Round Manaslu Trek
Maximum Elevation : 5135 meters (Larkya Pass)
Duration of Trek : 21 days camping
Little visited, this hidden haven surrounding the ninth tallest peak on earth (8156m), is a world apart in terms of secrecy and seclusion, with yaks outnumbering the Gurung people. Situated east of Annapurna, Mt Manaslu (its name means ‘soul mountain’) offers wonderful trekking scenery, including precipitous ravines, thundering rivers and soaring peaks. Rich in Tibetan culture, Manaslu is studded with tiny settlements perched in its foothills. Along the Manaslu trekking circuit at Ghap village there is a beautiful mani wall on which images of Milarepa have been engraved, as the great ascetic is said to have visited the valley. One of the highlight experiences of this trek is the crossing of the 5135m Larkya La, the pass linking the head of the Buri Gandaki valley with the Dudh Khola, a tributary of the Marsyangdi, which is a truly spectacular viewpoint.
The trek around Manaslu was only opened to tourists in 1991, though mountaineers have long had access to the area. Manaslu was attempted by Japanese expeditions every year from 1952 to 1956, when the first ascent was made. It thus acquired the reputation of being ‘the Japanese mountain’ and much of the information about the area was available only in Japanese ! It was only after 1971 that the Japanese lost their total domination in climbing this peak.
Day to day Itinerary
DAY 01 : On arrival in Kathmandu, we meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.
DAY 02 : GUIDED SIGHTSEEING TOUR, KATHMANDU
We will take you to some of Kathmandu’s fabulous World Heritage sites including the temples of Pashupatinath, Swyambhu and Bouddanath, Patan, Durbar Square and Bhaktapur.
DAY 03 : DRIVE KATHMANDU - GORKHA to commence trek.
Our journey is on the Prithivi Highway with beautiful views of the Nepalese countryside. Gorkha is the major town in the central hills and the site of the ancient palace of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal. It is the traditional starting point for treks up the Buri Gandaki. The journey by road takes 5-6 hours.
DAY 04 : GORKHA- KANCHOK
Today’s walk takes around five hours and offers lovely views of the Gorkha Himal. Kanchok is a village which has been created for tourist camping and has a few shops selling essential supplies.
DAY 05 : KANCHOK – ARUGHAT
This is a pretty route through cultivated terraced hillsides and villages. The trail goes up and down towards the Buri Gandaki river, the course of which we will be following over the coming days. We reach the Moti Khola passing Sanokhola and on the way we see maize, rice and millet fields cultivated by the villagers. After a further two and a half hours’ walk through streams and fields we reach Arughat Bazaar. Arughat is the second largest hill town in the Gorkha district and is particularly distinctive and beautiful, being bisected by the Budhigandaki river in its centre. The bazaar is spread across both sides of the river.
DAY 06 : ARUGHAT – SOTI KHOLA
The settlement of Arughat is divided into two halves, bisected by the Buri Gandaki. The trail comes in to Arughat’s eastern side, where we see a large bazaar with shops and hotels. There is a large steel suspension bridge which we cross, and an ACAP office will check our trekking permits on the other side of the bridge. We follow the stone-paved street north through the bazaar, passing a hydro-electric plant and walking through millet and rice fields to Maltar. The next section is forested and many monkeys swarm here. Soon we reach Sante Bazaar, where there is a group of shops and thatched houses and also a shady pipal tree, from where there is a good view of Sringi Himal (7187m) up-valley. At this point the trek begins to get harder as the valley grows steeper and the trail crosses the Arket Khola via a suspension bridge and passes the shops of Arkhet (760m) on a stone-paved trail and climbs through fields and across an outcrop of rock. We then walk down to a cascading waterfall and then there is a tough tramp up a ridge to Kyorpani, a small Gurung and Magar village at 820m. The path then comes down the Soti Khola, which has a good swimming hole. If you climb a little further upstream from here you can see an impressive waterfall, with a 60m drop. This valley is noted for its honey and there are many beehives here. The men of this region are primarily farmers, but some deer-hunting is still carried out and sometimes you can hear shots in the woods. Most men in this area wear a characteristic heavy brown wool cape called a ‘bokkhu’ – a kind of coat which can also double as a tent or sleeping bag !
DAY 07 : SETI KHOLA – LABUBESI
We begin our walk today by crossing the river to walk through some beautiful sal forests before climbing onto a ridge above enormous rapids on the Buri Gandaki. Much of the next section of the path has been blasted out of sheer rock walls en route to Khursane. The trek becomes trickier as we climb over a large rock and cross a stream via a log perched high above. The rocky trail zigzags past two tropical-looking waterfalls on a steep rocky trail clinging to the side of a cliff. At the end of today’s hike we make our way down, past some terraces of rice, then up to the Gurung village of Labubesi (880m).
DAY 08 : LABUBESI – DOVAN
The path climbs behind a rocky outcrop to a dilapidated school. Then the valley opens out and the river starts to meander among wide gravel bars. We drop to a sandy river bed and walk along rounded stones before climbing 110m over a side ridge. Next we walk down to the river again and reach Maccha Khola village (900m). The narrow trail switchbacks up and down, sometimes dropping onto gravel bars next to the river, eventually crossing the Thuro Khola, which flows through a rocky ravine to Khorlabesi, a tiny community with a small shop and a restaurant. The valley is extremely steep and the trail has to climb over a small ridge – then there are several more climbs and drops before we reach Tatopani (930m), where there is a stone shrine and several spouts of hot water, from which the settlement derives its name. After the hot spring we climb over another ridge then walk across a suspension bridge over the Buri Gandaki. Finally we walk up a wide staircase, then cross a landslide and over another ridge to Dovan (1000m).
DAY 09 DOVAN – JAGAT
The trail continues via a long suspension bridge over the Dovan Khola. All the bridges and trekking paths in this region were rebuilt in the late 1990s, to make the route smoother. We stay lowe at first and then ascend on a rugged rock trail to two teashops at Duman. After moving across a large area of landslide we reach the top of a ridge, then the valley widens and the trail goes down to the Buri Gandaki, wandering among gravel bars. There is a 93m suspension bridge over the Yaru Khola, which we cross before climbing the two sets of stone stairs to Tharo Bharyang. Next we cross over to the west bank of the Buri Gandaki, ascend to a ridge, trek along the river and climb up to Jagat (1410m). This village has several shops and a distinctive flagged village square.
DAY 10 : JAGAT – SERSON
Today we can either ‘rock-hop’ across the river, or else walk quite a bit further upstream and use the suspension bridge. We climb a rocky ridge to Salleri (1440m), a cluster of houses and herdsman’s huts. We have good views of Sringi Himal from here, before the path descends to Setibas. Here an old stone kani and several mani walls show the increasing Tibetan influence. The valley widens and the trail continues up to the stone houses of Ghatta Khola. We cross the stream where several mills spin and then cross a suspension bridge and climb up to Philim (1590m), a large Gurung village and HQ of the Manaslu Conservation Area project. The trail continues up over a ridge leading to Ganesh Himal base camp and the Tsum valley behind, where the inhabitants are Tibetan. Here the Manaslu trail turns north just above the lowest houses in the village and runs across millet fields to Serson , otherwise known as Ekle Bhatti (1600m).
DAY 11 : SERSON – GHAP
Beyond Serson, the trail goes into a steep, uninhabited gorge and then descends grassy slopes over which tall pines are scattered. We cross the Buri Gandaki at its narrowest point, via a blue metal bridge. We cross and re-cross the river before following a fine new trail (built by German volunteers). The path hangs on a cliff, climbing over ridges and descending to the river. We can see the large Shar Khola joining the Buri Gandaki on the opposite bank. The trail follows the western side before the valley opens out, providing a lovely walk through forests of bamboo to the Deng Khola, crossing over some fairly wobbly rocks and logs where the newly built trail comes to an abrupt halt. The tiny village of Deng (1800m) marks the entrance to Nupri, or Kutang, where Buddhist Gurungs live. After Deng the trail crosses and re-crosses the Buri Gandaki, climbing to Rana (1980m). From the bridge the path ascends, joining a trail from Bhi, then goes west up the Buri Gandaki valley. A set of steps takes us past a waterfall. We cross the stream on a quaint wooden bridge, then descend to another stream flowing through a steep, narrow canyon. Moving beyond this there is an excellent view of the river, looking more like a still lake above a collection of rocks forming a dam. We pass a few houses and then the trail goes in and out of two ravines, before climbing high above the river and dropping into the Sringi valley. There is a good suspension bridge over the Sringi Khola (1990m) – after crossing here, we climb steeply and traverse above the river, where it flows between vertical rock walls. There are more climbs and drops through forests, before Ghap (or Tsak), which has six stone houses. There is a noted mani wall here, with elegant carvings believed to have been made by a family of stone-carvers from Bhi, high above on the hillside. Many of these depict Buddha in various meditative poses and the Tibetan saint Milarepa, who travelled and meditated in this valley.
DAY 12 GHAP –LHO
The path from Ghap crosses the Buri Gandaki on a 26m long blue steel trestle bridge (2110m). We will see more mani stones south of the river as the route cuts across fields and makes for the woods. We walk by some houses and streams in a fir forest where there are many birds, including the impeyan pheasant or danphe, the national bird of Nepal, which is depicted on the 50 rupee note. Still on the south bank, the trail climbs alongside the river past two mani walls to a waterfall. This area is very muddy and you will need to be deft at rock-hopping ! We have to climb over a large rock to avoid a mud hole, before climbing on up through thick rhododendron and fir forests. In the heart of the forest is a wooden bridge which spans the Buri Gandaki (2240m). Here the river has carved its way through the rock and thunders through a narrow crevice. There are no handrails on the bridge and the fact that it is usually misty here too makes this a dramatic crossing ! The path climbs to a large rock cave before re-crossing the river on another wooden bridge (2510m). There are families of grey langur monkeys here. Now we are back on the south bank of the river and must embark on a long climb through rhododendron and bamboo forest to Namrung (2660m), through a stone archway. There are some lovely stone houses here. Next the trail descends past a small dilapidated schoolhouse to the Thorang Khola. Beyond Namrung the trek enters upper Nupri, where the dialect changes to a version of Tibetan and people tend to wear the wraparound cloaks called chubas. We climb past a mani wall and the houses and fields of Barsam, then through more forest onto a promontory. The trail goes through a stone arch and enters Lihi (2900m). Here the houses are grouped together like apartments into units of five or six, sharing a common wood shingle roof and courtyard. We leave Lihi through a kani and make a long sweep into a wooded canyon. We cross the Hinan Khola on a double-span cantilever bridge, then trudge up to another kani and the closely packed houses of Sho (2960m). Now the views become increasingly impressive, with Manaslu, Manaslu North (7157m) and Naike Peak (5515m) appearing at the head of the valley. The trail crosses a small ravine to a large prayer wheel, climbing through more fields to Shrip (3030m). This small settlement has strange-looking platforms, which are the watchtowers used by the people at night as lookouts so they can scare bears off their crops ! Finally, we climb to Lho (3180m), a large village with a gompa, a rough stone archway at the entrance and a Tibetan style chorten and enormous mani wall at the western end. Walk up to the kani above Lho for a wonderful view of Manaslu.
DAY 13 : LHO – SAMAGOAN
We hike down to the Damonan Khola, crossing the river on a two-span bridge near some mills before climbing again. We follow the north fork of the stream for a long way through damp forests. The trail comes out onto a plateau at Shyaula (3250m), where the panorama includes Himalchuli (7983m), Ngadi Chuli (7879m) and Manaslu, known locally as Ghanpurge. There is a chorten and a small gompa with a huge prayer wheel here. This area has been devastatingly deforested : following a fire in the forest, locals chopped down the remaining trees, leaving acres of black stumps. We cross the ridge and trek in and out of the Thosang Khola canyon before descending to a rock-strewn moraine. We clamber across the boulders and emerge onto a ridge overlooking the extensive pastures and fields of Samagaon (Ro). The large village gompa can be seen at the far end of the valley. We walk across wheatfields and past a chorten to a large yellow kani with bright paintings in good condition inside. Samagaon is an extensive village nestled in the valley beyond the kani, at 3530m. Many of the houses have courtyards overlooking the trail. The only crops viable here are barley and potatoes, and the villagers keep herds of yaks and a few horses, which they ride across the pass to the Marsyangdi valley. Weaving is a major occupation in Samagaon and you will see many women working at their looms. We head west beside the stream running through the village, cross over a meadow and pass through a kani towards the Kangyu Chholing gompa, a Nyingma gompa with 8 separate lhakhangs, the largest being the Pemba Chholing, housing a large statue of Guru Rinpoche.
DAY 14 : REST DAY in SAMAGAON
Today you can rest and relax after all your exertions on the trek so far – or maybe if you are feeling more energetic, you can take a side trip to Pangyen gompa. Climb the ridge south of Samagaon to the gompa, hidden behind the ridge in front of Manaslu. The Japanese call this the Honsansho gompa. It was destroyed by an avalanche during the winter of 1953, after the first Japanese expedition to Manaslu and 18 inhabitants were killed, mostly nuns. The villagers believe that Manaslu’s resident god destroyed the gompa as a display of anger because of the trespass and they refused to allow a second Japanese expedition attempt to climb Manaslu in the following year. An alternative option for today is to make a day hike to Birendra Tal, a glacial lake at 3450m.
DAY 15 : SAMAGAON – SAMDO
We clamber down towards the river and follow it to a bridge over a side-stream. A trail to the left leads to the Manaslu base camp. The Larkya La trail passes several mani walls as the valley widens out. The trail runs along a shelf above the river, past birch and juniper forests and the stone huts of Kermo Kharka, then becomes tougher to negotiate as it reaches a ridge where yak trains have ground the trail into mush. We drop off the shelf, cross the Buri Gandaki on a wooden bridge and climb steeply onto a promontory between two forks in the river. From a stone arch, a large white kani becomes visible. It appears deceptively close, but it will actually take us quite a long time to pass through the kani and come to Samdo, nestled behind a ridge at 3860m. There is a mani wall near the small stone-roofed primary school and the closely packed houses of the village extend off to the east. A major Tibetan trade route heads east through the village and over the Lajyang La (5098m) to Rhee village in Tibet.
DAY 16 : SAMDO – DHARAMSALA
We climb down on a wide, gentle trail from Samdo past many fields to a large old mani wall and a stone archway. Next we drop down to the river, which is small and very narrow at this point, and cross over via a wooden bridge (3850m). There is a fine old mani wall marking the start of the climb to Larkya La. We walk through tundra and juniper opposite the enormous Larkya La glacier, which drops from Manaslu north. Although many avalanches tend to tumble from this peak, the trail is safely out of their reach. After about one hour the path is less clearly defined. We remain high on a ridge to the right and find another trail crossing the top of two large ravines. It is possible to see blue sheep in this area. The path becomes steeper and steeper and climbs the side of a ridge to 4000m, where there is a viewpoint at the edge of a huge gorge. A single stone house is visible in the distance; also a row of abandoned houses far below. We climb in and out of the gorge, eventually reaching Dharamsala, which is the only sheltering place on the route before the Larkya La pass.
DAY 17 : DHARAMSALA – LARKYA LA – BIMTHANG
Today’s is the longest and most arduous part of the entire trek. We start by crossing a small ridge, descending a little to a lake and continuing to climb the ridge until we reach the top of the moraine at 4690m. The trail becomes less distinct as we cross the moraine to the south of steep, grassy slopes. There are a few cairns marking the route, but if it is snowy it will be difficult to negotiate. We follow the moraine until we reach a ridge with two cairns – the prayer flags on the Larkya La pass are visible now. We trek down to four frozen lakes, then have a steep climb to the pass at 5100m. Larkya La can be treacherous : it is sometimes extremely cold and windy and a few porters have died here during heavy snowstorms. However the views are amazing – the peaks to the west of the pass are Himlung Himal (7126m), Cheo Himal (6820m), Gyaji Kung (7030m), Kang Guru (6981m) and Annapurna II (7937m). The descent begins along the top of a moraine to the west and drops sharply before crossing scree slopes to a long set of steep, rough switchbacks. Once it leaves the top, the path crosses the moraine and comes down more gently. Finally, there is a long, steep slippery descent on loose gravel to Dangmoche (or Tanbuche), another grassy moraine at 4450m. After this the path is clearer and the going easier, coming down to a small meadow and a spring at 4080m. Then the trail turns a corner, the valley becomes larger and we head down towards a large meadow, a mani wall and a small rest house at Bimthang (3720m), whose name means ‘plain of sand’. There are a few lodges here. Bimthang once had greater prominence, having been a significant trading post in the 1940s and 50s and the ruins of a much larger building are evidence of this. The huge valley is surrounded by many high peaks and is very prone to avalanches.
DAY 18 : BIMTHANG – GHO
The trail drops from Bimthang and crosses a glacial stream, the headwaters of the Dudh Khola, on a wooden bridge. We climb over the side of the moraine and go down into a beautiful forest of rhododendron and pine at Hompuk. The trek becomes easier as the path descends, switchbacking down to a fork of the Dudh Khola, then following a river through forests to a goth at 3030m. The going stays easy to a stream at 2700m and the fenced fields of Karache. The trail then crosses a landslide and goes across fields before climbing sharply over a ridge decorated with prayer flags, while the river loops in a distinctive S-shape below. The trail comes off the ridge in a large, sweeping arc down to the river bank at 2580m. A short way further on is Gho, which has the first proper teashop since Jagat ! At the bottom of the valley Lamjung Peak is visible above the Marsyangdi valley.
DAY 19 : GHO – DHARAPANI
We continue through fields and over a crystal stream to an area where patches of oak and rhododendron forest are mixed with more fields. We see a suspension bridge over the Dudh Khola, but we do not cross this : remaining on the north bank instead as we walk into Tilje, a large Gurung village with a stone-paved street, closely spaced houses, a primitive hotel and a communal water tap. We leave through a stone archway, cross the Dudh Khola and trek along the riverbank. The path descends through scrub forests and the Marsyangdi valley looms larger and larger. Eventually we can see the houses of Dharapani. We cross a wooden bridge back to the north side of the Dudh Khola at 1930m and climb through a chorten-shaped arch and past a mani wall to the Himlung hotel in the middle of Thonje. Here your sirdar will be required to show the garbage accumulated by the group and obtain a clearance certificate stating that all the regulations relating to restricted areas have been met. We turn left just after the hotel, pass a large school with a tin roof and cross a long suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi, ending in upper Dharapani (1920m). From here, the rest of the trek follows part of the Annapurna Circuit and the trail is generally downhill.
DAY 20 : DHARAPANI – SYANGE
We trek south through the steepest part of the Marsyangdi gorge.
DAY 21 : SYANGE – BHULBULE
Today we follow the Marsyangdi Khola south into rice-terrace country.
DAY 22 : BHULBULE – BESISAHAR
We trek to Besi Sahar, where our transport back to Kathmandu is waiting.
For further information regarding this tour please contact us.
Vast reams of material have been written on Nepal over the years, in particular over the past fifty years with the successful summit of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The past twenty has slowly seen Nepal become a well recognised holiday destination. 
