Talk To An Expert ( Prakash Lamsal )
Talk To An Expert ( Prakash Lamsal )
The Manaslu Trek is one of Nepal’s most remote and off-the-beaten-path treks, offering a perfect blend of adventure, cultural immersion, and breathtaking landscapes. The journey features stunning views of the Himalayas, including glimpses of the Tibetan plateau from Samdo Village. The trek’s biggest challenge is crossing Larkya La Pass, which demands endurance and determination.
Manaslu Circuit trek is a cultural experience, with highland communities heavily influenced by Tibetan traditions, while the lower regions reflect typical Nepalese heritage. The Nubri people, who rely on trade with Tibet, share linguistic and cultural similarities with their northern neighbors. Along the way, trekkers traverse six different climatic zones, making it a unique and diverse trekking experience.
The ideal trekking seasons are March- May and September–November, while winter (December–February) brings extreme cold and icy terrain. Though not require extraordinary fitness, a moderate level of stamina is essential to endure long walking days. Prior trekking experience and physical preparation can help adjust to high-altitude conditions.
Samagaun is located at the bottom of Mt. Manaslu. From the village, you get to see the soaring mountains above and moraines down below. Despite the inflow of trekkers, the village is still less influenced and sustained with a relatively low level of lifestyle. You shall see that the villages have pens underneath their houses. Agriculture is still the main occupation in this region; people grow potatoes and barleys during summer for three months and trade them with lower villages and Tibet for the rest of the year. Samagaun also has Pung Gyen Monastery. You shall find a temple there and meditation caves on the rocks. Most of the trekking packages include acclimatization at Samagaun. This is a great opportunity to explore the village. Thus, you can learn about the lifestyle and livelihood of villages of this village, view staggering views of mountains, and meditate at the caves breathing the Himalayan air. You might wonder when you see the pens under the same roof where people live. It seems like the crops that they grow during the summer is only the resource that they sell for the rest of the months in the year to earn their livelihood.
Manaslu region shall amaze you with several breathtaking views and places, and won’t stop doing so throughout the trek. At every step you make, you shall find new inspiration and a new reason to think a few words of praise and admiration. Biendra Lake is situated at the bottom of a glacier. You shall find plenty of glaciers around the Manaslu Base Camp area. At the base camp, you shall see lots of climbers resting and looking forward to the summit the mountain. Nothing is as inspiring as witnessing the sheer beauty of blue lakes at such a high altitude area. You can reach at Biendra Lake via two hours excursion from the Sama Village. As you reach near the lake, you shall be engulfed by the sheer joy and excitement and plea to belong to the mountains, and grow with them. The natural beauty of this lake is incomparable and so stunning that you would go breathless. Long exhaustion during the trekking gets washed away as you witness and visit these staggering places. They can be important memories that you might want to lament upon for the rest of your life. Thus, visiting the Biendra is another lesser known things to do during your trek to Manaslu.
Again, climbing to the Stone Marker is a lesser-known act that very few people do during this trek. Making to it is also an adventurous journey; you shall have to pass through snow-covered trails. Sometimes, people also follow the tracks left by wolves and snow leopards to reach to the Marker. For this region, you should be wearing sufficient clothes and carry water and tea in a thermos; also, don’t forget to carry plenty of food. You need to carry trekking poles. When you make to the Marker, you shall fell like you are in Tibet. The pass has a stone marker which is engraved with Tibetan script. You can find the Marker if you dug out the snow. Snow and lots of prayer flags might be covering it. You shall also find lots of prayer flags blowing in the Himalayan air; as if the scripts were written there are dissolving into the air, and in return, the air is whispering those back to you. Adventure in the Manaslu trekking is unbeatable and most memorable. Some part of this region is restricted by the government, thus, you must be accompanied by a guide and must be traveling in a group of two members.
Not only adventure, this trek offers you amazing cultural exploration of the Nubri culture. You might not get to know about Nubris at any other part of Nepal. The region between the Manaslu and Upper Dolpo is popular as Nubri region. You might find similarity between the people living here and Tibet; even, people in this region have the same culture as the people of Tibet. The even more astounding part is that even the language is same. People from this region and Tibetan, worship Dalai Lama. If you explore the village, you shall find at least a poster of Dalai Lama in each house. Dalai Lama is worshipped as a god, and also offer butter lamps and other things in his name. After your return from the trek, you can find the Nubri Culture and Youth Promotion Committee at Kathmandu. You can also get to know more about this culture from this organization. Exploring the villages in the Nubri region is one of the most interesting things to do during this trek. You can boast about it even among Nepalese people.
Larke Peak is one of the small peaks in the Manaslu region. It is perfect for anybody who wishes to do climbing. However, it is to be noted that it might extend your trekking itinerary. Before you make it to the Larkya, you are required to have permits from NMA. Manaslu trekking, thus, isn’t just about trekking in the Manaslu region, all the way to the base of the world’s eight highest peaks, it is also about several other adventures like peak climbing. The climbing adds adventure to this trek. However, not everybody is a climbing enthusiast. For all the climbing enthusiasts, this can be an exciting opportunity.
During your acclimatization day, you might fancy wandering lazily in the area of your stay. It is really good to do so, as it has multi-fold benefits. If you are lucky, you might see several paths interlinked or together forming grazing paths. Yaks shall be grazing here. During your lazy stroll, you can help the children here to gather these yaks. They normally do this before dusk.
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