Manaslu Expedition

On the first day, you will arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport and transfer to the hotel. It is a day of rest, paperwork, and preparation following international travel.

You can spend the afternoon meeting the team leader of your expedition, preparing your climbing equipment with the team kit list, and validating airline/jeep schedules. Important activities like photocopying passports and visas, insurance, medical forms, etc, should be handled on this day.

Your expedition leader will help you prepare gear like a down suit, crampons, a harness, double boots, a stove, and an oxygen system (where used). In the evening, you can explore the nightlife of Kathmandu Valley. Overnight stay at a hotel.

This comprises a full day with the team: compulsory expedition briefing and final issue of kits, permit-processing, and group administration. We handle Manaslu Restricted Area Permit, Manaslu Conservation Area permit, and other local permits, with signatures and printed permits or confirmation usually issued.

The technical briefing will include route, fixed-rope strategy, crevasse hazards, scheduled rotation, emergency communication plan (satellite phone/2-way radios), and evacuation.

Your guide will discuss the acclimatization process in Manaslu and the scheduled rotation days. Final clothing and personal equipment will be checked; your rucksack will be packed and measured, where used, to porter or horse loads by the logistics.

Last-minute buying of extra batteries, snacks with too much sugar can be done today. It is recommended to eat well and drink plenty of water, as it will help you to avoid the risks of AMS at high altitudes on later journeys.

Kathmandu to Besisahar is a beautiful ride that requires about 6 to 7 hours, with a distance that is covered approximately 180 kilometers. Food and beverage: after eating breakfast, you will take a personal jeep or a bus and retire to the bustling streets of Kathmandu.

The highway is the Prithvi Highway, where the road follows the Trishuli and Marsyangdi Rivers.

On your path, you will cross adorable villages, valley-like terrains, and hilly landscapes covered with trees, which will also provide insights into Nepali life in the countryside. There is a lunch and photography stopover, in which you are able to taste the local food and tea houses along the way.

The landscape, however, starts to vary as you get closer to Besisahar. The terrain is something to look forward to: green forests and clear streams of water are a signifier of the entrance to the Annapurna Conservation Area.

Besi Sahar is a small, busy town that acts as the entrance point to numerous treks and expeditions in western Nepal. You will stay at a local lodge, have dinner, and sleep, well ahead of the adventure further into the Himalayas tomorrow.

You will start an off-road journey with breakfast after an early breakfast starting at Besisahar up to Dharapani. The trip lasts approximately 5 or 6 hours on an all-terrain and tortuous mountain road. It cuts across such villages as Syange, Jagat, and Chamje, where a breathtaking sight of waterfalls, suspension bridges, and cliffs can be enjoyed.

It runs along a bank of the Marsyangdi River, and the road is rather rough, but it has exciting views of snow-white mountains, e.g., Lamjung Himal and Annapurna II. This is the point of entering the Manang area, where the old culture of the Gurung and Tibetan people is revealed.

There are many walls, chortens, and prayer flags, and it has a spiritual airing to the place. By the time you arrive at Dharapani, it will be time to relax in a nice lodge, meet the locals, and have a hearty dinner. This elevation helps to get your body in shape over time before the actual trekking days come.

Today is the start of the actual trek. You begin hiking through pine forests, oak forests, after breakfast, on an even trail which leads out to Bagarchhap and Danaque. As altitude rises, the air gets colder and fresher.

When there is a clear day, you can see in the distance the Manaslu peak and Lamjung Himal. The trail goes by the Marsyangdi River, crossing tiny villages where people are welcoming you with a pleasant smile. The trail is a mix of a forest trail and a grassy zone, and this provides ideal locations to take a break and take pictures.

Lunch will be taken in one of the tea houses before resuming the gentle climb to Gowa. The village is an idyllic small village that is encircled by the alpine scenery and is a marvelous overnight site to acclimatize.

You will be staying in a plain lodge, having a boisterous breakfast, and the evening will be spent in rest and preparation for more elevated areas. Here, the mountain atmosphere is peaceful and pleasant.

The trail then rises steadily after breakfast through the thick fir and rhododendron forests. There are a few wooden bridges that span across glacial streams, and the accompanying sound of flowing water will be heard all the way. As you climb, the landscape starts to become more open, and jagged mountains such as Mt. Manaslu and Himlung Himal start to seem closer.

Lunch will be at Yak Kharka, the grazing ground of the yaks and the mules. In this place, the ascent is a more serious one, and the air is thinner, yet the panorama of the alpines across which one is gliding makes every step worth doing. To the north of this, after some hours, you arrive at Bhimthang, a beautiful open valley, amidst which snowy ridges are wavering.

It is also one of the most picturesque places in the trek where the views of the Manaslu, Lamjung Himal, and Cheo Himal are given a panorama view. You are going to spend the night in a small lodge, take a hot meal, and sleep under the stars. Bhimthang is ideal for acclimatizing in making crossings to higher passes.

Today is a rest day at Bhimthang, which is necessary due to the acclimatization before proceeding to higher altitudes. At this altitude, you have to give your body time to adapt to less dense air.

You can do little walks around the valley after breakfast in order to make your body move. A common variant is a short walk to the nearby glacier viewpoint, which has beautiful views of Manaslu, Himlung, and Ponkar Lake.

The lake reflects snowy mountains in its turquoise waters, which make the scenes memorable. You will spend the afternoon resting, reading, or talking to other climbers, back at Bhimthang. To monitor whether you are adjusting, you may be checked concerning the oxygen level and health by the Sherpa team.

The days of acclimatization are essential to avoid altitude sickness and preserve stamina. During the night, there will be cozy soup and tea in the lodge in the presence of mountain quietness. It is a quiet rest before another demanding day of traveling.

It is a day of one of the most difficult and rewarding days of the trek. You will begin earlier than sunrise to pass the famous Larke La Pass that lies at 5,160 meters. The ascent is easy until you start ascending a frozen moraine, which gets steeper towards the pass.

Air is thin and every step is a pain, and yet the scenes are great-- ridges of Himling Himal, Cheo Himal, and Annapurna II are gleaming beneath the morning sun with snow. It is a source of pride to every trekker to arrive at the summit of the pass, which is covered with prayer flags. Upon completion of the event, including taking photos and revelation, you tread down the valley of Samdo.

It goes through hilly slopes and rocks after an icy descent before flattening on the approach to the village. Samdo is a Tibetan so-called settlement, which was frequently a trade post between Nepal and Tibet. You will be spending the night in a nice lodge and relying on this adventurous high-altitude adventure.

The hike today will be an easier one, as that is not long enough to tire your body even more than it did yesterday. The route is an easy way to a small mountain in open valleys and splendid views of Manaslu and other surrounding peaks.

You will cross over streams and yak pasture before you get to the scenic village of Sama Gaun. This conventional village is located below the north side of Mt. Manaslu, and is enclosed with mani walls and prayer flags. These individuals are Tibetan Buddhists, and it is possible to see the local monastery or the small stores with handicrafts.

Sama Gaun is also the nearest major settlement before the base camp, hence it is the perfect place to have some rest and final preparations before a climb. Here you will see the Sherpa staff and decide on the further plans for base camp installation.

Your night will be spent in a nice lodge, where you will be introduced to traditional dal bhat and sleep under the Manaslu shadow.

It is the gradual ascent to Manaslu Base Camp after breakfast on the tenth day. The path is out of the village and up through yak and rocky moraines. The vegetation vanishes further up the mountain and gives way to the glacier and alpine scenery.

The trip lasts approximately 4-5 hours, depending on the speed and climate. When you arrive at the camp base, you will meet a wide level plateau, and encircling it a bunch of imposing mountains - the center of the venture. The Sherpa group installs tents, cooking shelters, and warehouses. The splendid Manaslu glacier is visible at a distance from here.

There are communication tents, a kitchen setup, and solar power in the base camp. Then, after settling, one will rest and have a brief safety briefing on base camp procedures and acclimatization plans. It is a chilly night here, though the very excitement of being here at the foot of the eighth-highest mountain in the world keeps the blood warm.

This time frame of Day 11–22 is used to acclimatize and rotate climbing, which is the most important in the expedition. You will begin your first rotation after some rest days at base camp. Climbers slowly ascend higher so as to get their bodies accustomed to the thin air.

The first of them is Camp I at approximately 5,700 meters and involves crossing crevasses and ice slopes using a fixed rope. Once the night or two is over, you will go down to the base camp to recuperate.

The second rotation will take you to Camp II at 6,400 meters, which means passing steeper snow corridors and serac territories. It is a part that puts the stamina and skill to the test.

You will also visit Camp III (6,800m), then go back to the base camp, where you will rest completely. Such rotations are useful in gaining strength and confidence. In this stage, the weather reports, health checks, and collaborations are crucial.

Your body gets stronger with each spin, and your mind is drilled to go all the way to the summit.

Once rested out, you will start the last and most challenging task, the summit push. Upon opening the weather window, climbers begin to ascend through Camps I, II, and III, spending one night in each of the camps.

The ascent between Camp III and Camp IV (approximately 7,400m) is quite steep and icy. The climbing final stage starts at midnight, when the weather in the mornings is stable. The trail between the fourth and fifth camp and the peak consists of fixed ropes, thin ridges, and snow lapses.

It is amazing to arrive at the top of Manaslu at 8,163 meters, which is the prize of the efforts spent on the mountain and weeks of struggle and persistence. At the extreme top will be a panoramic view in 360 degrees of the Himalayas, with Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Ganesh Himal in the range.

You spend the next few days returning to Base Camp after brief festivities, after spending a day or two at Camp IV.

Having spent some hard climbing days, you start putting your weight on reverse at Manaslu Base Camp till Sama Gaun. Things become relatively easier to follow as the degree of oxygen rises with dissimilar diminished height.

You will go back on your footsteps on rocky moraines and yak grazing grounds, but this time you will feel the comfort of fatter air. On the way, you may look back at the mountain and be proud of your accomplishment.

Once there, you will be spending a lazy evening in the lodge--perhaps having a course of fresh-cooked local food and tea. It is also a day to look back over what you have achieved as far as your climb has gone, and relax your muscles after days of hard work.

The decreased altitude enables better and more invigorating sleep. Gratitude and all are coated with joy, and it is surrounded by prayer flags blowing in the Himalayan stars.

You will keep going down through the alpine passes and in the forests, and the route will lead down to Namrung. On the journey, you pass through villages, pastures, and little streams. The shifting landscape is refreshing with the reappearance of green vegetation.

Mani walls and chortans passing through will help you to remember the powerful Buddhist community of the Manaslu area. The air is warmer, and with each step, it is easier to walk. The meal at lunch is taken at a teahouse on the way.

Namrung is a lovely village with terraces and mountain landscape. It has its history of natives and old monasteries. Once there, you will be accommodated in a comfortable lodge where you will get a hot meal.

Today brings another easy downhill hike to Philim, which you start after breakfast. It goes up and down, winding through the weeds of the rhododendron forest and pine trees that are brimming with birds and flowers.

You will go past little villages where the residents are engaged in agriculture and grazing. The geography slowly transforms to the subtropical climatic zone, which is associated with warmer weather. Lunch will be taken at a tea-house by the river, and then on down the Budhi Gandaki. The waterfalls and deep gorges are amazing in their views.

Afternoon comes, and you are in Philim, a big Gurung village where a different kind of culture prevails, with terraced sceneries. There is a chance of the village exploring, communing with natives, and exploring a local monastery.

The current trail is the same that keeps on descending along the Budhi Gandaki River, following the tropical forest and bridges that are suspended. It is a long but not challenging walk with the possibility of seeing the gorgeous nature and the running streams.

You will go through a few villages such as Tatopani, where you can have a moment or two to experience the natural hot springs, which is the best relaxation for those weary body parts. The trail goes through little agricultural lands and bamboo groves and then to Machha Khola, a riverside village.

This place is far more humid, and the climate is near tropical in comparison with the high mountains. Upon arrival, you would first check into a lodge, rest, and have a good meal.

The day is completed with a slight feeling of fulfillment, having managed to get the trek which started with the heights of Manaslu all the way to the lowlands.

Today, you will ride back to Kathmandu. The trip occupies a period ranging between 8 to 9 hours; the expedition involves twisting mountain routes and striking valleys. You will go through Arughat, Dhading, and at last enter the main highway to the capital.

As you drive, you can look through the window and reflect on your unbelievable journey - the snowy mountains to the hospitable villages. Once you arrive at Kathmandu, we will take you to the hotel, where there will be a hot bath and a comfortable bed.

The expedition group is then joined in the evening at a farewell dinner where stories and laughs over traditional Nepali food are shared. Achievement certificates can also be awarded to the climbers, and this is used to appreciate the achievement of the climbers on the completion of summiting Mt. Manaslu.

This is a rest and celebration day following a few weeks of tough trekking and climbing. You may also use your time to sightsee in Kathmandu at Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu Durbar Square, or go shopping in Thamel to buy a souvenir and other handicrafts.

It is also appropriate to have a massage or have Nepali food in a cafe on the roof. Some climbers may stop by the Nepal mountaineering association or shop for expedition souvenirs.

During the evening, one can have a closing dinner, where certificates and group photos are exchanged. The valley of Kathmandu is cheerful and vibrant, following the serene mountains that provide you with a satisfying conclusion to your journey.

After your incredible Manaslu Expedition is completed, it is time to say goodbye. Our representatives will escort you to Tribhuvan International Airport, from where you will fly back to your home country full of memories of the Himalayas.