Talk To An Expert ( Prakash Lamsal )
Talk To An Expert ( Prakash Lamsal )
— Friday, March 25th, 2022
Manaslu trekking is one of the most remote treks in Nepal offering you adventure, natural beauty, rich biodiversity, and staggering views of mountains. Despite being underrated in comparison to the treks such as Everest base camp trek and Annapurna Circuit trek, Manaslu trekking provides you the best cultural experience and adventure from among other destinations. Following are some of the top reasons that prove Manaslu trekking is basically a heaven on Earth.
Until recently, trekkers had to do camping for accommodation, with very few number of teahouses in this region. Prior to the establishment of even those teahouses, this region was a complete camping site. However, when a number of people started preferring this trek, the number of tea houses increased dramatically; you no longer have to camp nowadays. There are a sufficient number of teahouses to accommodate trekkers. This is one of the best teahouse trekking in Nepal. However, it has been underrating in comparison to other classic treks of Nepal. If you want to devour the wonderful remote taste of Nepal, it should always be your top priority. You shall get a chance to meet all sorts of trekkers at these teahouses and learn about their experiences. Thus, apart from being a mere place of accommodation, these teahouses give you the best opportunity to share your experiences, get to know different people better and expand your communication.
As said before, it used to be a camping region, so there is few number of settlements throughout your trail. The settlements and the trail, as you trek, look so remote that you shall feel like beating the path of Annapurna region a few decades back. The Tsum Valley is the best example of the remoteness, originality, and purity that this trek has to offer you. The villagers have their own language and lifestyle. The teahouses throughout the route may not have much to offer you, but limited basic requirements for accommodation. You might have to share the squat toilet. Your room might have a bed, pillow, and a blanket. You might not also have wide varieties of food items to have, which gets even worse, as you ascend high. There might not be immediate medical treatment nearby, in case of some moderate injury which couldn’t be handled by First-Aid. Thus, besides the excitement of exploring the wonders of remote adventure, you do have to be mentally prepared about all of other conditions that might come up with remoteness.
Some places in the Manaslu region are declared restricted by the Government of Nepal. You need special permits and must align with trekking requirements made mandatory by the government. You need to travel in a group of at least two members, and must be accompanied by either a porter or a guide, but not a random Nepali citizen. Keep in mind that the guide has to be registered, should hold a valid license, and possess his ID. You are required to have Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Permit, and Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) Permit. However, if you take the RAP, you are not required to have the TIMS Card.
With its altitude of 8,163 meters, Mt. Manaslu is the world’s 8th highest peak. Located in the western Nepal, it lies in the Mansiri Himal range. Manaslu trekking itinerary starts after your arrival in Kathmandu. Via Arughat, Sati Khola, Labu Besi, Jagat, Ngyak, Ghap, Lho, Samagaon, Samdo, Dharmashala, Larkya La Pass, Bhimtang, Tilje, Tal, Syange, Besishar, you shall return back to Kathmandu. However, if it is the Manaslu Circuit trek, you shall be trekking via Maccha Khola, Jagat, Philim, Deng, Namrung, Samagaon, Samdo, Dharmashala, Larkya La Pass, Bhimphedi, Tilje, Chamje, Besishar, and return back to Kathmandu. You can consult the map of the respective trek to know the about the route geographically. You shall reach the base camp from Samagaon, which takes the whole day.
The most phenomenal achievement of this trek is crossing the Larkya La Pass (5,125 m). Though you will not be facing many difficulties, however, making at the top of the pass is quite a climb. You aren’t required to have any extraordinary body fitness to cross the pass, however, you must have some stamina and endurance capacity to hike for few days in a row, with lots of steep/even ascents and descents. If you have prior trekking experience, it might put you an advantage. Otherwise, doing some exercise prior to the trek is recommended. Both, the exercise and trekking experience, bring you proper body shape and condition and make you familiar with the high altitude areas, facilitating to adapt in the air containing less amount of oxygen.
From the top of Larkya La Pass, you shall see several mountains, including Mt. Annapurna II, Manaslu, Cheo Himal, Larke Peak, Himlung, and Chuli. Passing through several villages, crossing mountain streams, and rivers, you shall see almost 10 peaks with more than 6,500m altitudes in total, throughout the trek. The most amazing view you shall have is from the Larkya La Pass; it offers the most staggering panoramic views of several mountains in a row, with the scenic landscape, and up-close clouds. This trek is beautiful substitutes to Annapurna Circuit trek and Everest Base Camp trek.
Trekking alongside the Budhi Gandaki River, you shall be made through a dense forest full of rhododendrons, pines, and bamboos. Between the Arughat and Larkya La Pass, you shall be experiencing six climatic zones. Within 1,000 to 2,000 meters, you shall experience tropical and sub-tropical zones; between 2,000 meters and 3,000 meters you shall be experiencing temperate zone. From 3,000 meter to 4,000 meters you shall be experiencing sub-alpine zone; from 4,000 meters to 5,000 meters, you shall be experiencing alpine zone, with arctic zone above 4,500 meters. Your trek shall start from as low as 815 meters to as high as 5, 125 meters, making you possible to experience all six different climatic zones in a single trek.
Depending on where you reach, you shall encounter with villages inhabited by Brahmin, Chhetri, Sudra, Baisya, Gurung, Magar, Rai, and Tibetan influenced culture. You shall find a number of Brahmins and Chhetris in the lower elevation areas; which is almost none in the high altitude areas. In the lower Manaslu region, at Sirandanda, you shall encounter with Gurung communities and might get an opportunity to be a part of their cultural show. Nubri people have their own folk song and costume. Much of the culture and social practices of people in the highlands of Manaslu region have been influenced by Tibetan culture. Most of the inhabitants in this region practice Buddhist religion. From the very start, you shall gather multi-cultural experiences throughout your trekking in the Manaslu region, making the trek as one of the important treks for cultural exploration. Nubri and Tsum are the two ethnicities that you shall find in this region. The central hilly areas are dominantly inhabited by Gurungs. The highlands are found to be dominantly inhabited by Bhutias.
Throughout the trek, you shall be made through lots of rivers and streams. You shall cross the Budhi Gandaki River, and its tributaries several times. There are glacial villages, ridges, and about six different routes making to the base camp. You shall find several endangered animals such as Red Pandas, snow leopards, Himalayan goral, etc. in your journey. This region is a complete blend of biodiversity and geographical diversity, summed with cultural varieties.
Nepal Himalayas Trekking is a leading travel and trekking agency in Nepal, which has been working since years. You might want to explore a blog we’ve written to know more about the Manaslu trekking. You can also know about other’s experience of the trekking and our service in the review of our clients. We can customize the itinerary as per your need, preference, and availability of time; do let us know about it before the trek. You can contact us to know about the trek cost. For any information and query, feel free to contact us anytime, we shall be pleased to hear from you.
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