Manaslu Circuit Trek

After you arrive at Kathmandu, you’ll start by taking a bus ride to Soti Khola, following the trails of the Trishuli River. The drive will be scenic, offering beautiful views of tall mountains like Annapurna, Manaslu, Langtang, Ganesh Himal, terraced farmlands, rivers, several villages, and more.

You’ll spend the night at Soti Khola, and take a much-needed rest and re-boost for upcoming treks.

Day 2 will have your first and long trek to Machha Khola via steep uphill and downhill paths. The path today will take you through lush Sal forests and sides of towering cliffs. You’ll also come across multiple waterfalls and mules as well.

As you continue, you’ll get to Khursani village then Lububesi, and finally, Machha Khola.

Today we’ll start by crossing two major rivers on our journey, Tharo Khola and Machha Khola via suspension bridges. You’ll then hike upwards towards Tatopani, leaving the rivers beneath you.

Eventually, you’ll get to Doban, which lies at the joining of Shari Khola and Sarpu Khola. As suggested by the name itself in Nepali.

We’ll head towards Philim, after a delicious breakfast in Doban. We’ll start with a steep ascent to Louri then Thado Bharyang. You’ll then be crossing a river to get to Jagat, a Tibetan-style settlement.

From there, crossing another river, you’ll get to Philim, a beautiful Gurung village with scattered farmhouses.

As we trek towards Deng, we’ll be walking through terraced millet fields, sharp gorges, and lush bamboo forests, crossing the Budhi Gandaki River, and Deng Khola River leading us to Ekle Bhatti then Deng.

We’ll also get a fine view of the high peaks of Himal Shringi along the way.

On this day, we’ll start with a short descent followed by a sharp ascend leading to Rana Bridge. Then, passing through pine forests and crossing a bridge we’ll reach Bihi Phedi. Bihi Phedi is a Buddhist region, and we’ll start seeing Mani walls more often now.

Moving on, crossing another suspension bridge will get you to Ghap.

From Ghap, passing by Tibetan mani walls, and the colorful forest of firs, oaks, bamboo, and rhododendrons, we’ll continue on our journey. Then, hiking over steep ascents and descents via stone stairs and crossing suspension bridges will get us to Namrung.

Namrung is a beautiful Gurung settlement nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, with large barley fields surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty.

After having a hearty breakfast, we’ll head to Lho passing through beautiful villages like Lihi and Sho. We’ll be crossing the river stream originating from Lindanda Glacier while getting peeks at the stunning views of Simnang Himal.

Ultimately, we’ll reach Lho, mostly inhabited by the Nubri people. Lho offers views of the rugged landscapes, deep valleys, and towering snow-capped peaks, including Manaslu.

From Lho, we’ll start your climb up towards Samagaun. We’ll feel the temperature getting much cooler as we gain more altitude today.

Our trail today will pass through forests leading us to Shyala village, a place with several wooden resting places and majestic views. After a break, we’ll move forward reaching Samagaun, the closest village to Manaslu Base Camp.

We’ll take day 10 as a rest day, to replenish our energy and adapt to changing altitudes. We can, however, choose to relax at our lodge at Samagaun or hike up to Manaslu Base Camp.

Reaching Manasulu Base Camp would be yet another once-in-a-lifetime experience so it is recommended to trek to Manaslu Base Camp this day. Also, you can pay a visit to Birendra Lake or Pungyen Monastery both providing captivating vistas of glaciers.

We’ll have a short yet exciting trek to Samdo, a small village with rich Tibetan traditions and cultures, adorned with mani walls and prayer flags. Arriving at Samdo offers breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks and rugged landscapes.

To reach this pretty village, we’ll walk through pasture lands, and forests with juniper and birch, and cross the Budhi Gandaki river along the trail.

Yet another exciting day is here! Today, we’ll get to Dharamsala, a stone guest house at the bottom of the Larkya La Pass. We’ll walk past the Athahra Saya River and then along the Larke River while soaking in the magnificent views of Larkya Glacier and Mt. Manaslu.

Moreover, as we head towards Dharamsala, you’ll start seeing more and more of the Mani Walls and Buddhist prayer flags along the way. It shows that the Larkya La Pass is close.

The pinnacle moment of our journey is here. Today we’ll be crossing the Larkya la Pass, the next most beautiful viewpoint of this trek after Manaslu Base Camp.

Larkya la Pass is the highest altitude point of our entire journey, 5100 meters. Making the hike equally tough. We’ll move through a strenuous steep uphill trail. As we gain more elevations, the glorious view we’ll witness will keep us motivated to get to the checkpoint.

Finally, upon reaching Larkya La Pass, you will be rewarded with the most overwhelming, unreal, panoramic views of towering mountain ranges, frozen lakes, and more. The experience you’ll have today will be one of the best moments of your life.

Thereafter, we’ll start descending to reach Bhimtang and take a much-needed rest here.

After your adventurous and tough hike to Larkya la Pass yesterday, the trek today will be relatively easier. You’ll hike in a gradual descent along the Budhi Gandaki River then rhododendron, pines forest leading you to Karche then Gho.

Day 15 will have the last trek on the Manaslu Circuit. We’ll move from Gho to Tilje then Thonje village, and lastly, Dharapani village.

The trek today will be short and easy passing through several Mani walls, pasture fields, and suspension bridges. On the way, you can also stop by Tilje, a Gurung settlement famous for its brandy.

This will be the last day of your Manaslu Circuit Trek, as you make your way towards Besisahar via a scenic bus ride. The drive back will be pleasant as the views of Marsyangdi River, several villages, Bhulbhule town, and Khudi keep you company.

Upon reaching Besisahar, we’ll take a short tea break and then take a bus back to Kathmandu with beautiful scenery outside the bus window.