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Day 01: ARRIVAL AT KATHMANDU
On your arrival at Kathmandu Airport, you will be greeted by our representative. After assistance, transfer to hotel. Rest.
Evening, our representative with a Sherpa will organize a briefing program in the hotel on the trek to make you well prepared for the trek. Questions and queries are most welcome that time. Overnight at hotel.
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Day 02: IN KATHMANDU: SIGHTSEEING TOUR
After breakfast, we will take you for sightseeing around the Kathmandu Valley. First, we visit Pashupatinath Temple Complex (400 BC), the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal.
Pashupatinath Temple Complex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashupatinath_Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is located about 5 km to the north-east of the Kathmandu city on the bank of holy Bagmati River where on its ghat the Hindu and Buddhist dead bodies are cremated with ceremonies. It is in a pagoda style with golden roof. The literal meaning of Pashupatinath is the Lord of all animals.
It is the holiest temple complex for the Hindus in Nepal with more than 520 temples. It covers a huge area of about 265 hectares of land. There are different beliefs and stories behind its origin.
Then, we visit Boudhanath Temple Complex (5th century largest stupa in Asia) not very far from Pashupatinath Temple.
Boudhnath Stupa is the biggest stupa in Asia with high status of UNESCO World Heritage site. It is believed that the stupa was built during the Lichhabi era in the 5th century. In the early 50’s, the Tibetans who fled away from Tibet preferred to live here around the stupa reminding their Jokhang Temple of Lhasa where they could make kora (circumambulation) every morning and evening. The kora is a memorable sight at the Boudhnath worth enjoying every day. As a result, there is a strong settlement of Tibetans with more than 50 beautifully decorated Buddhist monasteries around.
In the afternoon, scenic drive to Bhaktapur. It is 13 km east of Kathmandu nicely located on a plateau.
Bhaktapur – a typical Newar township located about 13 km east of the Kathmandu city. There is a good road connection. It is about 30 min drive. Your visit to the town will take you back in time to the medieval era. Every nook and corner is so beautiful with the traditional housing with intricate timeless woodcarvings. The lovely site of new mothers giving mustard oil massage to their new born babies in the hot sun in the open air is an unforgettable moment. Even the culture specialists find Bhaktapur so interesting and so cultural beyond their words. The more you see, the longer you will wish to spend here. It is a special place to visit. Make sure you will not miss this place when you are on tour in Nepal.
Later afternoon, drive back to hotel and overnight.
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Day 03: DRIVE KATHMANDU - ARUGHAT (700 m): 7-8 HRS
Today, after early morning breakfast, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and drive to the bus park and drive to Arughat. Or, we could also take private vehicle to Arughat as an alternative for the faster and comfortable drive. Arughat Bazaar is a beautiful small Newar township in the Gorkha District which used to be one of the trade centers connecting Kathmandu – Trishuli - Pokhara when there was no road between Kathmandu and Polhara at all. Arughat is famous for the trekkers en route to Annapurna Circuit Trek and Manasalu Circuit Trek as it offers a good starting point for trekking. Overnight at Arughat in a tea house.
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Day 04: START TREK ARUGHAT - SOTI KHOLA(730 m): 5-6 HRS
Today, we start our trek from Arughat to Soti Khola by crossing a bridge over the Budhi Gandaki River. Actually, we take north direction and walk along the west bank of the river. The, we head towards the Arkhet River walking through the lovely villages like Mangaltar and Shanti Bazaar. After crossing a suspension bridge over the Arkhet River, our walk goes steep uphill amking the walk tougher. Our continuous walk will take us to Khurenipani, from where down hill walk starts and we reach Soti Khola finally. Overnight in a tea house in Soti Khola.
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Day 05: TREK SOTI KHOLA - MACHHA KHOLA (930 m): 5-6 HRS
After breakfast, we follow a scenic trail by crossing the bridge over the Soti River. The trail goes through a dense subtropical forest of Sal trees (shorea robusta). The trail we follow is full of several ups and downs. En route, we pass by some beautiful waterfalls where we could a short rest and start again walking on an uphill trail passing by the picturesque rice field and reach a small settlement called Lapubesi. Lapubesi is a lovely village inhabited mainly by the Gurung people. We further continue following an uphill path along the bank of the Budhi Gandaki River and reach Khanibesi Vilage where there is a lovely waterfall. From the Kahanibesi Village, a downhill trail takes us to Machhakhola Village. The literal meaning of Machkhola is the river with fish. The best thing of Machakhola is its nice hot water spring where we could have a good relaxation. Overnight in a teahouse in Machhakhola Village.
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Day 06: TREK MACHAKHOLA - JAGAT (1,410 m): 6 HRS
Today, we are supposed to reach Jagat. After breakfast, we again follow a narrow trail along the Budhi Gandaki River. The walk is full of several uphill and downhill trails. After crossing a bridge, we reach Khorlabesi. From here, the view of the Ganesh Himal is fascinating. Again we continue our walk along several uphill and downhill trails and reach Tatopani. After following a trail with several uphill and downhill paths along the Budhi Gandaki River, we reach Dobhan and cross a suspension bridge over the Dobhan River. Then, we follow a rocky trail and cross a long suspension bridge over the Yaru River. This time, we cross a bridge over the roaring Budhi Gandaki River. Ultimately, as we keep walking along the west bank of the river, we finally arrive at Jagat. The view of Shringi Himal is beyond our expression. Overnight in a teahouse in Jagat.
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Day 07: TREK JAGAT - DENG (1,800 m): 6-7 HRS
It is at Jagat we have to undergo our entry permit verification at MCAP Office. After the needful processing, we continue our journey to Salleri by following an uphill trail on the rocky ridge. Then, our trail will follow the river belt of the Budhi Gandaki River and takes us to Sirdibas. Our further walk will require us to cross a suspension bridge over the Budhi Gandaki River.Then, we start to ascend by a trail to Philim, a beautiful Gurung Village. The further trail passes by beautiful settlements like Chisopani and Eklebhatti. From here, our walk starts descending to a junction with Ghap and the Tsum Valley. Here, without taking the trail to the Tsum Valley, we cross the bridge and head northeast towards Larkya La (pass) by crossing the bridge. Then we follow the river trail on the east bank and cross the bridge and walk along the west bank. The trail also passes through the beautiful bamboo forest and finally takes us to Deng. Overnight at teahouse in Deng.
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Day 08: TREK DENG - GHAP (2,160 m): 6-7 HRS
Today, after breakfast, we continue our walk northwest by following the bank of the Budhi Gandaki River towards Bihi. At Bihi, there are two trails, but ultimately meed at Ghap once again. However, to save our time, we follow the trail following the northern bank of the Budhi Gandaki River. The walk is exciting. We walk through the big canyons and finally reach Ghap. Overnight at tea house in Ghap.
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Day 09: TREK GHAP - LHO (2630 m): 6-7 HRS
Today, we take a trail on the southern bank of the Budhi Gandaki River featuring beautiful wilderness full of fir and rhododendron trees. Interestingly, we keep crossing bridges several times sometime to reach the southern bank and sometime to the northern bank. At this point also, there are two trails leading to the Namrung Village. However, the route following the river belt passing through the pine forest is easier and shorter. We keep passing by small lovely settlements like Banjam, Lihi and Sho. Ultimately, we arrive at Lho. Overnight at teahouse in Lho.
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Day 10: TREK LHO – SAMA GAON (3,530 m)
Today, we walk to Shyala village through the lovely pine and rhododendron forest. From The Shyala Village is surrounded by the beautiful mountains and glacier. From here the view of the mountains like Manaslu, Nadi Chuli, Ganesh Himal and Himal Chuli are unforgettable. The view of Punggen Glacier is also lovely from Shyala. Then, we cross the Numla Khola (small river) and walk up to the village of Sama. Sama is mainly inhabited by the Lama people with the Tibetan origin. So, the lifestyle and culture of Sama is similar to the Tibetan style. Overnight at teahouse Sama Gaon.
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Day 11: REST DAY FOR ACCLIMATIZATION
Most of the trekkers prefer to have a rest day at Sama Gaun. As the height of the trek is going to increase day by day from Sama Gaun, it is wise to take rest at Sama Gaun. The rest days can be well spent in Sama Gaun by exploring the village, its people and culture, its agriculture pattern, etc. Or, we could visit the nearby Pung Gyan Gompa with a mild walk. Overnight at tea house in Sama Gaun.
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Day 12: TREK SAMA GAUN - SAMDO (3,690 m):
After a full day rest, a new enthusiasm will lead you walk faster. We take a scenic trail along the west bank of the Budhi Gandaki River to reach Samdo. En route, we come to a junction from where the trail separates. One is to Larkya La and the other to the Manaslu Base Camp. We follow our trail to Larkya La. The trail is full of wild orchids, rhododendron trees, magnolia and so on. At the end of the day, before we enter into the Samdo Village, we cross a bridge over the Budhi Gandaki River. Overnight at a teahouse at Samdo.
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Day 13: TREK SAMDO - LARKYA REST HOUSE (4,470 m):
Today’s destination of ours does not have any name, we have kept its name after the tea house available here. After breakfast, we mildly walk along a downhill trail that takes us to the bridge over the Budhi Gandaki River. During the trek, we crossed several bridges over the Budhi Gandaki River. However, this bridge is the last one we cross today. Then, we walk further to the Larkya Rest House. En route to Larkya Rest House, we pass by beautiful mani walls and lovely stone huts and arrive at Larke Phedi (also called Dharmasala). The teahouses are operated here
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Day 14: TREK LARKYA REST HOUSE - BIMTHANG (3,720 m):
This morning, we will find ourselves a little more excited as we are going to cross over the highest pass of this route. That is Larkya La (5,160 m). It is going to be a long day of about 8-9 hours. We need a good preparation for the same backed by a good packed lunch. We should get up early and have breakfast early and start early in the morning in order to skip the probable afternoon windstorm on the high pass. We follow the trail along the north side of the Larkya Glacier by walking over the glacier moraine and four frozen lakes. Before we reach the pass, we follow a steep path and finally reach the Larkya Pass. The Larkya La with its board with the mention of its height and venerated with the prayer flags and khadas by the trekkers pops up in front of you to welcome you to the pass when you are breathing high. The pass offers stunning view of the high mountains around you. Our happiness knows no bound. It is a great experience of being able to conquer the Larkya La with a height of 5,160 m. After an abrupt descent from the pass, we now trek west on a high moraine ridge. The trail now goes down towards a bit grassy moraine of Dangboche Kharka. We then slowly walk down to Bimthang, a small psychologically relieving village with a hope for a good night’s rest and nice food. Overnight at teahouse in Bimthang.
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Day 15: TREK BIMTHANG - DHARAPANI (1,860 m):
From Bimthang, first we walk along the Bimthang glacier heading towards the southern direction. As we continue our walk, pass through the beautiful wilderness with rhododendron and pine trees. Then, through Sangure Kharka, we reach farmland of Kharche. From Kharche, we follow the river bank of Dudh Khola (stream) which leads us to Tilje where we cross a bridge before we reach the village of Dharapani. In the evening, a visit to Sangey Choling Monastery can be arranged which is one of the best view point to enjoy the magnificence of Mt Manaslu. Overnight at teahouse in Dharapani.
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Day 16: TREK DHARAPANI - BAHUNDANDA (1,310 m):
Dharapani is a junction of two trails. One goes to Annapurna Circuit Trek and the other goes to Manaslu Circuit Trek. It is also a river confluence of Dudh Khola and Marsyangdi River. Today, we walk along a trail with some uphill and downhill trail which takes us to Tal, a small village with a beautiful waterfall. We further continue our walk and cross a lovely suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi River at Chamje. Then, we follow a trail along the Marsyangdi River belt and pass by small settlements like Syange and Ghermu and finally arrive at Bahundanda. If we wish we can also enjoy a relaxing dip into the hot water spring here enabling us to forget all the
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Day 17: TREK BAHUNDANDA - BESISAHAR (7,60 m)
Today is the last day of our trek that ends at Besisahar. We continue our walk to Nagdi Bazaar crossing over the suspension bridge over Nagdi River. Then, our further downhill walk will lead us to Bulbule where there is a beautiful waterfall. Bulbule is the last view point from where we can enjoy the magnificent view of the peaks like Manaslu, Him Chuli and Nagdi peak. As we are passing along the low height area, the view of the terraced field of rice assures we are certainly at a lower area. When we reach Besisahar, we check in to a lodge and celebrate our successful Manaslu trek with nice dinner and drinks. Overnight at a lodge in Besisahar.
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Day 18: DRIVE BESISAHAR - KATHMANDU (1,300 m): 7-8 HRS
After breakfast, take a tourist bus or a private vehicle (as per package) to Kathmandu through the winding hilly road of Nepal. After our arrival at Kathmandu, transfer to your hotel and rest for the day or active again for shopping or strolling around. Evening, we meet again to go to a Nepali restaurant to enjoy the farewell dinner over which we could chat on the shortcomings and achievements of the trek. Tibet Kailash Treks (P) Ltd. always looks forward to the support of our clients with their invaluable feedback which will undoubtedly help us improve our approach for our future visitors.
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Day 19: Departure day
Today is our last day in Kathmand, Nepal. After breakfast, free until your departure time for the airport to get your onward or homeward flight connected on time.
HAPPY JOURNEY!!
98510 22507 (Mahendra)
