Manaslu Trek- 18 days

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Manaslu Trek- 18 days
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Manaslu Trek
18 Days around Spirit Mountain

Mt. Manaslu is the 8th highest peak in the world. Rising to an elevation of 8,163 meters, it is known by the Tibetans who settled their centuries ago as “Spirit Mountain”. It’s massive, majestic size, as well as its unique biosphere, has made this mountain a source for worship for the Tibetan people. Once you trek it, you will feel its unique spiritual presence as it juts upwards into the beautiful blue Himalayan skies with its awesome snowcapped peaks.

The Manaslu Trek is an 18-day adventure to the north side of the Mt. Manaslu. It is here you will discover authentic Tibetan culture which found its way to Nepal centuries ago. It is on the Manaslu Trek and not in modern-day Tibet that you will find such authentic Tibetan culture as found nowhere else in the world. The Upper Manaslu is a land of Tibetan monasteries. There are amazing waterfalls, deep canyons, and beautiful wildflowers blooming. The path follows the Budhi Gandaki River which creates its own unique weather patterns as the rising moisture can’t escape over the mountains. In part of the year, afternoon rains provide wonderful rains that keep the valley impressively green with plenty of vegetation.

Summit International Travels & Tours proudly features this amazing trek. Those who have experienced it attest to the Manaslu Trek to being one of their favorite places to visit. There is something about the spirit of Manaslu that charms every visitor who gazes upon its lofty summit. All along the trail are great views of the many snowcapped peaks. You trek through beautiful villages with flagstone streets. These villages and their people are most charming and happily invite you back to visit once more.
So why not consider doing the Manaslu Trek on your next visit to Nepal. Sure, it’s not Everest or Annapurna. And that in itself is a good reason to visit Manaslu. Be warned: Manaslu will charm you like no other mountain in the world!

Short itinerary:

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL IN KATHMANDU (elev. 1350 m/4,429 ft.)

DAY 2 – SIGHTSEEING IN KATHMANDU VALLEY

DAY 3 – DRIVE TO SOTI KHOLA (elev. 710 m/2328 ft.)

DAY 4 – TREK TO MACHHAKHOLAGAON (elev. 900 m/2952 ft.)

DAY 5 – TREK TO JAGAT (elev. 1410 m/4,625 ft.)

DAY 6 – TREK TO DENG (elev. 1,804 m/5,917 ft.)

DAY 7 – TREK TO NAMRUNG (elev. 2,630 m/8,626 ft.)

DAY 8 – TREK TO SAMAGAON(elev. 3,530 m/11,578 ft.)

DAY 9 – ACCLIMATIZATION DAY

DAY 10 – TREK TO SAMDO (elev. 3860 m/12,660 ft.)

DAY 11 – SECOND ACCLIMATIZATION DAY

DAY 12 –TREK TO DHARAMSALA (elev. 4460 m/14,628 ft.)

DAY 13 – DHARAMSALA TO BIMTHANG VIA LARKYA LA PASS

DAY 14 – TREK TO TILLJE (elev. 2300 m/7,544 ft.)

DAY 15 – TREK TO TAL (elev. 1700 m/5,576 ft.)

DAY 16 – TREK TO SYANGE (elev. 1080 m/3542 ft.)

DAY 17 – DRIVE TO KATHMANDU

DAY 18 – DEPARTURE

Trip itinerary:

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL IN KATHMANDU (elev. 1350 m/4,429 ft.)
Kathmandu. The name itself conjures up images of a fabled, mysterious place. Some people in think it’s a fictional place, but here you are, arriving in the capital city of Nepal. It is indeed an ancient city, filled with temples and royal palaces. It is also a bustling city alive with incredible restaurants and night life. Once you get through the airport, you will meet your personal representative of Summit International Travels & Tours who will take you to your hotel to rest at your hotel. Many Nepal travel companies have a welcome dinner the first night, but we wait until the second night because we know you are tired from the long flight. Tonight, get your rest so you can rise refreshed to enjoy your first full day in Nepal.

DAY 2 – SIGHTSEEING IN KATHMANDU VALLEY
Rise feeling very alive after a good night’s rest in the Himalayan air!Following breakfast, your city guide will come with a private car to take you to visit four of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These seven places represent the unique cultural, spiritual and royal history of the Kathmandu Valley. Pick which four you would like to visit. They range from amazing villages to incredible temples and even a chance to see a living goddess. In the evening, enjoy our welcome dinner now that you are refreshed. Here you will meet your guide who will be taking you on the journey into the Manaslu region.

DAY 3 – DRIVE TO SOTI KHOLA (elev. 710 m/2328 ft.)
Rise early and after a good breakfast, your private car with trekking guide and porters arrive. The first part of the journey is over paved roads to the city of Dhading Besi. From here, the road is not paved, and winds its way across two major rivers. You will pass through Arughat, situated on the banks of the Budhi Gandaki River. This river will be your friend as you follow along its banks to reach the northern edge of Manaslu region.  We cross the bridge and turn north, following the road to its end at the little village of Soti Khola. We start trekking tomorrow. Travel time is 8 – 9 hours.

DAY 4 – TREK TO MACHHAKHOLAGAON (elev. 900 m/2952 ft.)
Most people are surprised to find such low elevations in Nepal. This tiny country features an amazing array of elevations. The Budhi Gandaki is a wild river with plenty of waterfalls and rapids. It is so wild that it cannot be rafted. We reach the village of Machhakholagoan (fish river village) where there is really great food as well as fresh fish. Trekking time is 7 – 8 hours.

DAY 5 – TREK TO JAGAT (elev. 1410 m/4,625 ft.)
We rise early to the sounds of the river raging below our tea house and enjoy a delicious breakfast. We start down the trail which has narrowed.  We pass through places like Tatopani with its hot water dripping off the rocks, creating almost a mini rain-forest. We see mani walls, which are carving on the rocks reflecting the Buddhist culture of the region. Our destination is the village of Jagat which has wonderful flagstone streets. Jagat looks like it has been plucked out of history and transported into the 21st century. We will spend the night at a very pleasant tea house here in Jagat.

DAY 6 – TREK TO DENG (elev. 1,804 m/5,917 ft.)
The Jagat area features many beautiful streams that flow into Budhi Gandaki River. We follow along the river until we reach a long suspension bridge that we will cross over. We move to the east side of the river, climbing upwards until we reach the village of Philim. Here we turn north and walk high above the river which forms its own canyon. Watch for eagles flying overhead, rising on the thermals. We reach the confluence of the Syar River from Tsum Valley and turn west. We are now entering into the Tibetan region of Manaslu, with our destination today being the village of Deng. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

DAY 7 – TREK TO NAMRUNG (elev. 2,630 m/8,626 ft.)
The trek so far has been a low level trek, but today we start to do some climbing in elevation. All along the way we have wonderful views of Mt. Manaslu and its twin snowcapped peaks. We travel through forests, but there are a number of outcropping where we can see Manaslu and Mt. Siringi Himal. The Budhi Gandaki River is much narrower up here, and we cross it several times to reach the village of Namrung where we will spend the night. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

DAY 8 – TREK TO SAMAGAON(elev. 3,530 m/11,578 ft.)
This is the heart of the Tibetan people who inhabit the region. We see mani walls, chhortens and monasteries that reflect the Tibetan Buddhist faith (called Mahayana). We gain in elevation today. We have left the forests behind and today are great views of the lofty mountains. We can easily see the Ganesh Himal range with is five snowcapped peaks. We also can see the beautiful glaciers that decorate the surface of Manaslu. We will reach Samagaon where we will spend two nights.

DAY 9 – ACCLIMATIZATION DAY
Samagaon is a wonderful Tibetan village with an incredible monastery called Pungyen Gompa. We can see the residents dressed in traditional Tibetan clothing along with their unique houses and religious markers called chhortens. We have chosen to spend an extra day to not only explore, but also to allow our bodies to adjust to the thinner mountain air. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a potential problem when we cross the 2500 meter mark. It can be quite serious, yet the best prevention is simply spending 24 hours acclimatizing. Summit International Travels & Tours takes AMS and your health very seriously. We do remain active as we explore the Samagaon region.

DAY 10 – TREK TO SAMDO (elev. 3860 m/12,660 ft.)
We resume our trekking today as we leave Samagaon behind and make our way upwards to the village of Samdo. We pick up the Larkya La trail that will take across the high pass in a few days. Our old friend, the Budhi Gandaki River is much narrower here. It is narrow enough to cross on a wooden bridge, but is still roars with all of its incredible power. We are high in elevation, and enjoying great views of the snowcapped peaks. We will spend two nights at the village of Samdo at a tea house. Trekking time is 4 – 5 hours.

DAY 11 – SECOND ACCLIMATIZATION DAY
Samdo was once on the major trading route to Tibet. For centuries, traders passed through this village as they followed the salt route to Tibet where they found both salt and gold. As we are allowing our bodies further time to adjust to the very high elevation, we will take a hike to see incredible views of the snowcapped peaks. Besides Manaslu and the Ganesh Himal, there are many other peaks to beyond and photograph. Up here there are many varieties of mountain birds to see. We will return to Samdo for a second night.

DAY 12 –TREK TO DHARMASALA (elev. 4460 m/14,628 ft.)
It’s a day of some serious climbing, and we keep the climb to around 4 – 5 hours. Dharmasala (a/k/a Larke Phedi) is not a village, but a shelter where we will spend the night. We are leaving behind the Tibetan civilization as we approach Larkya La Pass. We pass the Larkya Glacier, and in the afternoon take further time for additional acclimatization. Tomorrow we will be trekking to the apex of our elevation, so we need to allow us some additional time to adjust to even thinner mountain air.

DAY 13 – DHARMASALA TO BIMTHANG VIA LARKYA LA PASS
Today is literally the high point on our trek as we make our way up to Larkya La Pass (elev. 5,160 m/16,924 ft.) This part of the trek is truly challenging as we climb upwards. Today is a long day (8 – 9 hours of trekking) as we reach the pass, walking across glacial moraine. From on top of Larkya La we can see some of the most incredible views of the awesome Annapurna Range to the west as well as snowcapped mountains in a 360° panoramic view.)
From Larkya La Pass, it’s an quick and easy downhill trail to the village of Bimthang.  We really drop in elevation now, as the village is just 3,719 m/12,201 ft.) We overnight at a tea house.

DAY 14 – TREK TO TILLJE (elev. 2300 m/7,544 ft.)
We leave Bimthang after breakfast. All along the way we can see great views of Manaslu and the Annapurnas from the ridge outside of Bhimthang. Today is purposely a shorter day (just 5  6 hours of trekking) because we are no doubt tired from yesterday’s strenuous journey across Larkya La Pass.  Tillje has some nice tea houses where we can enjoy some additional amentities that we’ve been missing for the past few days.

DAY 15 – TREK TO TAL (elev. 1700 m/5,576 ft.)
Yesterday we started to enter forests of rhododendron and pine; today we are now trekking in very dense forests as we follow along the Dudh Khola River. We pass the check point into the Annapurna Mountains as we drop further in elevation. Our journey will take us to the village of Tal which is situated at the base of an impressive waterfall. Here we spend the night at a tea house  after trekking for 5 – 6 hours.

DAY 16 – TREK TO SYANGE (elev. 1080 m/3542 ft.)
Today is our final day of trekking! We first crossed the Marsyangdi River and today we find it again. This is a major river that drains the Annapurna Region before joining the Trisuli River near Mugling. We see many terraced farmland along the way. There are many more people living here in the lower elevations of the mountains. We trek for 6 – 7 hours to reach the village of Syange where we spend our final night at a guest house.

DAY 17 – DRIVE TO KATHMANDU
Today we are done trekking, and we now make our way by vehicle to Kathmandu. We drive along the Marsyangdi River until we reach its confluence with the Trisuli River at Mugling. Here we join the main highway that leads to the pass that enters the Kathmandu Valley. Tonight is a nice 3-Star hotel where we get a hot shower and a nice, hotel bed. Travel time is 8 – 9 hours. In the evening, celebrate a departure dinner with your guide and porters at a special restaurant.

DAY 18 – DEPARTURE
Our adventure to Manaslu on the Manaslu Trek has come to an end. Today after breakfast, your personal representative of Summit International Travels & Tours will escort you by private vehicle to the airport to fly to your next destination. Before leaving, be sure to talk to your representative at Summit International Travels & Tours about your return trip. There is so much to see and enjoy in Nepal. It is said that a lifetime is not enough to see everything this country has to offer. Find out your other options as you plan your return visit to the magical land of Nepal.

Service includes:-

  • Airport pick up and transfer to hotel.
  • All program as mentioned in itinerary
  • Overland transportation
  • Trekking guide both way flight ticket
  • Insurance for Nepalese staff. ( Trekking guide,  and porters)
  • Guide and porter fares and taxes.Government Tax and office service charge.
  • Airport drop

Service Excludes:-

  • Lunch & Dinner during Kathmandu stay
  • International flight ticket
  • Nepal entry visa fee
  • Purely personal nature expenses
  • Tipping /Tips(Tipping is Expected).

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