Arrival in Kathmandu and Manaslu Circuit Trek Journey
Day 01. Arrive at Kathmandu airport (1345 meters) and transfer to hotel: You will be met by our airport representative on arrival and transferred to your hotel. How to identify us at the airport will be communicated to you as soon as your booking is confirmed. Refresh at your hotel, rest a bit, and enjoy a free evening. We suggest you go for a stroll down the street to get familiar with your surroundings. Have supper and go in for an early sleep to get rid of the jet lag. Overnight at your hotel in Kathmandu (A).
Day 02. Drive from Kathmandu to Soti Khola (570 m) - 7 Hours: After an early breakfast at your hotel, we drive along the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway for the first part of our surface journey. We then continue through many vibrant villages and irrigated terraces to Arughat, giving you your first experience of Nepal's rural landscapes. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 03. Trek from Soti Khola to Machha Khola (890 m) - 7 Hours: We start our trek after breakfast at the lodge. The meandering path passes through forest, colourful villages, clean streams, pretty waterfalls, and green dales until we reach Lapu Besi, a village mainly inhabited by Mongolian inhabitants. We then traverse a zigzag path to reach Machha Khola. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 04. Trek from Machha Khola to Jagat (1350 m) - 7 Hours: After breakfast at the guesthouse, we begin trekking and cross the Machha Khola, heading upstream to the tiny village of Khorla Bensi and the hot springs at Tatopani. The valley sides are steep until they become impassable, and the route then switches to the left bank by way of a suspension bridge. The trail is quite exposed and challenging in some places, and this is the beauty of the wild. After a short section of forest path, we reach a single teahouse at Doban. Above Doban, the Budi Gandaki descends in an impressive series of rapids. Beyond this steep section, the river becomes much more peaceful, meandering across a broad gravel bed. At Lauri, we cross the river on a suspension bridge, then climb on a high path to the fields of Jagat. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 05. Trek from Jagat to Deng (2095 m) - 7 Hours: After breakfast at the lodge, we start our trek. Today, the early part of the trek moves gently uphill and then along a flat, levelled path. We cross a suspension bridge over Budhi Gandaki before entering Philim, a big village mainly inhabited by the Gurung community. Small serene monasteries, chortens, and prayer flags fluttering in the sky, along with graves and typical mountain shanty but sturdy houses, can be seen around here. After lunch, we continue over a flat, levelled path mainly through a forest of pine, rhododendron, and fir. Along the way, we cross a few bridges and can see colourful brown thatched-roof villages in the distance. A few houses are also seen at Deng. From here, we can enjoy a pretty cascading waterfall lying at some distance. Deng is famous for its potatoes, buckwheat, barley, wheat, cabbage, and spinach, as people are primarily involved in agriculture in this area. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 06. Trek from Deng to Namrung (2900 m) - 5 Hours: After breakfast at the lodge, we begin today's trek on an almost flat, levelled path, and then the trail moves uphill to Namrung through lush forest. From here, we enjoy impressive views of Mt. Manaslu, rock hillocks, a green glen, and ridges. Namrung is a Buddhist village where monasteries, a water turbine hydroelectric power house, mani walls, chortens, and prayer flags can be seen fluttering in the sky, whispering odes of prayers to the gods for the departed souls on the peaks of Manaslu. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 07. Trek from Namrung to Sama Gaon (3390 m) - 7 Hours: We start our trek after breakfast at the lodge. Today, we follow a winding path through the inner Himalayan range. Along the way, we enjoy mountain views of Rupinala Pass, Mt. Manaslu, Gorkha Himal, Dwijen Himal, Saula Himal, Lajing Peak, and many other silver-grey mountains and peaks. As we go higher, the vegetation decreases due to the increase in altitude and the thin air. In the afternoon, this section becomes quite windy and chilly. While walking, we come across mani walls, chortens, prayer flags, and monasteries. Before reaching Lho Gaon, we pass a Tibetan village and Lihi Gaon. After lunch at Lho Gaon, we continue trekking to Sama Gaon, following the right river bank with views of Peak 29 ahead. As we continue on the main trail, we soon reach the fields of Sama Gaon. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 08. Rest at Sama Gaon for acclimatization: We rest at Sama Gaon for acclimatization and give our weary limbs some respite from the intense hiking. This also allows us to rest our lungs so that our respiratory systems can adjust to the changed elevation. Surrounded by mountains in a peaceful forest, we breathe, acclimatize, and relax. We can hike to Manaslu Base Camp for excellent views of Samdo (Pang phuchuli), Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal, Manaslu Glacier, and the Manaslu Ice Fall. We can also see Birendra Kunda, an ice lake near Manaslu Base Camp. Overnight at the guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 09. Trek from Samagaon to Samdo (3690 m) - 4 Hours: After breakfast amidst our lovely surroundings, we trek gently uphill to Samdo through a desert path and windy valley. The Tibetan border is just four kilometres away from Samdo, but visitors are not allowed to cross the border. There is a Tibetan refugee village at Samdo. This is an excellent viewpoint for Mt. Manaslu, Samdo (Pang phuchuli), Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal, Manaslu Glacier, Manaslu Ice Fall, and several other incredible peaks. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 10. Trek from Samdo to Larkya La Phedi (4460 m) - 4 Hours: We start our trek after breakfast at a lodge. The trail is rocky and zigzags to our destination for today. Before reaching Larkya La Phedi, we pass Larkya Bazaar, where seasonal fairs are held for local people and goods from Tibet are brought here for sale. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 11. Trek from Larkya La Phedi to Larkya La Pass (5135 m) to Bimthang (3590 m) - 8 Hours: We start our trek after an early breakfast at the lodge, and today is a pretty tough call on this part of our journey as we are going to cross Larkya La. Early in the morning, we begin trekking up a steep ascending path to Larkya La through a rocky and winding trail. We carry a packed lunch because this area would be challenging for setting up dining camps. From the top, we enjoy views of Larkya Peak, sunrise, Mt. Manaslu, Ratna Chuli, Cheo Himal, and many other snow-capped mountains and peaks. After crossing the pass, we hike down a steep downhill path through rock and ice. Along the way, we encounter many icy lakes that make you feel chilly. Bimthang is a broad and level ablation valley with several mani walls and deserted houses. Overnight at guesthouses (A, B, L, D).
Day 12. Trek from Bimthang to Dharapani (1860 m) - 7 Hours: After breakfast at the lodge, we start our trek by crossing this high pasture and descending the Burdin Khola valley to the area of the base camp for the west side of Manaslu. From a ridge at 4150 meters, we have excellent views of Manaslu to the southeast and Annapurna II to the southwest. Beyond a bridge over the headwaters of the Dudh Khola, we descend into a rhododendron forest and follow a trail through a narrow valley until we reach the highest cultivated land at Karche, 2785 meters. Then, walking down, we cross a stream to reach Tilje, where an apple orchard is pretty famous for local wine. Leaving Tilje, we trek for about another hour to reach Dharapani. Overnight at a guesthouse (A, B, L, D).
Day 13. Trek from Dharapani to Kathmandu - 8/9 Hours: After breakfast at the lodge, we take a bus drive to Kathmandu. It is a picturesque drive back to Kathmandu along the banks of the Marshyangdi and Trishuli rivers, with splendid views of green hills, mountains, farming terraces, and colourful villages on both sides of the road. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Day 14. Transfer to the international airport for your final flight departure home: At Outfitter Nepal, meeting you has been a wonderful experience and serving you has been a pleasure. We hope our relationship will grow closer in the years ahead. We are sure you have enjoyed your holidays to the hilt and will return once again to this great country. We wish you a safe journey home... ciao and take care!!! (B).
