Manaslu Trekking

At the crossing of the bridge, we trek through the beautiful Sal forests, then climb onto a ridge above huge rapids on the Budhi Gandaki. We then reach Khursani Bari upon which the rocky trail weaves its way up and down, past two tropical waterfalls on a steep, rocky trail clinging to the side of a cliff. It eventually makes its way down and past a few rice terraces, then up and around to the Gurung village of Labubesi. We further climb behind a rocky outcrop, where the valley opens up and the Budhi Gandaki meanders among wide gravel bars. Dropping to the sandy river bed, we walk along rounded stones before climbing over a side ridge. We head down again to the river and cross another suspension bridge to reach Machha Khola village. Overnight at Lodge

The narrow trail makes some minor ups and downs and eventually crosses the Tharo Khola and reaching Khorlabesi. After a few more ascends and descends we come across a small Hot spring Tatopani. From the hot spring, we climb over another ridge, then cross the Budhi Gandaki on a suspension bridge. At this juncture, we climb on a wide, well-crafted staircase, then across a landslide and over a ridge to Dobhan. Upon crossing a suspension bridge over the Yaru Khola, we climb the stone stairs and then drop to the river and again climb more stone stairs to Tharo Bharyang. Crossing the west bank of the Budhi Gandaki, we climb over a ridge, trek along the river and then climb towards the village of Jagat. Overnight at Lodge

We begin trek by climbing over a rocky ridge to Salleri, and then descend to Sirdibas. The valley widens a bit as the trail continues up to Ghatta Khola. We further continue walking upstream to a long suspension bridge in Philim, a large Gurung village. The trail turns north just above the lowest house in the village and stays on a fairly level trail as it crosses millet fields to Ekle Bhatti. The route now enters a steep, uninhabited gorge. At this point, we descend to the grassy land slopes, cross the Budhi Gandaki, then trek along the west bank for a while, then cross to the east bank and then back again. As we continue through the trail the valley widens and we pass through bamboo forests to the Deng Khola.  Upon crossing the Khola, we reach the tiny village of Deng. Overnight at Lodge

After a brief walk beyond Deng, we cross the Budhi Gandaki and climb to Rana. From the bridge, we climb a bit to join a trail from Bhi, then head west up the Budhi Gandaki valley. The trail also passes through forests and mani where we turn towards a corner that contours to Ghap. Even though there is another route, we take the route through Prok village. Prok village has a viewpoint for a beautiful sight of Sengi Himal. We further cross the Budi Gandaki several times today and come across several monasteries en-route. The trail follows the river upstream through a dense forest. After crossing the river at an impressive spot where it thunders down a narrow gorge, the forest becomes less dense and the trail is fine again. The pleasant walk continues and after a last steep climb we reach Namrung. Overnight at Lodge

Namrung village is a good viewpoint for Sengi and Ganesh Himal and from the village one can also see Mt. Himal Chuli in the south. We climb steadily and pass through forests and reach Lihi, a fine village with many Chhortens and barley terraces. The trail drops and crosses the side valley of Simnang Himal with Ganesh Himal always close by. We further pass through Sho, Lho and Shyala villages before reaching Sama Village. We enjoy extraordinary views of Mt. Manaslu from Lho village and also explore the famous Ribung Gompa. In Shyala village we will be surrounded by high mountains like Himal Chuli and Peak 29 (Ngadi Chuli) to the left, Manaslu and large glaciers straight ahead, and other snow summits to the right, and at the far end stands Ganesh Himal. Overnight at Lodge

Today, we descend to the Budhi Gandaki River, that has turned north and follow it to a bridge over a side stream. The trail to the left leads to the Manaslu Base camp. The Larkya la Trail passes several mani walls as the valley begins to widen. It is an easy trail on a shelf above the river passing the juniper and birch forests of Kermo Kharka. We drop off the shelf, cross the Budhi Gandaki on a wooden bridge and climb steeply onto a promontory between two forks of the river. From a stone arch we can view a large white Kani. Finally passing through the Kani we find Samdo. Overnight at Lodge

This is another day set aside for proper acclimatization. There are two options for us today. The option that we highly recommend is a hike, up the valley directly at the back of the Samdo village. This hike will take us to one of the trade passes to Tibet for excellent views of Mt. Manaslu along with other Himalayan ranges including Simrang, Hiunchuli, Ngadi, Larkye Peak, Cheo and possibly Kang Guru behind the pass.  En-route to these viewpoints we pass many seasonal herding settlements called Dokpas and sight some beautiful mountain birds like the Lophophorus (the national bird of Nepal), Lammergeyer and Himalayan Griffin soaring high above us. Overnight at Lodge

Even today, we continue our walk down the edge, cross the wooden bridge over Budi Gandaki and begin walking upward. Upon crossing two streams and witnessing the Larkya Glacier we go around the valley of the Salka Khola and climb up again to the stone guesthouse 4450m, which is not a lodge but a kind of shelter called Dharmshala, also known as Larke Phedi or Larke Base Camp. The short walk today also leaves plenty of time for acclimatization and relaxing in the afternoon. Overnight at Lodge

After a short climb, we reach a valley on the north side of the Larkya Glaciers from where we can enjoy great views of Cho Danda and Larkya Peak. Finally, we walk across moraines of the glacier, making a gradual ascent which becomes steeper only in the last section of the pass. From the pass, there are outstanding views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru and the huge Annapurna II. It is a longer day than usual to Bimtang, but to walk into these low pastures with the evening mist coming in with Mt. Manaslu looming close by is an overwhelming experience. Overnight at Lodge

From a ridge at Bimthang, we can enjoy great views of Mt. Manaslu, Lamjung Himal, Himlung Himal and Cheo Himal. We descend further and cross a high pasture Sangure Kharka followed by a bridge over Dudh Khola. We walk through rhododendron forest and follow a trail through a narrow valley until we reach the highest cultivated land of the valley at Karche, 2785m. We pass across fields before making a steep climb over a ridge. The trail comes off the ridge in a big, sweeping arc to the river bank at 2580m. A short distance beyond is the village of Gho, then fur hike will bring us to Tilije. Overnight at Lodge

We climb over a small ridge and enjoy the stone paved trail as it passes through a beautiful village. We then cross the bridge over Dudh Khola and climb up through a Chhorten-shaped arch, pass a mani wall and reach the Thonje village. At the village, we go through a police checkpoint and continue to Dharapani. We have entered the Annapurna circuit section from Dharapani. Further down, we come across Karte village and after quite a bit of walking we cross a bridge over Marshyangdi Khola. We also come across some mani walls before reaching the village of Tal, situated at the foot of a large waterfall. Overnight at Lodge

We follow the trail to Chyamje village crossing the Marshyangdi Khola once again. The Marsyandi valley opens with its terrace fields and villages clung very high to the hillsides. The trail then descends through rhododendron and pine forests to Syange. Overnight at Lodge

The drive from Syange to Kathmandu via Besi Sahar offers one an opportunity to enjoy both hill and mountain landscapes. The drive is often along the banks of the Marsyangdi and Trishuli rivers. We also drive by some beautiful villages with farming terraces on both sides of the road. In Kathmandu, we will be escorted to our hotel. To celebrate the successful completion of our journey, we will have a farewell dinner.