A proper trekking itinerary breakdown is important in bringing a wonderful experience in the mountains. Of various wonderful trekking adventures in the Himalayas of Nepal, Manaslu Circuit Trek is one. Manaslu Circuit Trek itinerary is a total of 12 days of walking alone through the mountains. While a trek goes this long, we need to be careful in planning and breaking down the itinerary in such a way that suits both the pace and time.
The trek in Manaslu starts at Soti Khola in Budhi Gandaki River valley and finishes at Chamje in the Marshyangdi River valley after 12 days. You will be walking for hours every day in between. But the walking hours differ every day. The walking hours are directly dependent on the elevation and the difficulty level of the walk for the day. There are also extra stopover days along the route.
Manaslu Circuit Trek Itinerary Breakdown
The trek around Manaslu goes over 5,000 meters at the Larkya La. But interestingly, the trek doesn’t have any overnight stop above 5,000 meters from sea level. The highest overnight camp is at the base of Larkya La at the elevation of 4,450 meters above sea level. But you will have an extra day for side excursion and acclimatization along the way.
Walking through the Budhi Gandaki River Valley
When you are trekking to the Manaslu region, you will be in the Budhi Gandaki river valley for most of the time. Since the starting of the trek, you will follow the trail along the river valley that takes you higher into the elevation of the Manaslu.
Although the walking hours differ from day to day, you will have to walk about 5 hours on average. As you traverse the trail along the river valley, you will also be able to explore and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings that you trek past.
The walk along the river valley will introduce you to the amazing lifestyle of rural Nepal. In addition to life and culture, you will also get to enjoy the pristine beauty of nature.
Acclimatization Break at Sama Gaun
When you reach the Beautiful Sama Gaun on the trek, you will already be at the elevation of 3,500 meters above sea level. If you are spending overnights above 4,000 meters on the trek, it is always necessary and safe that you take an extra day at 3,000+ meters.
Sama Gaun is the place where you take the acclimatization break with an extra overnight stop. It will bring you enough chance to learn and adjust to the climate with thinning air.
Side Excursion from Sama Gaun
When you take an extra day at Sama Gaun for acclimatization, you will have incredible options to hike to higher elevation and return back. There are amazing side hiking trips from Sama Gaun. If you feel adventurous enough, you can trek all the way to Manaslu Base Camp and return back to Sama Gaun. But it will be a pretty long day. Another option is to hike up to Birendra Lake along the way to Manaslu Base Camp and return. The hike to Birendra Lake is the ideal excursion for a day from Sama Gaun.
You can also explore the surroundings of Sama Gaun. The village has beautiful cultural wonders to explore and also amazing views of mountains to enjoy.
Crossing Larkya La
There comes a high mountain pass on the Manaslu circuit trek itinerary. On the 3rd day after the acclimatization, you will walk to cross the highest elevation on the trek at Larkya La. The wonderful mountain-pass stands at the fascinating elevation of 5,220 meters above sea level. Once you reach the pass, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the mountains and the surroundings.
Trekking over the pass is certainly a challenging adventure but it is truly worth doing it. The experience that you get while trekking over the pass is simply indescribable in words.
Entering Marshyangdi River Valley
The last leg of the trek goes to the Marshyangdi River Valley. After crossing the pass, you will trek down towards the valley. You will also meet the trail where Annapurna Circuit Trek goes through.
The trek eventually finishes at Chamje after 12 days of walking through the wonderful mountains
Embarking on the Manaslu Trek is to seek for a peaceful time amidst mountains and nature. And you will certainly get what you seek for during the adventure. 12 days of Manaslu Circuit Trek itinerary is full of wonderful experiences.
Tags: Manaslu Circuit Trek, Manaslu Circuit Trek Itinerary, Manaslu Trek