charming, paved village of Sirdibas, where the local children might be selling oranges. Crossing the river again via a long suspension bridge at Gata Khola, the path splits, with the right-hand branch heading off towards the Ganesh Himal. Our route continues upstream, and again we have a steep climb to reach Philim and its Japanese sponsored school. We will either camp here or at a campsite an hour further, Eklai Bhatti.

Day 11 - Deng 1540m

We pass through Eklai Bhatti, and then on through a narrow, dramatic gorge section with towering walls, and past a thundering waterfall just above us on the right of the trail. We cross the river three more times in the next two hours (on even more sketchy bridges, Nepali style) to avoid the difficult valley sides, and then leave the gorge, climbing at one point on steps cut into tree trunks, to the small village of Deng. This is the start of the lower Nubri region called Kutang, where the people are ethnically Tibetan but speak a different dialect than the people of upper Nubri. We camp just below the village, and get fresh greens from the family that owns the land. It's worth a visit to the upper floor of their house above us, perhaps for a glass of local 'chang', or Tibetan beer, and for a chat around the hearth. It starts to feel like a piece of old Tibet at last.

Day 12 - Trek to Ghap 2165n

The valley is still steep-sided and impressive; we cross to the village of Lana, and start to see mani stones (prayers etched onto wayside rocks), a sure sign that we are entering another of the tiny Tibetan footholds that mark the high Himalayan places. After about three hours, we reach Ghap, where we set up camp for the night at the house of some wonderful villagers. The egg-shells strung above their 'tea-house' door prevent the evil spirits from entering the house. The sun goes down early here, so we will cross the small bridge spanning the Buri Gandaki and trek steeply up for 45 minutes to the village of Chaak, where the son of the tea-house owner lives with his family. There is a small, deserted gompa, carved mani stones (the style here is distinctly different that most other Tibetan Buddhist regions), and some Tibetans from Samdo who graze their yaks here. In the village, they will be drying their maize to grind into flour, and then trade with the people of upper Nubri, and we might be invited into the son's house for some Tibetan salt-butter tea and roasted maize on the cob. Look out across the river for views of the village of Prok perched on the plateau jutting over the river below us. From Chaak, you can trek further to Kwak, and there is a trail up to Shringi Himal base camp. A fire recently destroyed the gompa there.

Day 13 - Trek to Lho 3180m

Today is a wonderful trekking day; after passing through the seemingly deserted village of Nambachhe, planted with fields of barley and lined with mani walls, we ascend through a dense, cool forest for an half an hour to Namrung, at 2540 meters, where we will stop for a cup of chai. A few hours later, we reach the village of Lihi at 2840 meters, a substantial altitude gain. The air is pleasantly cool, and we stop for a breather before heading on the Sho, which we can see on the ridge ahead, for lunch on the deck of a local house. Look for the bear claw on the upper deck of the house. From Sho, the views of Ngadi Chuli are spectacular, and further on, towards Lho, we are finally treated to views of Manaslu itself; quite an impressive afternoon!

Day 14 - Trek to Sama Goan (Ro) 3525m

We gain altitude to take us into alpine territory and increasing mountain views. There are more mani walls and three more crossings of the Buri Gandaki on our route to Namrung, a great place for morning chai in the Manaslu lodge, run by friendly Tibetan family; check out their prayer area and masks! Above this village the valley opens out and there are extensive pastures. We are climbing climb gently now, cross a large stream flowing down from the Lidanda Glaciers, and reach the picturesque Tibetan village of Sho at 3000m.  We may camp at Shyala, or push on to Sama Gaon; from either there are incredible views of Manaslu.

Sama Gaon, or Ro, as the locals call it, sits in a bowl at the foot of the pastures leading to the high peaks. The people settled here from Tibet over 500 years ago, and there are two gompas dating from this time with unique architecture, built of wood. The Tibetan villages here have entrance gates which are very distinctive from Ladakh and Tibet, and they maintain an active trade with their coreligionists in Tibet (notice the Chinese brandy and beer on sale). If the weather is good, you will see the village women weaving wool (baal) from Tibet into gowns - which are then traded back to Tibet

Day 15 - Sama Gaon

We have two nights here, a full day to explore the village and gompas; a little piece of old Tibet! This is also an extra day in case anyone is having trouble acclimatizing ...

Day 16 - Trek to Samdo 3690m

Another day, another kingdom in the sky. Hard to keep stopping, but we do to look back at the incredible mountain views on the walk up to Samdo, an easy three hours. You can spot the entrance chorten high on a bluff an hour out of Ro. The village is a collection of houses and lodges at 3690m, high enough to feel it now, and most trekkers miss the heat of a week ago as we huddle around the lodge stove and a wind from Tibet batters the windowpanes. As Eric Newby, the doyen of travel writers said, 'you wanted Central Asia, and you got it!'.  But the dining tent is warm and cozy, and so are our tents.

Day 17 - Samdo

On our rest day here why not a day trip to Old Tibet; no passport required. It takes five hours walking to do just that, and then take in the views and ruminate on the border markers at the top; 'China, 1962.' True high Asia!

Like the people of Ro, Samdo inhabitants are Tibetan, and were ceded the land by the king of Jumla over 500 years ago; but, unlike the Ro people, they only claimed their land after the Chinese takeover in the early 1950s. Since then they have established a trade with China and India, marketing among other things, the aphrodisiac root that grows in the region. Kim will inveigle you into some of the local houses for Chang, salt butter tea and carpets!

Day 18 - Trek to Dharamsala/Larkya Phedi 4460m

We leave on the trade route to old Tibet and climb through the ruins of Larkya bazaar, one of the trade markets that flourished years back. After two hours of climbing with increasingly incredible views, we come to the campsite at Dharamsala,  where it's a hot lunch and a feast of views.

Day 19 - Cross Larkya La (4930m) to Bimtang 3590n

After a short climb above the lodge, we reach the ablation valley on the North side of the Larkya Glaciers. There are views of Cho Danda and then of Larkya Peak. Finally, we walk across the moraines of the glacier, making a gradual ascent which becomes steeper only in the last section to the pass. From the pass, there are outstanding views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kangguru and the huge Annapurna II.  If there is fresh snow, we may see snow leopard prints. Bob Rosenbaum, one of our returning trekkers, did a 'Bob Special' excursion, and saw large human like bare footprints here.

The top of the pass is truly unbelievable. From the pass, where we dive into lunch, is a steep ankle straining drop to a trail following the glacial moraine. Be warned, stop to admire the view, or you may fall. It is a longer day then usual to Bimtang, but to walk into these low pastures with the evening mist coming in and Manaslu; it's an experience not to be missed. And of course the three sisters of the 'Three sisters hotel' are on hand with Himalayan chilled beer. Does life get any better?

Day 20 - Trek to Tilje 2300m

Let Kim have her coffee this morning before you say Hello; she is no fan of cold, and the campsite at Bimtang is FRIGID in the morning. Porters pour hot water over tent pegs to get them out. Pee bottles freeze. No option if you want to get warm, move down valley into the sun, through forested hillsides to Tilje, at the end of our lost world. The gorge ahead marks apple pie and hot shower land - the Annapurna circuit. Our last day of camping!

Day 21 - Trek to Dharapani 1860m

This morning we've got an easy trek down to Dharapani, stopping en route at the gompa in Thongje on the old Annapurna trail. It's our last night with the Nar Phu group, so we'll get together for a few beers and a celebration with the porters that are heading down with the Manaslu group in the evening.

*From here, the Nar Phu group continues up the trail to Koto, and the Manaslu group treks down the trail to Besi Sahar with a Sherpa guide

Day 22 - Trek to Chamje 1430m

We climb through terraced fields to the Karche La (Pass), and can see ahead a green and heavily forested valley, dropping down to the distant Marshyangdi river. At Thonje village is our final restricted area checkpost. Here we cross the Marshyangdi River and join the main Annapurna Circuit, and the hoards of trekkers. At the intersection, we head down through the checkpost at Dharapani and along the valley to the scenic Tal. Tal means lake, and the area here was formed when the valley was blocked by a landslide and a dam formed behind. The lake has long gone and now the village of Tal sits on the river flats. We lose much altitude today as we drop back down the steep hillside and over the river to Chamje, the 'wild west' village of the Annapurnas, where we stay in a lovely lodge ... with hot showers!

Day 23 - Trek to Ngadi 930m

We start the morning with another steep downhill trek to Jagat and continue into rice paddy realm again as we trek down again from Bahundanda to Ngadi at 930 meters. Back to the lush, semi-tropical middle hills of Nepal! We stay at yet another wonderful lodge tonight, taking advantage of the well developed system of tea houses in the Annapurnas.

Day 24 - Trek to Besi Sahar 760m, drive to Kathmandu

The last day of the trek. It is a relatively short (and hot) walk back to Bhulbhule and Khudi, where we will meet our transport back to Kathmandu if the road is passable. If not, we continue back to Besi Sahar and start the drive from there. It is a different world back in the Nepali hills, and the gentle light sends us on our way back to Kathmandu.

Finally, a shower! We book into our rooms at the Kathmandu Guest House, and wash off the grime of weeks of trekking. Out for a last dinner together to celebrate the trek. Did we really just return from the mountains and valleys of remote Manaslu?

Day 25 - Depart

We take you to the airport for your flight home. We hope you've had a fantastic trek around Manaslu. See you again in the Himalayas soon.

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