Cover Story
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
Making a Social Call in
MANASLU
by Ross Adkin
The Manaslu Trek is one of the famous treks for the ‘off beat trek’ lovers. Photo: Prem Gurung .
The Manaslu region in central Nepal is
arguably the last area left within a day’s
reach of Kathmandu where you can
find some peace and lengthy solitude.
Offering the usual superlatives of
mountain beauty, hidden valleys,
remote monasteries and single-file
suspension bridges swinging through
mid-air, all tucked just to the east of the
Annapurna Circuit and its hordes.
Young monks gather outside a small local monastery. Photo: RMT .
“The massive cliff across the valley to our north hid the
approach to Tibet. Half a day’s climb to the south was a high
altitude lake and pastures, but we had come to make a social
call, and spent our time chatting and drinking Tibetan tea”
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The Manaslu trail runs through Gorkha
district, where the epicentre of the
first of the 2015 earthquakes struck.
However, repair work to the trails and
lodges has been ongoing and the
reviews are saying that it’s good to go.
For those who have trekked the more
popular routes in Nepal already, the
Manaslu region should be the next big
adventure.
The most popular route in the region
is an anti-clockwise circuit of Manaslu
peak – at 8163 metres, it’s the world’s
eighth highest. The walk takes slightly
longer than two weeks, travelling from
the gentle hills of lower Gorkha up to
the Larke Pass (over 5100 metres),
which is a hard, full day’s walk that
crosses into the Annapurna region.
Accommodation and food are slightly
more basic than in areas like the
Annapurnas or Everest. High calorie
trekking favourites like apple pie and
chocolate pudding are thin on the
ground. Hot springs at the side of
the trail make up most of the limited
showering opportunities. But, this is
all part of the appeal. Hiring a guide is
mandatory for foreigners, but if you’re
an independent traveller don’t be
put off by this fact: unless you speak
Nepali, you’ll need one in the Manaslu
area anyway. A Restricted Area Permit
that costs around US$70 per week is
also necessary. Entry to the Mansaslu
Conservation Area, and the Annapurna
Conservation Area (if you plan to
cross the Larke Pass) will come to an
additional NPR4000 (around US$40).
Daily expenses for tea, food and
accommodation will be slightly lower
than on more popular routes, however.
I first travelled to the region in 2008 to
visit a friend who lived midway along
the Manaslu circuit. The contrast with
the well-established and signposted
trails and the well-stocked lodges of
the Everest region, from which I had
recently returned, was noticeable. The
flight to Lukla had been short and scary;
the long bus journey to the trailhead at
Arughat was farcical and exhausting.
As we were embarking in Kathmandu,
a fellow passenger opened up what
looked like a wicker handbag and stuffed
a squawking rooster into it. The case and
its contents were put up into the narrow
metal shelf overhead that served as the
luggage rack, and the bird’s owner – a
rotund and formidable-looking woman
– settled down for the journey.
When travelling medium to long
distances on public buses in Nepal,
it is best to completely ignore any
arrival time you are given. The first two
hours along the Prithvi Highway went
by relatively quickly. Not long after
turning off towards Gorkha district,
however, the road and the journey took
on a distinctly provincial feel. We were
travelling slower due to the quality of
the road and became more obliged to
pick up people and their luggage from
the side of the road. I found myself
looking across the aisle and up to the
shelf where the bird was entombed.
We reached Arughat that evening.
The rooster’s owner hurried off into
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