Luxury Manaslu Circuit trek

Welcome to the chaos of Kathmandu. Our team needs you at the airport in a private luxury feagle to skip the taxi hassle, whisking you away to the five-star haven.

This is your “Strategy Day”, while you decompress from this flight, we are in the bedrooms finalising your Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and checking every piece of gear. Think of this as the claim before the 16-day storm.

Today is a Vibes check for your legs and a feast for your eyes.  There will be a certified guide for your assistance to go through the ancient mysteries of the Kathmandu Valley, from “Monkey Temple, (Swayambhunath) to the massive stupa of Bouddhanath.

It’s a day of deep history and light walking mint to get your head in the game while your body address to the Nepali Rhythm. We finish with a briefing over a high and welcome dinner, where we map out the grit ahead.

Forget the trauma of public bus; today we are in a private luxury 4WD. We trade the city asphalt for the rugged dirt of the Gorkha district, in the Budhi Gandaki river, through The Emerald green various cascading waterfalls. 

It’s gonna be a long drive, you might be tired, but there is a silver lining cause the ride is private,  the trip will be a scenic one,  you will be in a private Jeep, so relax, you can stretch your legs forward, lean backward while feeling the air through you hair and head, and you will be in fresh mountain air. 

You will feel like you have never been energized like this before.

The boots officially hit the dirt today. We trek along the river, crossing a suspension bridge that sways over the white water rapids until we reach the stone-paved village of Jagat.

It feels like a handcrafted by the own hands of Nature’s architect, the landscape, the topography, and the climate, along with culture feels heavenly.

It’ll make you feel like stepping into a piece of heaven, despite the ruggedness of nature.

It’s a point for our check-in, so that we can get officially registered in the database of the government, which signals our entry into the region of restricted area.

It’s a privilege, cause now you’re not just a casual tourist, but you’re more than that, you’re a authoried explorer on one of the most protected trails in the world.

You remember right? The training we asked you to do other articles for your trek to the restricted region. Well, well, you get to use your steel-conditioned like muscle fibres and bones in here cause you’ll need it.

Trust me, the trails, they are harsh, like the ruthless PT teacher or a martial coach, if you want example, and you watch movies than remember Forestt Gump?, the scene where drill sergeant asks with so much intensity and ruthless voice?, who doesn’t hold themselves back or doesn’t let you to holdback and keeps pushing you until you finally make it? Now the trail is the sergeant, and you’re the Gump, my friend.

This is what it feels like on the trail. 

You think and feel like it’s near cause the legs think it’s covered too much and are fatigued, but nope, there’s still more. The calves will scream right with the very first major series of the ups and downs, and all the way across the bamboo forests and Gurung settlements, which, like a Time Capsule, has remained unhinged.

As you move even when your feet trembles from exhaustion, and deep into the gorge where the walls are high and river is loud, and when you finally reach Deng, and put down your pack and lean back your body and breath feels like a engine on top gear, every inch of your body feels like is pounding and expanding, but holy shit, the scenario’s even when you wanna close your eyes shut from fatigue you’ll still struggle and try to keep it open just to admire it, it you’ll be like “wow! The fatigue and tremblin of my leg was worth it” thats how it’s gonna feel my friend, 

The trip is a highlight; it’s a highlight in itself, but this day is one of the major highlights of the trip. The elevation has gone up more than 700m, and it impacts the surroundings.

The air is thinner, crispier, and drier as you reach towards the upper reaches of the Nupri region.

The trail takes you through the rhododendron forests, which look blazing red in spring, and past the Mani walls carved with ancient prayers. 

Namrung is your gateway to the Tibetan culture; it just feels like opening a portal door to the next world, completely. 

Seems like a flip, but pristine, seems alive and full of spirit, sitting high enough to make you feel like and scream loud when on edge, “I’m in the Himalayas.”

It’ll give you chills, buddy.

It’s been almost a week since the commencement, and it’s almost near the 50% of the whole trek, and by now you have been through a few here and there ups and downs, rough and ruggedness of the trip.

Basically, you are aware of what the true nature of the trail is like.

You’ve felt the muscle in your legs, stretching and tightening, breathing heavy and shallower at times, but most of all, you’ve felt alive like never before, which is a great thing.

And since it’s been a week, some thoughts might strike you like “yuck! I thought I paid for luxury, but all I gotta do is keep walking on these trails?.

When it’s time to move, you’ll be light on luggage, remember the luxury?

Yup, this is exactly what you paid for. If you had thought luxury meant hi-speed wifi or some sorta automatic robotic heating bed, then that’s a fairytale, buddy, in here getting to drink sips of hot water is the luxury, when you feel like the cold’s gonna smack the heat outta you, getting to sit beside the firelog, that is the luxury, getting to stay alive is the luxury. This is what you paid for.

But whatever you feel, oftentimes, be it low, joy, enraged, or whatever and innumerable flood of emotions. When you step on the soil of the Lho Gaun, the Ribung monastery appears in front of your eyes like a golden sentinel, with the double peak of Mt. Manaslu (8,163m).

You’ll feel humbled, blessed, and calm to be alive and have completed the trip of the day, and thankful when you finally catch your breath and lean back for support.

So, mate, it’s the 8th day since you started your Luxury Manaslu Circuit Trek. You’ve been across the trail, took in the breath of fresh air and visuals of the beauties, somewhere thoughts like “oh, I can’t do it” or “oh, it’s not what I thought of, it’s way too hassle” might have popped inside your brain, and it’s obvious when the vicinity changes. But that’s the motto or something you’re striving for, innit?

Like whatever comes on the trail, good, bad, awesome, or downright ugly, the aim is to experience, that’s what you paid for, not just some personalized service. Everything and anything on the trail is part of your experience, built using your time, your precious time in your life. So if something feels off, then don’t feel like it’s left a bad taste in the mouth, aight? You still gotta keep moving cause it’s gonna be beautiful down the line.

And on this day you’ll be heading for Samagaun, just like the title says, “The Heart of the Spirit”, which it is, and remember, the title don’t lie, mate. It is the Capital of the Upper Valley. You might even just be standing there still for some time after you get there, just because of the way it is, greenery, yak pastures, stone houses which seem like, maybe, really soulful or art of time, the way it has stood there, locals in Tibetan dress, and the air, just wow, scented by juniper. 

Have faith and patience, and trust me when I say, coming from a former guide himself, you’ll begin to feel relief after a few moments of stepping in here. Even if you had been through a rough time just a week ago, your mind will crave and force you to soak in it and make you feel healed.

Ever heard of the line “The world’s a stage”?

Well, it is now, and on one of the very high altitudes, even if not the highest. 

It’s the basecamp, sitting at 4,800m, might not be that high compared to peaks but still thats a 4.8 km, straight up in the air searing the atmosphere and with thin air, cause you know, elevation sickness kicks in after exceeding 2,500m and this right here it is nearly twice as that and you’re in it, trynna stay alive, in one of highest himalayan range of the world to go forward and it’s no less than a world-stage, and that’s why we call it “The Base Camp Audition”.

But ironically, it’s not a stage of drama club from high school or college, it’s a stage of Mother Nature you came for, and daring to challenge and being able to survive is the real act.

You’ve gotta have heart and lungs of iron to survive in here, cause it feels like lung crushing at such elevation.

It feels like every breath you take, every sec you exhale, it’s being taxed by nature, and it’s grueling.

So when you see the article and when you click it, read the lines cause it’s written for a reason and purpose to serve, cause when you read it saves time and most importanly live.

Now, the day before the audition, y’all remember, don’t ya?

So even if it might have felt like it’s taking your breath away literally and physically, making you gassed out and even dizzy and fuzzy, your body had kept record and imprints knowing how to use it when you need it most, which is today.

See, it was all about building the adaptability and acclimatization for your body. If it wasn’t for the trip the day earlier, You my friend, would literally not be here walking cause that ascent made your physique and psyche ready for what you’re dealing with today.

Your trek, till this point, looks much more raw and unforgiving than before. You’ve come to a high-altitude desert where trees have officially surrendered. Do you understand what that means? It means it’s unapologetically harsh, replaced by nothing but brown earth, white peaks, and wind that screams when you face the mountain, like it’s trynna extract your very soul.

This ain’t no tourist village, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a survival outpost settled by Tibetan refugees, a crucial trading hub sitting just right on the edge of the map.

Seems like the end of civilization from what you are usually used to, isn’t it? But rather it’s the last point of civilization before you hit the true untamed wilderness. 

You might be feeling the air tax hitting your pocket hard today,  and those thoughts from the day might be swirling back. But remember what we said, this is the path that saves lives. While the Drama club trekkers might be complaining about the dust, you’re here to witness the art of survival in its pure form. Every stone house here is a Testament to your grit; you have been building for the last 10 days.

This is your wall, you’re standing on the perimeter of the known world, looking at what a pass that doesn’t care about luxury preferences. So, grab a seat by the fire, drink that hot water, the real luxury, and prep your mind.

Tomorrow we flex the China border, but tonight you’re sleeping in the shadow of the Frontier, proving you have the responsibility to be here. 

On this day too, the elevation has risen significantly, and most of the trekking groups treat this as an optional or rest day, sitting and relaxing at teahouses, nursing their sore legs and cramps, playing cards.

But we’ll be moving, you’ll be standing at Rui La (5,098m). It’ll be a fascinating sight to see, with Nepal on one side of the Stone pillar and Tibet (China) on the other.

It’s mysterious, vast, and forbidden. Describe the “View into the Void, the height of the Tibetan Plateau looks different than Nepal, it’s flatter, colder, and looks like the surface of the moon. 

Another important side to this ascension is the psychological one. Reaching such an astonishing altitude, the human brain just perceives surrounding differently, seeing a 5,000m wall sitting with its massive space-capturing size, you’ll feel humbled and vulnerable, and realize humans truly are spec of dirt in front of nature’s architecture. 

But on the bright side, you can now call yourself “Alpinist”. Stay there for a while, you want, click pictures,  and flex it.

And as per the rule, like we say, “Climb high, sleep low”.

Today, it’s about positioning. We move from Samdo to Dharamsala, also known as Larkya Phedi.

This isn’t a luxury stop, but rather more of a reality at the base of the pass. Cold air, gritty outpost, thin oxygen, but high anticipation.

Luxury had left the chat, but something will stick with you, and that’s the “personalized service”, with a warm sleeping bag and a steady rhythm of your own breathing. Yeah, getting to breathe steadily at this altitude is a luxury in itself.

You’ll get some fresh and early bites, not for taste obviously, but for fuel to your body. Check the headlamp batteries, they are the life support in here, lamp goes off, support’s out.

The chilliness of the mountain is constantly watching you trynna hit your nerve in the silence of isolation. But you’ll sleep sound cause you’ve got your body and mind through enough, and it’ll ask or even force you to have some shuteye.

When the dawn cracks, we’ll be preparing for the gear and make up our mind, while the whole world sleeps under the thick rug of oxygen in the valley, we’ll be on the edge, waiting for the door to open.

“‘Ringgggg”’’’’

Wakeup, daredevil 

It’s 3 am, alarm, to your call to arms and step on the rock.

Y’all step into the sub-zero void, click on the button of your headlamp, tear the darkness that was dominating it like it owns the earth, which it did, but now we’re here.

It’s a siege- a slow rhythmic grind through frozen moraine where each inhale and exhale is a battle against the “Air Tax”. 

But keep your heads high, and aim for what awaits, the unfolding of the visuals into the theatre of giants, a panoramic one, Annapurna and Himlung standing there, as a witness to your grit, like a coach, watching his student showing him what you’ve got to be it.

The adrenaline is high, which is what and why, even when all hell broke loose for your body, your brain pushed it even when knee felt like it got punished and are about to quit.

Your joints be protesting and lungs burning, but your mind feels victorious.

You’ve faced the wall, paid the price, and earned your place among the high peaks.

And please do remember to descend on time, as it’s unpredictable at such a high level, as situations like snowstorms might occur due to unstable weather.

And don’t forget to snap the pics, for the appreciation of what you have achieved, and earned (Larkya La Pass), it is and will be a memory of your lifetime.

Look around, it feels unreal, frozen like in a fantasy, like sth dropped from heaven on earth. Touch it, feel it, and most of all, live it.

This right here it’s moment, you might never get to live again.

But, it’s time, time to get down, I’m sure at some point in here you’ll get the feeling of “Wish I could stay forever”, but gotta keep moving on, right?

And that’s the beauty of being born as a human, the beauty you saw today might not stay tomorrow or be even more beautiful tomorrow, but not like this exact day you loved it, which makes the moment a necessity to be captured and lived.

So, descending and leaving it behind too, is beautiful cause everything that was frozen up there gradually comes to life as you drop from the glaciers of Bhimtang and get through the vibrant burst of colors of the rhododendron. 

And your body will feel blessed at most. Your lungs will feel supercharged, and you’ll feel more energized.

We‘ll halt in Gho, the tranquility, it just feels like your body trynna absorb from the thick air, and before you get some shuteye, your mind will play the reels in your head from the spots of trail where you stepped every second.

Packing up your stuff, grabbing the morning bite with a few sips of tea, this is it, it’s the end of the trip, beautiful in its own way, natural, harsh, and uncaring, just rugged, raw, and pure nature.

It’s gonna feel like, “It just started yesterday, and now it’s already time to go too.”

It’ll be a short morning hike, the chilly, gentle breeze touching the face like it’s waving a goodbye, we’ll be continuing up until the checkpoint arrives, obviously to check out, so our records are in the books, at Dharapani officially.

It’s time to step into the jeep now. This could have been a multi-day walk if it weren’t a luxury trip, but since it’s a luxury trip, you get to get back in the jeep, which you paid for, and the personalized service, for your comfort.

If we go north from here, we’ll meet the Annapurna Circuit Trail; this too is an option if you wish to extend and start this new trip.

Watching outta the window and back, it feels like you’re doing a handshake with the whole Annapurna region, a humble gesture of Goodbye and farewell, showing your gratitude to nature. 

Yup, you did it. Conquered the Manaslu Circuit, walked through the unforgiving nature, tasted the authentic flavours, got to share stories with your companion guide and porters in the team. It’s been a wonderful walk beside, and it is truly a victory lap in the Manaslu Round Trek.

The mountains recede, hiding behind the hills, the reality of what you’ve done and a sense of accomplishment starts to sink in. 

Lying back on the seat as the gentle breeze touches your face, you’ll smirk and even smile with eyes closed, being happy inside, and say ‘’oh! I loved it.”

Who knows, a drop of tear might make it’s way from the corner of your eye, not because you’re sad or you lost something but you got to live something so touching, so humanely raw, close to the rawest nature you had ever felt and it’s true, when people get immersed into deep nature the mix of joy and poignant feelings make the tear just make it’s way even when heart an chest feels full of joy.