Highlights
Take a magnificent off-the-beaten-track circular trek around Manaslu
Cross the remote Larkya La
Enjoy rare views of Manaslu
Trek through picturesque traditional Tibetan villages
Itinerary
This spectacular and isolated circular trek skirts around the eighth highest mountain in the world, formidable Manaslu (28,258ft/8,163m). We follow the mighty Buri Gandaki River as it narrows into a spectacular gorge, passing through tiny villages perched on valley sides. Eventually, the gorge opens out into alpine meadows inhabited by a cluster of Tibetan communities below the north face of Manaslu. Crossing the Larkya Pass, we see the snow-capped peaks of Himalchuli, Manaslu, Cheo Himal and Himlung Himal, before descending through forest to join the main Annapurna Circuit route.
Selected departures are led by Valerie Parkinson, Wanderlust World Guide Award winner (Best Tour Leader, 2021), celebrating 40 years of guiding Himalayan expeditions. See Dates & Prices.
Why trek with us? One of the highest staff-to-traveller ratios on the trek with one staff member to every four travellers More than 30 years’ experience organising treks in Nepal Carefully planned ascent rates and itineraries with built-in acclimatisation and contingency days Experienced English-speaking local leaders who are qualified in first aid and trained to recognise and deal with altitude sickness All staff (leaders, guides and porters) are fully insured and paid a fair wage Staff carry oxygen, a first-aid kit, and self-assessment acute mountain sickness cards, used to monitor every traveller at altitude Speak to our office staff who have done the trek themselves
day 1Adventure starts in Kathmandu
Begin your adventure at the Royal Singi Hotel in Kathmandu, the start point for many of our Himalayan treks over the years.
Around 6pm, bid namaste to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead during a full trek briefing.
Your tour leader then ensures a big Nepalese welcome by arranging a group dinner.
Want to explore Kathmandu further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.
day 1Adventure starts in Kathmandu
day 2Drive to Arket Bazaar; trek to Soti Khola
day 3Trek through forest and fields to Lapu Besi and onto Machha Khola
day 4Follow the Buri Gandaki River to Jagat
day 5Ascend through small villages to Philim; climb to Deng
day 6Cross the river and ascend via a magnificent valley to Ghap
day 7Continue to Lho, offering fantastic views of Manaslu
day 8Climb to Samagaon
day 9Trek to Samdo
day 10Ascend to Dharamsala
day 11Cross the Larkya La; descend to Bimthang
day 12Daywalk to Pongkar Lake or spare day as required
day 13Spectacular walk to Tilje
day 14Trek to the remote Nache; descend to the main Annapurna Circuit trail
day 15Descend to Syange via Chyamje and Jagat
day 16Drive to Besishar; transfer to Kathmandu
day 16Drive to Besishar; transfer to Kathmandu
What's Included
Customer Reviews
Excellent Hiking Experience
This was a great trip, first and formost due to the very professional and experienced support team lead by Kumar.
An outstanding glimpse into the past
I last trekked in Nepal 35 years ago, when there were no roads in the mountains and everything was carried on the backs of humans or mules. In the intervening years I had become increasingly reluctant to return, watching the gradual encroachment of the car into these pristine areas, but the Exodus PR for this trip was too good to resist. I was not disappointed. Once we had left the "railhead" end of the road behind, we were back into a land of mule trains, farming and herding, in a chaotic wilderness of gorges, waterfalls, landslides and suspension bridges leading to the wild uplands at the snow line, a slow but remarkable change in geology, architecture, religion and culture as we climbed further and further away from the lowlands. I can't imagine a better insight than this trip into the differences in lived experience of those of us who live in the northern hemisphere (or even between those who live in Kathmandu and the mountains).
Manaslu Circuit quiet and authentically enchanting.
A beautiful journey with a great variety of culture and landscape from agricultural to forest and mountain scenery. It’s a peaceful trek away from crowded routes but get there as soon as you can before the road that is being built changes everything. The route is occasionally just a little exposed due to landslides caused by the recent long monsoon. A gentle acclimatisation schedule leads up to highest point at Larkya La just a little over 5000m. There are wonderful mountain views of Manaslu from a number of various aspects and distances.
Fantastic Scenery but tougher than Annapurna Circuit
This is an amazing trip which, unlike the Annapurna Circuit (which I did in 2019) brings you far closer to the big mountains including the 8,000 metre massif of Manaslu. Due to the recent hard monsoon on 2022 the trail had been recently modified and included a number of narrow paths across landslides (think traversing high screes in rthe UK) which wouldn't be to everyone's tastes but were necessary in the circumstances. The Manaslu Circuit is much quieter than the Annapurna Circuit, takes in a lot more villages and general culture of Nepal and doesn't include the dusty main roads that seem a feature of the Annapurna Circuit nowadays. As such, the whole group found it more authentic, the scenery a lot more spectacular and a thoroughly enjoyable trip from start to finish. In teh Exodus brochure it has teh same difficulty rating as the Annapurna Circuit but our group thought it was a few grades harder and because of the time of the year we were wearing crampons for 4-5 hours on the 'pass day' due to amount of compacted snow on the ground. A thoroughly memorable trip in an amazing region.
Manasalu Nov
A challenging and adventurous trip which I thoroughly enjoyed
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