Manaslu Circuit Trek

Icicles Adventure Treks & Tours representative will meet you at Kathmandu Airport (Tribhuvan International Airport). Finish your custom formalities (visa, etc.) and get to the airport waiting terminal, you will find our representative waiting to greet you. He/she will be holding Icicles Adventure Treks and Tour signboard. You will be then transferred to your hotel in our private vehicle.

You can either rest in your hotel or shop around the tourist market of Thamel for any gears for your trek. 

We start a guided tour to several pre-historic and spiritual sites in Kathmandu, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu valley is a synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist temples, stupas and statues, and is often the site of fairs, festivals, and a lot of ceremonies.

We drive to Swoyambhunath (Monkey Temple) and walk the stone steps up to the summit of the hill where the famous Swayambhunath stupa has been resting for centuries. Upon reaching the top, you will observe swoyambhunath stupa and Hindu Temple together showing unique fusion of Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal along with a view of entire Kathmandu.

Next, we explore medieval historic Durbar Square of Patan, a compound of temples, ancient palaces, and architecture. We will have lunch either at Patan Museum Cafe here or drive to Bouddhanath to enjoy the rooftop view of Boudanath with our food.

We take a tour of the celebrated Buddhist shrine (Bouddhanath) which is one of the large stupas in the world. The prominent Buddha eyes of Boudhanath Stupa attract Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world.

At last, we will visit the famous Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva, the holy Pashupatinath. You might observe the open-air pyre cremation of Hindu people on the bank of the Bagmati River.

After completing the sightseeing program, you will be driven back to the hotel. There will be a pre-trek meeting in which you will meet your trekking guide, get a short briefing on the trek along with a duffel bag to pack your things. You will also get a down jacket and sleeping bag (if you don't have your own).

In the evening, it's enjoyable to walk along the streets of the Thamel tourist exploring the market. You can also hire/buy trekking equipment from trekking gear stores in Thamel. 

We make an early morning departure from Kathmandu in a private jeep. Today's drive is pleasant and adventurous as it winds down, hugging the mountainside through terraced fields, rivers, bridges, and gorges. Following the side of the Mahesh River, we come to the Trishuli River until we cross a bridge over it and continue driving towards Dhading district's headquarters, Dhading Besi.

We continue our drive through bumpy rough from Dhading Besi to Arughat. Arughat is a small village on the bank of the Budi Gandaki River inhabited mainly by Newars. We further drive to Arkhet and again to Soti Khola. Usually, Soti Khola used to be the destination for the day, but we will extend the drive to Machha Khola. 

We will drive through the mountain ridges and pass through Armala village. We will then go further to Lapubesi, a Gurung village. We will be able to see a few seasonal waterfalls from this trail. Finally, we will reach the small hamlet of Machha Khola, which was rebuilt after the flood destroyed it in the past. We will also see beautiful views of Ganesh Himal and Buddha Himal in today's drive.

Drive Distance: 156 km

Drive Time: 8-9 hours

We cross the Machha Khola River and head upstream to the tiny village of Khorlabensi. After Khorlebesi, followed by an hour of walking along the river, by tobacco and buckwheat fields, past rocks washed smooth by the river, often climbing up stone steps, to reach the hot springs in the center of the small, terraced village of Tatopani. We will have plenty of time to soak our grungy bodies in the voluble hot water streaming out of sculpted stone spouts.

A gentle climb through the woods past some spectacular waterfalls and sculpted rocks will brings us to a new suspension bridge across the Budhi Gandaki which we will cross. We will continue along a forested path and soon reach Dobhan. Then we will cross the Dhoban Khola on another suspension bridge above Dobhan village, the Budhi Gandaki descends in an impressive series of steep cataracts.

Sharing the trail with local sheep and goats we take steep steps along cliff walls to climb as the river descends even more steeply and stratified river rocks decorate our route. Eventually, the river valley widens and a good trail leads to Jagat, a village with a beautiful flagstone square.

After getting the restricted area trekking permits at Jagat, we will start descending long stone steps to the river. Next, we will climb Salleri, holding a beautiful view of Sringi Himal (7190m), and finally pass through the village of Sirdibas. You might find people busy harvesting and thrashing if it is autumn time.

Here, we can see a traditional water mill called 'pani Ghatta.' Before fuel-running mills, villages used such 'pani Ghatta' for grinding.

We will cross a river ahead over a suspension bridge and soon reach Philim.
Ahead of Philim, we hike through some impressive farmlands on a high trail over the Budi Gandaki River. Continuing on this beautiful trail, we walk through a narrow gorge past a roaring waterfall to the right of the trail.

About two hours past Philim, we reach the metal bridge which spans the Budhi Gandaki with a trail leading east to the Tsum valley to our right.

We will descend from where we leave the main trail at the river junction, cross the Budhi Gandaki on a steel Bailey's bridge, and continue further north. After the bridge and passing the trail to Nyak on the left, we ascend gradually along a wide hillside trail through an open pine forest. Then, we cross the river twice on newly built steel suspension bridges trekking through a dense forest of rhododendrons, bamboo, and wildflowers. As we climb, look back for views of Ganesh Himal IV.

After about an hour of relatively easy climbing, we leave the narrow gorge, cross the Deng Khola on a suspension bridge, and climb briefly to the hamlet of Deng. We will have magnificent views of the Ganesh Himal to our back and Lapuchen and Dwijen Himal to the north.

From Deng, we descend steeply and climb to Rana Village. We further climb through the beautiful pine forest and after crossing the bridge we reach Bihi Phedi and from here we see the Kutang Himal. Today along the trail we see very artistic mani stones, an indication that we are entering a Buddhism-influenced region.

We cross Serang Khola and the trail which rises high above the main Budi Gandaki River. The walk through the gorge is breathtaking, with spectacular views. In about two hours past a beautifully painted Chorten and after crossing a bridge over the Budhi Gandaki, we reach the outskirts of Ghap.

We then walk past long mani walls with Buddhas in several postures. Upon reaching Ghap, we see eggshells strung above the local 'tea-house doors in Ghap prevent the evil spirits from entering the house.

Today, as we gain a good bit of altitude, we start to feel cooler as we enter a dense forest of fir, rhododendron, bamboo, and oaks, giving occasional glimpses of snowy mountains. The valley is now becoming steeper with canyon and water cascades. Finally, we will cross the river a few times on suspension bridges and after a long climb on steep stone staircases, we reach the village of Namrung.

Past Namrung, we walk through extensive barley fields and pastures and reach the settlement of Banjam. Again after climbing steeply, we reach the picturesque village of Lihi (2920m). Lihi houses two old gompas, and is spread along the trail with barley fields. It is famous for its unusual architecture - apartment-like units with a common roof.

Shortly after Lihi, we can see beautiful mountain, Simnang Himal (6251 m). We cross a large stream flowing down from the Lidanda Glacier, and pass through the Tibetan village of Sho. Just above this village we get a first sight of majestic Manaslu.

Small descent out of Sho, we start to climb up to Lho where a large sprawling village adorned with a lot of prayer flags, a lovely little monastery, numerous chortens, mani walls and an elaborated white stupa.  Also a bigger Nyingma Rimjung gompa is there decorated with colorful prayer flags and houses more than 100 monks.

The two peaks of Manaslu now dominate the area but Ganesh I is also visible looking back and to the northeast is a most impressive wall of rock rising to the snow capped summit of Saula (6235).

We pass barley fields, a long mani wall and, old Chorten followed by another big Chorten from where we see very panoramic views of Mt. Manaslu. We follow the right bank of Budi Gandaki with views of Ngadi Chuli ahead.

Soon climbing through the forest with occasional stream crossings, we reach summer settlement of Shayla which provides a splendid panorama of Phungi, Manaslu and Himal Chuli. We see Hongsanbu Gompa on our way to Shyala.

Today we sleep in Shyala village where you will be surrounded by mountains like Himal Chuli and Peak 29 (Ngadi Chuli) to the left, Manaslu and large glaciers. Other snowcapped peaks can be seen to the right, and at the far end stands Ganesh Himal.

We cross a stream that is the outflow from the Pun Gen Glacier and then climb next to the stream to the edge. We take a side trip to get to Pung Gen monastery which sits at 3870 m. Walking past the beautiful herding settlements through Numla Khola and the Pung Gen glacier, we will see majestic views of Mount Manaslu near the monastery.

The Pun Gen Gompa includes a cave gompa, which provides an even better prospect of the valley. After enjoying the panorama, we continue to trek to Sama Gaun.

Sama Gaun (3660m), a comparatively larger village on the Manaslu Circuit trail sits at the base of Mount Manaslu. Settled by Tibetan descendants the residents are Buddhist and you can see the prayer wheels, mani stones, and Ribung monastery at the village denoting the deep Buddhist faith of the people there. Tibetan Buddhism permeates the culture and the way of life in these high mountain villages.

It might be interesting to wander through the alleyway of Sama, its stone houses with wooden decks and shingles look similar in style to the ones in Lho and Lihi. Tibetan descendant people have lived for hundreds of years in elevated stone houses with animal pens underneath their homes. Most families make living growing barley and potatoes for three months of the summer and the rest of the year they trade with lower villages and Tibet. Yaks and dzobkios share the narrow passages, which have small waterways running in the middle of them and planks to bridge the two sides.

Today is a rest day at Sama Gaun where we will acclimatize ourselves with the altitude before we proceed ahead to higher elevation.

We follow the trail to Glacial Birendra lake and might return back after a short exploration. If we want to go to Manaslu Base Camp, we continue into the forest and slowly walk steep up to the remarkable Manaslu Glacier to Manaslu Base Camp (4800m). Trek to Manaslu Base Camp takes about 4 hours, and trek back to Sama Gaun is 3 hours.

Starting early is good for the best views and to avoid snow burn due to sunlight reflected by the glacier. The trail offers amazing views of Manaslu Glacier, Birendra lake, and the typical village Samagaun. If it's the season for Manaslu climbing, we will find Manaslu Base Camp full of tents, climbers, guides/sherpas, and porters.

While climbing up, the scenery becomes more spectacular with the nearest glacier, Manaslu peak, Naike Peak, and the views of surrounding hills. The final part of the trip is to climb between 4400-4800m, which is steeper with snow and ice (seasonal). After reaching Manaslu Base Camp at 4800m, we feel like being in the abode of mountains, and finally trek back to Sama Gaun.

Early wake up at Sama Gaun will show us the stunning view of sunrise over Manaslu and other mountains. After breakfast, we cross a small bridge and head west towards Manaslu Base Camp and Birendra Lake along the grassy lateral moraine.

As we hike up through the woods on a dirt trail, past birch, juniper and rhododendron, the lake opens up below us and we get closer to the remarkable icefall of the Manaslu Glacier. We'll hike up further to over 4000 meters for acclimatization.

After crossing a stream and heading north we trek past rough woods of Himalayan birch during the walk up to Samdo. We pass by the left side of the long Mani walls at Kyonggma Kharka and afterward spot the entrance Chorten of Samdo. We descend back to the Budhi Gandaki and cross a small bridge leading to a short climb to Samdo.

We can take a walk around the village where the inhabitants live an essentially Tibetan lifestyle, herding their yaks, sheep, and goats, training their horses, and planting barley. There is also a small gompa in Samdo.

We leave Samdo on the old trade route towards Tibet. We then cross a small bridge, and climb towards the west above the ruins of Larkya Bazaar. We ascend through grazing hamlets, open, grassy plateaus filled with dwarf juniper bushes, rhododendron, and lichened stones. The landscape becomes increasingly stunning along with the views of Glacier on the other side of the valley which tumbles down from Manaslu and Manaslu North peaks.

Finally we come to Dharmasala, the high camp for the Larkya La pass. Herds of blue sheep might appear to graze in the barren slopes nearby. Due to freezing temperature and the high altitude, its better we spend relaxed afternoon and keep ourselves warm.

If still feeling energetic, we can hike up either of the ridges that form the boundary of the valley, or hike up alongside the small spring-fed stream back of the teahouse and enjoy the birds, marmots and blue sheep. We get to see awe-inspiring views of Naike Peak to the south and the tip of Manaslu in the front.

We start early with the longest day on our Manaslu Circuit Trek. After climbing briefly, we hike along the right side of the lateral moraine. Watch for blue sheep, pika, marmot, and Tibetan snow-cock tracks in the snow and if lucky you might see snow leopard footprints too.

As soon as we reach the ablation valley on the north side of the Larkya Glacier we see beautiful views of Cho Danda and Ganesh Himal-l to the east and then of Larkya Peak (6250m) to the west. We continue across the often snowy, surging moraine of the glacier, past the many snow markers, and in about two hours reach a small hut, at 4920 m.

Two hours more gradual and steep ascent to reach the top of Larkye pass. The views from the top of the Larkye La are breathtaking, mountain views equally amazing from both sides. From the east, we'll look down on Samdo Peak and the peaks bordering Tibet, and Larkye Peak to the southeast.

To the west towards the Annapurna region rise Kang Guru ridge, Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal and a bit further down the pass the views open up to include Gyagi Kung and Annapurna II. We take a steep climb down a razor-edge ridge and then a descent, often slippery and icy and slightly steep, to a trail following the left side of the Salpudanda glacier moraine.

We find a flat place and have lunch and continue to traverse downhill with another steep section ahead, soon reaching a flatter valley full of primulas and azalea bushes. We still have a good 2-3 hours to reach Bimthang. A circular descent through boulder-strewn trail leads us, finally, to Bimthang, where the Samdo people keep their yaks and horses in the summer and winter months.

We leave Bimtang after breakfast and climb to a ridge over the moraine, soon afterward crossing a boulder-strewn river on a wooden bridge. We ascend and then head down through open forests of rhododendron, juniper, birches, and spruce past the meadows below Bimtang.

With the backside of Manaslu opening up, we follow the intersecting glacial rivers, increasingly large as we drop, and eventually cross a steel Bailey's bridge and reach the small hamlet of Karche.

We continue along the rocky riverbed, often on trails that traverse sliding hillsides, to several small, green villages, a sign that we have reached lower altitudes. We reach the large village of Tilje, a mixed village with its residents being Manangis, Ghale Gurung, and Chettris. We follow Dudh Khola through bamboo forests down to Dharapani, an impressive Tibetan village with prayer flags fluttering in the windreaching the Annapurna trail.

From Dharapani we go south on the main Annapurna Circuit trail, cross suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi River, pass the village of Karte Village, re-cross the Marsyangdi River again and walk along winding, high cliff-side trail past several small teahouses at Khorte. We switch back and walk the steep trail and again cross the Marsyangdi River again.
We reach Tal Village which sits on the bank of river. We continue along the left bank of the river, we have a quick ascent to the mani walls as we get out of Tal Village. We descend steeply on stone steps past the small teahouses at Sattale Village and we continue to lose altitude on a rising and falling trail through the lush forest. We again cross another suspension bridge and reach Chamje.
Chamje is a beautiful village with traditional-style teahouses. We further descend along the new grubby road, looking across the river to large waterfalls, to reach the Jagat. We continue down to through rhododendron and pine forests and reach Syange, a tiny village full of teahouses and view of waterfall.

We drive back to Kathmandu today. Try to get left pane of your vehicle to enjoy the greeneries, mountains, river gorges, villages and terraces during the drive. In the evening, we will have a farewell dinner in a traditional Nepalese restaurant with cultural performances.

Driving Time: 7-8 hours.

Note: You have the option to extend your trip with an extra day at Pokhara (Pokhara is a beautiful city to relax after a long trek), Chitwan jungle safari, rafting adventure, Bunjee Jumping, Kayaking, Canoeing, Kathmandu valley shopping tour, Bhaktapur and Patan sightseeing, scenic Everest flight, mountain biking and other activities.

Your Manaslu circuit concludes today. Our airport representative will drop you at the international airport in Kathmandu for your departure flight from Nepal. We hope beautiful Nepal, the magnificent Himalayan sceneries, and unique cultural experience you got along your Manaslu Circuit Trek will stay in your memory lifelong and you will go back home with a sense of achievement.