Rambling to Manaslu Trek

Rambling to Manaslu Trek is an excerpt by an independent blogger, “Paul Akshye Ramble”, his experiences and learnings in the Manaslu Region of Nepal.

Getting there – Rambling to Manaslu

The trek starts at a slightly awkward location and I had to take the early morning local bus from Kathmandu to Dhading, and then Dhading to Arkhet bazaar, which really gave me the feeling of entering into the Wild West of Nepal. Alternatively you can take the direct local bus from Kathmandu to Arughat Bazaar and take the next bus to Arkhet Bazaar. Arriving late in the evening in Arkhet Bazaar or Arughat Bazaar, the choice of hotels isn’t varied and in terms of quality they are rather similar – sparse but comfortable – with the room prices ranging from a hundred to five hundred rupees a night. Foreigners need to have acquired their MCAP permit in advance as there are permit checks on the way.

What to expect in the Manaslu Trek

Don’t expect too much rambling to Manaslu trek, but know what you need.

The first day departing on the trek from Arkhet bazaar you are walking in the riverine valley of the Budhi Gandaki, the mist swirls above the pounding mighty waterway that is making its way to the floodplains. Surprisingly, you are only at around 900 meters above sea level, which made me apprehensive about reaching the Larke La pass which is at 5100 meters. You start in the heart of Gurung culture, who are primarily farmers and live off the fertile lands of the valley.

I reached Larke La pass while rambling to Manaslu Trek. I got the feeling of the mountains gradually swallowing me into their depths. I walked over hours of sandy beaches while looking up at the towering sides of the valley to catch glimpses of snow peaks towering further on and sometimes climbed up the sides of the valley, going through the Gurung villages that resemble the nature of the mountains – so precariously are they perched on the mountain sides.

Letting go of the modern world expectations at Manaslu

By the fifth day you start letting go of the trappings and expectations of the modern world and really start getting in tune with nature, waking and sleeping with the Sun. As we continue our gradual ascent I came to a fork in the trail and to my right and East is Tsum Valley, long considered a ‘baeyul’ or hidden land, home to the Tsumbas, who’s main livelihood is trade with the Kyirong region of Tibet, which lies across two passes at the head of the Shar Khola.

According to Tibetan Buddhism, which is prominent in this area, Padmasambava and Milarepa are said to have visited the valley and this region offers fabulous vistas of Ganesh Himal, Sringi Himal, Baudha Himal and Himalchuli. However, I didn’t have the time to explore this valley and instead spent that day turning West towards the entrance of the Nubri Valley which is where I entered a land that is completely different to what I had left.

Here the culture is predominantly Tibetan and we start walking around prayer walls and entering gateways with Tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the strong evening winds. The Nubri valley trek is in complete contrast with the Buddhi Gandaki valley, the snow peaks surround you, Yaks skittishly break into a fight out of nervousness which generally sent me running up a tree or on a high rock, people have stopped saying, ‘Namaste’ and instead gaily shout out, ‘Tashi delek’, women now wear colourful aprons, and snotty nosed little lama boys skip down mountain sides in red robes.

As you trek through this beautiful valley past ‘chortens’, walking clockwise around ‘mani walls’, passing under the shadows of the massive silent hulks of monasteries which house hundreds of monks, you look West and see Manaslu at over 8,000 meters and the eighth highest mountain in the world, it finally sinks in that you are truly are in the Abode of the Gods, or is it the lack of oxygen? Rambling to Manaslu was never meant to be easy, was it?

To my right and North I was pointed out the frozen snow covered passes through which trade between Nepal and the Tibetan plateau is done. At the foot of Larke La pass is a glacier and my fellow trekkers woke up at four in the morning to cross the pass, however, I needed my coffee and waited till six and got to Bhimtang by midday – slightly petrified, as on the way I had spent most of my time on my butt sliding down precariously too near the edge of the mountain numerous times.

The view is gorgeous with a beautiful glacial lake on the way down, but Bhimtang’s beauty was what took me by surprise, here was a little settlement where I felt the beauty of the Himalayas took on a different definition, maybe it was the time spent in the mountains and the joy of hot water showers or a decently priced beer – I’m not sure, but I promised myself to go back.

The next day I spent walking down to Dharapani and from there you can get a ride on the back of a Jeep for a thousand rupees to Beshisaher which I found extremely entertaining.

Manaslu was truly a gorgeous trek with so much to see and observe with the right amount of challenges, luxuries and hospitality along the way. I would recommend it to everyone and promise that you will love every moment of it.

What to eat while rambling to Manaslu trek

I spent my evenings eating daal bhaat tarkari (rice, lentils and vegetables), dhedo and sisnu (millet and stinging nettle soup) and every now and then Buffalo sukuti (Buffalo jerky). Meat is not in common supply as I wasn’t on a package or organized trek. In the Nubri valley I had my first daal bhaat with Yak meat, accompanied with the ever present, and potent, rice rakshi (rice spirit). An occasional warm rakshi is definitely recommended in the upper reaches of the trek – a simple boon in the Abode of the Gods. Rambing to Manaslu trek has definitely been a blessing.

Happy ramblings – Paul

About the Author: Paul Akshye Ramble

Strong believer of Life is incomplete without travel, Paul has been living and working is Nepal for about 5 years. During his stay in Nepal, he traveled to unveil the mysteries of the enchanting mountains. He was mesmerized with the travel and he expressed his experience in words.

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