Manaslu, at 8,163 m the eighth-highest mountain on earth, stands in Gorkha district between the Annapurnas and Ganesh Himal. The trek around it opened to foreigners only in 1991 and still requires a restricted area permit and a licensed guide, which keeps numbers far below the Annapurna Circuit next door. In 12–16 days from Kathmandu you follow the Budhi Gandaki from subtropical gorges at under 1,000 m to Tibetan Buddhist villages under the glaciers and over Larkya La at 5,106 m.
The circuit starts at Machha Khola, 8–9 hours by jeep from Kathmandu, and climbs through Jagat, Deng and Namrung, where Hindu and Gurung villages give way to the Nubri, a Tibetan Buddhist people. From Lho, Ribung Gompa frames the first full view of Manaslu. Samagaun, at 3,530 m, is the acclimatisation stop, with side trips to Birendra Tal, Pungyen Gompa and Manaslu Base Camp at about 4,800 m. Samdo, a day from the Tibet border, is the last village before the pass.
Larkya La is the hardest day: 8–10 hours from Dharamsala at about 4,460 m over the pass and down 1,500 m to the meadows of Bimthang at 3,590 m, facing Manaslu's west face, Himlung Himal and Annapurna II. The trail then drops through forest to Dharapani on the Annapurna Circuit, where jeeps return to Kathmandu or Pokhara. Climbers can add Larkya Peak at 6,249 m with an NMA permit.
East of the main trail, the Tsum Valley was closed to outsiders until 2008. Its people, the Tsumba, regard it as a beyul, a sacred hidden valley, and many villages have pledged not to kill animals. Mu Gompa at about 3,700 m, Rachen nunnery and Milarepa's cave are its landmarks. Lodges across the region are simpler than on Annapurna, with fewer attached bathrooms. Our packages include permits, licensed guides, porters, jeeps and teahouse meals, priced in INR and USD.
