Overview
Manaslu area is located in the central Gorkha district bordering Tibet, the region is extremely rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage. Manasulu offers the dedicated trekker a genuine adventure into a remote wilderness, untouched by the effects of tourism. The trek circumnavigates the mighty Manasulu (8,156m), the eighth highest mountain in the world. We start the trek from the fascinating old city of Gorkha, the ancient kingdom of the Shah Dynasty that has a mixed Hindu and Buddhist culture. We follow the course of the Buri Gandaki River valley, crossing its thundering waters on various types of rope and suspension bridge, passing underneath towering rock cliffs, and through dense jungle. The topography changes each day, as we ascend through a number of climatic zones into rugged territory. We soon join the barren lunar landscape of the Tibetan plateau, where monasteries, temples, chortens and mani walls line the trail.
Climbing further through alpine wilderness, we gain stunning and rarely seen views of Manasulu. The Larkya La is our highpoint of the trek at 5,235m, from where we gain unsurpassed views of Himlung Himal (7,126m), Kang Guru (/7,010m) and Annapurna II. We then descend to the Marsayangdi river valley and onto Besisahar from where we catch our minibus back to Kathmandu. This long and demanding camping trek is a wonderful alternative to the Annapurna circuit. The Manasulu Eco-Tourism Development Project, working in c-operation with the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation has made great efforts to preserve the pristine beauty of this region, and to trek amongst such inspiring scenery is a rare joy. A classic in the making.
