This
trek 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.
Though the Larkya La is not a difficult
pass, the trek around Manaslu is harder
than most in Nepal. In many places the walls
of the Buri Gandaki valley are perpendicular,
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 remote and has no rescue
facilities or opportunities to bail out
if you are tired. There is only one facility
that might conceivably be called a trekkers'
hotel, and there are few English signboards
between Arughat and Tilje.
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.
Outline
Itinerary
Day
01
Drive
from Kathmandu to Arughat Bazaar
(570m.) which takes about seven
hours. 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
02
Trek
from Arughat Bazaar to Soti
Khola (530m.) and it takes about
six hours.
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
03
Trek
from Soti Khola to Machha Khola
(890m.) which takes about six
hours.
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
proceed the zigzag path to reach
Machha Khola. There is a small
market with few shops, lodges
and donkeys are kept there.
Day
04
Trek
from Machha Khola to Jagat (1350m.)
and it takes about six hours.
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
05
Trek
from Jagat to Philim (1700m.)
which takes about three hours.
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, prayer flags fluttering
in the sky, graves and typical
houses.
Day
06
Trek
Philim to Deng (2095m.) and
it takes about six hours.
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, buck wheat,
barley, wheat, cabbage, spinach
as people are mostly involved
in agriculture.
Day
07
Trek
Deng to Namrung (2900m.) which
takes about five hours.
In the beginning, you trek almost
flat leveled 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 power
house, mani walls, chortens
and prayer flags can be seen
fluttering in the sky. The typical
houses remind you of Tibetan
architecture.
Day
08
Trek
Namrung to Lhogaon (3100m.)
and it takes about four hours.
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,
buck wheat, potatoes and vegetables.
You can catch panoramic view
of Mt. Manaslu, Gorkha Himal,
Dwijen Himal, Saula Himal, Lajing
peak with others from Lho Gaon.
Day
09
Trek
Lhogaon to Samagaon (3390m.)
which takes about four hours.
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
10
Rest
day at Samagaon for acclimatization.
Surrounded by mountains in a
peaceful forest, you take a
rest day to 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
11
Trek
from Samagaon to Samdo (3690m.)
and it takes about four hours.
You trek gentle uphill all the
way to Samdo through desert
path and windy valley. The Tibetan
border is just four kilometers
away from Samdo. But visitors
are not allowed to pass the
border. There is a Tibetan refugee
village at Samdo. This is an
excellent view point for Mt.
Manaslu, Samdo (Pang phuchuli),
Nagdi chuli, Simnang Himal,
Manaslu glacier, Manaslu ice
fall and many more.
Day
12
Trek
from Samdo to Larkya La Phedi
(4460m.) which takes about three
hours.
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
13
Trek
from Larkya La Phedi to Larkya
La (Pass) (5135m.) to Bimthang
(3590 m.) and it takes about
seven hours. 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
14
Trek
from Bimthang to Dharapani (1860
m.) which takes about four hours.
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
15
Trek
from Dharapani to Jagat (1800m)
which takes about six hours.
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. You stay
overnight at tea house (lodge).
Day
16
Trek
from Jagat to Nagdi (850m.)
and it takes about four hours.
A steep trail descends from
Jagat through Marshyangdi valley.
You cross Marshyangdi river
at Syange and walk through Ghermu
Path (Ghermu field). This part
of trek is pleasant through
flat leveled 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.
This village is mainly populated
by Brahmin, Chhetri and few
others. Now, you descend all
the way to Nagdi. Nagdi is a
Gurung village and the local
lodges are run by people who
had migrated from Manang and
other places.
Day
17
Trek
from Nagdi to Besishahar (823m.)
which takes about four hours.
You trek over flat leveled 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 centre from where the
daily usable commodities are
supplied to the different villages
and numerous towns.
Day
18
Drive
from Besisahar to Kathmandu
which takes about seven hours.
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.
