Manaslu Base Camp trekking is the best activity for you if you’re looking to explore the mountains in Nepal. One of the peaks that you will get to spot during the journey is Mount Manaslu, which is also known as the Spirit Mountain, or the Mountain of the Spirit, depending on the translation. You should definitely go for Manaslu Base Camp trekking during Nepal trip.
Manaslu Base Camp Trekking
Manaslu Base Camp Trekking takes you to one of the most exciting destinations in the Manaslu Region – Manaslu Base Camp. Situated at an altitude of 4800 m, it serves as the base camp to Mount Manaslu. It is the eighth highest mountain in the world, with a height of 8163 m. During your Manaslu Base Camp trek package, you come across so many attractions. The first among them is mountain views. On the Manaslu Base Camp trek, you get to enjoy views of peaks such as Manaslu, Himchuli, Ngadichuli, and so on. As Manaslu Base Camp trekking route is so close to the Annapurna region, during some parts of the trip, you get to enjoy the views of Dhaulagiri, Machapuchhre, peaks on the Annapurna massif, and so on. In the same way, the other natural spectacles that you would come across during the journey includes Manaslu Conservation Area.
Manaslu Conservation Area is one of the richest protected areas in Nepal, when it comes to the population of rare and endangered animals, birds and other creatures living in the area. Altogether, there are 33 species of mammals, 110 species of birds, 3 species of reptiles, 2000 species of flowering plants, and many other types of flora and fauna living in the region. During your Manaslu Base Camp trekking, you’ll definitely come across a few of these. Apart from the living creatures, Manaslu Conservation Area is also home to numerous natural spectacles like mountains, lakes and rivers, glaciers and icefalls, waterfalls, forests, high altitude passes, hills, and so many more. You will come across numerous viewpoints during your Manaslu Base Camp trekking, and from these attractive spots you’ll get to enjoy the views of these spectacles.
Manaslu Conservation Area and Manaslu region altogether is blessed with not just natural attractions but also cultural and religious heritages. You will realize during your Manaslu Base Camp trekking that the region is influenced highly by Buddhism. On the route, you will come across structures like chortens, manis, mani walls, gompas, stupas, monasteries, and so on that signify Buddhism. If not these, you will at least find places wrapped in prayer flags. You will come across numerous villages, and in these settlement areas, you will find people belonging to indigenous tribes like Sherpa, Gurung, Magar, and so on. You will also come across people who migrated from Tibet to Nepal decades ago. And though not indigenous, these people have been calling Nepal their home ever since. These people have unique cultures, traditions, and lifestyle.
It is an absolute pleasure to get to know them, and their way of life. Manaslu Base Camp trekking offers you all these attractions and many more. To get to experience all of these, all you have to do is take a leap of faith. It’s a guarantee that you’ll love the journey. Now, there are two versions of Manaslu Base Camp trekking – the longer version and the shorter version. The former one is basically Manaslu Circuit trek route, with Manaslu Base Camp, added as one of the attractions. The latter one makes you cover only a segment of the route, along with Manaslu Base Camp. Overall, Manaslu Base Camp trekking route borrows a large section, almost 90%, of its path from Manaslu Circuit trek, and so, a lot of times, the former one is considered as a side trek of the latter one. Whatever the case, Manaslu Base Camp trekking is a great trip.
Tsum Valley Trek
Quite like Manaslu Base Camp trekking, Tsum Valley trek route borrows a large section of its path from Manaslu Circuit Trek. And so, a lot of times, Tsum Valley trek is also considered as a side trek to the same. There are two approaches to this journey. Either you could cover the entire Manaslu Circuit trek route, and in the process, also take a walk around Tsum Valley, by adding a couple of days to your itinerary. Or, you could go for a separate Manaslu Tsum Valley trek, where you cover only a section of the Manaslu trek route. Needless to say that the former option won’t just allow you to explore a larger number of attractions, but also make your journey longer, more excruciating, and challenging. Tsum Valley is blessed naturally, however, it is better known to add that religious aspect to the region. The entire valley is a popular pilgrimage site.
What gives Tsum Valley a holy status is the fact that centuries ago the region was visited by none other than one of the most prominent Buddhist gurus, Saint Milarepa. He visited Tsum Valley, and spent a long time here, meditating in the caves around the valley. Those caves are known as Milarepa caves presently, and are regarded highly by the Buddhist pilgrims living around the region. Apart from this, attractions like Mu Gompa and Rachen Nunnery also help Tsum Valley maintain its holy status. The followers of Buddhism from around the Manaslu region make sure to visit these religious heritages during special occasions. There are so many interesting villages that you will come across during Tsum Valley trek. Some of them are Chokang Paro, Nile, Burgi, Chumling, and so on. You will definitely love the Manaslu Tsum Valley trek route.
Manaslu Circuit Trek
Manaslu Circuit trek is also known as Manaslu Trek, or Manaslu Round trek. It is one of the most popular treks in the Manaslu region, and going for this trip is possibly the best way to explore the region. Manaslu Trek Nepal allows you to cover the entire region in one go. One of the best things about Manaslu trek Nepal is the possibility of side treks. Two of the most popular side treks around Manaslu round trek route are Manaslu Base Camp trekking and Manaslu Tsum Valley trek. The journey is also referred as Manaslu Larke Pass trek, as it allows the trekkers to cross Larkya la Pass. It is a high altitude mountain pass situated at an elevation of 5416 m. Larkya La Pass is also one of the highest and toughest to cross passes in Nepal. Manaslu Larke Pass trek offers all kinds of fun, from mellowed down moments to thrilling ones.
Manaslu Circuit trek is an 18 days long journey, and during this time, the trekkers make their way through places such as Macha Khola, Jagat, Deng, Dharamshala, Bimtang, and so on. Altogether, the trekkers walk for a duration for 12 days, and the rest of the time they spend either acclimatizing or traveling in vehicles, from Kathmandu to Soti Khola and from Syange to Kathmandu. As the majority of the Manaslu Circuit Trek route is shared by Manaslu Base Camp trekking route, the majority of attractions in both the trekking journeys resemble one another. One of the attractions that is exclusive to Manaslu Circuit trek route is Pungyen Gompa. Provided that you’re interested, you can take this opportunity to learn quite a lot about the religion of Buddhism altogether. You can do so by interacting with the monks stationed here.
Manaslu Trek Difficulty
Manaslu Trek Difficulty is marked at challenging, as it has all the elements that make a trekking journey difficulty. The trek makes you walk on rough terrain and experience unpredictable climate. It takes you to high altitude, exposing you to dangers such as cold, altitude sickness, and other diseases. The journey is quite long, which might prove to be troublesome for the individuals who’re not quite into walking. Altogether, Manaslu trek is a tough trip to complete.
Manaslu Trek After Earthquake
The Earthquake that occurred in the year 2015 took away a lot from Manaslu Circuit trek route. The trekking paths were blocked with debris, and the villages that offered hospitality services to the trekkers got leveled. Trekking in the region stopped for quite some time. However, a year long hard work and joint collaboration between government and the locals, Manaslu Circuit trek after earthquake is up and running, and ever since 2018, it has been serving the trekkers.
Manaslu Base Camp trekking will allow you to explore all kinds of attractions, from natural to cultural, religious and historical. The major attraction of the journey is Manaslu Base Camp which offers you outstanding views of Mount Manaslu, also known as Mountain of the Spirit. During your journey to Nepal, you should go for Manaslu Base Camp trekking for sure.
Everest Trail Walker specializes in trekking and expedition. However, they also offer luxury tour options such as jungle safari, helicopter tour, cultural tour, food tour, and so on. Their itineraries feature exciting and off-the-beat tourist destinations in countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. If you’re looking to visit any of these places and try any of these activities, like Manaslu Base Camp trekking, during your upcoming holidays, make sure to pick Everest Trail Walker as your travel partner. You are going to adore their services.
