| Day |
Route |
Duration |
Highest Point/m |
Grade |
| 1 |
Arrival Kathmandu transfer to Hotel |
All day |
1300 |
Easy |
| |
Meet with our representative at the
airport. Drive to hotel. |
| 2 |
Kathmandu |
All day |
1300 |
Easy |
| |
Sightseeing Day see Kathmandu Day Trips for ideas
of what to do. |
| 3 |
Kathmandu - Kalikastan |
6 hours |
1290 |
Easy |
| |
Leaving Kathmandu
early to avoid too much traffic we drive to the ancient capital
of Gorkha, the home of Prithvi Narayan Shah who unified Nepal
in 1769. We take our time to explore the palace (no leather
clothing or objects inside please!) whilst the porters are
organised. If the weather is good we will also head up to
Upallokot for sunset views of the Manaslu range. Our camp
is about an hours walk away from here.
NOTE that it is possible to drive to Arughat Bazar via Dhadhing
making the itinerary two days shorter.
|
| 4 |
Kalikastan - Kuwapani |
5 hours |
900 |
Easy |
| |
Our trek begins with an easy undulating
trail through Brahmin and Chhetri villages. At Kanchok, where
we have our permits checked, we gain our first views of Manaslu
in the distance. Dropping away below us is the Budhi Gandaki
Khola valley which we will come to know and love over the next
days. |
| 5 |
Kuwapani - Arughat Bazar - Shanti Bazar |
5 hours |
800 |
Easy |
| |
Simple thatched cottages become
predominant today as we head into Gurung and Magar country.
After passing the largest trading village of the region, Arughat
Bazar (another check post), our trail begins it's up and down
routine as it follows the river's course. This is the beginning
of many such days of sudden climbs and descents along the
Budhi Gandaki's banks. |
| 6 |
Shanti Bazar - Soti Khola |
5 hours |
730 |
Easy |
| |
A short day today along trails that
cut through rice paddies and picturesque hamlets. After climbing
to the lovely Gurung and Magar village of Kyorenipani, our path
descends once again to the river and our campsite at the confluence
with the tributary of Soti Khola. Due to the shortness of the
section today we have plenty of time to take a swim or two and
wash away the dust and grime - and of course to become more
familiar with the Budhi Gandaki herself! |
| 7 |
Soti Khola - Machha Khola |
5 hours |
930 |
Easy |
| |
The river now cuts a fine looking
gorge through the hills with snow capped peaks in the distance
and our trail continues to undulate along its banks. We pass
some pretty waterfalls, dense forests inhabited by scampering
monkeys, and pass some more villages which cling to the vertiginous
hill sides. We rest or tired legs in a camp just past the Machha
Khola river junction. |
| 8 |
Machha Khola – Jagat |
6 hours |
1360 |
Easy |
| |
Our trail is a bit more difficult
today but there is the opportunity to wash with hot spring water
at Tatopani where we cross the Buddhi Gandaki for the first
time by a suspension bridge. The trail becomes rocky and exposed
for a short time before reaching the village of Doban where
there is an impressive series of rapids. Then on to Jagat, the
first Tibetan village of the trek signified by the Chorten (Buddhist
memorial) and Mani wall (prayer stones) in the village square. |
| 9 |
Jagat - Deng |
7 hours |
1860 |
Easy |
| |
A long day but interesting
day of trekking awaits us today, but our legs are no longer
sore and the trail is pretty good the entire way. We first
head to Sirdibas (Tara) and pass through a kani (Buddhist
entrance way) before dropping down to the river and crossing
another suspension bridge before Philim (Manaslu Conservation
Area visitor centre is here). The gorge closes in and the
trail is a bit exposed as we pass the junction with the Rupina
La trail. We are now heading north-west and into country behind
the Manaslu massif - a country that becomes predominantly
Tibetan. The shapes of buildings change, and so do the crops,
rice has long ago been replaced by buckwheat, barely and maize.
Above our camp looms the bulk of Shringi Himal.
|
| 10 |
Deng – Namrung |
7 hours |
2540 |
Easy |
| |
Quite a long day again as
we climb further up the Budhi Gandaki valley past a great
array of Mani walls and Gompas (monks quarters) to Ghap. The
valley becomes more impressive as the day goes by as it opens
out and views of Shringi Himal, Rani Peak, Boudha Himal and
Simnang Himal line the skyline. We descend and cross an impressive
chasm full of foaming rapids before climbing to our camp at
Namrung - from where you can access Himalchuli Base Camp. |
| 11 |
Namrung - Shyala |
5 hours |
3330 |
Easy |
| |
We now begin to explore the
upper reaches of the splendid Budhi Gandaki valley. Our trek
heads off through the village of Lihi which boasts a Gompa,
a fine looking kani and a brief glimpse of the Lidanda Glacier
falling away from the dramatic ice walls of Peak 29 above
us. The next village, Sho is where the first views of Manaslu
appear. The village contains has a large prayer wheel around
which the open fields are guarded by medieval watch towers
which the locals sometimes to use to scare away marauding
bears and monkeys. By the time we reach Lho and its superb
Mani walls, kani and Gompa Manaslu is now the centre of attention,
whilst behind us Ganesh I loom large. Our camp is at Syala
where the views will indulge all your mountain dreams. 540m
above us is the Pung Gyen (Honsansho) Gompa and hot springs
- a great side trip for those who can't resist the urge to
explore!
|
| 12 |
Lhogaon - Samagaon |
2 hours |
3390 |
Easy |
| |
The stunning scenery that
surrounds us is absorbing and today we just move our camp
up to Samagaon - right under the rising north face of Manaslu.
Although the mountain view is foreshortened because we are
so close there is nothing like sitting beneath its massive
bulk to feel the immenseness of the Himalaya. And there is
some great exploring to do around the village - Chortens line
the trail, there is a lovely bronze statue of a Rinpoche nearby,
and above us is the Manaslu ice fall which is reflected in
the waters of the nearby Birendra Kund (lake). Today is acclimatisation
and relaxation day, take your time but make sure you explore
too!
|
| 13 |
Samagaon – Samdo |
3 hours |
3780 |
Easy |
| |
| Samdu does not have a great
view of Manaslu, but it does have a very fine view of
the surrounding peaks. It is also the last major cultivation
before we begin our ascent to the Larkya La. Samdo is
about 15km from the Tibetan border which lies to our
North East, it is a small Tibetan refugee settlement
created after the Chinese invasion of Tibet. |
 |
|
| 14 |
Samdo |
all day |
3780 |
Easy |
| |
Acclimatization Day. We use
today to explore the views from the ridge and valleys around
Samdo to ensure a proper and full acclimatisation before attempting
the pass. Of course it is also a good day to do some washing
and relax in the warm afternoon sunshine!
|
| 15 |
Samdo - Larkya Camp |
4 hours |
4460 |
Easy |
| |
It is a steep and rough trail that
takes us to an intermediate camp before the pass. The valley
now rarely gets the sun and we must be careful of ice on the
trail - and yes it is cold and the affects of altitude are felt.
However, our camp in a high pasture easily distracts us with
some great rugged mountain views and the prospect of crossing
the pass fills our thoughts.
|
| 16 |
Larkya Camp - Larkya La – Bimtang |
9 hours |
5213 |
Moderate |
| |
Today is the high point of the trek!
The longest and toughest section awaits us, but also the most
magnificent views - Himalayan majesty and grandeur all around.
We begin early, before sunrise, up a steep ablation valley where
views of Cho Danda and Larkya Peak begin to appear. We then
cross the rough undulating moraines of the Larkya Glacier after
which we should be able to see the prayer flags atop the pass
in the distance. The pass itself is a long saddle surrounded
by mountains but the views before we descend are the best -
with Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru, Menjung and the huge
Annapurna II summit cone overall. There is now a steep descent
and the trail may need to have steps cut into frozen portions
for the porters. As we descend the hard rocky ground slowly
gives way to the soft alpine pastures that signify a great night’s
sleep. The mountain views haven’t stopped and at our camp
at Bimtang Manaslu once again appear for us to provide a magnificent
backdrop for a heart dinner and blissful sleep. |
| 17 |
Bhimtang - Dharapani |
6 hours |
1860 |
Moderate |
| |
Now for a long downhill section which
we seem to float along as the heady supply of oxygen now fills
our lungs. This is a superb valley full of rhododendron and
pine forests, and the village children once again appear to
greet us with Namaste! We continue down through the large Gurung
village of Tilije to the main junction with the Annapurna Circuit
trail at Dharapani - where civilisation seems to come crushing
in around us. |
| 18 |
Dharapani - Syanje |
7 hours |
1150 |
Easy |
| |
We are now on the banks of the mighty Marsyangdi
river and the trail is full of trekkers and locals - truly a
mountain highway! But we are fit and strong and going downhill,
our heart goes out to those we pass who are finding the first
few days of their trek tough - just as we did two weeks before.
Our camp is at Syanje, a quite village on the banks of the river
which is normally by-passed by the majority of trekkers - an
ideal site to relax and unwind!
|
| 19 |
Syanje - Bhulbhule |
6 hours |
840 |
Easy |
| |
Today is much like yesterday, and
we notice the distinct Brahmin acumen for business in the tea
houses that was so absent before the Larkya La. |
| 20 |
Bhulbhule - Baglungpani |
5 hours |
1680 |
Easy |
| |
We now break away from the heavily
trod trails of the Annapurna Circuit and head up a long section
of stone steps which rise above the Boran Khola. We are now
back in unvisited foothill country and it will be a real surprise
to meet anyone other than a scurrying farmer. In the distance
rises one of the best panoramas of the trek with Manaslu, Lamjung
Himal and Annapurna range with the distinctive Macchupuchare
(Fish Tail Peak) standing sentinel. NOTE that it is possible
to return across very rarely visited country to Gorkha/Kathmandu
(4 days) from here, or down to Besisahar and then to Kathmandu
or Pokhara (both 2 days away). |
| 21 |
Baglungpani - Karputar |
5 hours |
610 |
Easy |
| |
A long down hill trail along the Midim
Khola gradually losses the views with which we have become so
accustomed, but now we are only one sleep away from our hotel
rooms in Pokhara so tonight is party night! |
| 22 |
Karputar - Begnas Tal – Pokhara |
4 hours |
610 |
Easy |
| |
A comfortable mornings stroll brings
us to one of Nepal's favourite picnic spots a Begnas Tal - and
a final flash of mountain views - just what you need to inspire
your plans for your next amazing trek! And of course we have
the delights of Pokhara before us - including an ice-cold beer! |
| 23 |
Pokhara - Kathmandu |
drive 8 hour |
1300 |
Easy |
| |
Final Day end of trek debrief
and departure.
NOTE that it is possible to stay longer in Pokhara - for ideas
see the Pokhara Day Trips guide. |
