We’d expected too much, maybe that was the problem. Guides had variously described the Manaslu Circuit as ‘the best trek in the country’,  ‘the new Annapurna Circuit’, ‘Nepal’s best kept secret’, ‘an untouched gem’. Still on a high from Annapurna, we expected to be wowed to even greater heights. There was only one place this could lead: to disappointment.

Yes, the scenery from Bimthang, over the Larke La to Lho is fantastic, especially after a fresh dusting of snow. And yes, the Buddhist villages of Samdo, Sama and Lho are fascinating. ‘But it’s all been so spoilt‘ moaned a German trekker who clearly wasn’t enjoying himself as much as he’d hoped; and we were inclined to agree.

It wasn’t that this was due to our regular meetings with other trekkers – we enjoyed these interactions after so many weeks in West Nepal and Dolpo without seeing other foreigners. It was the effect that permit rules and NGO intervention had on our experience there that we didn’t like. For reasons we never discerned, the Nepal Government makes trekking here more difficult than the other popular regions of Solu Khumbu, Annapurna and Langtang by insisting tourists obtain two permits and are also accompanied by a guide. This is enough to put off most budget trekkers, leaving mainly middle-aged Europeans on short trips. The result is inflated prices for lodges of dubious quality, and a trek that isn’t independent-trekker friendly (which makes it all the more surprising that the trail brands itself as ‘the new Annapurna Circuit’, since this was historically the most popular trek in Nepal for independent trekkers).

Having had the fortune to meet Bijay Rai in Pokhara, we at least managed to side-step the ‘compulsory guide’ rule, which made us anomalies. As did the fact we were walking the trail in a clockwise direction. Concerned that snow or ice may be making the Larkye La impassable, each day other trekkers would ask ‘Why have you turned back? Was the pass too tricky to cross?’ It amused us that it seemed not to have occurred to some that the trail could be walked in either direction.

As we neared the end of the circuit we considered, for the only time all Nepal trek, curtailing our walk, worried that maybe our disenchantment was due to having trekked too far, or having become mountain weary. But these thoughts were immediately dispelled on leaving the Manaslu trail near Jagat, and climbing to the unspoilt splendour of Ganesh Himal. (This will be the subject of our next (far more upbeat!) post.)

Please take a look at our full Manaslu photoset on Flickr.

Wandering along the moraine at Bimthang. A magnificent location, just over a day’s walk from the Annapurna Circuit at Dharapani. Unlike on the Annapurna Circuit, we felt that lodges in the Manaslu area hadn’t got things quite right yet. In Jomsom or Manang there is a range of accommodation of differing quality and expense. In Manaslu, the ‘Tourism Management Committee’ in each village set prices that every lodge in the area abides by. These NGO-influenced bodies’ decisions result in tourist prices, but as yet little improvement in the quality of rooms or food to accompany it. There is also no incentive for tourists to stay at more basic ‘homestays’ which charge the same as nicer lodges. We wished we’d visited the area 5 years earlier, or maybe waited another 5 years for lodge standards to improve!

On the Larkye La (5,160m), a very scenic pass. The day we crossed the pass emphasized the wonders of being well acclimatized. Half of the people we saw that day we met on the pass itself – they’d come from Dharamsala, a 700m climb, and taken 6 hours over it. We’d taken 4 hours climbing the 1,500m from Bimthang.

Descending on the moraine trail to Samdo. In good conditions, with no snow or ice covering it, the path is clear and easy to follow, making both the climb from Bimthang and the descent to Samdo relatively simple.

Superb stone carvings on a mani wall in Samdo.

Mini long-johns drying in Samdo.

Masked dances in Sama for which most of the village turned out. Disaster nearly struck when one of the wooden planks fell off the balcony in the centre of the shot and landed on some children, but fortunately no-one was badly injured.

Gaining some merit in Sama. Rarely did we pass up the opportunity to spin some prayer wheels during our trek!

The mighty Manaslu (8,163m), world’s 8th highest mountain.

Lho village, in the shadow of Manaslu. Grim Reaper and son slipping into town.