Manaslu lies in the west of Nepal’s Gorkha district. It is the highest in the region of 8,163m above sea level, so this is not a minor mountain in Nepal. Manaslu is much closer to the Tibetan side, so the culture you will see here is more Tibetan. Up to this day, it remains a remote and virgin trail, less crowded than many other treks in Nepal. It is also one of the least explored trails in Nepal because of the special trekking permit imposed by the government. That alone is enough to poke the interest of anyone looking for an off-the-beaten trekking experience in Nepal. In this article, we will be discussing some of the Manaslu trek highlights.
During the recent year, Manaslu Trek is one in the list of the increasing number of tourists. The trail becomes popular since tea houses were built here in 2010. Previous to that, the trekkers had to camp. Commercially, the path was opened for tourists in 1995. During those years, when the government officially announced, open for hiking, the region only received 344 tourists. Due to the ongoing civil war in the country, this region hardly survived between 1995 to 2006.
The local tea houses were started to spring up in 2010. Since then, the number of tourists in Manaslu went rocket high. When a massive earthquake hit Nepal in 2015 Manaslu hiking trail was only 20 km from the first epic center Barpak Nepal. In the year 2015, when the earthquake damaged the area, this region only welcomed 2,288 tourists, according to ACAP. Manaslu Conservation Area witnessed the arrival of 7,203 tourists, in 2017 the highest since the area was opened to tourists in 1995.
The Year 2017/18 is the most significant number in the climber history of Manaslu. According to the recent report from ACAP. Just between January 2017 until July 2018, a total of 241 climbers has scaled Mount Manaslu successfully. By far, this is the most significant number in the climbing history of Mount Manaslu. In this article, I have gathered all the highlights you might be interested to know about Manaslu Trek.
Contents
1. Scenic Trail in Nepal
Manaslu circuit is probably the most spectacular hike in Nepal. The snowcapped mountains surround the region towering at above 8,000m. Not to mention the high 5,000m pass crossing! Very few places on this earth will have these combinations!
2. Off-The-Beaten-Path
Manaslu region is the only a remote and off-the-beaten-path compared to the other well-known teahouse treks in Nepal, and it is the closest from the capital city of Kathmandu Nepal in terms of distance. Manaslu trek gained popularity since tea houses were built here in 2010. Before that, you had to camp.
3. Less Tourist
It is less crowded compear to the other popular trails in Nepal. Little less than 8,000 tourist visits Manaslu every year unlike Everest Base Camp Trek has over 30,000 visitors every year.
4. Budget trek
Manaslu Trek is relatively cheaper than Everest Base Camp. Manaslu Trekkers don’t have to spend more than $320 alone on a flight ticket. Unlike EBC trek, you have no choice but to pay the expensive flight ticket. Manaslu Trek cost comes in the budget due to it is connected via land, and local bus service is only USD 8-10 per person to reach the trailhead.
5. Cultural Trail
The trail is so rich in culture. The Tibetan origin Nepalese live in the area called Tsum Valley. They practice their ancient form of dialect, art, culture, and religion.
6. Best Side Trip
Manaslu trek offers a lot more side-trips than any other base camps. You can spend more than three weeks and venture into different places such as Tsum Valley, Manaslu Base Camp, Pungeen Gomba, Kal Lake, Tibetian border, Birendra lake, etc.
7. Circuit Trails
A significant highlight of this trail is, it follows a circuit trail. So unlike other base camps, every day is a new route as you make a loop in this trek.
8. Safe For Hikers
Manaslu Trek starts from the elevation of 710m to the high pass of 5,150m. It takes at least 9-10 days to reach the highest point. That makes Manaslu generally safe in terms of the altitude sickness. SO you could say Manaslu Trek difficulty is relatively moderate compear to any other treks in Nepal. There is a lower chance of altitude sickness due to the long days of reaching high elevation.
9. Part of The Great Himalayan Trail
Manaslu trek is one of the significant parts of the Great Himalayan Trail. Hikers who know about GHT (Great Himalayan Trail) fell lucky to be even a small part. As Manaslu is one of the significant components of “The Great Himalaya Trail’ – a single long-distance trekking trail from the east end to the west end of Nepal includes a total of roughly 1,700 km long path.
10. Trek To The Base Of Killer Mountain
Expedition As of 2018, the peak has seen only 240 successful ascents and 52 fatalities, making it the 4th most dangerous 8000m peak, behind Annapurna, Nanga Parbat, and K2.
Conclusion
Manaslu Trek has a lot to offer, which I can’t express everything in the world. One hundred percent of my customers, who experienced Manaslu has nothing but high rated positive responses. I want to invite you to explore this untouched nature of the secret land and find out yourself. I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, you can leave me a comment below. Or any help you may need, you can contact us. It would inspire me to write more about Nepal’s Himalayas If you, please leave me a rating below as appropriate as you think.
