Manaslu Circuit High Altitude Trek

We depart Kathmandu early by road, following the paved highway west before turning toward Aarughat. From there, the road becomes an unpaved, bumpy track that hugs the contours of the lower hills until we reach our trailhead at Machha Khola.

We begin walking upstream along the Budi Gandaki river, crossing several suspension bridges and navigating stone staircases carved into the valley sides. After passing hot springs at Tatopani, we climb past terraced fields to enter the restricted area checkpoint at Jagat.

The trail descends to the river before climbing steeply on stone steps through forests of pine and rhododendron. We pass traditional Gurung and mixed ethnic settlements before arriving at Deng, where the valley narrows noticeably.

We cross the Budi Gandaki and ascend through dense woods of fir and oak, encountering our first prominent mani walls carved into boulders. As we approach Namrung, the peaks of the Manaslu massif begin to appear above the tree line.

We leave Namrung and climb steadily through alpine forests, passing Tibetan-style houses in Lho village with views of Peak 29 and Manaslu. Continuing past Shyala, we reach the large traditional settlement of Sama Gaun.

We spend today resting and allowing our red blood cells to adapt to the 3500 m altitude. Our team leads a short acclimatisation walk toward Pungyen Monastery or the edge of the Manaslu Base Camp trail for expansive glacier views.

The trail climbs gently away from Sama Gaun through juniper and birch scrub, following the glacial valley toward the Tibetan border. We arrive at Samdo after midday, a remote herding village settled by Tibetan refugees.

We take another day to acclimatise before the high pass, hiking up toward the ridge of the old trade route leading to the Chinese border. This extra exertion at 3860 m prepares our bodies for the thinner air above.

We cross the wooden bridge over the Budi Gandaki and climb steadily along the side of the Larkya Glacier. The vegetation disappears entirely as we reach Dharmasala, also known as Larke Phedi, our stark stone-built staging camp.

We start our pre-dawn push in freezing temperatures, climbing a moraine ridge before traversing steep, rocky slopes to reach the prayer-flagged summit of Larkya La at 5106 m. After taking in the surrounding peaks, we make a long, knee-pounding descent over glacial debris down to the pasturelands of Bimthang.

We descend through pine forests and rhododendron groves alongside the Dudh Khola, dropping rapidly in elevation. The trail flattens out as we pass through cultivated fields and mixed villages, ending our day in Tilije.

A short morning walk brings us down to Dharapani village, where we officially join the main Annapurna Circuit trail and check out of our restricted area permits.

We board a local jeep for the bumpy descent along the Marsyangdi river valley, passing waterfalls and roadside settlements until we reach the larger hub of Besisahar.

We catch our return vehicle from Besisahar for the final highway drive back to Kathmandu, concluding our circuit.