Manaslu Circuit Trek: A Family's Himalayan Adventure

Kathmandu to Macchikhola

Finally! After months of planning and anticipation, our Manaslu Circuit Trekking began from Kathmandu. Our family of four along with a guide & porter from Places Nepal took a bus from Gongabu Buspark that would drop us at Macchikhola, Gorkha.

Our guide had told us that the bus ride would take about 8 hours from Kathmandu and we would make a stop for lunch and short washroom breaks along the way. Just an hour into our bus ride, we were graced by the majestic Himalayas range. Following 2 hours of bus ride, we reached Naubise and for lunch, we had our first ‘Dal Bhat’ of our trek, and it was fantastic. The food was great and the best part was you could have as much add-ons as you would like for no extra cost. Pretty Nifty!

Once lunch was over and all the passengers settled down, our bus driver restarted the bus and we were once again on the road. The highway we were traveling on looked formidable and mighty rivers flowing everywhere we went made it the most thrilling drive of our lives.

As we traveled to Nepal during the spring, there were no disturbances on the road and almost smooth, if it wasn’t for a 10 km of dirt road before Macchikhola. While I did fall asleep to Nepali flok music blasting from an old bus, my brother later told me how he saw children diving into the river for a swim.

It was just past golden hour when the conductor shouted Macchikhola and we stepped out of the bus, grabbed our bags from the hood of the bus and headed to our lodge just at the bank of the river. 

The cosy lodge was filled with trekkers going for the Manaslu Circuit Trek, Tsum Valley Trek, or the Manaslu Base Camp Trek. We cooled off, took a hot shower and got down to the dining area for some dinner, and no we didn’t get dhal bhat this time.

Although tired from the bus ride, our guide and porter brought our food to the table. We shared a few stories, played cards and called it a night.

Macchikhola to Jagat

It was still misty when we woke up to crisp mountain air of Macchikhola. Although we were days away from actually walking along the mountains, we could their presence. We sorted our essentials, packed our bags and gave rest of the stuff to our Porter.

As we had already ordered our breakfast the previous night, food was waiting for us when we got to the dining area. Once we were done with the breakfast, we started our trek.

The first day! The spirits high and expectations through the roof. Today we were going to another beautiful village, Jagat. It was surprising that we just had to walk in a flat terrain until we reached Jagat as we expected the trail to start with a tough hike. As Budhigandaki river as our company, we passed many small villages along the way, crossed a suspension bridge and stopped at Yaru for lunch. 

It took us about  5 hours to reach Jagat passing villages Khorlabesi, Tatopani, Dobhan, and Yuru Khola along Budigandaki Valley.

Once we reached Jagat, we settled in our lodges, took a hot shower and took a stroll around the village. The Valley we were staying in was massive and just a minute into our walk, a huge waterfall greeted us  It was surprising to find to find such a serene place this deep into the valley. We took some pictures and saw a old water mill before returning back to the lodge.

Following dinner, our guide gave us the briefing for the next day, ordered some hefty breakfast for early morning and called it a day.

Jagat to Deng

Another early morning. It was around 6 when we woke up and the excitement of walking further and on more rugged terrain wasn’t in tune with the tension my calves were feeling. Well, Larke Pass awaits.

Once again I was surprised by the mountain hospitality. The breakfast ordered last night was waiting for us. The spring sun was already up and the look on our guide's face was screaming ‘hurry up.’ Following breakfast we started from the banks of the Bhalu river, and crossed it most unconventionally to reach Paimo. We were hearing a lot of talk about seeing Himalayan Blue Sheep and the whispers suddenly got real. Our porter pointed us to small dots jumping on the top a massive clif. We couldn’t see clearly but what we saw was magnificent. With the promise of seeing them much closer, we started again.

Through the way of Salleri, we crossed the village of Sirdibas and stopped at Philim for lunch. Along the way, we saw schools and many children playing around. We were asked to bring candies or sweets by our guide but we didn’t know why. however, the pieces came together when a young Sherpa boy greeted us and the first thing that came to mind was I should give him a sweet. Thanks to our guide for that.

After a few more hours and many undulating tracks, we finally reached Deng while passing the villages of Ekalbhatii and Nyak. The village on the hills was nothing short of Shambala, with its serene and silent ambience. We ordered dinner, played some cards and called it a night.

Deng to Namrung

There has been a lot of walking, crossing of bridges and donkey traffic but nothing could have prepared us for the journey to Namrung. Checking my map early in the morning, showed the distance was almost 20 KM and we could feel every meter of it.

According to last night’s brief, we were supposed to wake up early, but it was already 7 am when we reached down for breakfast and we only started 45 minutes later. It was not a good sign but the patience shown by our guide was very gallant.

We finally started walking from Deng passing the villages of Bihi and Bihi Phedi. Today we were much higher from where the river was flowing but couple of Suspension Bridge later Budi Gandaki was once again singing to us. Although we had a plan to get lunch at a different place we decided to have some chow at Prok. Following lunch we started again and this time the wind started being a nuisance as we were walking northeast and it flowed through the valley from the south.

We walked and climbed up and down before reaching Ghap where the apple garden called for some hot tea. This was the first we felt chill mountain air. Following a short break we were once again walking. Along the way, we passed many Monasteries and met locals of Tibetan lineage. From Ghyapsa it took us nearly two hours to reach Namrung, a quiet village vibrant with tourists and mesmerising beauty.

It was nearly 7 pm, and we quickly ordered food and played cards while waiting for much-needed chow. The food was amazing and for the last time, we pushed ourselves to climb up to our comfortable beds before calling it a night. By far the toughest walk of the trek.

Namrung to Samagaun

Learning from yesterday’s mistake, we woke up early, packed our bags and rushed to the dining hall. Not to our surprise we were greeted by patient faces of team Places Nepal.

As soon as we finished our healthy breakfast, we continued towards Samagaun. From today we will leave the Hilly region's dense sub-tropical forest and start our trail through the somewhat plain terrain of sub-Himalayas. 

As we made our way we reached the small settlement of Bharjang and crossed yet another suspension bridge over Budi Gandaki and reached Liagon. The village is known for its dense population and monasteries and most famous one being  Li Gumba. Enjoying the great mountains, we made our way to Lho for lunch.

We took our time during lunch as the winds were going crazy. It was surprising to see well managed Health post and other facilities at such rural site above the altitude of 3100m. Friendly staffs at the hotel we had lunch shared stories of the village and blessed us for the journey ahead. Passing many Mani walls we reached a cross roads: one would take us to Samagaon via Pungen Gumpa another directly there. We decided not to visit the Monastery and made it directly to Samagaon. 

Samagaon village ticked all the boxes of a perfect village. Nestled right under the South face of Manaslu and Nilgiri Peak it looked nothing short of Xanadu. As we were taking an acclimatization day the next we played cards a little longer and went to bed.

Samagaun to Samdo

Yesterday might have spoiled us. We woke up late had a slow breakfast and hiked around Samagaun. We went to see Birendra lake and strolled around beautiful Nubri Pema Monastery. While other climbers took hike upto the base camp of Mansalu, we strolled around the area and returned for lunch and rested for tomorrow’s hike to Samdo.

The trek from Samagaon to Samdo was about 10 kilometres and took us about 6 hours. Though the terrain was flat we took our time taking pictures and enjoying the landscape. We crossed many moraines and wooden bridges. 

Most places between Samagaon and Samdo were called Kharka (Animal Graze) and we could many Yaks, horses and several Himalayan Marmmots. As we didn’t make any stops for lunch and reached Samdo for lunch.

While we thought Samagaon was the best place there could be, Samdo topped it in seconds. The place was stunning. Mountains, mountains and mountains everywhere. The hotel that we stayed in was also pretty special. It had all the luxury of a city guest house and the sunroom was just what we needed to warm our pain-stricken bodies.

We had lunch and rested for a bit and in no time the dinner bell rang. It was quite normal and just when we thought we should to bed, the chef brought his Madal and flute. In no time we were dancing to Nepali folk songs, playing flutes and so much more. The day that began on a high note ended way above than we had imagined. Easily the best day of the trek.

Samdo to Dharamshala

It was hard to say goodbye to the Hotel White Lion and their extraordinary hospitality but Larke awaits! The breakfast we ordered last night was ready to be served. We had our breakfast, replenished our water supply, and heavily said goodbye to Samdo and made our way towards Dharmasala. 

Today we walked above 4000m altitude and we could feel it. Unlike previous days we didn’t spot a single tree or a bush that was above 2 feet tall. It was all grassy terrain filled with wildflowers like Van Gough’s painting. The frequent change in weather patterns started becoming annoying as and out of nowhere it started drizzling crazy. The 9 kilometer journey was over in about 4 hours once we reached tented Dharmalsa. It was nothing like other villages from below. It was not a village but a camp with tents and it was cold with strong wind. 

As recommended by our guide, We opted for both lunch and dinner that didn’t take long to prepare or eat. The room that we were staying on was just some thin mattress spread over plywood directly on rocks. It was tough that day. We played cards and went to bed early as tomorrow we had to wakke up before the sun.

Dharamshala to Bhimthang via Larkye Pass

Following 7 hours of fragile sleep, we woke around 3:15 am with a plan to start walking before 4 in the morning. It was still dark and with the help of our headlights, we reached the dining hall, devoured a bowl of porridge and hurried to get ready. However it was already 4:15 am when we started walking. The moving headlights of more than 100 people who started before us was visible way above us like a silver string in a black rock. 

As we reached higher we could feel the thin air taking a toll on our bodies. The rising sun did make everything a little armer but now we had to pack everything up again in our bags. After about 3 hours of walking, we started feeling snow under our boots. At this moment we realized why we had to leave for the pass early. The snow which would have been soft and easy to walk in the morning had turned into slippery ice because of the heavy traffic. It only made us slower. After about 6 hours of walking, we saw the point of Larkye Pass where trekkers could be seen jumping and dancing. It took us another 1.5 hours to reach to pass but it was worth it. The pain and struggle went dormant the moment we witnessed the peaks around us at a reachable distance. We reached Larkye Pass around 12:00, took some photos and continued downwards towards Bhimthang. 

During Dharamsala to Bimthang trekkers cross the 5106 meters Larkya la pass. The total distance is 24.7 kilometres / 15.3 miles via crossing larkya la. Trek begins from Larke Phedi “Dharmashala” after crossing larkya la reach Bimtang village in between 7 to 9 hours by foot. 

Once we started descending the problem of ice continued but we carried on. We were probably the last group on the pass. Descending slowly we saw beautiful Ponker Lake and big glaciers flowing from the Tibetan side of the Himalayas.

We reached Bhimthang Phedi around 2 PM ordered the biggest lunch we had every ordered and devoured it all. ‘We still have 2 more hours of downhill walk,’ once I heard this my leg started to shake but yes we needed to reach Bhimthang. We took our time and started making our way towards Bhimthang. The landscape and topography completely changed we entered the dense forest of Manang as we made our way to Bhimthang. It rained and we ran very quickly shortening our remaining 2-hour journey to just about 30 minutes.  

Completely soaked and exhausted, we reached out hotel in a very bad state but just a cup of ginger tea was enough to energize us. To celebrate the past, we followed a Nepali tradition (very niche) of eating a rooster, and stayed a little longer than we usually did.

Bhimtang to Tiliche

Though we tried to sleep till late, we couldn’t. Maybe it was the anticipation that journey was coming to an end or just the screaming beauty of Bhimthang Village. If a perfect valley existed it would be it.

It was hard to say goodbye but we still had a day of walking left. To shorten our trek, guide from Places Nepal recommended we walk straight to Tiliche rather than spending a day at Ghoa. Thus we were once again walking with our backpacks for a final day.

We passed the Villages of Hampuk, Jangli Kharka, Sangure, Puktu Kharka and stopped at Karche for lunch. We were lucky as the dense rhododendron forest was blooming and it was too beautiful. After another couple of hours of descending we finally saw Tiliche and cars and jeeps. That alone was enough to get our hopes high. We rushed to hotel got cleaned up and again started looking for a rooster to celebrate.

Today, we requested the team from Places Nepal to have dinner with us. We talked shared stories and went as early as a jeep would take from Tiliche, Manang to Besisahar, Lamnjung at 7 in the morning.

Tiliche to Kathmandu

We ordered light breakfast and carried our bags, for the last time, quickly pacing towards the jeeps waiting for us. We took the Jeep, and drove for another 3 hours until we reached Besisahar.

A bus was supposed to be waiting for us at Besisahar but due to some maintenance issue it wasn’t there. Our plan to eat lunch on the highway got crushed we git news that it would take time. So we ate lunch at a hotel there, while our team managed another vehicle that would take us from Lamjung to Kathmandu.

After about an hour or so, our guide came running and asked us to hurry as a new van had been arranged. We took the van and drove another 6 hours before it dropped us at our hotel in Thamel.