Manaslu Circuit Trekking : Safe Women-Only Expedition

On arrival at Kathmandu International Airport, you will be received by our team of ladies staff and guide. After checking the NST (Nepal Standard Time) which is 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT, a short drive takes you in the hub of Kathmandu city around Thamel area to your hotels. After checking into your lovely rooms, get refreshed from the Jet Lag. The refreshments will energize you after which you can join the other members of the Manaslu Circuit Trekking team in the meeting room for a briefing.

The briefing will be provided by our lady guide and staff or Group Leader. She will provide information about the treks, local lodge and foods. The wide range of information about trek makes your holiday meaningful and enjoyable. Overnight at Hotel.

The day begins with breakfast, followed by visits to two significant sites: Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa. The tour is escorted by a government certified female tour guide.

Pashupatinath Temple, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located by the Bagmati River, it hosts Hindu cremation ceremonies and is especially important during Shivaratri, attracting numerous pilgrims.

After breakfast, we'll visit Boudhanath Stupa, one of Nepal's largest stupas, positioned east of Kathmandu. It's notable for its significant size and height, as well as its four pairs of eyes representing Mahayana Buddhist principles. Following a quick city tour, we'll return to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow's trek. The overnight stay will be at the hotel.

An early morning start after a good breakfast, for a long hour’s overland journey to Maccha-Khola village. The drive follows the main busy national highway and diverts north towards Dhading district. Then, the trail continues on winding up and down to Arughat Bazaar, a moderate area in the Gorkha district with a sub-tropical climate.

From Arughat, we follow the Budi-Gandaki River past Soti-Khola to reach Maccha-Khola farm village for overnight stop. In Maccha-Khola we will stay in the comfort of a simple nice lodge accommodation. The driving distance is approx. 160 km/100 miles from Kathmandu to Maccha-Khola.

Today is the first day of the trek and we start walking from Machha-Khola. After breakfast, the walk follows on a gradual winding path, passing through farm areas, small hamlets, and forests of pines and Sal trees. We then reach Tatopani, a place with a natural hot spring, where you can enjoy a refreshing bath if time permits. The walk continues to Khorla Besi for possible lunch stop. In the afternoon we climb towards a cooler hill to reach Jagat.

A lovely hill village with many nice lodges for overnight stay. Jagat is the starting point of Restricted Area to enter Upper Manaslu. We then checked into a nice lodge and after checking into a nice room, you will have time to explore the local cultures of the local hill people.

After a long first-day walk and climb to Jagat, today is an average hour of trekking. The trail follows downs and ups to cross few bridges over tributaries streams of Buddhi Gandaki River. Then our climb leads to a Salleri, a small village, before descending towards Sirdibas. The trail leads across a small bridge above Gatte Khola / stream with climb to Philim, a large farm village. The village is populated by the Gurung hill tribes and we will stop here for lunch. In the afternoon, we walk on a gradual winding trail to a small settlement at Ekle Bhatti. From here, we take a short descent to cross a stream, then towards our overnight stop at Dyang/Deng, a nice farm village. After checking in a nice simple lodge, we will spend our time to explore the local culture. From Dyang onwards one can observe a strong Tibetan Buddhism religion.

The morning after breakfast we cross over the Budhi Gandaki River and climb to a small settlement at Bhi. From here our walk enters a lovely cool forest to reach Prok, another nice small village. The walk continues coming across Buddhist  monuments all the way to Namrung for overnight stop. A nice village with grand views of Mt. Manaslu North Face.

From Namrung, the journey heads higher towards the Upper areas of Manaslu to reach Lo-Gaon. Your morning walks start with exciting views of Sringi and Ganesh Himal with  Himal Chuli in the south. The walk follows with a climb into a dense forest to Lihi, where you will find a large number of Buddhist stupas. Enjoy the fabulous scenery of terraces filled with barley and buckwheat, as the walk follows down across the valley. Then walk to small areas of Sho, and finally, the walk completes for the day reaching Lo-Gaon for an overnight stop. The village is situated in beautiful locations covered with lovely pines and rhododendron forests. At Lo-Gaon, you can relax in the comfort of a nice lodge, beneath the towering Mt. Manaslu. You will have time to explore the village and the Ribung monastery.

In the morning, you can enjoy the magnificent views of snow-clad peaks with the majestic North Face of Mt. Manaslu. After breakfast, we begin the day and the walk enters the wide valley of Manaslu, following a moderate path to Sama-Gaon. The trail leads us to a short climb and then downhill to Shayla, another lovely village with superb views of snow peaks. Enjoying the lovely scenery of beautiful landscapes and snow peaks, the walk ends reaching Sama-Gaon. A great place for views of Manaslu, Himal Chuli and Peak 29 (Ngadi Chuli). Overnights in a nice cozy lodge, and you can enjoy the rest of the afternoon overlooking the majestic mountain views.

Today is a rest day for acclimatization in Sama-Gaon.  A perfect height for acclimatization with an option for hiking to scenic viewpoints. You will walk further high to Birendra Lake en route Manaslu Base Camp, visit an old Pungyen Gompa, and have time to relax while enjoying the grand views of the giant snow dusted mountains.  Women of Sama Gaon in the mountainous region live a hardworking lifestyle, managing agriculture, raising livestock, and weaving traditional clothing, while inspiring others through their resilience, strong community bonds, and cultural preservation.

After a pleasant rest at Sama Gaon, morning walk leads to Samdo, the last village around Manaslu and Gorkha district. It is also en route to the Tibet border and towards our Larke-La Pass. The walk follows on a dry and arid terrain with short steep climb to reach a wide field. Then, we will reach Samdo, one of the largest settlement around Manaslu Valley. A nice village with good lodge accommodation for overnight stop with grand views of snow peaks.

The walk this morning leads to the end of Manaslu Valley rim, making a short day with a lunch and overnight stop. From Samdo village we walk down to the river bed, and over a wooden bridge. After the bridge, we take a short climb to cross several streams to reach Dharmasala, after crossing Salka Khola / stream. At Dharmasala or Larke Phedi, the bottom of the pass, we check into a lodge. You can enjoy lunch while facing views of the surrounding peaks, with Larke Peak Glacier nearby. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure, allowing you to conserve energy for the long climb and trek to Bhimthang or Bhimphedi the following day.

In the early morning, we start the big day of the adventure. After having a good breakfast we will carry a packed lunch, and start to walk heading to Larke-La Pass. We start the morning walk heading north-west with steep climb with close views of Cheo-Danda and Larke Peak. After hours of tough steep haul, we then finally reach on top of Larke-La Pass. The highest point of the adventures, offers spectacular panorama of towering peaks that encircles the top.

Enjoy the stunning views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, and Annapurna II-III and A-IV. You will also see a Ganesh Himal with series of Manaslu range of peaks at far distance with some peaks of Nar Phu areas. Celebrate the success of conquering Larke La Pass with your female friends, guides, and porters which is a great achievement, showcasing the courage, strength, and unity of women adventurers in the mountains. After an exciting and tiring moments, we head downhill towards Cheo Danda and Larcia. The trail continues reaching at the base of Larke Pass on the western side around Manang district. From the Phedi or bottom of the pass, we will reach back into dense forest to Bhimphedi, also called Bhimthang.

A wonderful spot on a wide grassy field, amidst tall tree lines of oaks, pines, firs and rhododendrons. Upon reaching, you will check in the best lodge. Enjoy the comfort in a nice lodge accommodation, after a long and toughest walk of the adventure.

A leisure morning for breakfast, due to the hard long walk of the previous day. From Bhimphedi, the trail leads us to a pleasant and short walk to Gho passing through dense woods downhill. After a few hours of pleasant morning hikes, we then reach Gho for an overnight halt which is located within the beautiful forest in a serene environment. In the afternoon you can enjoy some leisure time.

Enjoy the day with the last final walk of the adventure to Dharapani village. The trail follows downhill through the forest and then reaches the lovely nice village of Tilje, located above Masrsyangdi River and close to Dharapani village. We will stop at Tilje for lunch and from here we will take a short climb to cross a bridge above Masrsyangdi River to reach Dharapani village. You can enjoy the last overnight in a mountain village, situated on the side of a motorable road at the junction of Annapurna and Manaslu Circuit trekking routes.

We start the morning as early as possible for the long and interesting drive to Kathmandu. After having breakfast, we then board in a jeep or similar four-wheel drive which is best for mountainous rough dirt roads. The drive heads down towards lower warm farm villages on leaving the Manang areas after Tal village. The drive continues past Chamje and Jagat, winding downhill to Syange, and then reaches the large town of Besisahar. The headquarters of Lamjung district, from here the drive leads on a good road to join the Pokhara and Kathmandu highway at Dumre Town.

A pleasant ride to Mugling Bazaar, following the Trisuli River for a few hours. As the drive climbs up on a winding road for a few hours, we reach Kathmandu Valley and then back into the bustling city. After a long interesting overland journey, you then check into your Hotels. We will arrive at the hotel by dinner time and for a good rest. The driving distance from Dharapani to Kathmandu is approximately 212 km / 132 miles.

Today is a free day in Kathmandu for individual activities with options for tours. Enjoy a free day in Kathmandu, perfect for relaxing, engaging in personal activities, or going on a shopping spree. You can shop souvenirs of Nepal from handicrafts to jewelers etc. Interested people can opt for another exciting tour of Patan and Bhaktapur cities on request.

Last day in Kathmandu and Nepal, after an overwhelming adventure and experience around high hills of Manaslu with trek to Manaslu Circuit. As time for your international flight, our lady guide and staff will transfer you to the airport. Then bid farewell to Nepal, guide, and staff; as you enter the air terminal for homeward bound or to the next port of call.