Trip Reports

Manaslu Circuit - 16 Oct to 7 Nov '10

Written by Leader John Armstrong, November 2010

Cloudy, cool weather greeted us in Kathmandu on Sun 17th Oct and our spirits we a little more dampened on hearing news of groups being delayed at Summit Hotel as flights to Lukla were cancelled.

However, next day as we made our early morning departure from the city the sun came out and we enjoyed exciting views of majestic snowy peaks profiled against a clear blue sky and so it continued for the remainder of the trip – well nearly!

The impact of the previous days of rain was evident on the rough section of the road to Arughat but presented no real challenge for our expert driver. Since it was reaching the conclusion of the Nepalese Dashain festival we kept meeting lots of buses full to capacity returning people to Kathmandu after visiting their families in the remote Buri Gandaki valley where we were bound.

Over the next few days we continued to have good weather although it was very hot and humid as we trekked through lush vegetation with beautiful flowers and families of monkeys. At Lho 3200m we enjoyed cooler temperatures and fantastic views of Manaslu especially as the sun rose early next morning. The group also enjoyed a visit to the nearby monastery. Next day reaching Samagoen, one of the oldest villages, really felt we were now in the mountains as Manaslu towered above us. A welcome acclimatisation day here gave an opportunity to climb a little higher towards base camp and later that afternoon do some washing and relax. All the team were going well as we continued to Samdo and another acclimatisation day when we walked up towards the Tibetan border rewarding us with great views of Manaslu.

Sat 30th Oct saw us camped at Daramasala with a number of other groups poised to cross the highpoint of the trip, Larkya La 5213m next day.

Leaving at 0545hrs the sky was overcast for the first time since being on trek. As we made steady progress the first flakes of snow started to fall and by the time we reached the col it was windy with steady snowfall. Time for a few quick photos and a hurried snack before starting the long descent to Bimtang. The conditions were reminiscent of Scotland in winter but everyone coped very well, crampons were not necessary. It continued to snow heavily as we made our way down but it was most welcome to meet our kitchen crew just by the path with hot juice and noodle soup. Several groups gave us envious looks as they trudged by. Back on the path again we all reached camp by 1530hrs. That afternoon, Tenzing our sirdar and his team were busy with the team reducing the build up of snow on our tents as it continued to fall steadily. We all wondered what lay ahead for us if the weather stayed like this for a few days but as we retired to bed by 2200hrs it had stopped snowing.

Sun 31st Oct we awoke to the most fantastic sight of clear skies and the sun lighting our snow covered camp in an amazing way. I was pleased for the team as they had missed out on the views yesterday of Annapurna and the surrounding peaks but at least they now had something maybe even better. As the sun came onto the areas around camp people positioned themselves to get in it’s warm rays, eventually we set off down the valley to Gho and our last night before joining the start of the Annapurna circuit and the inevitable increase in trekkers.

The following evening in Jagat had us back in relative civilisation with Lodges, beer and internet but the next night in Ngadi was very relaxing in the garden of a lovely guest house. From there Tenzing took us along the lovely old Annapurna trail and back to the hustle and bustle of Beshishahar.

Here the last night on trek was celebrated with the entire crew of porters, kitchen crew, sherpas and group members. As I expressed our gratitude to the crew on behalf of the group members I told them how I had been on many trips where I had had a great group of porters or fantastic food or excellent sherpas but on this occasion all had been outstanding and contributed immensely to what was an excellent trip. My thanks are also due to the team members for taking the advice offered and understanding the flexibility required for to enjoy the trek and of course their dancing – a great team, where next?

John Armstrong Nov 2010 « Previous report | Next report »

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