Manaslu Trekking : 18-20 days
Located in Nepal's Gorkha District and rising 8,163 meters, Mt. Manaslu lies just east of the famed Annapurna Region and shares a border with its northern neighbour, Tibet. Opened to trekkers recently, Manaslu's unsurpassed beauty and rich, cultural traditions offer the dedicated trekker a genuine adventure.

Proceeding counter-clockwise around the base of Manaslu, you will begin your trek from the historical city of Gorkha (1,800m). Distant Himal views will tease you for several days as you rise and fall through numerous valleys, along panoramic ridges.

Populated by various peoples, including the celebrated Gorkha soldiers, and giving life to endless fields of dan (rice), kodo (millet) and makai (corn), among others, the trail offers brief glimpses into the simple lives and ancient ways of the areas inhabitants.

Here, the trekking is moderately strenuous with ample opportunity to stop, relax and catch your breath amidst a land seemingly lost in an earlier era.
In a few days, the Himal disappear from view as you descend into the Gandaki River Valley and proceed upstream. Fed by innumerable rivers and waterfalls, the rushing, rumbling tumult of the Gandaki's frigid waters accent the silence of towering pines and lush bamboo groves.

Depending on the time of year in which you trek, riverside lunches bathed in a warming sunlight will provide a welcome break along this relatively easy portion of the trail. Be forewarned, however, certain sections are rather precariously placed.

By the end of your first week, will find yourself in the village of Phillim at an altitude of nearly 2,700m. From here, your trek takes on a decidedly different flavour. As the landscape becomes rocky and mountainous, the weather cooler, and the local culture more closely linked to Tibet, the trail cuts through a land of nomadic peoples, yaks Buddhist Gumpas and towering, snow -capped peaks.
During the day, the sun shines with clear intensity, while the nights are a bit more than cold. Moreover, villages and people become less frequent as the trekking becomes fairly strenuous. At this point, you are more likely to pass a yak, a cow, or a sheep along the trail, rather than a person.

Roughly eleven days into your adventure, you will arrive at the village call Samagau (3450m). Having over one hundred and fifty houses, Samagau is surprising large and bustles with the energy of remote village life. When planning your trek, consider stopping here one full day.

Also, as you leave Samagaon, consider taking the brief one-hour side trip to see Lake-Birendra, Named after Nepal's king when he officially opened the area in 1992, this pristine, glacial lake glistens in a frigid green. From here, you will ascend slowly, passing through the villages of Samdo, (3900m) and Lakya Bazar 4,400m) before crossing Larkya Pass.

A scant fifteen kilometres from the border, Samdo is the site of a Tibetan refugee camp and affords you a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Tibetan people, while stark white, snow-capped Himal loom, they contrast sharply with the rough and arid northern terrain which rises to constitute the Tibetan plateau.
From Larkya Bazar, a half-day hike up the two hills situated directly behind the single brick building, which is the town, reveals the surrounding mountains in their pristine grandeur.

Following Larkya Bazaar, the trail rises to over 5,200m as you cross Larkya Pass under the glow of soft, winless moonlight and twinkling stars. Buttressed by peaks reaching over 6,500m and covered by snow year round, Larkya pass commands your utmost energies and respect.

Having crossed the pass, you will quickly descend through an area whose vegetation is at once both alpine and tropical. Long-needled pines are draped in soft, fine ferns. Maples and elms share ground with bamboo. Frigid, rocky steams are beached by cotton-white, limestone sand. Glacier lakes glisten with an aqua-blue green. And colors, sights, silence and sounds embrace every turn of this gently sloping section of the trail.

With your arrival in Dharapani (1,943m) on day sixteen (16), the Himal will disappear behind the brown, rocky, waterfalls cliffs which form the Marsyangdi River Valley, Hotels and restaurants re-appear and trekkers heading out for Annapurna share the trail. As you wind your way to finishing in Beshishar (823m), the trail, and the ridges which it crosses, seems to recede endlessly, timelessly in the distance, calling you to walk forever.