Overview
This trek was officially opened to tourists in 1991, but mountaineering expeditions have long had access to the area. In 1950 a party led by HW Tilman trekked from Thonje to Bimtang and Colonel Jimmy Roberts crossed the Larkya La looking for an interesting mountain to climb. Manaslu (8156m.) was attempted by Japanese expeditions every year from 1952 until 1956, when the first ascent was made. It thus became known as a 'Japanese mountain', and much of the information about the area was available only in Japanese. The Japanese continued to dominate the climbing scene on Manaslu until 1971.
A few trekkers, including the peripatetic Hugh Swift, managed to obtain trekking permits for the region, but otherwise this trek has always been the domain of the mountaineering expedition. The book Honey Hunters of Nepal, by Eric Valli and Dianne Summers, makes good background reading for this area.
Though the Larkya La is not a difficult pass, the trek around Manaslu is harder than most in Nepal. In many places the walls of the Buri Gandaki valley are perpendicular, so you cannot walk along the bottom of the valley. There is a huge amount of wasted climbing involved during the first part of the trek as you climb up and down over ridges or onto shelves to bypass cliffs. The trail is rough and steep and it often literally hangs on a bluff high above the river. The trek is remote and has no rescue facilities or opportunities to bail out if you are tired. There is only one facility that might conceivably be called a trekkers' hotel, and there are few English signboards between Arughat and Tilje.
The trek is geographically spectacular and culturally fascinating. The inhabitants of the upper Buri Gandaki, a region known as Nupri ('the western mountains'), are direct descendants of Tibetan immigrants. Their speech, dress and customs are almost exclusively Tibetan. There is still continuous trade between Nupri and Tibet; Chinese cigarettes, for example, are found more frequently than Nepali cigarettes. The mountain views in Nupri are sensational and the crossing of the Larkya La is one of the most dramatic of any pass in the Himalaya.
Trip highlights
Detailed Itinerary
As you fly into Kathmandu, you'll have beautiful views over the valley, the snow capped mountain peaks in Himalaya, and of the terraced fields below. As per your arrival time, our representative will be at the airport to receive you and transfer you to your booked hotel. Overnight in Hotel
Today after the breakfast we will proceed for sightseeing tour in and around the Kathmandu valley. The Durbar Squares, Pashupatinath temple, Swoyambhunath temple and Boudhanath temple are the major sight-seeing areas around the Kathmandu valley. These all are listed in a world heritage sites. The Durbar Square shows us the regal life of ancient periods. Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimages. Swoyambhunath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa is the Buddhist temple which is very popular around the globe. Swoyambhunath is also known as money temple stands on the hilltop west of the Kathmandu valley. It can also be known as the viewpoint of Kathmandu valley. Boudhanath temple is the biggest Chhorten ever made around the world. Overnight in Hotel
You’ll get an early start on today’s cross-country drive to the town of Soti Khola. Your guide will pick you up at approximately 8:00 AM to begin this scenic trip, which takes approximately eight hours to reach your destination. This is a great opportunity to get a closer look at Nepal’s varied landscapes as you travel paved roads alongside terraced fields and forested hillsides. After reaching the headquarters of the Dhading District, you’ll continue on an unpaved road to the settlement of Aarughat. This is a good place to stop and stretch your legs before pushing on to make the final stretch to Soti Khola, which takes another hour and a half. When you arrive, make the most of the remaining daylight to enjoy the incredible views from Soti Khola’s steep hills before sitting down to dinner. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The zigzag path passes through forest, villages, streams, pretty waterfalls and green valley until you reach Lapu Besi. This is a village mainly covered by Mongolian. Now you again proceed the zigzag path to reach Machha Khola. There is a small market with few shops, lodges and donkeys are kept there. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You cross the Machha Khola - Fish Stream - and head upstream to the tiny village of Khola Bensi and the hot springs at Tatopani. The valley sides are steeping until they are impassable and the route then switches to the left bank by way of a suspension bridge. The trail is quite exposed and challenging in places. After a short section of forest path you reach the single teahouse at Doban. Above Doban, the Buri Gandaki descends an impressive series of rapids. Beyond this steep section, the river is much more placid, meandering across a broad gravel bed. At Lauri, you re cross the river on a suspension bridge, and then climb on a high path to the fields of Jagat, where you camp. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Enjoy an early breakfast this morning before leaving the sleepy little town of Jagat; there’s a lot of ground to cover on today’s agenda. Your trail first climbs a valley to the quaint village of Sirdibas, where you’ll find scenic streets lined with traditional stone-built homes. You can also get a great view of the Sringi Himal range from here; its highest peak is the mountain called Chamar. After admiring the view, you’ll descend to the Budhi Gandaki and cross a long suspension bridge to pick up the trail leading to Philim. This is a larger Gurung village surrounded by beautiful terraced fields. You’ll continue through Philim, passing by impressive waterfalls as you move through the river valley. Just past the settlement of Ekle Bhatti, you’ll return to the Budhi Gandaki and use suspension bridges to cross the river twice more. You’ll trek through the village of Pewa and continue through the valley past a small campsite before finally reaching today’s destination: Deng. This is a very small town with great views and lots of hospitality. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The trail ascends through lush forests. On the way, you get to enjoy fantastic views of Mt. Manaslu, lovely valleys, and rocky hillocks. The trail will take you to Namrung, a Buddhist village. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You trek over winding path which moves through inner Himalayn range. On the way, you can enjoy mountain views of Rupinala pass, Mt. Manaslu, Gorkha Himal, Dwijen Himal, Saula Himal, Lajing peak, and many other snow capped mountains and peaks.. As you go up the vegetation get decreased. In the afternoon, this part becomes quite windy. While walking, you come across mani walls, chortens, prayer flags and monasteries. Before you reach Lho Gaon, you pass a Tibetan village and Lihi Gaon. There is a monastery named as Chon at a ridge and there is a Buddhist school at Lho Gaon run by Buddhist monks. People mainly grow oat, barley, buck wheat, potatoes and vegetables. You can catch panoramic view of Mt. Manaslu, Gorkha Himal, Dwijen Himal, Saula Himal, Lajing peak with others from Lho Gaon. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Leaving the village, you follow the right bank of the river, with views of Peak 29 ahead. As you continue on the main trail, you soon reach the fields of Sama Gaon, 3500m. You camp at Sama Gompa, 20 minutes beyond the village, or Samdo, near the Tibetan border.
Rest day at Samagaon for acclimatization. Surrounded by mountains in a peaceful forest, you take a rest day to acclimatize and relax. You can hike to Manaslu Base Camp for excellent views of Samdo (Pang phuchuli), Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal, Manaslu glacier, Manaslu ice fall and you can see Birendra Kunda which is an ice lake nearby Manaslu Base Camp. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You trek gentle uphill all the way to Samdo through desert path and windy valley. The Tibetan border is just four kilometers away from Samdo. But visitors are not allowed to pass the border. There is a Tibetan refugee village at Samdo. This is an excellent view point for Mt. Manaslu, Samdo (Pang phuchuli), Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal, Manaslu glacier, Manaslu ice fall and many more. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We can either hike to the back of Samdo village through a trade pass to Tibet, or (if we want a longer hike), take a trip to Gya-La pass to the north of the village, a more frequented trade route than the earlier one. In both cases, we can savor the breathtaking views of Mt. Manaslu along with other Himalayan ranges including Simrang, Hiunchuli, Ngadi, Larkye Peak, Cheo etc. En route we pass through seasonal herders’ settlements. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Today’s trek begins by taking a wooden bridge over the Budhi Gandaki and beginning to climb, crossing a couple of smaller streams near the massive Larkya Glacier. It’s here that you’ll find the seasonally active little community of Larkya Bazaar. Thanks to its location near the border, the town was once an important center of trade and commerce between Tibet and Nepal. After passing through the village and beginning a steady climb along the Sarka Khola valley, you’ll arrive at Dharmasala. Also known as Larkya Phedi, Dharmasala consists of little more than a basic guesthouse and an assortment of campsites—but it also has a few interesting mani walls, and its views of Larkya Peak and Manaslu are hard to beat. After admiring the scenery, you’ll spend the night in the guesthouse here. Make sure to get lots of rest tonight; you’ll be reaching the highest point on the entire Manaslu Trek tomorrow. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Today is going to be a long day. Leaving Dharmasala, you will gradually climb towards Cho Chanda and further up to the Larkya La Pass. The sight of Himlung Himal (7126 meters), Cheo Himal (6820 meters), Gyagi Kung, and Kang Koru (6981 meters) and Annapurna II (7937 meters) are remarkable from the pass. Walking along the steppe, you will reach down to Bhimtang, a broad and level ablation valley with a number of Mani walls and deserted houses. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Crossing this high pasture, you descend the valley of the Burdin Khola to the area of the Base Camp for the West side of Manaslu. From a ridge at 4150 meters, you have excellent views of Manaslu to the South East and Annapurna II to the South West. Beyond a bridge over the headwaters of the Dudh Khola, you descend into a rhododendron forests and follow a trail through a narrow valley until you reach the highest cultivated land in this valley at Karche, 2785 metres. As we continue, we pass across fields and make a steep climb over a ridge to reach Tiliche. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Leaving Tiliche, we cross the Marshyangdi river and join the main Annapurna Circuit with the hoards of trekkers and soon reach Dharapani. We have a gradual descend all day along the bank of Dudh Khola and Marshyangdi River. On the way, an initially narrow gorge briefly opens to Tal, a beautiful village. The area here was formed when the valley was blocked by a landslide and a dam formed behind the lake. The lake has long dried up and now the village of Tal sits on the flat land. Eventually, after crossing Tal, we reach Jagat for the overnight. Overnight in teahouse. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After about two weeks’ of trekking in the Himalaya, we return back to Kathmandu. A seven hours’ drive to Kathmandu via Besi Sahar offers an opportunity to enjoy both hill and mountain landscapes. The drive is often along the banks of the Marsyangdi and Trishuli. We also drive by some beautiful villages with farming terraces on both sides of the road. Upon recahing Kathmandu, you will be escorted to your respective hotel. Overnight in Hotel
As per your flight time you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home or any other destinations. The airport check-in is 3 hours prior to the departure time and the hotel checkout time is 12 PM.
Or inform us if you want to stay longer for short tours such as Jungle Safari at National Parks, Mountain Biking, Rafting, a Tibet tour, a Tour to Bhutan or India Tour. We will be happy to assist you.
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Trip facts
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Trip duration : 18 Days -
Grade : Moderate to fairly challenging -
Activity : Cultural sightseeing tour and trekking -
Trek Type : Tea House -
Accomodation : Hotel & lodge (tea house) -
Max Altitude : 5220 m
Extension Tours
Paragliding
Jungle Safari
Pokhara Tour
