Manaslu Trek via Larkya La (5135m) pass

Experiences the wilderness trek in Nepal

Manaslu was officially opened to tourists in 1991, but mountaineering expeditions have long had access to the area. In 1950 a party led by HW Tilman trekked from Thonje to Bimtang and Colonel Jimmy Roberts crossed the Larkya La looking for an interesting mountain to climb. Manaslu (8156m.) was attempted by Japanese expeditions every year from 1952 until 1956, when the first ascent was made. It thus became known as a Japanese mountain and much of the information about the area was available only in Japanese. The Japanese continued to dominate the climbing scene on Manaslu until 1971. A few trekkers, including the peripatetic Hugh Swift, managed to obtain trekking permits for the region, but otherwise this trek has always been the domain of the mountaineering expedition. The book Honey Hunters of Nepal, by Eric Valli and Dianne Summers, makes good background reading for this area.

The Larkya La is not a difficult pass, in many places the walls of the Buri Gandaki valley are perpendicular, and so you cannot walk along the bottom of the valley. There is a huge amount of wasted climbing involved during the first part of the trek as you climb up and down over ridges or onto shelves to bypass cliffs. The trail is rough and steep and it often literally hangs on a bluff high above the river. The trek is geographically spectacular and culturally fascinating. The inhabitants of the upper Buri Gandaki, a region known as Nupri ('the western mountains'), are direct descendants of Tibetan immigrants. Their speech, dress and customs are almost exclusively Tibetan.

There is still continuous trade between Nupri and Tibet; Chinese cigarettes, for example, are found more frequently than Nepali cigarettes. The mountain views in Nupri are sensational and the crossing of the Larkya La is one of the most dramatic of any pass in the Himalaya.

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Itinerary / Highlights

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu, hotel transfer.

Day 2: Sightseeing in Kathmandu.

Day 3: Drive from Kathmandu to Arughat Bazaar (570m/7hrs). You drive along the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway for the first part of the day; you turn towards the hill bazaar of Gorkha. After Gorkha the road gets a bit rough but you will reach your destination Arughat Bazaar in approximately seven hours from Kathmandu.

Day 4: Trek from Arughat Bazaar to Soti Khola (530m/6hrs). You trek over flat leveled path along the bank of Budhi Gandaki River through mostly terraces, numerous villages, green hills, some pretty waterfalls and you are quite surrounded by green forest. This day you take lunch at Arket Bazaar, which lies middle way to Soti Khola. This is the best place to relax and can enjoy swimming to ease your tiredness of walking. To reach Soti Khola, the trail is ups and downs through forest of Sal, Chilaune and other local vegetation. Soti Khola is a village at the bank of Budhi Gandaki. The swimming spot is nearby here.

Day 5: Trek from Soti Khola to Machha Khola (890m/6hrs). The zigzag path passes through forest, villages, streams, pretty waterfalls and green valley until you reach Lapu Besi. This is a village mainly covered by Mongolian. Now you again precede the zigzag path to reach Machha Khola. There is a small market with few shops, lodges and donkeys are kept there.

Day 6: Trek from Machha Khola to Jagat (1350m/6hrs). You cross the Machha Khola - Fish Stream - and head upstream to the tiny village of Khola Bensi and the hot springs at Tatopani. The valley sides are steeping until they are impassable and the route then switches to the left bank by way of a suspension bridge. The trail is quite exposed and challenging in places. After a short section of forest path you reach the single teahouse at Doban. Above Doban, the Buri Gandaki descends an impressive series of rapids. Beyond this steep section, the river is much more placid, meandering across a broad gravel bed. At Lauri, you re cross the river on a suspension bridge, and then climb on a high path to the fields of Jagat, where you camp.

Day 7: Trek from Jagat to Philim (1700m/3hrs). The early part of trek moves gentle uphill and then somewhere through flat leveled path. You cross suspension bridge over Budhi Gandaki before you enter Philim. Philim is a big village mainly inhabited by Gurung. There are small monasteries, chortens, and prayer flags fluttering in the sky, graves and typical houses.

Day 8: Trek Philim to Deng (2095m/6hrs) .You trek over flat-leveled path mostly through forest of pine, rhododendron and others. While walking, you cross few bridges and can see villages at far distance. There are few houses at Deng. From here, you can enjoy a pretty waterfall lying at some distance. Deng is famous for its potatoes, buckwheat, barley, wheat, cabbage, and spinach as people are mostly involved in agriculture.

Day 9: Trek Deng to Namrung (2900m/5hrs). In the beginning, you trek almost flat-levelled path and then the trail moves uphill all the way to Namrung through forest. From here, you can enjoy the spectacular views of Mt. Manaslu, rock hills, green valley and ridges. Namrung is a Buddhist village where there are monasteries, water turbine, hydro electricity powerhouse, Mani walls, chortens and prayer flags can be seen fluttering in the sky. The typical houses remind you of Tibetan architecture.

Day 10: Trek Namrung to Lhogaon (3100m/4hrs). You trek over winding path, which moves through inner Himalayn range. On the way, you can enjoy mountain views of Rupinala pass, Mt. Manaslu, Gorkha Himal, Dwijen Himal, Saula Himal, Lajing peak, and many other snow capped mountains and peaks. As you go up the vegetation get decreased. In the afternoon, this part becomes quite windy. While walking, you come across Mani walls, chortens, prayer flags and monasteries.

Before you reach Lho Gaon, you pass a Tibetan village and Lihi Gaon. There is a monastery named as Chon at a ridge and there is a Buddhist school at Lho Gaon run by Buddhist monks. People mainly grow oat, barley, buckwheat, potatoes and vegetables. You can catch panoramic view of Mt. Manaslu, Gorkha Himal, Dwijen Himal, Saula Himal, and Lajing peak with others from Lho Gaon.

Day 11: Trek Lhogaon to Samagaon (3390m/4hrs). Leaving the village, you follow the right bank of the river, with views of Peak 29 ahead. As you continue on the main trail, you soon reach the fields of Sama Gaon, 3500m. You camp at Sama Gompa, 20 minutes beyond the village, or Samdo, near the Tibetan border.

Day 12: Acclimatization day: Surrounded by mountains in a peaceful forest, you take a rest day to at Samagaon for acclimatization. Acclimatize and relax. You can hike to Manaslu Base Camp for excellent views of Samdo (Pang phuchuli); Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal, Manaslu glacier, Manaslu ice fall and you can see Birendra Kunda which is an ice lake nearby Manaslu Base Camp.

Day 13: Trek from Samagaon to Samdo (3690m/4hrs) .You trek gentle uphill all the way to Samdo through desert path and windy valley. The Tibetan border is just four kilometres away from Samdo. But visitors are not allowed to pass the border. There is a Tibetan refugee village at Samdo. This is an excellent viewpoint for Mt. Manaslu, Samdo (Pang phuchuli), Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal, Manaslu glacier, Manaslu icefall and many more.

Day 14: Trek from Samdo to Larkya La Phedi (4460m/3hrs). The trail is rocky and zigzag all the way to destination. Before you reach Larka La Phedi, there is a market Larkya Bazaar (market) where is held seasonal Tibet fair/market. People bring goods from Tibet to sell it here. There is a Dharmasala at Larkya La Phedi.

Day 15: Trek Larkya La Phedi-(Pass) (5135m.) to Bimthang (3590 m/8hrs). Early in the morning you begin to trek steep ascent path until Larkya La through rocky and windy path. This day you carry packed lunch. From the top, you can enjoy the views of Larkya peak, sunrise, Mt. Manaslu, Ratna chuli, Cheo Himal and many other snow capped mountains and peaks. Crossing this pass, you move steep downhill path through rock and ice. On the way, you can see many icy lakes. Bimthang is a broad and level ablation valley with a number of Mani walls and deserted houses.

Day 16: Trek from Bimthang to Dharapani (1860 m/4hrs). Crossing this high pasture; you descend the valley of the Burdin Khola to the area of the Base Camp for the West side of Manaslu. From a ridge at 4150 meters, you have excellent views of Manaslu to the South East and Annapurna II to the South West. Beyond a bridge over the headwaters of the Dudh Khola, you descend into a rhododendron forests and follow a trail through a narrow valley until you reach the highest cultivated land in this valley at Karche, 2785 meters. Walking down you cross a stream to reach Tilje. There is an apple orchard and it is quite famous for local wine. Leaving Tilje, you trek uphill for nearly 45 minutes and reach Dharapani crossing a bridge over Marshyangdi River.

Day 17: Trek from Dharapani to Jagat (1800m/6hrs). You trek all the way over descent path along the bank of Dudh Khola (river) and Marshyangdi River. On the way, you walk through pleasant villages such as Taal, which is an attractive village with pretty waterfall, and you can enjoy green hills. Eventually Jagat is a stone village situated on a shelf, which juts into the precipitous Marsyangdi valley.

Day 18: Trek from Jagat to Nagdi (850m/5hrs). Steep trail descends from Jagat through Marshyangdi valley. You cross Marshyangdi River at Syange and walk through Ghermu Fath (Ghermu field). This part of trek is pleasant through flat-levelled path with views of green valley and villages at some distance. Past this Ghermu field and a village, your trail goes uphill for nearly half an hour to reach Bahundanda. Brahmin, Chhetri and few others mainly populate this village. Now, you descend all the way to Nagdi. Nagdi is a Gurung village and people who had migrated run the local lodges from Manang and other places.

Day 19: Trek from Nagdi to Besishahar (823m/5hrs). You trek over flat-levelled path all the way to Besishahar through villages such as Bulbule, Khudi and others, terraces, ridges and sometimes you cross small streams. Beshishahar is the district headquarters of Lamjung district. All the local government offices are situated here. From here, you can see some of mountain peaks, natural sceneries surrounding the valley and the daily activities of local people. This headquarter is the center from where the daily usable commodities are supplied to the different villages and numerous towns.

Day 20: Drive from Besisahar to Kathmandu(7hrs). It is a picturesque to get back to Kathmandu along the bank of Marshyangdi and Trishuli rivers with splendid views of green hills, mountains, farming terraces and villages at both sides of road.

Day 21: Visit Kathmandu valley.

Day 22: Departure.

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Accommodation Details

We Provide 3* star hotel accommodation in Kathmandu in twin sharing basis, on trek tent with 2 places will be provided, we highly recommended to brings quality mattresses yourself for this camping trek.