Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
You will be met by Footprint Adventure Treks and Expedition’s representative at Airport and transferred to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon at leisure for you to explore, and shopping for trekking. A pre-trek briefing will be given this evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day 02: Sightseeing around Kathmandu valley or Trekking prepation
Next morning, after breakfast you will leave for a whole day sightseeing and visiting around Kathmandu valley. You can visit sacred Pashupatinath Temple and swyambhunath, especially old and fundamentally enlisted in UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Just perfer for trekking gear after 3 pm and stay overnight at KathmanduDay 3: Kathmandu to Pokhara (820m, 6-7 hour)
Day 3: Drive from Kathmandu to Soti Khola (2,362 feet / 720 m)
After breakfast, you'll drive west along the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway towards the village of Soti Khola, turning off toward the hilltop village of Dhading. The drive passes through rural communities, small towns, green terraces, and lush hillsides. The road will eventually become a rutted, dirt path and you'll start to see views of the southern slopes of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and Langtang Himal.
You'll arrive at Soti Khola, located in the Bhuri Gandaki Valley, in time for dinner.
Day 04: Soti Khola - Maccha Khola [900m]: 6 hours
At the crossing of the bridge, we trek through the beautiful Sal forests, then climb onto a ridge above huge rapids on the Budhi Gandaki. We then reach Khursane upon which the rocky trail weaves its way up and down, past two tropical waterfalls on a steep, rocky trail clinging to the side of a cliff. It eventually makes its way down and past a few rice terraces, then up and around to the Gurung village of Labubesi. We further climb behind a rocky outcrop, where the valley opens up and the Budhi Gandaki meanders among wide gravel bars. Dropping to the sandy river bed, we walk along rounded stones before climbing over a side ridge. We head down again to the river and cross another suspension bridge to reach Machha Khola village. Overnight in Machha Khola.
Day 05: Maccha Khola -Jagat [1410m]: 6 hours
After breakfast in Machha Khola, you'll begin today's trek, which follows the gorge and continues up the river. The trail is narrow at first and gently heads up and down, eventually crossing the Tharo Khola to reach Khorlabesi. After more ascending and descending, you'll arrive at a small hot spring in Tatopani—a good place to take a break!
From here, you'll climb over another ridge, then cross the Budhi Gandaki on a suspension bridge. You'll then climb up a staircase and head over a ridge to Dobhan. Upon crossing another suspension bridge over the Yaru Khola, you'll climb a stone staircase and then drop to the river and climb more stone stairs to Tharo Bharyang. Keep an eye out for neat Gurung villages in the jungle high above, as well as Langur monkeys, which roam the region.
Crossing the west bank of the Budhi Gandaki, you'll climb over a ridge, trek along the river and then climb towards the village of Jagat.
Day 06 – 1860m (6 hours walking) Jaget – Deng.
As we leave Jagat we cross a ridge taking us to village of Salleri after which we descend to Sirdibas, then cross, using a large suspension bridge the Buri Gandaki river and later ascend sharply to Philim. After crossing a hillside, we encounter Ekle Bhatti (“lonely teahouse”) before crossing the river again. The trail then enters an amazing part of the gorge, surrounded by orchids on the top. After that, a steep climb to the west side of the valley will lead us through bamboo forests to Deng, where we overnight.
Day 07: Trek from Deng to Namrung (8,626 feet / 2,630 m)
After breakfast in Deng, you'll start one of the most important and culturally significant sections of the trek. First, cross the Budhi Gandaki river and climb up to the bridge, where you'll climb a bit further to join a trail from Bhi. Then head west up the valley passing through lush forests, alpine vegetation, and quaint villages housing ethnic groups of the Manaslu region, with major peaks starting to appear in the distance
Even though there is another route, you will take the trail through Prok. This village has a beautiful vantage point of the snowcapped Siringi Himal. Take a break here and then continue to cross the Budi Gandaki several times today running into several gompas along the way. The trail then follows the river upstream through a dense forest and leads to a narrow gorge. Keep going until you notice the forest becomes less dense. This rewarding part of the walk is a magnificent way to experience the Manaslu Conservation Area. You'll eventually reach one last steep climb to get you to the village of Namrung.
Day 08 : Trek from Namrung to Sama Gompa (3500m)
Namrung is a small village surrounded by forests. This small village offers the viewpoints to witness Ganesh Himal, Himalchuli, and Siring Himal. From Namrung, we climb gradually up through the forest to Lhi. You can find beautiful Barley terraces and several colorful chortens with the carving of holy Buddhist mantras and various sketches. Passing through the villages of Sho and Lho, we arrive at Shyala village. You can visit the famous Ribung Gompa in Lho offering you the magnificent views of Manaslu. From Shyala, you can witness the great views of Peak 29 and Himalchuli. From Shyala, the valley gets wider and flatter and we eventually arrive at the village of Samagaun. Stay overnight at a local guesthouse.
Day 9: Rest day in Samagaon, Optional Day Hike
Today is an acclimatization day, so sleep in and relax. Enjoy a refreshing breakfast and then spend the day at Samagaon getting some rest. For those who want to explore, there's an optional day hike that explores some rich Sherpa culture. You can enjoy the sight of thousands of mani stones with Buddhist texts, as well as photos of Sherpa women clad in traditional clothes and ornaments. If you hike up to a little hill near the Sama village, you'll find an old gompa—Pungyen Gompa—a monastery with great views of the glacier.
Day 10 – 3860m (4 / 5 hours walking) Samagaon – Samdo.
Today we follow along the Buri Gandaki river and as the valley widens we pass juniper and birch forests until reaching Kermo Kharka. There, the trail descends and passes a wooden bridge; we then reach Samdo after walking through the White Stone Kani. Today can be a bit windy and sometimes exposed but with stunning views.
Day 11 – Rest day in Samdo , Optional Day Hike 4800m
Today is an acclimatisation day which will help us prepare for our 5160m journey over the Larkya la Pass in two days time. From Samdo we'll walk up towards the Gya La Pass, which peaks at 5300m, but we won't go to that altitude, based on how people feel we'll aim to reach circa 4600 - 4800m. This pass is the main trading connection / pass with Tibet whose border we'll be very close to. Afterwards we'll drop out of altitude and back to Samdo at 3860m.
Day 12 – 4460 m (3 - 4 hours walking) Samdo – Larkya Phedi.
Our days starts with a descent through beautiful fields to an old stone arch before we cross the river via a wooden bridge to Larka Bazaar. This used to be a thriving market but nothing today remains. An old Mani marks the start of the climb to Larkya La pass. Crossing juniper and tundra we come to a ridge crossing the two ravines at their top. There, we have magnificent views of Larkya Glacier. The climb gets steeper at the side of a gorge reaching 4000m, nearing the glacier. Further up we arrive at Larkya Phedi (4460m) and rest there for the night.
Day 13 – 5160m (7 - 8 hours walking) Larkya Phedi – Larkya La (5160m) – Bimtang (3890m).
Early in the morning, a short walk will take us to the Ablation Valley, on the left side of the Larkya Glacier, which offers amazing views of Cho Danda and Larkya Peak. Following along the glacier moraine we start a steady ascent to Larkya La pass. The path is well trodden and easy to follow. We walk slowly and listen to our body as we gain altitude some may feel nauseous or suffer from headaches. It' important at this stage to drink a lot of fluid and to keep warm. After few hours of walking we reach the top and gaze at the unique sight of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru and Annapurna II. Later a steep and sometimes slippery descent to Bimtang awaits us. Trekking poles are useful for this section. The slope gradually becomes smoother when reaching the snow on the moraine, then on from that a small meadow is at 4080m and finally the valley widens as we arrive in Bimtang at 3800m.
Day 14 – 2300m (6 hours walking) Bimtang – Tilje.
Our trek drops down after passing through the meadows to the Dudh Khola river where we cross it via a wooden bridge. We then descend further into rhododendron and pine forests before climbing to a ridge decorated with prayer flags. We then drop again to the riverbank at Gho, where the trail crosses rice fields, rhododendron and oak forests before reaching Tilje.
Day 15 – 1700m (5/ 6 hours walking) Tilje – Chamje
When leaving Tilje, the path crosses the Dudh Khola River and follows the embankment, dropping down through forests until Dharapani (1960m). The path now joins the Annapurna Circuit in reverse and passes the Marsyangdi River and Karte. After an abrupt rocky stairway we reach Tal (1700m). There, a steady descent follows the valley, later crossing Marsyangdi River again before arriving at Chamje, for an overnight stay.
Day 16 – from Chamje back to kathmadnu
Today we pack up our boots and leave Syange by car in the early morning to reach Kathmandu about 7 hours later. Lunch will be taken on the way. We then drop you off at your hotel or you can come to our Guest House. There is also the option of a shorter drive to Pokhara and a flight back to Kathmandu, or many people spend a few days of rest and relaxation there before flying back to the capital.
Day 17 : Free Day in kathmandu. This day your rest and shopping day.
Footprint Adventure Treks and Expeditions has enjoyed the time we spent together and if you wish to enjoy any other programs, please let us know, we will be glad to help you and our prices are some of the best in the country.
Day 18: Final departure.
our airport representative will drop you to Kathmandu Tribhuwan International Airport for your final departure from Nepal.
