10 Beautiful Reasons To Do Manaslu Circuit Trek
Manaslu Circuit Trek is among the most flexible and diverse trekking activities in Nepal. It is among the trekking regions with unspoiled trials and untouched geography holding the great beauty of the Himalayas. Nepal itself is a great place to have high-altitude trekking with diverse numbers and types of trekking trails all across the Himalayan region. Trekking is already established as the most done outdoor activity by trekkers and travel enthusiasts from all over the world. Here, we are going to discuss about the 10 Beautiful Reasons To Do Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Manaslu Circuit Trek is a restricted trek that takes you a journey of 14 to 22 days. It is also one of the recently opened trekking routes and still is a restricted trek but amazingly, it is also among the very few trekking trails where solo trekking is allowed to individual trekkers. The geography of this trek lies inside the Manaslu Region of Northern Nepal covering the surrounding geography of Mt. Manaslu with a height of 8163m of elevation from sea level and is the 8th tallest mountain in the world.
Manaslu Circuit Trek holds breathtaking landscapes and very beautiful nature and scenery. It is the diversity that consists of the uninfluenced culture of ethnic communities and the untouched beauty of the mountain region. It is the fellow trekking region to the Annapurna Base Camp Trek that lies alongside the Annapurna Region or can be said it lies inside It as you need permits from Annapurna Conversation Area Permits to get access inside the Manaslu Region.
With its enormous beauty, ecosystem, and untouched side of the Himalayas, it is also one of the most challenging trekking trails in Nepal. The off-beat trails that circle the Annapurna and Manaslu Region carry the most difficult tough routes, rough terrains, and very remote paths with the journey over an altitude of more than 4000m as well as a hive 5000m above sea level.
Being it’s too difficult and less explored region, the communities inside it have nearly no connection with the outer world. These communities live with their unique culture and the rituals of Buddhist religion. So, the trekker finds it much less crowded than what can be seen on the trail and routes of the Annapurna Base Camp Trek or alike Everest Base Camp Trek.
But, with such difficulty and remoteness of the region, it offers you a diverse amount of adventure, a taste of unspoiled nature, high altitude trekking experience, massive mountain peaks, and a close look at the culture of off-world ethnic people of the Himalayas. So, here we will discuss about the 10 most beautiful reasons to have or do Manaslu Circuit Trek within its challenging side. Manaslu Circuit Trek has a lot to offer for travel enthusiasts and adventure seekers with its stannous hard terrains all across the trail. Here are the reasons to do Manaslu Circuit Trek.
10 Reasons To Do Manaslu Circuit Trek
Adventurous Trek
The most and the best thing about this trekking journey is the adventurous trek. It offers a challenging journey of several days which a person with an adventure spirit seeks to have. The remote terrains, rough routes, and ultimately the difficult geography are the factors building it as an adventurous trek. You can have a different kind of adventure of high altitude hiking than in EBC trek or ABC trek as it covers a very less traveled trail and without proper infrastructure what you find in EBC or ABC even in a little portion.
The trekking trail of the Manaslu Circuit Trek is drawn over the proper and inside the mountain valleys and cliffs which cover an altitude of more than 4000m and sometimes 5000m of altitude from sea level. Here, you can guess how much the amount of adventure can be done. So, this is one of the beautiful reasons to have the Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Less Crowded
The Manaslu Circuit Trek is one of the least traveled and least explored trekking regions in Nepal. It is due to the remoteness of the region and less popularity than the Everest Base Camp Trek or Annapurna Base Camp Trek. It makes it less traveled and walked throughout the year and it is also the recently opened trekking trail for outsiders which also affects its factor of less crowded. Even in the peak season, you will find it with very less crowded routes and trails.
So, less crowded trails are always the benefits of the Manaslu Circuit Trek. You can trek over the landscapes of the Manaslu Circuit in a peaceful and lonely environment. It also adds more flavor to the adventure with fewer people traveling across the circuit making it another feature of an adventurous journey. So, ultimately less crowded or few number of trekkers is one of the beautiful reasons to do Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Beautiful Sceneries
Manaslu Circuit Trek consists of diverse beautiful Sceneries of massive mountain peaks, small and big glaciers, several terrains, high-altitude passes, and beautiful traditional villages.
The journey consists of high-altitude peaks like Annapurna II( 7939m ), Himalchuli ( 7893m ), Manaslu( 8163m ), Cheo Himal( 6820m), Ngadi Chuli( 7879m ), Ganesh Himal, and many more as this trail circulates the sanctuary of Mt. Manaslu and some of Annapurna Range. So, you also expect to see diverse mountain peaks and ranges in your journey.
The majestic sceneries of landscapes are all over the trail. The diverse scenery of lush greenery, tropical grass landscapes, viewpoints, glaciers, rivers, and the residents of ethnic people themselves is great scenery to have. The alpine vegetation is also another great scenery you will have during this journey. Such sceneries with the backdrop of snow-capped mountains can make your trekking a lifetime experience.
Challenging Geography
Yes, the challenging paths and difficult geography are also other features you could have as they challenge your physical ability and demand your adventure spirit. The journey over the trail of Manaslu Circuit Trek is ultimately filled with remote paths, difficult slopes, high mountain cliffs, and tough terrains. It probably challenges you in every step of your trekking journey.
Manaslu Circuit Trek lies over the proper Himalayan geography covering the features and the factors of mountain landscapes.
Unspoiled Trekking Trail
As we already talked about the unspoiled nature and the trail of Manaslu sanctuary. It consists of untouched nature and the unspoiled beauty all over the trail. It is a great opportunity to explore the majestic untouched beauty and the trekking routes. Manaslu Circuit breaks every feature of light mountaineering and the trekking adventure. And the unspoiled beauty merges as the taste over it.
Untouched means even the culture and the living style is far from the modernized society and the natural beauty is unspoiled with the modern infrastructure. Trekkers are welcomed by the rich Himalayan topography. It also consists of diverse ecosystems that are barely touched by human interference. It allows nature to be bloom on its own, so, trekkers find the mesmerizing odors of pure Himalayas with their organic form making it an unspoiled trail and a beautiful reason to do Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Larkya La Pass
Another beautiful reason to do Manaslu Circuit Trek is the high passes and among them, Larkya La Pass holds the adventurous journey. It covers an altitude of 5125m in elevation from the sea level. Also, the LarkyaLa Pass covers the most beautiful sightings of Himalayan landscapes. The altitude of the pass itself is the feature to have such distinct stunning views.
Also, the rough and tough passes through or over the Larkya La Pass are another advantage you have with the vertical ascending and descending paths. This pass is all about the adventure climb and the panoramic view of astonishing mountain landscapes.
So, Larkya La Pass is one of the most admired and talked about subjects by trekkers from all around the world both in beauty and adventure making it among the beautiful reasons to do Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Fresh Water Lakes
Another diversity of the Manaslu Circuit Trek is its several lakes throughout the journey. It covers more lakes than any other trekking trail in Nepal and all of them are natural freshwater lakes holding their ecosystem in themselves. There are several small and big lakes around the geography of Manaslu Circuit and among them, Birendra Lake and Phunker Tal are the most known among travelers and trekkers. The other point is all of them lie above 3500m so, you can guess the amount of adventure you can have during your journey over the landscapes of Manaslu Circuit Trek.
These lakes lie closer to the Punhgyen Glaciers. These lakes have a Himalayan ecosystem of their own. And if you are lucky enough then sometimes you get a chance to witness very rare alpine migrant ducks on your unforgettable journey.
Himalayan Ecosystem
Manaslu Circuit Trek holds the enormous diversity of the Himalayan ecosystem. The long trail over the high mountain altitude consists of diverse wildlife, alpine forests, vegetation, lush greenery, and water bodies with their aquatic life system. So, it allows you to explore more about the Himalayan ecosystem and also be taken as an opportunity to witness such diversity of the ecosystem in the Himalayas.
The area of this trek is drawn over the Manaslu Conversation Area and some of the Annapurna Conversation Area, which is a great advantage to get interacting with the preserved nature and its wild ecosystem. And with the changing of altitude, you also can see the different course of life forms. You also get to witness various rare and endangered species of plants and birds.
Unique Culture Experience
The Culture as well as the living lifestyle is very similar to the Tibetan culture of living. You will see the culture and the lifestyle of people there like what you see similar in Tibetan people. They share very similar cultures and living systems as well as rituals. People there preserve their culture and rituals very passionately from the very beginning.
You will find the people there all followed their daily culture and even their customs are of traditional forms. You also see a number of stupas, monasteries, Buddhist prayer wheels, shrines, etc as the region is full of people following Buddhism.
Another unique aspect of this trek is the Himalayan farming style with the traditional method. You will see the amazing farming terrace at such a high altitude. This is also a great opportunity to see the very unique and different farming than the rest of the world. All the processes are of traditional methods and are very far from the modern fertilization or the pesticides process.
Tsum Valley
Tsum Valley itself is a great point of the Manaslu Circuit Trek. It can be taken as a destination to travel on this own. It is a very beautiful valley of Himalayan people which lies between the high mountains and the high hills of the mountain region far from modern society. Modern infrastructures like roads, airports, stairs, or any means of transportation or connecting methods are nearly non-existent in the valley.
People living there all depend upon their farming in the very fertile land. The Big Valley of Tsum has a very small population in comparison to the size of the valley. This provides them the opportunity to sustain themselves on their own. Most of the needed goods and packages are delivered through means of animals like Donkeys and Horses.
The valley is also known as the ‘Beyul’ with its other name. The valley is one of the most culturally preserved places in Nepal. The culture of living and rituals are all preserved by the people of Tsum Valley. The MuGompa is the largest among the several Monasteries all around the region which is in Tsum Valley. The number of scared caves can be witnessed during the journey of Tsum Valley. The caves are said to be used by the Guru Rinpoche, for the mediation. He is also called the founder of Tsum Valley.
So, with the unique and different culture with the astonishing beauty of the Tsum Valley. It also makes among the most beautiful reasons to do Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Some Tips For You
- Follow the safety instructions and the rules very carefully. We already mentioned above that it is a difficult trek above the tough and rough routes with proper Himalayan geography. And also passes through very remote and untouched paths, so these factors of the Himalayan naturally make it a very dangerous journey if not being careful with your safety regulations.
So, above such Himalayan topography, it becomes very important to stay on the rules and the safety instructions to avoid any kind of unfortunate accidents and injuries. - Only carry the necessary things that you need along the way. If you carry unusual things that you may not need much in your trekking journey then It would make your trek more difficult than you expect. As the trail goes above the very tough stone stairs, different difficult slopes and very changing ascending and descending routes with narrow entrances. And you can guess on your own how much it going to make your journey a hard course.
The journey consists of a long trail and continuous walks of several hours a day, and with such weights, it turns out to be a burden for you. So, it is very recommended to carry only the things you usually use in the trek or important during the trekking journey as you already going to tackle as many difficult factors. - Another factor in this trek in Manaslu Circuit Trek is altitude sickness. As you go higher in altitude and start to climb more than the elevation of 2500m or higher you start to get under the effect of altitude sickness and above the altitude of 3000m It gets in effect. So then you do any kind of frequent activity which needs fast body movements which need more respiration than usual like running, jumping, or any stunt activities causes frequent altitude sickness.
It is caused by the lower atmosphere pressure and the low availability of Oxygen at high altitudes. It can cause the symptoms like vomiting, nausea, and bleeding. And if not done with proper precautions in time it even gets worse. It is recommended to stay calm if you get started to feel symptoms until it gets to recover or until getting help from your trekking members. It is a high chance of getting altitude sickness on the Manaslu Circuit Trek as it covers more than the altitude of 5000m if not follow proper precautions. - It is very important to carry the Medical Kit or the basic life support with you for emergency use. The routes are already drawn and go over narrow paths, high cliffs, very remote geography, and highly difficult slopes making it a high chance of unfortunate accidents or incidents. And it is often very normal to have small wounds during the journey.
So, it becomes very necessary to have the medical kit with you. It is not only recommended for the Manaslu Circuit Trek but also for any trek you do. - Some of the culture and the rituals may be strange for you but they carry very specific and definite value to the beliefs of the ethnic communities. Whatever you see do respect them and their traditions. As it is a signature of a real traveller or a trekker it also helps you to avoid conflict with the local people which can ruin your experience.
Also follow the local rules made by the ethics committees in their areas as some temples, places, or monasteries may be restricted for outsiders. It is a very strategic point to follow during your Manaslu Circuit Trek.
Some Insights About Manaslu Circuit Trek
- It lies over the area of the Manaslu Region covering the surrounding area of the Annapurna Region It covers the landscapes of the proper mountain region of Nepal and with some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. And as well as the living culture of ethnic communities and traditions followed by the people from back to the centuries.
So, you can expect it to be the diversity of various features and factors of the Himalayas. - The trek of the Manaslu Circuit begins from the small market town of Soti Khola and ends after you circulate the whole sanctuary until you reach another point of Syange. The trail between these two points covers a distance of 171km around and an altitude of 710m to an altitude of 5165m of altitude. The duration takes between 14 days to 22 days depending upon the personal ability of trekkers.
- The Manaslu Circuit Trek is filled with a number of Teahouses and guesthouses where you can have your accommodation and a try to the great taste of local foods and drinks. This teahouse experience is itself a great opportunity to witness and experience the living culture of foods and drinks s of Himalayan people. And you can experience more than what you can expect to have in teahouses which also the great place of interacting and have a good talks with people from different places and such teahouses can be found in various numbers all along the trail.
- The trekking region of Manaslu Circuit Trek is less traveled but the hospitality of people there is amazingly great. The reason is their culture of great service to the visitors and the kindness of people there. So, you do not need to worry about the hospitality factor of the region. You can interact with them to explore more about their culture and their living style without hesitation as they also find themselves happy to share their living culture and traditions with the visitors.
FAQ’s
- What permits do I need to have access to this trek?
You need the different permits from the official boards of Nepal. It needs more permits than the usual trek in Nepal. You need a permit from the TIMS( Trekking Information Management System), another form MCAP (Manaslu Conversation Area Permit), one form MRAP (Manaslu Restricted Area Permit), and from ACAP ( Annapurna Conversation Area Permit ) too as it covers the geography of fellow trekking geography of Annapurna Region and it’s sanctuary.
- Is it suitable for beginners?
The answer is difficult. If you are an absolute beginner to the trekking journey then it might be very stannous hard for you as It already become one of the hardest trekkers for even the experienced trekkers. And if you are a beginner and have done some long treks then It might be a good try to move towards the hard one. But the adventure and the beauty of the region are worth all the hard journeys you have during this Manaslu Circuit Trek.
- Do I need a guide?
Even though the region is untouched but is a very well-marked trekking tail. And this trekking journey also has no restrictions over solo trekking, so, it is your choice to have the guide with you or not. But we recommend you have a guide with you as the region files with various factors that might be dangerous for you and even the marked trails sometimes get very confusing. And it is also a great way to learn about the things and the places you see during your journey by having a guide with you.
- What currencies can I use in this journey?
You can only use the currency of Nepalese Rupees. There is no use of other currency right now in the Manaslu Region. Very few luxury resorts and guesthouses in the Everest Region and Annapurna Region accept currency in Euro and Dollars but it does not work properly as discussed. So, you can change your currency with the Nepalese Rupee at the international exchange rate.
- Is it suitable with children?
We do not recommend this trek with the children as the trail is very hard even though the minimal danger. And the trail of this trek consists of very long routes and continuous walks if several hours per day and have a long duration. Also the routes are very difficult to cross and climb throughout the circulating circuit journey.
Conclusion
So, in the above discussion, we talked about the 10 beautiful reasons to do the Manaslu Circuit Trek. All of them are listed by considering the experience of individual trekkers and travelers in the Manaslu Circuit Trek. All the features and factors above are efficient in the Manual journey. These are only the some listed features of the Manaslu Region as there are dozens of reasons to have the Manaslu Circuit Trek.
But, it is impossible to have proper insight about the experience of the great circuit trek without trying by yourself. It is really important and necessary to have a taste by yourself to see what it is like to have. And you will never know the personal adventure of trekking until you try it by yourself. So, just let yourself out and get there to try by yourself and give it a good try to make your own adventure story to tell.
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