Manaslu Base Camp Trek is perfect for those who want to explore the undisturbed and less crowded trekking trail of Nepal. The trek takes you to the pristine region Manaslu Conservation Area into the Buddhist inhabited region and further above that to the Base Camp of Manaslu.
In this trek, you get an opportunity to explore the Tibetan Buddhist culture and tradition. You will explore many Buddhist settlements, visit Gompas, walk alongside the Budhi Gandaki River for days, and witness the breathtaking views of Himalayas. Birendra Taal just below a glacier is another highlight of this trip.
Your Manaslu Base Camp Trek with Himalayan Joy Adventure starts from Kathmandu. After spending a day visiting heritage sites of Kathmandu, you begin your travel to Gorkha. From Soti Khola, you begin to walk alongside the Budhi Gandaki River for a week to reach the beautiful settlements in the vicinity of Himalayas. You explore the beautiful villages of Namrung, Lho, Samagaon, Samdo, and more.
After spending nearly two weeks in the Manaslu Region, you finally conclude your trek at Dharapani. Dharapani lies at the trekking trail of Annapurna Circuit. From there, you take a jeep to Besisahar and then travel to Kathmandu by bus the next day.
Our Himalayan Joy Adventure’s representative will meet you at the airport terminal. After your arrival, we will transfer you to your hotel, introduce with our guide and you can spend the rest of the time in your hotel room. Or you can visit our office located at Lazimpat. You can then visit Thamel - the tourist hub of Kathmandu.
After your morning breakfast, our city guide will take you a tour around Kathmandu Valley. You will visit the UNESCO-listed world heritage sites of Nepal namely Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square. There are other heritage sites like Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and many temples. But, due to time constraints, you will not be able to visit all of them. If you want to visit other heritage sites of Kathmandu, you can add one more day to your trip.
At the evening, we will drop you at your hotel with enough time to prepare for your trek.
Distance: 135km
Travel Hours: 8-9 hrs drive
Early in the morning, you will drive to Soti Khola by bus. From Kathmandu, you drive to west along Prithvi Highway for about 70 km to reach Malekhu. From there, you travel through a tarred road towards north to reach Dhading Besi. From Dhading Besi, 35 km dirt road takes you to Arughat. Arughat lies at the bank of Budhi Gandaki River. A further 3 hours drive through the dirt roads takes you to Soti Khola.
Overnight at a lodge in Soti Khola
Distance: 14km
Trek Hours: 5-6 hrs
The trek begins from Soti Khola. After morning breakfast, you start ascending through Sal forest and terraced ridges. You pass several waterfalls on the way. As you march further, the trail starts getting narrower. Then, you descend to paddy and rice fields and again climb to a beautiful Gurung Village - Lapubesi. Lapubesi stands at 2,800 ft.
From Lapubesi, you continue your journey and cross a suspension bridge near to the magnificent Nauli Khola waterfall. As you march further, the valley opens up and you walk through the bank of the river to reach Machha Khola.
Overnight at a lodge in Machha Khola
Distance: 11km
Trek Hours: 6-7 hrs
On day 05, you walk through a trail that follows the river. You come across several up and down climbs and cross Thado Khola to continue your trek towards Khorla Besi. Khorla Besi is a village where locals grow coffee, buckwheat, and tobacco as well. Manaslu Circuit connects with this trail in Khorla Besi.
From Khorla Besi, you continue your trek and enter a narrow gorge. You then come across a landslide area. After crossing the area, you reach to triple hot spring spouts. Then, the trail takes you upwards to a ridge and you have to cross Budhi Gandaki River through a suspension bridge. From there, you continue your trek for a short time to finally reach Dobhan.
Overnight at lodge in Dobhan
Distance: 10km
Trek Hours: 6-7 hrs
You continue your walk through the east bank of Budhi Gandaki to a small settlement of Thulo Dhunga. As you move further, a valley opens up and the river runs calmly. After crossing an old suspension bridge over the Yaru River, you climb to Thado Bharyang. Yaru River originates from Ganesh II and Ganesh VI mountains.
Then, you cross Budhi Gandaki River and follow the river upwards to reach Jagat. Jagat is the checkpoint of Manaslu Conservation Area. From Jagat, you cross a tributary and move further to Salleri. The trail to Salleri is quite amazing as you walk through the trail cut through the sidewall of a cliff. On the way, you will have amazing views of Shringi Himal.
Then you descend to Sirdibas and cross a long suspension bridge to reach the east bank of the river. Then, the climb to Philim is quite enduring. Philim is a Gurung Village with a beautiful gumba.
Overnight in a teahouse in Philim
Distance: 10km
Trek Hours: 6-7 hrs
You march towards north from Philim through lush grassland and pass through a narrow valley to reach the beautiful village of Chisopani. Then, you march further to reach Ekle Bhatti. Trekkers usually have their lunch here.
From Ekle Bhatti, you descend into the gorge near a magnificent waterfall. As you move further you come to a junction of Manaslu Base Camp trail and Tsum Valley trail. You then continue your trek and cross Budhi Gandaki River. After walking for a while, you will traverse a bamboo forest and ascend further to reach Deng. You get a breathtaking view of Shringi Himal from Deng.
Overnight at a tea house in Deng.
Distance: 12 km
Trek Hours, 6-7 hrs.
Deng is the gateway to Kutang and Lower Nupri which once used to be the part of Tibet. Gurung inhabits this region and they practice Buddhism. They have their own language. You cross the river and walk through the east bank to reach Rana. After several ups and downs, you pass the river through a log-bridge to reach an isolated water mill. As you move further, you will descend to Bihi Phedi.
From Bihi Phedi, the trail further drops to Serang Khola and then you cross the river to continue your trek towards Ghap. Ghap is a beautiful village with carved mani stone walls, maize and wheat fields on the bank of a river.
From Ghap, the trail continues through the rhododendron and oak forest. After walking for a while alongside the river, you begin ascending a steep section of trail for about an hour to finally reach Namrung. Namrung also has a police checkpoint that asks you to show permits.
Overnight in a teahouse in Namrung.
Distance: 4km
Trek Hours: 3-4hrs
Namrung is the gateway to Upper Nupri. Tibetans inhabit Upper Region. Locals speak a language of Tibetan dialect. As you continue your trek from Namrung, you pass through forest and barley fields to reach Lihi. Lihi sits at the altitude of 2,900 meters above from the sea level. It has several chortens and also offers a great view of Himal Chuli, Ganesh Himal, and more.
From Lihi, the trail descends to a valley and you have to cross Hinang Khola on the way. From the trail, you get the majestic views of several mountains including Ngadi Chuli. You then reach a small settlement of Sho and continue your journey further to ascend to Shrimp. After walking for a while, you get the first view of Manaslu and shortly reach Lho.
Lho is a comparatively bigger settlement of Upper Nupri Region. The village has a long mani wall, old chortens, and barley fields. It has Ribung monastery which has hundreds of monks. Kani, a point above the village has a nice spot for sunrise and sunset view.
Overnight stay in a tea house.
Distance: 8km
Trek Hours: 5-6 hrs
Lho to Samagaon is among the most beautiful parts of the Manaslu Base Camp trail. The Budhi Gandaki River flows far below in the northern side. You continue your walk by passing a long mani wall right at the exit of Lho. You then descend down to cross a tributary of Damonan Khola and pass through a forest to reach Shyala.
Shyala Village stands at 3,520 meters from the sea level. Himal Chuli and Ngadi Chuli are at the south of the village and Manaslu and several other mountains and glaciers are at the west and north of Shyala.
From Shyala, you continue your trek and cross a bridge of Numla Khola. You then continue your journey through a wide valley and approach Sama. You pass by a school, a huge chorten, and a few houses to finally reach Samagaon. Samagaon has the popular Kagyu Choling Monastery.
Overnight stay in a teahouse in Samagaon.
Today is the rest and acclimatization day in Samagaon. Samagaon is a huge settlement and the regional center of Nupri Region. It has so many attractions to offer visitors. You spend your day exploring the village and nearby attractions. There are two monasteries - Labrang and Kagyu Choling Monastery that are more than 500 years old.
After visiting these monasteries, you can hike to Birendra Tal that lies just below the Manaslu Glacier. The lake is about 2-3 kilometers away from the village. This beautiful lake stands at the altitude of 2,450 meters from the sea level. Hiking to this magnificent lake offers you breathtaking view of the lake, Manaslu glacier, and Manaslu itself.
You can also hike towards Samdo and cross a river that originates from Birendra Tal. Then, after a demanding ascend, you can reach the Base Camp of Manaslu. This hike takes about 5 hours.
You can also walk to the Pungyen Gompa that lies on a plateau above the Pungyen Glacier. You can get amazing views of Nagdi Ridges and Manaslu from Pungyan Gompa.
Return to Samagaon for the overnight stay.
Trek Distance: 8km
Trek Hours: 3-4 hrs
Today, you will walk down towards Budhi Gandaki River and pass the Birendra Taal, Manaslu Base Camp, and many mani walls. The valley starts getting wider and the trail becomes easier. You cross the Budhi Gandaki through a wooden bridge and ascend for a while to reach a highland above the confluence of Budhi Gandaki and Mayol Khola.
You continue your trek through a zigzag trail with amazing views of Samdo Peak and its glacial basin. After about 4 hours of walk, you finally reach Samdo.
Distance: 7km
Trek hours: 3-5 hrs
After morning breakfast, you descend through the field and cross Budhi Gandaki River. Then, you follow the westward trail on grassland and thin forest of juniper and rhododendron. The trail then gradually takes you up the Syacha Khola Valley towards the Larkya Glacier. After walking for a while, you finally reach Dharmashala.
Overnight in a lodge in Dharamshala.
Distance: 12 km
Trek hours: 7-9 hrs
Today is a long and enduring day but full of rewarding view and a sense of accomplishment. You ascend the Larkya La Pass from Dharmashala which takes about 4 hours. Then, you begin descending down to Bhimthang. If the trail is full of snow, it takes more effort, energy and time to cross the pass.
You get amazing views of Larke Peak, Pawar Peak, and Cheo Himal. You also come across four small lakes that remain frozen in the cold months. After a steep descent from the pass for hours brings you to Bhimthang. Bhimthang is also the summer settlement for the herders of Samdo.
Distance: 12km
Trek hours: 5-6 hrs
After your morning breakfast, you begin descending further down through the plain of Bhimthang. At first, you climb down and cross a stony glacier. Then, you walk for a while to enter into a rhododendron forest. The trail then descends alongside Dudh Khola and pass through Sangura Kharka. From there, you continue your walk and do a steep descent to Karche. Karche has cultivable lands with a lot of terraced fields. Then, you continue your walk further down to arrive at Gho.
Overnight stay in a tea house in Gho.
Distance: 8km
Trek hours: 3-4 hrs
From Gho, you begin your journey to Dharapani after morning breakfast. You walk through terraced fields to an old settlement of Tilije. After a while, you cross the river and then gradually descend down towards Marsyangdi Valley. After walking for a while, the trail joins with the Annapurna Circuit route. After about 3-4 hours of walk, you arrive at Dharapani. The trek ends here at Dharapani. Before spending the next day entirely traveling in a bus/jeep, take a proper rest in Dharapani. Enjoy the hot shower and have a heart lunch in Dharapani.
Distance: 230 km
Travel Hours: 7-8 hrs
After morning breakfast, you will travel to Besisahar by jeep. Then, you will travel to Kathmandu the same day on a tourist bus. The road from Dharapani to Besi Sahar is unpaved but the road from Besisahar is well-paved.
Overnight stay in a star hotel in Kathmandu.
Our trip has finally come to an end. Today is the day for your departure to your country. Or, if you want to continue visiting Nepal, there are so many options available as well.
We will drive you to the airport terminal. We will wish you a safe journey and embrace your feedbacks.