Manaslu and Annapurna Circuit Trek

You will spend the day sightseeing in Kathmandu by visiting several UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Pashupath Nath, which is the most sacred Hindu temple of Lord Shiva with a cremation ground at the bank of the Bagmati River; Swaymbhunath, also called the monkey temple, with a group of fur babies roaming around everywhere possible; and Boudhnath, the mini-Tibetan with a high influence of Tibetan culture.

Lastly, the popular Durbar Squares of the Valley: Patan, Basantapur, and Bhaktapur, with a pleasant aroma of Nepali species and fine arts

The drive today begins after an early morning breakfast along the Prithivi Highway west from Kathmandu through the stunning scenery of rivers and hills across the Trishuli River, joining the asphalt roads to Dhading.

From here, there are a series of ascents and descents to Alamara, a village on the flank with Majestic Himalayas views passing thick forest, Budhi Gandaki Valleys, and Hills.

It will take you a steep ascent on the rocky path, crossing a stream, and descending past a few rice terraces to make it first to the Gurung village of Lapubesi. Then to Maccha Khola.

This day, you will travel along the slope of farm fields and rice paddies, further ahead to the wider valleys with great views of Sringi Himal, also known as Chamar (7,187 m).

Then, the path lowers down to the shores of white sand and passes several more villages to reach Kholabesi.

After a few more villages following the narrow path, you will be at Tatopani, with a hot spring to chill and relax your spines, and finally at Jagat.

Today, you will yet again cross a suspension bridge, pass a forested area, and move along a rock-carved path to reach Doban.

Soon after passing over a shaky bridge in Doban Khola, you will keep ascending and descending till Deng and spend overnight in the tea house.

You will leave Deng village with a steep uphill hike that goes down to the river bank, which offers a pleasant walk through dense bamboo forest up to Deng Khola.

The trail then descends to the river bank and valley, surrounded by cliffs, when you keep moving on to the forest, crossing wooden bridges a few times over the river of Budhi Gandaki, which is steeper until Namru village.

From here, the Tibetan border is only a few kilometers away to the north.

Overnight in the tea house in Namrung!

On this day, you will come across Hinan Khola after passing several villages and then to Sho village after crossing the streams, where you will get spectacular views of Manaslu North Peak, Naike Peak, and Manaslu, while Lho possesses wide farm fields on the gentle mountain.

Lho is a large village with ample houses and a fine gompa that assures an excellent view of the surroundings.

The settlement seen starts widening after crossing the Pungn glacier, and you will start to move from one chorten to another till you reach Sama.

The Sama is distinguishable even before arrival due to its large number of Mani stones, Chhortens, and the Gompa atop the hill. Worth a visit!

Crossing by the foot over the great Manaslu Glacier, you pass the trail that branches off to Manaslu Base Camp, where you enter a woodland with marmots in the birch and juniper bushes.

A final steep ascent brings you to the charming village of Samdo, with a well-established Tibetan refugee community—Tibetan is only a morning’s walk away.

You will take the day to explore and acclimate your body to the altitude. Walking north from Samdo, climbing gradually along the Athahra Saya Khola, then descending gently towards the river bed, crossing a side river on a wooden bridge, Then you will climb again and go beside the river on its western side.

After 3 hours of walking from Samdo, the Athahra Saya Khola turns west. You will cross the bridge and begin to climb the slope. At its bottom, the trail may seem unclear as several Yak trails are going up, but as you climb, it is clear that your way is up. The climb to the top of the Rui La Pass is 4,998m. 

Along the way, there are raw sights of Manaslu in the distance, as well as the Hindu and Fukang glaciers just behind you as you climb. The Rui La Pass is a "classic" U-shaped mountain pass. Prayer flags mark the pass, and a border stone marks the border between Nepal and "Dzong Who" (China).

Numerous mountain ranges can be seen on the Tibetan side, and if you are patient enough, wait to see a Yak caravan crossing the pass to bring goods into Nepal

After an easy first part of the day, you will cross the Budhi Gandaki for the last time before gradually rising off the trail through juniper and tundra to a viewpoint overlooking the Larkya La Glacier.

Climbing further, you will arrive at the Spartan Larkya guest house.

An early morning start is needed for a strenuous yet rewarding day. A pre-dawn start to avoid the anticipated heavy wind is important.

After a long, gradual climb alongside the moraine, you make a short descent to a glacial lake and reach the head of the moraine (4,700 m), which you will cross to climb to the ridge top. Four frozen lakes lie below, and then it is up to the crest of Larkya La (5,100m).

The award for these difficult trekking conditions is the brilliant westerly views of Himlung Himal, Kangurru, and Annapurna II, as well as the looming omnipresence of Manaslu.

On the steep descent, you will drop around 600m in less than an hour, which then levels off onto yak pastures before finally reaching Bhimthang, a collection of typical summer Kharkas

You will now start to descend on much easier terrain through meadows, pine, and rhododendron forests until you reach Hampuk.

Then, the path drops further, following the course of the Dudh Khola. Crossing the stream fed by the snows of the Kichke Himal, you will arrive at Karche and continue to the village of Gho, where rice is back on the menu and Nepalese ‘dhal bhat’ is revisited.

Keeping to the west bank of the river, your afternoon is one of gradual descent to the Gurung settlement of Tilije. From here, the trail descends to Thonje. Crossing the Marshyandi River leads you to the village of Dharapani.

Right after breakfast, you will start to move for Chyamje (2,713 m), surrounded by verdant forest and massive mountains.

You will travel through a thick forest, enjoying the waterfalls on the way to your destination, working as a trade center for the Manang district, Chyamje, to stay overnight at a guesthouse

To hike from Chyamje to Pisang, you will follow the path over a tighter river valley with a great number of trees.

The exhaustion fades away as you start to receive the mesmerizing views of Pisang (3,292 m). To sum up, it takes about three hours to arrive at Pisang and spend a night at the guest house.

Pisang consists of two routes; both routes can be approached, yet the views of Annapurna II, III, IV, Pisang Peak, Gangapurna, Tilicho, and Chulu Peak are astonishing fromthe upper trail.

Afterward, you will cross the Jharsang Khola with a Khangsar, a Gurung village on the way, and prayer flags on the top of a small monastery.

It is an interesting and exciting day to acclimatize to the high alpine climate, which begins after a delicious breakfast.

You can use this day to visit the monastery or hike Gangpurna Lake and viewpoint with the clear blue sky, delight to the heart, and camera to capture all the soaring mountains, hills, and villages.

After spending some quality time, you will return to the guest house and explore the area to energize yourself for further treks in the coming days

The hike today is through the colorful inhabitants of Manang, followed by a path of stone walls and a sandy path to Yak Kharka after passing through Koche village.

The Koche village is famous for grazing animals. The pasture land of grasses and varieties of seasonal flowers that have glaciers and other water resources make this place very attractive

Today, you will carry on trekking in the direction of Thorong Phedi High Camp (4,780 m), devoid of any scenery, which is a majestic high alpine landscape.

Then, you will ascend to the base camp, which is popular as a tiny village situated near the Marshyandi River. Below the river, there is a huge meadow. Overnight stay at a guesthouse!

You will climb another 1,000 meters to reach the holy Muktinath, adored by Hindus and Buddhists.

You will first pass through Khingar (3,400m) before making it gradually to Jharkot (3,500 m), an inspiring stronghold for natives.

Staying the night in Ranipur will allow you to adapt more consistently if you choose to continue with the first portion of Muktinath, which has other benefits.

The day when you will start to retrace your way back to Kathmandu is finally here. You will first head to Pokhara for sightseeing, which is known for being a tourist paradise.

Canoeing, biking, and generally wandering around are what make this place a fantastic tourist spot, including the religious shrines, which are the perfect to hang out amidst stunning panoramic views of the Annapurna range.

From Pokhara, you will return to Kathmandu taking nearly 6 to 7 hours. On the way you can enjoy the beautiful scenery from the window and during the stops we can get out and capture some photographs. On the way, you can take your lunch. Overnight stay in a hotel.

On your departure day, we will transport you to the airport at least three hours before your scheduled flight from Nepal.

On your way home, you may be considering your next epic adventure to Nepal with us.

Thank you for trekking with Adventure Himalayan Travels and Treks. We hope to see you again!