Date Time NIGHT Altitude Gain Notes (print -a1-2 -plain -f8.4 manaslu.txt) 4 Tue 6:15 fly_from_PSA 2000 depart 12:55 - durata 14:40, scalo Dubai 4:25 5 Wed 4:00 Kathmandu 1360 landing Kathmandu at 8:20 (full moon) 6 Thu Kathmandu same 7 Fri 9:00 Machakola 930 -435 Drive Kathmandu-Machakola 8 Sat 7:00 Jagat 1340 +410 (2h on road, up to Tatopani) 9 Sun 6:00 Lokpa 2240 +900 (1:30h on road, after Salleri) 10 Mon 6:00 Chumling 2386 +146 (see old Chumling village and gompa) 11 Tue 6:30 Chokangparo 3031 +645 12 Wed 7:00 Nile/Chule 3361 +330 via Milarepa cave. Key Lamagaon or Bursa (300 NRP) 13 Thu 2:30 Mu_Gompa 3710 +349 trip Dhephyudonma_Gompa (4060m 2h) 14 Fri 4:00 ACCLIMATISATION same +/-350 trip Bhajyo (4030m 7h) (or 4h Rachen, 6h Dumje) 15 Sat 7:00 Gho 2555 -1155 (or Rachen 3240m 3-4h, Rachen to Lungdang 7-10h) 16 Sun 5:00 Lungdang_Gompa 3200 +645 (no battery charging, nunnery, puja 18-19:30) 17 Mon 8:00 ACCLIMATISATION same +/-1000 4200 Ganesh_Himal_Basecamp 18 Tue 7:30 Lopka 2240 -960 via Ripchet 19 Wed 5:00 Bihi_Phedi 1990 -1350 (new moon) 20 Thu 3:30 Namrung (Lihi?) 2560 +570 (has electricity, free battery charging) 21 Fri 3:30 Lho 3180 +620 Ribum gompa, view point 22 Sat 1:30 Shyala 3500 +320 trip Pungen Gompa (4000m, 6-7h) 23 Sun 1:30 Sama 3530 +30 4400 Manaslu_BC 6-7h, or Birendra Lake 4000m 1h 24 Mon 3:30 Samdo 3860 +330 1-2 h towards Samdo Ri 5177m (Yartsa Gumbu) 25 Tue 3:00 ACCLIMATISATION same +/-518 4998 Rui_La_Tibetan_Border 26 Wed 6:00 Dharamsala 4480 +620 (breakfast 3:30-4:00, no battery charging) 27 Thu 9:00 Bimthang 3720 -760 over Larkya_La 5160m (+620 -1400) 28 Fri 4:30 Goa 2560 -1160 7h Bimthang direct to Tilche/Dharapani, if delayed 29 Sat 2:00 Tilche/Dharapani 1860 -700 Tilche-Dharapani 1h or jeep, continue to Tal 29 Sat 4:10 Tal 1700 -860 (plus 2:00 for Chamje) 30 Sun 6:30 Bahundanda 1270 -430 01 Mon Bandipur Jeep and bus 02 Tue Bandipur / Kathmandu 03 Wed Kathmandu 04 Thu Bhaktapur (Nepa GH) Raffaele e Amedeo 05 Fri Bhaktapur 06 Sat fly_from_KTM depart 00:30, durata 16:05, scalo Dubai 3:50, landing Pisa 16:55 03 Wed Kathmandu Giovanni e Fabio 04 Thu fly_from_KTM depart 00:30, durata 16:05, scalo Dubai 3:50, landing Pisa 16:55 20 Thu 4:40 Lihi 2910 +920 ALTERNATIVE: 1:10 after Namrung 21 Fri 1:20 Lho 3180 +620 Hinang gompa 3130m, +1h up, +1h down -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SINGOLI TRATTI, TEMPI A FANTASIA h:mm From To Meter Lodge 9:00 drive_Kathmandu Machakhola 930 NIGHT 1:15 Machakhola Khorlabesi 970 yes 1:00 Khorlabesi Tatopani 990 yes hot_bath 0:45 Tatopani Dobhan 1070 yes 2:15 Dobhan Yaruphant 1170 yes 1:45 Yaruphant Jagat 1340 NIGHT 0:30 Jagat Salleri 1353 1:00 Salleri Sirdibas 1420 1:15 Sirdibas Philim 1510 yes 0:45 Philim Ekle_Bhatti 1600 2:00 Ekle_Bhatti Lokpa 2240 NIGHT 3:00 Lokpa Chumling 2360 yes 1:30 Chumling Rainjam/Domje 2400 yes 2:00 Rainjam/Domje Chokangparo 3031 NIGHT 4:45 Chokangparo Nile/Chule 3361 NIGHT via Milarepa cave. Key Lamagaon or Bursa (300 NRP) 3:30 Nile/Chule Mu_Gompa 3710 NIGHT 4:00 ACCLIMATISATION Dhephyudonma_Gompa 4060 <---> 1:15 Mu_Gompa Nile 3361 yes 1:30 Nile Rachen_Gompa 3240 yes 1:30 Rachen_Gompa Chokangparo 3031 yes 2:45 Chokangparo Gho 2555 NIGHT 5:00 Gho Lungdang_Gompa 3200 NIGHT 8:00 ACCLIMATISATION Ganesh_Himal_Basecamp 4200 <---> 3:30 Lungdang_Gompa Gho 2555 yes 2:30 Gho Ripchet 2470 NIGHT 3:00 Ripchet Lokpa 2240 yes 4:00 Lokpa Nyak 3340 NIGHT 4:00 Nyak Deng 1800 yes 1:20 Deng Bihi_Phedi 1990 NIGHT 2:15 Bihi_Phedi Ghap 2160 yes 2:00 Ghap Namrung 2660 yes 0:30 Namrung Banjam 2800 yes 0:40 Banjam Lihi 2900 yes 1:00 Lihi Sho 2950 yes 0:10 Sho Shrip 3000 yes 0:40 Shrip Lho 3180 NIGHT Ribum gompa 1:10 Lho Shyala 3520 yes 1:20 Shyala Sama 3530 NIGHT Pungen Gompa (+1280,-980) 7-8h 3:00 Sama Samdo 3860 NIGHT 8:00 ACCLIMATISATION Manaslu_base_camp 4400 <---> solo Birendra Lake 4000m 6-7h 2:00 Samdo Dharamsala 4480 NIGHT 7:00 ACCLIMATISATION Rui_La_Tibetan_Border 4998 <---> 4:00 Dharamsala Larkya_La 5160 4:00 Larkya_La Bimthang 3720 NIGHT 3:45 Bimthang Kharche 2700 yes 1:00 Kharche Goa 2560 NIGHT 1:00 Goa Tilije 2300 yes 1:00 Tilije Dharapani 1860 yes (night 2003) 0:40 Dharapani Karte 1850 yes 1:30 Karte Tal 1700 NIGHT 2:00 Tal Chamje 1410 yes 1:00 Chamje Jagat 1330 yes (night 2003) 1:30 Jagat Syange 1080 yes 0:15 Syange Ghermu 1140 yes 0:15 Ghermu Kanigaon 1170 yes 1:30 Kanigaon Bahundanda 1270 NIGHT 1:45 Bahundanda Ngadi 900 yes (night 2003) 1:15 Ngadi Bhulbule 840 yes 0:45 Bhulbule Khudi 830 yes 2:00 Khudi Besi_Sahar 760 yes (night 2003) 5:00 drive_Dharapani Besi_Sahar 760 yes 2:00 drive_Besi_Sahar Dumre 400 yes 4:30 drive_Dumre Kathmandu 1365 yes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gurungs, Bhotias, Nubri, Tsum (Tibeto-Burmans), Magars, Thakalis, Chettri, Bahun Cappelli gialli: Gelug-pa, Cappelli rossi: Kagyu-pa, Sakya-pa e Nyingma-pa (tre sette) checkpoints Jagat, Philim, Namrung, Sama, and Dharapani, where you must present your permits for the restricted area (RAP), the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit (MCAP), and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP). Other points, like Deng, Tilche, and Tal, may also have checks, so carrying your documentation is crucial throughout the trek. Khorlabesi Gurung village Tatopani hindu temple Jagat gompa Philim Gurung village, Japanese school Tsum monastery, setta Nyingma Pa, poco piu` basso di Rachen Gompa, coordinates 28.5058345,85.0738147 long mani walls at Dzong and Phurpe A Bursa chiave del monastero Milarepa Piren Phu (per una quota di 300 rupie) Dharamsala blankets 200 NRP Specialita` Manaslu: Dhido mixture of wheat and maize; Gundruk fermented green vegetable leaf (also as pickles); Sukuti dried meat mainly Buffalo. Samagaon burns rubbish Samagaon temple & Kani: Lord Pungyen, white turban, brandishing a sword, riding a white horse Lho 3100m has a small temple containing two complete sets of the Tibetan canon in the Narthang and Lhasa prints, a fine gilded terracotta image of Sakyamuni and painted panels of the Five Buddhas and of "Lotus-Born" with different ritual cycles of divinities and lamas. Tilje Gurung Bandipur. Bandipur: Tempio di Bindabasini (Durga) sulla collina al tramonto. Tempio di Khadga Devi spada leggendaria spesso chiuso. Silkworm Farm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manaslu Trekking Tea Houses and their Contact Number: * Machha Khola, good lodges 930m Hotel Tsum Valley Resort, Tel: 974605473, 06469104, 9746037107, Mount Everest Guest House, Tel: 9746047927, 9746052253, Royal Garden Gest House, Tel: 989746037107-Pradip Gurung Hotel New Asia Trekkers Lodge. Tel: 9746061466, 9860467673-Hash Maya Gurung * Jagat, a good lodge (25 rooms, 50 pax) 1440m Jagat Guest House, Tel: 9746053312, 9746091814, 9746078003-Sita Karki * Philim, sufficient Hotels 1570m Royal Garden Gest House, Tel: 064691013, 9746052691-Sager Gurung * Chisapani 1570m Tea House at Chisapani, Tel: 9743118188 * Lokpa (2 Tea Houses) 1570m Lobsang Hotel & Lodge, Tel: 994640052, 9746038100-Lobsang Lama, New Tsum Valley Home Stay, Tel: 994640052, 9746043882 - Lopsang Lama * Chumling, Chumchet (3 Tea houses) 2361m Tashi Delek, Tel: 9749343007, 984544046-Lobsanh Lama Tsum Ganesh Himal Hotel, Tel: 9741142261, 994640032-Gopal Lama * Chhekamparo (Tea houses) 3010m New Milerepa Guest house, Tel: 9761502341 * Lar (2,3 Tea House) 3109m Tsum Valley Lodge, Tel: 994640056, 9841230879-Lopsang Lama * Chhule Nelae (3 Tea Houses) 3361m * Mu Gumba 3700m * Deng, good lodge (20 rooms, 40 pax) 1860m Manaslu Trekkers Home, Tel: * Namrung, reasonable lodges 2560m Thakali hotel, Tharpu Guest House Tel: 994640011-Tsering Bista Lama * Lo, reasonable Hotels 3180m Tashidhelek Hotel, Tel: 016925172 * Shyala, basic lodge (or Lho, reasonable) 3500m Peak 29 Guest House Tel: 994640014-Kunsang Dorje * Sama, good lodges. 3500m Samagaoun Guest House, Mt. Manaslu Hotel (Tel: 993644005 Bir Bahadur Lama), Norbu Guest House. * Samdo, via Manaslu Basecamp, Reasonable lodges 3800m Hotel Yak Hotel Twin Tibetan. Tel: 993640005 Kunsang Tsering * Larkye Phedi/Dharmashala, 3 good lodges now (60 pax) 4600m Larke Rest House * Bimthang, good lodges 3700m Hotel Pungkar, New Tibetan Guest House (993664542), Bimthang Cottage House * Tilje, good lodges 2300m * Dharapani, good lodges 2130m New Tibet Guest House, Tel: 9746041466-Ratna Gurung -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whisky X-ray Yankee Zulu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Valsartan - antagonista recettore angiotensina II: 1 compressa a colazione Nebivololo - beta bloccante: 1/2 compressa (2.5 mg) la mattina Rosuasa - statina e cardioaspirna: 1 compressa dopo pranzo Pantoprazolo - antiacido: un'ora prima di un pasto, 1-2 compresse al giorno Augmentin - antibiotico: inizio pasto o subito prima, 1-2 compresse a distanza almeno di 4 ore Naprossene - antinfiammatorio: dopo i pasti, 1-2 compresse, in una o due somministrazioni ============================================================================================ Shared jeeps from Dharapani to Besisahar costs around USD 25 per person. From Besisahar, a tourist bus back to Kathmandu runs at USD 12. Shared jeep Dharapani to Besisahar depart virtually every hour, take 4-5 h, cost 1500-2500 NRP (9-15 Euro, 10-17 USD) Bus Besisahar to Kathmandu 5-6 hours. Kathmandu to Besisahar Tourist Bus: NPR 1,400 - 2000 per person. (price may vary) Local Bus: NPR 800 - 1000 per person. (price may vary) Shared Jeep: NPR 1,200 to NPR 1,500 per person. (price may vary) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kathmandu to Bandipur - bus to Dumre 1,100-1,700 NRP - This is the price for the tourist bus that goes from Kathmandu to Pokhara. You have to pay the full price even though you will be getting off in Dumre. From Dumre to Bandipur, the price of the bus ticket is Rs. 100. Dumre to Bandipur By Taxi: It takes about 15 minutes by taxi and costs Rs. 600. Once in Dumre, the bus from Dumre to Bandipur goes about once an hour and takes 30 minutes to get there. Kathmandu to Dumre Minivan Ticket Price: Rs. 600 Himalayan Travel Leaders - VIP Sofa Bus - 09:00 Bandipur Gate - 14:00 Kathmandu Tourist Bus Stop (5h, from US$11) ============================================================================================ RISTORANTI A KATHMANDU Yin Yang Restaurant - 1000-2000 NPR tailandese +977 1-4701510 Koto Restaurant, Durbar Marg - presso American Tourister - +977 1-5320346 Baan Thai, un vecchio e fidato locale in Durbar Marg - zuppe tom yum (dal gustro agro e piccante) e tom kha (a base di cocco ed erbe aromatiche) Or2k - hummus, falafel e labaneh (formaggio acido mediorientale) Hankook Sarang - barbeque coreano - bulgogi (manzo marinato nel succo di pera) cotto sulla griglia al tavolo; bibimbap, un mix di riso, verdure e altri ingredienti servito in una ciotola di pietra molto calda in modo che uova e salsa al peperoncino insaporiscano ogni grano di riso. Western Tandoori & Naan House - Amrit Marg +977 981-8801346 Lumbini Tandoori & Naan House - Amrit Marg +977 984-9146155 ============================================================================================ Aereoporto - Thamel - Taxi 1000 prepaid, outside 500-800 Kathmandu-Machhakhola via Gorkha Bazaar - Bus Kathmandu around 6-7 am, Thankot, Khanikhola, Naubise, Dharke, Gajuri, Malekhu, Mugling, Aanboo Khaireni, Gorkha Bazaar, Arughat Bazaar, Sotikhola, Machhakhola - Rs. 1000-2000, 162 km, about 10 h Departure: Early morning every day (6:30 am and 7:00 am) Kathmandu-Machhakhola via Dhading Bensi - ****Thankot, Khanikhola, Naubise, Gajuri, cross Trishuli river, Dhading Bensi, Aankho Khola, Salyantar, Arughat - CHANGE BUS Arughat, Sotikhola, Machhakhola The bus fare from Kathmandu to Arughat costs Rs.750 and another drive to Machhakhola costs Rs. 250 and the direct jeep for Machhakhola from Kathmandu costs Rs.12000 (86$). One jeep can be shared by 7-8 people and the total costs will be divisible to all individual. local direct bus, NPR 1500-2000 (around 15$) per person, 8-9 hours private jeep, around $190 (5-7 people) 6-7 hours -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name-Surname Passaport Expire Born Backpack Amedeo Pimpini YD0021693 09-09-35 15-03-53 FORCLAZ, black and dark red Fabio Salvatori YB3998798 01-11-28 14-04-54 Lowe Alpine, dark and light blue Giovanni Raugei YB1766940 17-09-27 07-10-53 Raffaele Guido Della Valle YB4756634 15-03-29 15-05-54 Osprey Talon 55, full black Name flydubai PSA DXB PolicyAllianz allyz-Email Password Amedeo 4H34GF 19F 27F B2CITA500007200 pimpiniamedeo@gmail.com Fabio SXDQTQ 17A 27C B2CITA700007283 fabio.salvatori@gmail.com Giovanni 7ZCS2V 22A 10A Raffaele 0G3W81 17F 28F B2CITA600007085 raffaele.dellavalle@unibo.it Manaslu-25 Name Cellphone Address Amedeo 3355980747 Via Francesco Baracca 150/12, 50127 Firenze Fabio 3381176322 Via Maffei 45, 50133 Firenze Giovanni 3383182549 Via della Capponcina 23, 50135 Firenze Raffaele 3334232933 Via di Camerata 21, 50133 Firenze ============================================================================================ Porter Bordo Trek Peso 0 1 0 750 zainetto 1 1 0 770 sacco a pelo 0 1 1 300 documenti, fogli 1 1 0 1000 vestiti a bordo consegnati al portatore 1 0 0 400 vestiti in stiva consegnati al portatore 1 1 0 300 ciabatte 1 1 0 200 poncho 0 1 1 750 addosso in trekking o nello zaino 0 0 0 1550 vestiti per Kathmandu e guida, in stiva 1 0 1 300 beauty per il trekking 0 0 0 300 beauty per Kathmandu 1 1 0 300 medicine 0 1 1 700 aggeggi per il trekking 0 1 0 200 aggeggi per Kathmandu 0 0 1 800 giacca a vento 0 0 1 1600 zaino -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.27 5.27 4.45 awk '{ print; p += $1*$4; b += $2*$4; t += $3*$4 }; END { print p/1000, b/1000, t/1000 }' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dharamsala open on 27 november? Mu, Rachen and Lungdang gompa open? Rachen to Lungdang gompa how many hours? Like Larkya La? Porter-guide: where? name? Tibetan? Carry back something to agency? paths, not road, where possible, we choose lodge/homestay ============================================================================================ Shared jeep / Bus from "Gongabu" new bus park Himalayan Bank - Tridevi Marg - 10-19 Sun-Fri, 9am-noon Sat, 1 Euro = 165 NRP Kalapatthar Trekking Store (Monday - Friday : 9am - 5pm, Phone 9841-263414, www.gearsnepal.com) up from the Kathmandu Guesthouse and around the corner to the left. Micropur, Microspikes, Scalda collo .. ALTRIMENTI ... You can find microspikes in Snowland Trekking which is in a small alley under Potala Hotel, close to OR2K restaurant in Thamel for around Rs 1000-1500 (USD 10-15) depending on the type. Snowland is a manufacture of other trekking equipment like jackets, sleeping bags etc. Buste di detersivo SIM cards - NTC (Nepal Telecom) offre il package Sajilo Unlimited con 60 GB di dati per 30 Giorni a 999 NPR (6 Euro). Con Whatsapp per le chiamate (circa 25 MB/ora) sono 2400 ore. Col Cellphone chiamate illimitate per il Nepal, ma non ho capito se si può anche chiamare l'Italia, e il costo. La SIM costa 100-150 NPR (meno di 1 Euro). Serve passaporto e una foto formato tessera. Cartina nuova (se quella della agenzia non basta) Public Bus - Public buses are the most common transportation option to travel to Machha Khola from Kathmandu. It is the cheapest mode of transportation to Machha Khola from Kathmandu, Nepal. The bus fare for a bus ticket to Machha Khola from Kathmandu will cost you around $15-20. You can pick up the bus to Machha Khola from Kathmandu bus Park. The bus generally leaves around 6-7 am in the morning and takes around 8-10 hours to reach Machha Khola. The road from Kathmandu to Machha Khola are a mixture of pitch road and off-road. Local Jeep - Traveling to Maccha Khola via a local jeep can be another convenient option. Kathmandu to Machha Khola takes around 7-8 hours in a jeep. It costs you around 20-25$ to travel to the town of Machha Khola. A four-wheeler jeep ensures a comfortable journey to Machha Khola as it is best suited for off-road traveling. You can get the local jeep tickets to Machha Khola from the "Gongabu" new bus park in Kathmandu. Bob Gibbons and Sian Pritchard-Jones - Treeking around Manaslu Tsum valley, lower Manaslu and Ganesh himal: 1200 - 1500 NPR da Pilgrims Book Store Ristorante per cena Narayanhiti Palace Museum - ex palazzo reale, adesso è un museo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 04 Tuesday - December 06 Saturday EUR 892.55 November 04 Tuesday - December 04 Thursday EUR 977.11 (per Giovanni) Prenotazione sedili 60 Euro (4 tratte) Codici allarme nero 68202, rosso 42249 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://nepaliport.immigration.gov.np/ - Visa form online (ETA) USD notes should be dated/Series 2009. Old bills with dates before 2000 are not validated for exchange in Nepal. Nowadays, you can apply for a Nepal visa online. Please bring with you a copy of the submission paper. This will help you get a visa easily. For more details, click this link: https://www.immigration.gov.np/en ============================================================================================ ****** ATTENZIONE EVITARE Manaslu Trail Race (1 settimana di Novembre) ****** November 2025: Manaslu Trail race - Mon 10th Sotikhola - Wed 19th Tilje https://www.manaslutrailrace.org/itinerary-as-a-table/ ============================================================================================ Visitors in November 2022 - Manaslu 1013, Tsum 225 (opened in 2008) ============================================================================================ Most ATMs charge NPR 400-500/US$3-4 commission per transaction regardless of how much money you draw. Better to draw as much as you can to pay the commission on a bigger amount. From our experience ATMs of Nabil Bank are the best; their limit is NPR 35 000/US$290 per withdrawal. ATMs of other banks let you draw NPR 15 000-20 000/US$120-200 per transaction which means you have to draw twice to get the same amount and pay the commission twice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://www.flydubai.com/en/help/contact-us-form flydubai contact form https://caminaireinenglish.com/nepal/tsum-valley-manaslu-annapurna/ Tsum Valley – Manaslu – Annapurna, itinerary with GPS tracks https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Category:Buddhas_and_Deities database of Buddhas and Deities https://honeyguideapps.com/p/health-and-safety-while-trekking-in-nepal Health and Safety Issues while Trekking in Nepal *** SALVARE https://sites.wustl.edu/geoffchilds/ Geoff Childs - author of Tibetan diary, Sana https://breakshackles.com/2020/01/19/mountain-of-the-spirit-manaslu-kathmandu/ Manaslu Circuit diary 2020, with lot of photos https://heavenhimalaya.com/manaslu-circuit-trek-accommodation/ Manaslu Circuit Trek Accommodation Guide https://www.weseektravel.com/manaslu-circuit-itinerary/ Manaslu Circuit Trek 13 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8sYNBoJAAc The Journey to Becoming a Gurkha: Who Gets Chosen? | Kesang Tseten Documentary https://www.marcovasta.net/viaggi/Tsum/ Marco Vasta, Tsum valley trek https://www.gesar-travel.com/10-most-important-buddhas-deities/?lang=en The 10 most important Buddhas & Deities: Buddhist iconography https://www.guideinhimalaya.com/blog/recommended-side-trips-in-manaslu-trek.html Recommended Side Trips in Manaslu Trek https://www.weseektravel.com/manaslu-circuit-itinerary/ OTTIMO DIARIO, ANELLO MANASLU CON TUTTE LE DEVIAZIONI, IN PRIMAVERA https://www.aroundmanaslutrek.com/blog/ MOLTI ARTICOLI SULLA ZONA, DA RICONTROLLARE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2I4EySGYEU Good video - Manaslu Circuit Trekking, Nepal Himalaya https://youtu.be/IkjuZoE3GsM Nepal Mother House Treks, Tsum + Manaslu trek (duration 15:27) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix5J3xr2E18 Tsum & Manaslu, video diario stupido ma realistico, 38 min https://guyshachar.com/en/2011/nepal-tsum-valley-trek/ Nepal Tsum Valley Trek itinerary information and remarks - del 2011, CON CONSIGLI https://manaslucircuittreks.com/category/trekking-in-nepal/ Sito commerciale, con articoli fatti bene https://besthike.com/asia/indian-himalaya/ Sito con informazioni eterogenee, utile come elenco di possibilità ============================================================================================ CELLPHONE: Nowadays, most villages have mobile reception. Nepal Telecom (NTC) has better reception than NCELL in the Manaslu region. BATTERY CHARGING: most tea houses have either electricity or solar power. Each tea house charges a small fee for device charging. A fully charged device costs roughly 2/3 of a dollar in rupees. At Gumpa Lungden and Dharamsala, you will not get to charge your device. Manaslu-Tsum Valley Transportation facilities: transportation by bus (available early in the morning only) from Kathmandu (Gongabu Bus Park) to Machhakhola (9/10h) and Dharapani to Besisahar by a local Jeep (4/5h), then we switch to another bus or van to Kathmandu (6/7h). You either go by public bus from New Bus park at Kathmandu or reserve a private jeep. Three buses depart at 6 to 8 AM every day; it takes about 6 to 7 hours to reach Arughat by public bus. Afterward, you need to take another bus/Jeep from Arughat to Soti Khola or Machhakhola. It will take another 2-3 hours again. There are 3 bus services from Kathmandu to Machhakhola directly through the historical town of Gorkha Bazaar, so it takes 2 hours longer to get in total, 10 to 11 hours. To be honest, road construction has not affected the trekking trail yet. However, the road will eventually reach Rui La Pass. But the construction has avoided the main trekking trail. You can still enjoy the virgin trail of the Manaslu region. ============================================================================================ https://guyshachar.com/en/2011/nepal-tsum-valley-trek/ Nepal Tsum Valley Trek itinerary information and remarks - del 2011, CON CONSIGLI Geographically Tsum Valley can be divided to 4 sections The "Entrance" - from the branching from Budhi Gandaki Valley through the village of Lokpa till the tea house in Gadhkhola. Altitudes 1800 to 2100 meters. The "Lower" part - that includes the villages of Chumling and Ripchet up to Domje and Gho. Altitudes 2300 to 2500 meters. The "Upper" part - the relatively wide and flat area of the valley, from the village of Chhokung Paro till the villages of Nile and Chhule. Altitudes 3000 to 3400 meters. Mu Gompa area - where the Syar Khola becomes narrow and steep, and Mu Gompa is located. Altitudes 3400 to 3700 meters. Another section which is relevant to this trek is the branch from Domje towards Ganesh Himal range, Torogumba Glacier and Gumba Lungdang. This is actually the domain of Ganesh Himal Trek, but many trekkers add at least one day to visit the Gompa at Gumba Lungdang and enjoy Ganesh Himal views. Detailed description of each section Tsum Valley is very interesting to be explored on your own pace. Therefore, instead of suggesting a day by day itinerary, we shall suggest the number of days recommended for each section. Arrival to Tsum Valley: to Lokpa Lokpa (2240m) is a convenient starting point for the Tsum Valley trek. It is located one and a half hours climb from the trail branch to Tsum Valley from the main Manaslu trail. We walked to Lokpa on a single day from Jagat. The village of Lokpa is located high above the trail. On the trail itself there is one lodge with 2 rooms, each one with 4 beds. Food was very good. The "Entrance" to "Lower" Tsum Valley (one day) From Lokpa the trail goes through a thick forest down, up and down again to the lonely tea house at GadhKhola. It takes half a day to reach this tea house, where you can have a basic meal but no accommodation facilities. From here the trail branches and you can continue to the "Lower" part in two trails: One goes directly up to the village of Ripchet. The other crosses the Syar Khola on a suspension bridge and climbs to Chumling (also spelled Chumling). We recommend to proceed to Chumling, and return via Ripchet. When you climb to Chumling (2380m) the trail splits - go left to reach the old village center, or right to get quickly to Chumling family lodge. It is recommended to go directly to the lodge, settle down, and then go for a tour in the village. In total, the walk from Lokpa to Chumling is an easy walk day. On your way back from Domje, it is highly recommended to take the trail through Ripchet, on the southern side of the Syar Khola. The trail climbs gradually from Domje to Ripchet through the lovely forest. The village of Ripchet is located along a small plateau high above the Syar Khola, with dramatic views to the surrounding mountains. It is highly recommended to walk up to the old Gompa for a view of the village, surrounding fields and mountains. "Lower" Tsum Valley to "Upper" Tsum Valley (one day) The trail from Chumling continues east conveniently above the Syar Khola. It gets to Rainjam in less than 2 hours, where you can get a meal and very simple accommodation. The trail then crosses the Sarpu Khola on a suspension bridge and climbs up. The picturesque village of Gho is reached after less than half an hour. From Gho the trail continues to climb, and reaches the first village of Upper Tsum Valley, Chhokung Paro (3030m), after almost 3 hours. "Upper" Tsum Valley (at least two days) "Upper" Tsum Valley is interesting to explore. It is relatively wide, with several settlements, abundance of cultivated agricultural land, spiritual places and hospitable residents. Since you go and return through the valley, it is recommended to allow at least two days for this part. When you go up, it is recommended to stay at the western side of the river. As mentioned before, Chhokung Paro is recommended as a first station in "Upper" Tsum Valley. There is a convenient Home Stay in a relatively large room for guests and delicious local meals. Children of the village will be happy to show you around. Pass the village of Nakyu and reach Lamagaon. After the village you can visit the Milarepa Piren Phu cave. It is believed that a footprint located in the cave actually belongs to the famous Milarepa. The climb to the cave which is located on the cliff takes about an hour, and the views to the valley and surrounding mountains is spectacular. Entrance fee to the cave is 300 Rupees per person which are dedicated to its preservation. The trail then goes through the villages of Phurbe and Pangdun and reaches the neighboring villages of Chhule and Nile. It takes a day walk to reach Nile from Chhokung Paro. In Nile accommodation is available at one family house. We were 4 travelers there. Two of us shared a room with a monk, and the other two slept in the entrance of the family store... It is highly recommended to climb to Chhule Gompa or to the hills above Nile, to get a bird-eye view of the twin villages and surrounding scenery. Going back from Chhule - Nile, it is advised to continue on the east side of the river after passing Phurbe. It is an easy walk through flat Lar, followed by a visit to Rachen Gompa - a large monastery for nuns. Continuing back south it is recommended to sleep in the home stay at the village of Nakyu. The family will open a very nice tent for you in their yard and cook delicious food. Mu Gompa (at least half a day) Mu Gompa is located dramatically above the Syar Khola, less than 2 hours walk from the village of Nile. The atmosphere in this remote location is highly inspiring and the monks are hospitable. You can stay overnight in the Gompa, and make short walks to the ridges above it if weather permits and visibility is clear. It is possible to walk from Nile to Mu Gompa for a short visit, and then go back to Nakyu / Chhokung Paro on the same day, but it is recommended to allow at least a full day for exploration of Mu Gompa and its surroundings starting from Nile. Gumba Lungdang and Ganesh Himal Base Camp (at least one day) A highly recommended trip is a side trip to Gumba Lungdang and Ganesh Himal Base Camp. The trail starts from the village of Domje. It is recommended to do this trip on the way back from "Upper" Tsum Valley. From Nakyu or Chhokung Paro you can descend to Gho in 2-3 hours, continue to Domje via a narrow beautiful trail, have lunch in Domje before you start the long 3-4 hours climb to Gumba Lungdang. The trail from Domje to the Gompa is an attraction of its own - its first part zigzags steeply and then levels a bit as it goes high above the Langdang Khola on an exposed slope towards the Gompa. Visiting the Gompa is a touching experience. The Nuns and teachers at the Gompa are most welcoming. Meals are available in the Gompa kitchen, and usually your guides will join the effort preparing them. The nuns will find you a place to sleep somewhere in the Gompa premises. We were offered the entrance to the Prayer Hall as a sleeping place, and had one of the best sleeps we had during the trek... The mountain scenery from the Gompa is truly spectacular, with Ganesh Himal peak dominating the view. There are two recommended day trips from the Gompa: Ganesh Himal Base Camp - This is the more popular day trip by visitors. It goes through the forest up the Langdang Khola towards the Torogumba glacier and the Ganesh Himal Base Camp. Langdang Danda View Point - We did not have time to do it, but I feel it has a potential to be the "Poon Hill" of this area. There is a narrow trail that goes high up above Gumba Lungdang to the Langdang Danda ridge. This ridge separates between Upper Tsum Valley and the Ganesh Himal Valley at an altitude of over 4000 meters. Views from the ridge must be outstanding. Locals claim you can get to the ridge in 2-3 hours from Gumba Lungdang (...and then continue to Chhokung Paro in another 5-7 hours of steep descend). We know that the Tsum Welfare Committee is planning to promote a "shortcut" trail from Tsum Valley to Gumba Lungdang probably through this demanding trail. In any case it is highly recommended to take a local guide with you if you attempt to visit the ridge as a day trip. ============================================================================================ Costi Nepal VISA 30 Days 50 USD Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (RAP) *** 100 USD first week, 15 USD per day after Tsum Valley Restricted Permit 40 USD first 8 days, USD 7 per day after Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) 30 USD (or 23 USD) Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) 30 USD (or 23 USD) Local government permits: 10 USD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Temperatures in the Himalayas cool by 2.0 degrees C for every 300 metres of altitude. ============================================================================================ 2024 - The construction work for the vehicle road is still going on and recently it has reached Macchakhola At Dharmasala we will have to share a single room with 4-5 people as the accommodation services are basic and limited. Sotikhola-Kashigaun 1800m, 7-8h, having Lunch at Yarsa village 1877m - to avoid the road construction taking alternative trail. Kashigaun-Rumchet, 8-9h, Having Lunch at Karauja 2074m Rumchet-Dobhan 1070m, 5-6h Doban-Philim 1570m, 5-6h Philim-Chumling (Lower Tsum) 2361m, 6-7h Chumling-Chhekampar (Upper Tsum) 3010m, 5-6h Mu Gompa-Rachen Gompa 3210m, 5-6h Rachen Gompa-Dumje 2405m, 6-7h Dumje-Lokpa (cross Ripchet) 1570m, 6:30-7:30h Lokpa-Deng 1865m, 4-5h Dang-Ghap 2165m, 4-5h Ghap-Lho 3180m, 5-6h Lho-Sama Gaon (Ro) 3525m, 4-5h Explore day in Sama Gaon for acclimatization, May Visit Manslu Base Camp 4400m 3-4h, or Phungen Gumba 3870m 3-4h, Sama Gaun-Samdo 3850m, 4-5h Samdo-Dharamsala (Larkya Phedi) 4460m, 4-5h Larkey Phadi-Bimtang 3590m, via Larkya La 5160m, 7-8h Rest and explore day at Bimtang before Back-Kathmandu. Bhimtang-Dharapani 2130m via Tilje 2300m, 7-8h Drive-Beshisahar 3-4h. Again drive back-Kathmandu, 5-6h *** LONELYPLANET 2016 Machha Khola - Jagat 1340 (5-6h, 730m UP, 100m DOWN) Jagat - Deng 1860m (6-7h, 550m UP, 80m DOWN) Deng - Ghap 2110m (3-4h, 420m UP, 120m DOWN) Ghap - Namrung 2660m (2:30-3h, 680m UP, 120m DOWN) Namrung - Lho 3180m (3:30-4:30h, 610m UP, 90m DOWN) Lho - Sama 3530m (3-4h, 570m UP, 220m DOWN) Sama 3530m ACCLIMATISATION DAY - hike to gompa at Pungyen Gompa (4070m) Sama - Samdo 3860m (2-3h, 340m UP) Samdo 3860m OPTIONAL ACCLIMATISATION DAY: 6-7 h climb 640m to the moraine of the Fukang Glacier Samdo - Dharamsala 4480m (2:30h, 630m UP) Dharamsala - Bimtang 3720m (7-9h, 810m UP, 1570m DOWN) **** 3-5h to Larkya La 5100m Bimtang - Gho 2560m (4-5h, 1160m DOWN) Gho - Dharapani 1920m (3-4h, 640m DOWN) ============================================================================================ https://bergbertl.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/manaslu-circuit-trek-a-story-of-ups-and-downs-part-2/ Day 2 Sorbi Khalot - Machhakholagaon - 525m up, 250m down, 4:30h walking time, 1:30h lunch break, warm and easy Day 3 Mach-etc - Jagat - 1250m up, 725m down, 7h walking time, 1:30h lunch break, difficult, warm, rain in the afternoon. Day 4: Jagat - Dyang - 1000m up, 500m down, 6:10h of walking, moderate Day 5 Dyang - Namrung - 1300m up, 550m down, about 6h of walking, moderate difficulty Day 6 Namrung - Lhogaon - 700m up, 175 down, 3:30h of walking, easy and beautiful Day 7 Lhogaon - Samagaun - 575m up, 200m down, 3h of (slow) walking, easy day Day 8 Rest day in Samagaun Day 9 Samagaun - Darmashala - 980m up, 60m down, 5:20h of walking, difficult Day 10 Darmashala - Bimtang Day 11 Bimtang - Tilche - 250m up, 1600m down, 5h of walking, easy Day 12 Tilche - Tal - 3h of walking down a (for the most part) jeepable road Day 13 and 14 Jeep and Busride to Kathmandu Day 3: Drive to Soti Khola (800m) by Public Bus Day 4: Soti Khola - Machha Khola (869m) 5-6h Day 5: Machha Khola - Jagat (1340m) 5-6h Day 6: Jagat - Lokpa (2390m) 6h Day 7: Lokpa - Chumling (called Lower tsum) (2390m) 5h Day 8: Chumling - Chhokangparo (Upper Tsum valley) (3031m) 5h Day 9: Chhokanparo - Nile/ Mu Gumpa (3360)7h walk Day 10: Nile - rachen Gompa 3240m (4h walk) Day 11: Rachen Gompa - Chumling(2386m) 6h Day 12: Chumling - Dang (1860m) 7-8h. Day 13: Deng - Namrung (2660m) 6-7h Day 14: Namrung - Lho Gham (3180m) 5h Day 15: Lho Gham - Sama (3520m) 4h Day 16: Sama (rest day) Day 17: Sama - Samdo (3860m) 4h Day 18: Samdo - Larkya Phedi (4480m) Pass 5h Day 19: Larkya Phedi - Bimthang (3720m) - climb the Larkya La (5100m) 8-9h Day 20: Bimthang - Tilje (2300m) 6-7h Day 21: Tilje - Chamche (1410m) 6 to7h Day 22: Drive back to Kathmandu via Beshishahar *** VEDI http://www.fedup.com.au/information/nepal/manaslu-tsum-valley-track-notes *** ============================================================================================ NOTE SPARSE MANASLU From the main route, just past Lihi, turn left for a steady uphill climb to Hinang Gompa, a monastery and small hamlet. From Lho, trek up to the remote Pung Gyan Gompa at 4200 metres. In October 2019 the Chinese were building road north of Mu Gompa. We stayed just one night at Mu Gompa - I would suggest 2 nights, with a day spent walking beyond MG towards the Tibetan border and some of the other trails. We did not have time (the permits are time limited - another irritating bureaucratic restriction). My guide said that MU gets full at peak season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dal 2008 in Nepal e` stata aperta al turismo la Tsum Valley, definita anche Beyul Kyimolung, la valle della felicita`. Tsum deriva dalla parola tibetana Tsombo che esprime il concetto di vivida e intensa felicita` nella forte fede e pratica del buddismo. Anticamente la Tsum Valley era un regno distinto (il regno delle tredici provincie) ancora oggi visibile. I Tsumba la popolazione locale di origine tibetana; la storia li definisce provenienti dall'etnia nomade dei Tamba, ancora oggi parlano un loro dialetto e praticano la poliandria. La Tsum Valley si trova nella parte piu` a nord della regione di Gorkha e confina col Tibet e a ovest con l'area del Manaslu e a sud-est e` protetta dalla barriera del Ganesh Himal. Questo isolamento ha permesso fino ad oggi di mantenere molto intatta questa loro cultura unica che andremo a visitare. Incontreremo monasteri e gompa attivi dove durante l'anno si celebrano diversi festival e ricorrenze come: Loshar, Saka Dawa, Dhachyang (festival dei cavalli) ecc. Incontreremo una serie di villaggi Tatopani (sorgenti calde), Dobhan per giungere in giornata a Jagat (1.370 m.). Il sesto giorno incontriamo il lastricato villaggio di Sirdibas poi l'area di Philim (1.600 m.) con i primi gompa e chorten, qui lasciamo il sentiero basso lungo il Bhuri Gandaki che salirebbe al Manaslu lungo la Nupri Valley, il sentiero alto prosegue poi dopo alcune ore da Philim deviamo a destra e entriamo finalmente nella Tsum Valley per arrivare al primo insediamento di Lopka (2.240 m.) dove ci accampiamo. Il di seguente in 4/5 ore siamo nella ampia valle di Chumling (2.400 m.) qui ci sono alcuni insediamenti; la terra alluvionale e` molto fertile; troviamo anche tre monasteri: Panago gompa, Mani Dhungyur e Gurwa gompa, con ampi scenari sul Bauda Himal (6.672 m) e Ganesh Himal IV (7.052 m.). L'ottavo giorno di trek il tragittto lungo il fiume Shiar (fiume dell'est) ci porta a Chhokangparo (3.010 m.), il villaggio piu` grande della Tsum Valley, in realta` sono due insediamenti Chhokang e Paro con i suoi tre gompa: Galdang gompa, Paro Lhakang e Nuru Lhakang. Diverse donne locali indossano il caratteristico Chuuya una specie di abito colorato fatto con lana di yak, pur essendo stati fino ad oggi isolati, sia gli abitanti e i monaci sono molto cortesi e ospitali. Da Chhokang altra giornata indimenticabile dopo alcuni kilometri percorrendo il sentiero a sinistra dell'ampio letto del fiume Shiar incontriamo Leru e Ngakyu piccoli insediamenti con murimani e chorten unici nel loro genere con attorno campi terrazzati, giunti a Burji lungo la scoscesa rupe troviamo Milarepa gompa con all'interno la Piren Phu Cave, la grotta dove si crede che Milarepa il famoso santo tibetano abbia meditato qui, poi il Chi Pu gompa sempre incastonato nella roccia con pitture di ampio significato; proseguiamo e attraversiamo sempre il Shiar a Phurbe (3.251 m.) poi un grande stupa prima di giungere all'abitato di Chuule (3.347 m). Decimo giorno sopra Chhule domina il Poshyop Glacier proseguiamo lungo la riva destra c'e` il Gonhgye gompa, lentamente salendo giungiamo nell'area di Mu gompa (3.700 m), il piu` grande monastero della Tsum Valley, anche questo luogo e` in uno scenario spettacolare, nei pascoli attorno troviamo mandrie di yak, nelle vicinanze ci sono pure il Rikang gompa e il Deron gompa oppure possiamo salire ancora piu` in alto al Dhephyudonma gompa (4.060 m) o al lago Chhosyang. Quindi iniziamo a scendere nuovamente lungo il fiume Shiar ma facciamo la riva opposta passando da Nile (3.361 m) poi Lar con i suoi tre mulini ad acqua per sostare a Ranchen (3.240 m) con monastero fondato oltre un secolo fa, attualmente vivono e studiano circa cento donne monache. Da Ranchen il giorno successivo passiamo ancora da Chhokangparo (3.010 m.) ma proseguiamo per addentrarci nel sentiero che ci porta a Lungdang (3.200 m) altro luogo magico qui siamo sotto il Torogompa glacier, in questo villaggio c'e` un altro monastero di monache fondato trentatre anni prima di Mu gompa. Il quattordicesimo giorno di trek da Lungdang visitiamo Dumje (2.440 m) con il Dampha gompa per giungere a Ripchet (2.469 m) siamo nuovamente nell'ampia valle di Chumling fatta all'inizio quando siamo entrati nella Tsum Valley, ma sul lato opposto; a Ripchet altro monastero e caratteristiche abitazioni di pietra con sopra il tetto tronchi di pino ad essiccare. Mancano solo tre giorni al termine del nostro trek, da Ripchet in due ore siamo a Lopka (2.240 m) che e` l'ingresso e l'uscita della Tsum Valley. ============================================================================================ https://amitaba.net/viaggi/nepal-trek-circuito-del-manaslu-con-il-larkya-la/ 5: Khorla Besi - Jagat (1340 mt) Si continua lungo la valle rigogliosa, il fiume e` sempre possente e i pochi villaggi ospitano gente sorridente; iniziano ad essere piu` frequenti i segnali della cultura tibetana tipica delle valli piu` alte, con i muri Mani e cosi` via. Tappa di circa 6 ore; sistemazione in una locanda. 6: Jagat - Bihi Phedi (1990 mt) Superati i bei villaggi di Sirdibas e Phillin, di cultura tibetana, si superano le confluenze con le valli di Rupina da ovest e quindi di Tsum da est. Oltre Deng si giunge al villaggio di Bihi Phedi (circa 5 ore) si alloggia in una semplice locanda. 7: Bihi Phedi - Namrung - Lihi (2920 mt) Oltre il villaggio la valle piega un poco ad ovest, iniziando l'aggiramento del Manaslu; le visuali e i villaggi sono molto interessanti con diverse cascate, monasteri e templi tibetani che ornano in diversi punti i versanti. Oltre la rigogliosa piana del villaggio di Ghap si sale attraverso le foreste fino a Namrung e si prosegue per il villaggio di Lihi, un luogo che sembra fermo nel tempo; dai pressi del villaggio a sud ovest troneggia il gruppo dell'Himal Chuli, il cui picco maggiore arriva a 7893 mt. La tappa e` di circa 6 ore; sistemazione in una locanda spartana. 8: Lihi - Lho - Sho - Shyala (3500 mt) Superata la valle che fluisce dal gruppo dell'Himal Chuli si transita dal bel villaggio di Sho, dove si trova un interessante tempo tibetano; da qui verso sud est si ammira la mole del Ganesh I. Si arriva quindi a Lho, uno dei villaggi piu` importanti in quest'area con le case tradizionali in pietra, dove si trova un bel monastero di scuola Nyingmapa; da qui si ha una prima, stupenda panoramica sul Manaslu (8163 mt). Si prosegue per Shyala, un villaggio posto ai piedi del grandioso anfiteatro formato dal Peak 29 (7871 mt) e dal maestoso Manaslu. Si alloggia in una locanda, la tappa e` di circa 4 ore e mezza. 9: Shyala - Pung Gyen Gompa (4100 mt c.a.) - Sama Gau (3520 mt) Oltre il ponte sospeso che supera il torrente che fluisce dalla valle glaciale del Peak 29 e del Manaslu si segue il sentiero che ne risale il bordo arrivando alle pasture incastonate tra morena e monti, un'area dove spesso si vedono le "blue sheep", i caprioli himalaiani. Arrivati a Pung Gyen Gompa si ha la sorpresa di emergere in una vasta pastura pianeggiante dove brucano tranquilli gli yak, tra le molte marmotte. La massa verticale del Manaslu qui e` da capogiro! Si consiglia di andare fino al bordo della morena ad ovest del piccolo Gompa: offre uno dei panorami piu` impressionanti, ai piedi del Manaslu e del Peak 29. Si ridiscende quindi al punto di deviazione, da dove in circa mezz'ora si arriva a Sama Gau. La tappa richiede circa 6 ore; si alloggia in una locanda. 10: Sama Gau - Lago Birendra Tal (3780 mt) - Campo Base del Manaslu (4400 mt) - Samdo (3875 mt) Poco oltre il villaggio un sentiero ad ovest porta al lago di Birendra Tal, formato dalle cascate di ghiaccio che fluiscono dal Manaslu; da qui e` possibile proseguire fino al Campo Base del Manaslu. Tornati sul sentiero principale si segue la valle verso nord, un percorso quasi pianeggiante fino alla confluenza dei fiumi, dove si sale al piccolo villaggio di Samdo. Tappa di circa 7 ore (o 3 / 4 se si va solo fino al lago); sistemazione in una semplice locanda. 11: Samdo - Daramsala (4460 mt) Si sale al punto di attacco del passo del Larkya, piegando ad ovest; prima di arrivare al luogo di sosta si ha una bella visuale sul Manaslu, che ora si trova a sud. Tappa di circa 4 ore; sistemazione in una locanda molto spartana - se le stanzette sono occupate vengono offerte delle tende. 12: Daramsala - Larkya La (5160 mt) - Bhimtang (3590 mt) Oggi si valica il passo del Larkya, che porta ad ovest del Manaslu. La salita e` graduale e si svolge in gran parte lungo le morene del ghiacciaio del Larkya, la cui vetta e` a nord ovest. La discesa sull'altro versante e` piuttosto ripida fino a quando si raggiungono i bordi delle morene sottostanti; la visuale e` molto panoramica con l'ardita vetta dello Himlung (7126 mt) e diversi ghiacciai che confluiscono verso il centro della valle formando anche dei laghi, tra cui il Ponkar Tal e` particolarmente bello. Si segue quindi il bordo della morena fino a Bhimtang, un paesello formato da alcune locande, dove si alloggia; da qui si rivedono le vette del Manaslu e del Peak 29, ora da nord ovest, ed a nord l'orizzonte e` cinto dalla catena dello Himlung e del Larkya. La tappa e` di circa 8 ore. 13: Bhimtang - Dharapani (1963 mt) Oltre Bhimtang si contorna la testa di morena con panoramiche spettacolari ad est sull'ampia valle, dove diversi ghiacciai si tuffano dalle altissime montagne; ci si immerge gradatamente in foreste stupende ai bordi del fiume spumeggiante. Si transita da alcune locande, ottimi punti per rilassarsi un poco e bersi un buon te`. Il primo villaggio che si incontra e` Gho, quindi Tilche, villaggio principale di queste valle, e si completa la discesa arrivando a Dharapani, dove transita la strada jeeppabile che porta fino a Manang. Tappa di circa 7 ore; sistemazione in una locanda. 14: Dharapani - Katmandu Dal villaggio di Dharapani si parte in auto al mattino presto per Katmandu, dove si arriva in serata, sono circa 220 km, prevedere circa 9 ore di viaggio. ============================================================================================ gpsprune - Edit GPS tracks ============================================================================================ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyne%E2%80%93Stokes_respiration Cheyne–Stokes respiration ============================================================================================ https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-g293889-i9243-k15321184-Trip_report_Tsum_Valley_and_Manaslu_Circuit_November_2024-Nepal.html Trip report, Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit, November 2024 Here is my trek report of Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit in November 2024. While writing the report I realized that once again I often forgot to note the names of the lodges we stayed at. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Travel Day - bus to Machha Khola. bus left shortly before 7:00, short stop along the highway for a breakfast snack and toilet at about 8:30, stopped again for lunch at around 12:00 for about 45 Min. Machha Khola at 16:45. Hotel Chumvalley, which was ok but busy with a few bigger groups 7 Day 3, - Chumling to shortly after Chekumpar, 12 km, 860 m ascent - Karma Lodge, about 1,5 km after Chekumpar 8 Day 4 - Chekumpar to Nile via Milarepa cave, 10 km, 300 m ascent - Nile Norling Guesthouse like most of the other tourists as this is the only lodge in Nile. There are a couple of lodges in Chule and that is it. A new lodge is being built shortly before Chule but it looked quite small. So my guide had called ahead and secured a room for 2 nights for me. 9 Day 5 - Mu Gompa, 10,5 km, 340 m ascent, highest point 3620 m (ritorno a Nile) 10 Day 6 - Nile to Chumling, 22km, descent of 1100 m - Tsum Ghanesh Himal Hotel, And early to bed, without any noisy animals this time in Chumling. 11 Day 7 - Chumling to Lokpa, 7.5 km, 230 ascent, 580 m descent 12 Day 8 - Lokpa to Bihi, 13,6 km, 620 m ascent, 350 descent - junction where the trail to Bihi Phedi and Bihi splits - Bihi un solo Hotel 13 Day 9 - Bihi to Lhi, 16 km, 1060 m ascent, 300 m descent - lodge right at the entry to Lhi, cottage style. 14 Day 10 - Lhi to Shyala, 9,3 km, 620 m ascent - first lodge at the entrance of Shyala, Buddha Lodge. 15 Day 11 - Shyala to Sama via Pungyen Gompa, 13,7 km, 550 m ascent, 510 m descent - the absolute highlight of the trek - Sama hotel & lodge 16 Day 12 - Trip to above Birendra Tal and back, 8,5 km, ascent/descent 430 m - Birendra Tal is a glacial lake and so has a beautiful turqouise colour plus a very scenic view of Manaslu, well worth the visit. 17 Day 13 - Sama to Samdo, 7,6 km, 330 m ascent - Hotel Tibetan Twins 18 Day 14 - Samdo to Dharamsala, 6 km, 560 ascent - Zambala Hotel, the middle of the three, shortly after 11. All 3 places consist of a few shipping containers with "rooms" and tents in front or back or both. 19 Day 15 (20th of November) - Dharamsala to Bimthang via Larkye La, 15 km, highest point at 5100 m, 640 m ascent, 1340 descent - Both my guide and I are in favour of getting up late so we chose the latest available breakfast slot at 4:00. Hotel Ponkar, mostly cottage style. 20 Day 16 - Day trip to Ponker Tal, 6,3 km roundtrip, 410 m ascent/descent 21 Day 17 - ??????????????? 22 Day 18 - Bimthang to Go(w)a, 13,6 km, 1200 m descent - Larke Peak Guesthouse 23 Day 19 - Goa to Tal, 19,3 km, 1000 m descent - Sunrise Hotel 24 Day 20 - Tal to Ghermu, 14,5 km, 320 m ascent, 800 m descent - Fishtail Guesthouse 25 Day 21 - Ghermu to Bhulbhule, 13,7 km, 250 ascent, 520 m descent - River View Cottage Lodge 26 Day 21 - Travel Day All in all this was a great trek, Tsum Valley was enchanting, the upper part especially. I would have liked to stay one more night at Chekumpar on our way down. The upper, wide valley had a special atmosphere to it, I am not into esoteric interpretations at all, but there was "something" in that place. On the Manaslu trail do not miss the detour to Pungyen Gompa, and if you have time, stay 2 nights in Bimthang and visit Ponker Lake. And bring earplugs inside a local bus, do not pack them in the big bag that sits on the roof..... All the lodges at Dharamsala have set meal times, and breakfast is only between between 3:30 and 4:00. No other times. Someone said it is because people WANT to start that early in order to get to Bimthang early enough. I heard that it is because usually the wind on the pass gets nasty by 10:00, so everyone want to be there before. When we crossed, there was no wind at all between 10:00 and 11:00 on the pass while we were there, so we could have started later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Travel Day We took the bus to Machha Khola. It started out as a predominantly tourist bus but after leaving Prithvi Highway it became more and more local, locals travelling just a short distance, transporting goods etc. The bus left shortly before 7:00, short stop along the highway for a breakfast snack and toilet at about 8:30, stopped again for lunch at around 12:00 for about 45 Min. Then on towards MK over a mix of rough and black-topped road till we got to MK at 16:45. Ours was not the only or last bus, quite a few people around and arriving after us, too. Stayed at Hotel Chumvalley, which was ok but busy with a few bigger groups. That might be the reason why the shower was more a trickle of water, but at no extra cost it did the job of getting rid of the dust and sweat of the day. The day started sunny but clouded over in the afternoon. Trek day 1 (5th November) Machha Khola to Philim, 24km, 910 m ascent, 310 m descent I had wanted to do this in 2 stages but we decided the night before to do this in one long day in order to make up for the lost day. It was a really long day but not too much uphill and on still a lower elevation so much easier to do now than later on. We started at 8:00 with quite a few tourists around us. The first 9 km were on the track/dirt road but there were only a few jeeps and lorries travelling along, mostly jeeps with locals. Some mule trains, too. Shortly after Tatopani (with very hot water flowing from the spring) there was a waterfall right next to the road, the stream flowing on and across the road for a bit. Everyone took pictures here, the Nepali even more than the tourists. At Dobhan we crossed the river and were on a trail for 6 km till we had to cross the river again. Shortly after Dobhan there was a big landslide area but easy to cross. We had lunch at Thulo Dhunga Guesthouse, at 11:45. On to Yaru, a very nice spot with a couple of Guesthouses where I had originally planned to spent the night. But as we had revised our plan we only passed it. Right after Yaru there is a short Via ferrata. As the river was flowing on the western side people who did not like the see-through metal plates were able to avoid the Via ferrata. Not me! By now the clouds had started to come but there was still some blue sky around. When we reached Jagat my guide had to get the permit stamped, pay the local Tsum Valley fee (1000NPR) and get the food vouchers for himself and the porter, I think it was 500 NPR per voucher which was for lunch or dinner. Breakfast they either paid cash or got for free (mostly the latter). By now it had clouded over completely and a strong wind was blowing up the valley. Had a coffee break and then continued on, still on the dirt road. Right after Jagat there is a river crossing, you can either cross by stepping stones along the ford or climb up to the bridge. I would recommend the bridge as from it you have a wonderful view of the 3 waterfalls the river forms here. Shortly before Philim you cross the river again and it was only a short climb up to the village. We choose the first lodge on the left which was built in cottage style. Manaslu River View Cottage. Got there at 16:45 and had a big room in a double cottage for myself. After a coffee I had a very nice hot shower. Dinner at 18:30 and quite an early night for me as it was such a long day. Day 2, Philim to Chumling, 16 km, 1040 m ascent, 320 m descent We started at 7:45 only to stop again 5 min later because the permits had to be checked. Clear blue sky and still quite cool in the shadow. But once we started walking properly it was warm enough for a t-shirt. Quite a few mule trains on the trail, and quite a few tourists, too. Mostly couples or small groups, only one other solo trekker with guide. The road on the other side of the valley petered out shortly after a long hanging bridge crossed the river at Ekle Bhatti. We could see some blasted gash in the sheer cliff soon after that, no idea how they will build a road along that cliff. After about 2 km the Manaslu trail with a lot of trekkers crossed the river again, but we stayed on the eastern side. After a steep climb through forest and hearing some monkeys move about in the trees we reached the entrance Gate to Tsum Valley. The forest changed to more bamboo and decidous trees and less firs with glimpses of the Ganesh range. We reached Lokpa at 11:45 and had lunch at Hotel Motherland. After that it was about 7 km of Nepali flat mostly through mixed forest with a huge landslide area right after Lokpa. The valley is narrow and steep here and so of course we had to go a way down to cross the river (Shyar Khola) on a bridge and back up again. By now there were a few clouds, obscuring some of the mountains behind Chumling. The monsoon floods had destroyed the pipes to the power plant of Chumling so there was no electricity apart from a few solar powered lamps in the rooms and dining room at our lodge, Tashi Delek Lobsang Lodge, which we reached at shortly after 17:00. Some coffee and a quick wash in the room and then dinner at 18:30. As we arrived so late and tired I did not look around the tiny village. After some chatting with fellow trekkers in the dining room it was time for bed. Sadly not for the rats in the walls and ceiling and on the tin roof. They kept running around and squeaking till 1:00 and so kept me awake till then as their squeaks penetrated my ear plugs. Day 3, Chumling to shortly after Chekumpar, 12 km, 860 m ascent Much too early for me because of the rat disco around my room and unconsiderate fellow guests who took care to make the most possible noise when waking/getting ready, I was up shortly after 6:00. We had breakfast at 7:30, off at 8:00 with brilliant blue skies. The first 6 km were a slowly ascending trail followed by a steep climb of 600 m over 3 km. During the first part we met a group that had to retrace their steps after being stopped by an unpassable landslide area. They had planned to walk out via Ripchet on the southern side of the valley. That was luck for us as I had planned the same and now knew it was impossible. Early lunch at 11:30 before tackling the climb. After the ascent the valley, that had been quite narrow, opened up more and more with large flat fields on both sides of the trail. And from here on it would be only low trees or bushes in the valley and rocky mountain slopes with some trees/bushes, very alpine looking. It started to cloud over, the mountains we had seen while climbing up got more and more obscured. We passed through Chekumpar/Chhekamparo which is a nice village with lots of old houses, and reached our lodge, Karma Lodge, about 1,5 km after Chekumpar, shortly after 15:00. A nice logde in cottage style. After a coffee I had a very nice shower. And then a mixture of exhaustion/sleep deprivation and too much of sun caught up with me and I threw up. But after some sleep and lots of water I was fine again and enjoyed dinner very much. And went to bed at shortly before eight for a very restful night‘s sleep. Day 4 Chekumpar to Nile via Milarepa cave, 10 km, 300 m ascent Started at eight after a good breakfast, with some lingering clouds/mist that completely vanished at nine. Very nice and easy walk in the broad valley between fields on a road-like path till Lamagaon where my guide got the keys to Milarepa Cave and the buildings around it. It was a hort steep hike up to the cave and we were lucky to be the first and only ones while looking around. This is one of quite a few places where Milarepa is said to have meditated a few years, and he left a footprint, quite a small one at that. When we left, we met the caretaker we had got the key from who was coming up with some local women and some tourists. While I went straight down the hill to where a Mani wall lies below the cave my guide and porter went back the village to retrieve our backpacks we had left there (just dumped them at a chörten visible for everyone, nothing happened to them). From here the trail followed the right bank of the river, beautiful views up the valley and to the mountains which are quite barren looking. I really liked it up here as everything was open with beautiful views. After crossing the river we stopped for a quick coffee in Pangdun at 12:00. Then it was an easy stroll to Nile which we reached at 13:10. We stayed at Nile Norling Guesthouse like most of the other tourists as this is the only lodge in Nile. There are a couple of lodges in Chule and that is it. A new lodge is being built shortly before Chule but it looked quite small. So my guide had called ahead and secured a room for 2 nights for me. After lunch I took a walk around the village. It is quite compact, with old stone houses and high stone walls around the yards. People here were busy tending to the fields, getting them ready for winter. As the clouds started to obscure the sun it got cool, so I returned to the lodge and had a coffee before doing some laundry. Dinner at 18:30 in a very full dining room, Western and Nepali tourists. And I got to meet my permit partner here for the first time. Till Bimthang we would meet often, mostly staying at the same lodge for the night, but during the day it was usually a chance meeting at a coffee/tea stop or such. Day 5 Mu Gompa, 10,5 km, 340 m ascent, highest point 3620 m Started at 8:30, clear sky, still frost on the ground. After a short path through fields the trail is on a dirt road, with gentle ascent. I completely forgot to ask where the road comes from, if the machinery to built it was flown in, or came from Tibet/China across a pass or everything was manually built. But the walking was nice with good views up and down the valley, which by now was quite barren, like I imagine a lot of the Tibetan high plateau to look like. We saw vultures coming out of a side valley, possibly from a sky burial. The last bit was a steep ascent to the Gompa, and once again we had the gompa to ourselves. A group of french women was just leaving. Got there at 10:40. My guide and porter did a short ceremony for blessings, we had a look around the gompa and then we had a snack outside which we shared with a monk and my permit partner plus guide who came up after us. The view was beautiful from here, so we sat in the sun a little bit before starting back again. And then we saw some blue sheep on the slope above us! The first sight of them for me. At about 30 minutes after leaving we crossed the river to the left bank (my guide and I took the old bridge which I would not recommend, it was a bit wobbly) where there was a very nice trail back to Chule/Nile and were back at the lodge for lunch at 13:00. Clouds started to come in from the lower valley but it only clouded over completely at about 17:00. Before that I had a bucket shower with a lot of very hot water from the solar water heater. Enough water to give the rest to my guide and porter who were doing some laundy. Coffee and some diary writing and reading followed. This evening the dining room was even fuller than the last night but somehow everyone got a seat. Chatting with some of the other trekkers over dinner. Day 6 Nile to Chumling, 22km, descent of 1100 m Yesterday my guide and I had deliberated how to split up the way back. As the way via Ripchet was blocked and between Chekumpar and Chumling there is not much accommodation, Chumling was the aim for today. But not the rat disco lodge for me again! So we started at 7:45, like a lot of the other guests of the lodge, but most of them went up to Mu Gompa, a lot more than the day before, so we had indeed been lucky with our visit. The sun was still behind the mountains and the sky was clear, so it was quite chilly for the first 2 hours. We stayed on the left bank of the river on a very scenic and beautiful path. We reached Rachen Gompa, the nunnery, at 9:20. Here they were preparing a burial puja which was scheduled for midday that day. Many of the nuns had left for Kathmandu during the last few days (we met some on our way up) as there was an important Lama visiting and lecturing at Swayambu. So after a short look around we continued on our way, crossed the river at Lamagaon and continued to Chekumpar (arrived at 11:00), where we had a long rest for lunch at Trekker‘s Home Guesthouse. Sitting in the sun we nearly decided to stay there for the night as it was so cosy, but in the end decided to go on, as it was still so early. Left at shortly after 12:00, with now a couple of groups having lunch or staying at the lodge. The way down to Chumling was very pleasant with some clouds coming in and providing some welcomed shade. Only going down the steep hill I realized that it was no wonder I had been so exhausted on day 3. Here the valley narrows going down which made the wide upper valley even more special. We reached our lodge, Tsum Ghanesh Himal Hotel, at 15:30. We had passed by a couple of other lodges shortly before but they were at a very narrow part of the valley so decided to continue on to that lodge which had a more open feel to it. I was the only westerner there, partly due to where the lodge is located and partly due to the fact that the better rooms of the lodge had been inundated with mud in the monsoon flood that had destroyed the pipes to the power plant a few weeks earlier. But a couple of engineers overseeing the repairs at the power plant had just arrived the other day and were staying here, too. Coffee in the yard, then sitting at the fire of the outdoor kitchen before having dinner in the very nice dining room lit by solar power all on my own. And early to bed, without any noisy animals this time in Chumling. Day 7 Chumling to Lokpa, 7.5 km, 230 ascent, 580 m descent Breakfast for all in the kitchen today, including the engineers and some other workers for the power plant. As this was a short day we only started at 8:30, the path down the valley goes past right below the lodge and we saw a couple of tourist groups pass before we started. They must have stayed at one of ther other lodges we had passed yesterday. We never saw them again, so I was not able to find out anything about the lodges. After a short flat bit the path descended to the brige crossing the Shyar Khola and then of course ascended again. Here we would have joined the main trail again had we been able to go via Ripchet. The trail continued through the light woods. There is a short Via Ferrata which I had completely forgotten about but really enjoyed again. For all those with a fear of heights/sheer drops it may not be so enjoyable but it is only 5 minutes walk. And you can walk side by side so a guide or travel partner can be on the riverside to help along. We crossed the large landslide easily again and reached Lokpa at 11:45. As intended we stayed at Hotel Motherland where we were later joind by my permit partner plus guide. I got an "attached room" with a Nepalese toilet and a shower head (did not try because it would have been cold water). But first was lunch, eaten inside because I needed to be out of the sun. There was a family group from the upper valley having lunch, too. They were on their way to Kathmandu where they were going to stay for winter. After lunch I did some laundry and then had a lovely hot shower in a very well equipped shower hut: places to put your clothes, brush, soap etc. And it had a view up the valley, too. Afterwards it was a lazy afternoon, coffee, watching locals and Nepalese tourist playing Carrom, and having a go at it myself. As always, I did not win, though my brother used to have one when we were teenagers. Did nearly never win then, either. By about 17:00 it had clouded over, so we all went inside, did some reading and chatting with the others tourists. Dinner time was busy and the dining room was full but food arrived quickly and was very good. And the who.e lodge was spotlessly cleaned with the landlady mopping the floor of the dining room a few times in the afternoon after groups had been there for food. Day 8 Lokpa to Bihi, 13,6 km, 620 m ascent, 350 descent As we had seen the trail markers on our way between Jagat and Philim we knew that we would meet the Manaslu Trail Race at some stage. So we checked their itinerary and realized they would be stopping in Deng tonight, so we changed our plans accordingly and aimed for Bihi Phedi. Started shortly after 8:00 with clear skies and reached the Gate to Tsum Valley an hour later. After walking down through the forest we reached the Budhi Gandaki and crossed the river shortly after that to join the Manaslu trail. Down here it was a lot warmer and more crowded than in Tsum Valley. After a very short bit of wide track we came across a recent landslide, most likely from the torrential rains a few weeks ago. The trail to cross it was very narrow and quite a few people were having problems negotiating it. Above was machinery at work, probably preparing a new trail to cross this section. The valley is quite narrow for the next few kilometers and the trail crossed the river a couple of times, mostly with a steep ascent afterwards. But it was a nice trail, with good views up and down the river. Reached Deng at 11:00, with the first 2 of the trail racers already arrived, having started at Dhoban. We had lunch at Shangrila Home at the end of Deng and could hear the finish bell ring a few times before starting off again. The valley opens up a bit after Deng but only after ascending to Rana there is a wider view up the valley. As it was still early when we reached the junction where the trail to Bihi Phedi and Bihi splits and we wanted a closer look at the nice waterfall right there, we took the way to Bihi up the hill. This was a really nice trail, we had it completely to ourselves. When crossing the sidevalley on a bridge we could see at least 3 groups on the lower trail. The trail climbed steeply at first and then levelled out, with just a little up and down till Bihi. That part is along alpine looking meadows dotted with firs and the odd chörten. Bihi sits on a plateau with a beautiful wide view up the valley. We reached it shortly before 14:00 and on approaching decided to stay there if there was a lodge available which there was. Sadly I did not write down the name but as far as I could see it is the only one in the village. It is a conglomerate of old lodge and new concrete building connected by a covered patio that used to be the lodge’s terrace. Coffee and a snack in the garden till the sun vanished behind the mountain at shortly after three. Afterwards I took a walk through the village, it is indeed a "real" village with people getting fields ready for the winter, dzo grazing in the fields and children playing in the yards. When I came back my room was a little cool so after freshening up I sat on the bed in my sleeping bag reading till it was time for dinner. At dinner there was half of a group from the UK, they did not get a bed at Bihi Phedi and diverted to Bihi instead. After dinner had some popcorn and played cards with my guide and porter. Very quiet night. Day 9 Bihi to Lhi, 16 km, 1060 m ascent, 300 m descent Like always, we started at around 8:00 after a good breakfast. The trail descended quickly and we joined the main Manaslu trail after 10 minutes somewhere after Bihi Phedi. The first 9 or 10 kms were a nice trail slowly ascending with a couple of short steep bits, but not too demanding. During the morning there were quite a few of the trail racers passing us, plus their official photographer who had started long before them to wait at photogenic places to take pictures. Had a coffee stop at a little place near Ghap where the owner was weaving, here my permit partner caught up with us and we went on together. Bought some apples here, too. We had them over the next few days and they were very good. Shortly after that stop the trail crossed the river and the valley closes in a bit, but the views are beautiful. After Ghap once in a while you pass a Mani wall, further up there are many more, like in Tsum Valley. We all had a leisurely long lunch stop (arrived 11:30) at the Khutang Longha Stonebridge Peace Hotel, enjoying sitting in the sun. On the other side of the river there was a herd of mountain goats grazing, so that was a bonus to our lunch. After crossing the river 2 more times the steep ascent to Namrung waited for us. 250 m in 1,3 km but through a very peaceful forest. Right before Namrung we stopped for coffee and got some more apples for the next days. There were 2 shops, the second one with a nice view down the valley. I had not intended to buy apple pie but ended up doing so. Namrung was busy with trekkers and as a trail race stage post with Hinang Gompa their goal for the day. The valley widens again here or rather the trail is not close to the river but higher up on a plateau here. So for a couple of km it was nearly flat before the last steep ascent to Lhi, again 250 m in 1,2 km. Right before the ascent I had the apple pie, which had not enough apple for my liking but it did the trick of helping me up the hill. We stayed at the lodge right at the entry to Lhi, cottage style. Arrived at 16:00. As the sun was just still around before vanishing behind the mountain I had coffee before settling in. I got the last of the 5 cottages, and had to wait a bit for my hot bucket shower but it was so nice. Especially as it had been a warm day and I was very sticky. Dinner at 18:00, lovely fluffy Ting Momo with curry. One of the best dinners of the trek. There was no fire in the dining room, just in the kitchen right next to it, so because it got cold soon, I went to my room early for some reading before bed. Day 10 Lhi to Shyala, 9,3 km, 620 m ascent Woke up to clear skies again, started off at 8:15. The old gompa in Lhi was locked, so we only passed it. The new one sits on a hill but we did not visit either. The first part, about 40 minutes, of the trail is quite flat and you walk into a side valley to cross the stream/river that comes down from Lamjung Glacier. At the bridge we were caught up by several of the trail runners as the trail from Hinang Gompa, their overnight post, joins the main trail here. We hurried over the bridge in order to not block them and right after there was a steep ascent where again I was glad that I was a hiker and not a runner... The valley again opens up a bit after that ascent and then after one hour of walking, just before the little village of Shyo, there he was: Manaslu! At first you only see a tiny bit of white, then the 2 peaks appear and after Shyo quite a bit of the mountain is visible. Plus a nice view of Lho Monastery, Manaslu North and Larkye Peak. So it was selfie and picture time here for all of us. For the next few days Manaslu is always visible (and we were lucky with the weather and nearly never had clouds around the peaks). The trail continues to ascent gently, with fields, and apple trees at 3000 metres elevation!, with the valley opening up more and more. At the further end of the next village, Sip (spelling?), a landslide destroyed a few houses, and only stopped right at the edge of the trail and a lodge during the 48 hour downpour at the end of last monsoon. The trail crossed it and shortly afterwards the steep ascent to Lho started. The reward is an awesome view of Manaslu, and for us a leisurely coffeebreak in the sunny yard of Majestic Manaslu Cottages Guesthouse. Coffee with a view! Another climb brought us to the football/soccer field of Lho with another beautiful view up and down the valley. The trail descended along a short side valley a bit and we lost the view of Manaslu for a while. But it was a nice airy forest and of course after crossing the river the trail ascended again until reaching Shyala. We got there at 13:00 and stayed at the first lodge at the entrance of Shyala, Buddha Lodge. My permit partner was already here, and after choosing a room, I had lunch. After lunch and freshening up I took a walk through the village where quite a few lodges are lining the main "road", and hiked up to the very shiny new Gompa, sponsored by Thailand, thus a bit of different design compared to the traditional Gompas. Again beautiful views of Manaslu. There is a café run by the High School at the further end of Shyala but I had no money on me so sadly had to do without a visit. Back at the lodge I had a coffee and then sat on the balcony reading in the sun with a direct view of Manaslu and the trekkers passing by, none of them choosing the lodge, so we were the only tourists staying for the night. Just fine with me. Some sock laundry and then sitting and talking in the dining room after the sun went down. Very tasty dinner of fried potatoes with veg. Early night for me. Woke up during the night and there was a full moon illuminating everything including Manaslu. So I stayed up a little for the view, of course taking pictures, too. Day 11 Shyala to Sama via Pungyen Gompa, 13,7 km, 550 m ascent, 510 m descent Today was the absolute highlight of the trek for me! Started off at 8:00 after a beautiful sunrise lighting up Manaslu and breakfast in the kitchen. The trail to Pungyen Gompa branches off the main trail right in the middle of the village but you can get to it as well if you take a left right after the highschool. It snakes uphill through a nice fir forest with Manaslu peaking out above the hill. After about 30 minutes it goes up the side of a moraine and gains 180 metres in 800 ms, but after 5 minutes of level walking you get your reward: a breathtaking view of a mountain amphitheatre with Manaslu in nearly full glory. My guide had never been up here and he was as gobsmacked by the view as a couple of other Westerners and I. The trail then turns to the right and crosses the river that comes down from Pungyen Glacier. This was the only time I wished I had had poles as the water had overflowed the little natural dam and created an ice parcour. But I managed to cross and we continued across two more moraines to where the path up from Sama joined our path. 40 minutes later we reached the plateau and continued towards the gompa at the far end of it. The view stayed amazing and I took loads of pictures. Manaslu and Ngadi Chuli had snow plumes at their peaks which made them even more impressive. We reached the old gompa at 11:45 and had a snack lunch there with about 10 more Western trekkers. Then we visited the gompa, gave a small offering and shortly talked to one of the resident nuns. They are building new housing on the hillside above the gompa as the current housing is very dated and not adequate for big pujas. We left after about 50 minutes because it was quite windy and cool in spite of the sun. On the way back we stopped at the tea house where I had the most expensive coffee I ever had on a trek in Nepal at 400 rupees, but it was so nice to drink it sitting in the grass, in the sun, out of the wind, with this unforgettable panorama in front of me. And a few huge avalanches on Pungyen Glacier as a bonus! We then walked down again, this time taking the trail down to Sama(gaon). This one is really steep with quite a few steps along the little river. That steep section only took about 20 minute going down but I would have hated going up this way. My guide had to report at the checkpoint while I continued towards our lodge. We reached our lodge, Sama hotel&lodge at 15:00, just in time for another coffee. After a very nice shower I sat in the dining room, strategically close to the oven that was fired later on as the lodge filled up with a big group from Northern Macedonia, a smaller one from South Tyrolia, a few couples and also my permit partner. After dinner of dal bhat I continued reading and chatting to the other guests till quite late as next day would be a rest day. Day 12 Trip to above Birendra Tal and back, 8,5 km, ascent/descent 430 m Though we reached 4000 m yesterday and thus did not really need an acclimatization hike, we used the rest day for another hike. Started at 9:20. You can either go through the grounds of the monastery above Sama, for a shorter way to the lake (but you have to pay for that privilege) or follow the trail out of Sama and turn left towards Manaslu Base Camp after crossing the river. My permit partner went up all the way to Base Camp but it had already been stripped of everything as the season had closed early due to the heavy snowfall a few weeks ago. The trail started off quite level but then got steep quickly as it ascends the side of the moraine that borders the lake, and then the mountainside. The path is alpine in character but not difficult to walk on with beautiful views of the valley, Birendra Tal and Manaslu with its glacier. We reached our highest point, 3900 m, at 11:30 and had some snacks and a chat with another German trekker resting here. There were quite a few people on the trail using this as an acclimatization hike. The weather was clear again, nearly no wind and only a small snow plume off Manaslu. On the way down we turned off from the trail at a lookout point over the lake and skirted the hillside down to the lake trailless until we reached the path that came down from the biger trail. Birendra Tal is a glacial lake and so has a beautiful turqouise colour plus a very scenic view of Manaslu, well worth the visit. Got there at 13:00, took some pictures and enjoyed the view for a bit. Crossed the outlet stream on stepping stones and then skipped going up the hill to the viewpoint as the tea/coffeeshop there was closed. The trail crossed the moraine and then dropped down to the meadow behind the monastery. As we did not know if we would have to pay the entrance fee even on returning, we backtracked a little to join the main trail into the village. Home for lunch at around 14:00. The sun vanished behind the mountains shortly afterwards, so I did a little laundry and then went looking for the café I had seen when coming into Sama yesterday. Somehow I did not find it but had a lovely walk around the old village which is very clean and neat with flagged paths and the stream channeled so it cannot flood the village. By now dzo, yaks and horses made their way home on their own, so once in a while I had to step aside as they did not care for foreigners on their path and would stop walking. As I did not find the café I went back to the lodge and had my coffee there and again occupied a place near the fire/oven for the remainder of the evening, not even budging when the groups arrived. My guide, porter, permit partner and guide went to a hidden drinking place that night, though my guide returned early as he does not drink alcohol. Day 13 Sama to Samdo, 7,6 km, 330 m ascent Start at 8:30. The first part of the trail was easy and nearly flat, passing a very long Mani wall before crossing the river some time later. At the Mani wall there is the last view of Manaslu as one knows it with those two peaks clearly distinguishable. Until shortly after Samdo you will not be able to see it at all. After the river crossing the trail again steeply went up the hillside with a couple of false "summits" until we reached the start of Samdo and the huge hotel right at the entrance. The trail runners stayed here for 2 nights, having an acclimatization day with a run to the Tibetan border through the side valley today. We continued till near the end of the village and got to our lodge, Hotel Tibetan Twins, at 11:00. This night it would again only be my permit partner and I staying here. We had a welcome coffee and sat in the sun on the terrace for a while chatting with the lodge owner and the cook. Later on my permit partner arrived and we all had potato curry with rice for lunch, very tasty. Afterwards my guide sent me up the hill behind Samdo where a communication mast and chörten are situated. Better acclimatization, he claimed. By now it was very windy and I detoured from the ridge into the side valley while climbing, to be out of the wind. Found some gentians here. The chörten is at 3930m, it took me about 30 minutes. Walking down I detoured into the side valley again to reach another couple of chörtens where I sat a while to watch the village and surroundings while a helicopter came to pick up a sick tourist and a lama needed for a puja somewhere further down the valley (was at least told this when coming back to the lodge). From the chörten I could see a kind of walled garden and made my way down there, turned out to be a plant nursery. Then I took the path through the beautiful village and also visited the old prayer wheel at the exit/entrance of the village. After returning to the lodge and my obligatory coffee in the last sun I had a shower and later we all sat in the heated dining room chatting, writing diaries or just drinking hot drinks. Dinner was a very good veg spring roll and I tasted a bit of the apple pie my permit partner had. Very good, but it would have been too much for me on top of the big spring roll. After some more chatting the men retired to the nepali kitchen for more talk and I went to my room for a bit of reading and preparing my stuff for the next two days as I knew I would not have the space to spread out at Dharamsala. We had decided not to stay for a second night at Samdo as the weather was going to turn in 2 days. Day 14 Samdo to Dharamsala, 6 km, 560 ascent While I was brushing my teeth at the lodge’s fountain a lot of porters for the trail race passed by, the race was going to cross Larkye La today, with porters meeting and exchanging loads at the pass. Started at 8:30, not because the hike takes so long but because you need to arrive early in order to secure a bed. In the end my guide walked ahead and secured the last 2 places for my permit partner and I. The trail ascended gently for the first km and then changed between steep and not so steep bits. It was a nice walk and warm as soon as the sun reached us. At the start there are some fields below the trail but then surroundings change to alpine meadows dotted with a few low bushes. There was a wonderful view into the valley to the left with Manaslu at its end. As it was still in shadow, it was difficult to see the end of the glacier tongue but it still reaches nearly all the way to the end of the valley. We saw some blue sheep on the mountainside above us. The last 1,5 km were quite easy and flat but because of the altitude they took surprisingly long. My porter was waiting to direct me to the correct lodge while watching a big group of blue sheep grazing close to the lodges. Got to the accomodation, Zambala Hotel, the middle of the three, shortly after 11. All 3 places were more than full today whereas the night before there had been only a handful of trekkers. Today there were a few big groups including the 2 groups from the lodge in Sama plus a group of about 20 Koreans at one of the other places. All 3 places consist of a few shipping containers with "rooms" and tents in front or back or both. And very basic toilets, no electricity but solar lamps and running water in form of a stream running past the lodges. I had a place in a 2-person tent like I had hoped. Lunch was tasty and I enjoyed chatting with fellow trekkers. And afterwards I was sent up the hillside by my guide, again for acclimatization purpose. Dharamsala is at 4400 m and I climbed the hill up to 4630 m, taking a little over an hour there and back. Lots of people were doing the same, most of us sitting in the sun on the hillside for a while as Dharamsala was already in the shadow. I went inside at about 16:45, the dining room consisted of 2 rooms with the one nearer to the kitchen being the warmer one where I was lucky to find a seat. Dinner was at 17:15, really nice, and I retreated to the tent at 18:00. There was a thick mattress and blanket and I used my sleeping back, too and so was warm enough during the night. Last trip outside at 20:00 when my tentmate (an unhappy looking girl from Russia, I think she had wanted to stay with her boyfriend) came in for the night. Day 15 (20th of November) Dharamsala to Bimthang via Larkye La, 15 km, highest point at 5100 m, 640 m ascent, 1340 descent Both my guide and I are in favour of getting up late so we chose the latest available breakfast slot at 4:00. As the dining room was more than full I got room service by my guide and had breakfast in the tent as the Russian girl had already left at 3:45. We started at 4:50, as far as I could see as one of the last ones. I started off with a headlamp but got rid of it after 15 minutes as it was quite light due to the still nearly full moon and cloudless sky. And the bands holding it gave me a headache. As we rounded the first bend of the path we came across a trekker sitting on the ground unable to continue with her guide tending to her and saying she had at least to get up and return to the lodges to wait there for a helicopter to evacuate her after sunrise. After 20 minutes of walking I had to put on my raintrousers over my hiking trousers as it was so cold. And I nearly never feel the cold on my legs, so it must have been very cold. They felt a bit funny to walk with and only later I realized I had put them on backwards in the darkness as the sides of the legs zip up! I was wearing a T-shirt, thin Softshell and Downjacket, so my upper body was warm enough. And I ditched my gloves in favour of keeping my hands inside the sleeves of my jacket.Slowly the trail climbed upwards and slowly the sun rose, too. We took a first short rest when the sun reached us, about 2 hours after starting and shortly after passing the moraine and reaching the lake behind it. As it was dark when we passed it with the moraine blocking the view, anyway, I have no idea how far down the glacier tongue from Larkye Peak still reaches, but you can see it as a still substantial glacier vanishing behind the moraine. After 2 hours and 45 minutes we reached the teahouse that miraculously exists here. It was here that I realized my raintrousers being front to back during the coffee break we took. In hindsight the coffee was a bad idea, I reckon.... The trail climbs up and up but not too steep for too long, so it was slow but quite easy going. We took short breaks every 45 minutes,, and at some stage my porter just went on without the breaks. It is 7 km altogether to the pass and the last 2 km really got to me. I was exhausted and a little nauseous, and even after eating the rest of my breakfast chapatti I was not much better. No headache, though. On those last 2 km there were snow and ice patches but they I found them easy to navigate, even without poles. For the pass day I had brought (and my poor porter had had to carry up to today) my hiking boots which helped with the icy patches. At 10:00 we reached Larkye La, slightly ahead of the group from Korea. After resting a bit we added our prayer flags to the others and then got our pictures taken in front of the sign. Had some snacks and continued after about 45 minutes at the pass. The way down drops slowly along the ridge of an old moraine at first but after about an hour descends steeply down the side of this moraine with a lot of switch backs. Till very close to High Camp this is on pebbly, dusty, quite unstable ground, not quite scree but close to it. I am quite good on paths like this so we passed quite a few other trekkers who were struggling a bit. Where the steep bit starts and coming down you have a beautiful panorama with views of a sliver of Annapurna II in the distance and Kanguru quite close. And up this steep hill came some porters of the Korean group with hot tea for them! As I was still not feeling well even after having come down a lot I was sure that it was not the altitude as such but more likely a combination of not eating enough, getting up so early and very likely the effect of the coffee which we had at the teahouse. On the last bit down some clouds started to appear. After another rest eating the last of our apples I started to feel better and when we reached High Camp I was feeling just "normally" tired. We got there at 14:15 and my porter was waiting for us there. And my permit partner was there as well, just waking up from a nap, having arrived about 1,5 hours earlier, exhausted, too. His guide had gone onward to secure us both a bed in Bimthang with both of our guides worrying about availability with so many people crossing that day. After having had some late lunch we continued together. Sadly the clouds kept on coming up and we could only get a glimpse of Bimthang from above before they closed in. We reached our lodge, Hotel Ponkar, mostly cottage style, at 16:00 with clouds all above us taking away the warmth of the sun. I immediately went to have a hot shower as 2 groups arrived and I did not want to get stuck waiting for them to all get showered. After that retreated to the warm dining room for reading and chatting with the other guests. Dinner at 18:00, veg fried potatoes, my permit partner treated himself to chickenskewers as a rewrad for getting over the pass. Bed at 19:00 after having planned to continue to Go(w)a the next day instead of taking a rest day in Bimthang. Slept through the night, the only time during the whole trek without waking up at least once. Day 16 Day trip to Ponker Tal, 6,3 km roundtrip, 410 m ascent/descent Leisurely breakfast at 8:00, after saying goodbye to my permit partner who was leaving for Tiliche today. As the weather was clear again, we decided to stay the night as originally planned. Started shortly before 9:00, with Bimthang still in shadow and the ground frozen solid. You can see Manaslu from here but need to know that the mountain furthest too the left in the range is it, as the two peaks look only slightly higher than the bulk of the mountain from this direction. It looks very different! The way to Ponker Lake followed the main trail for a bit and after branching to the left started ascending steeply up the side of the moraine diguised as a hill. It is quite an old moraine so consolidated with lots of low bushes on it. At the top is a beautiful view from Manaslu to Nemjung, Himlung and Panbari Himal. Then the trail dipped down only to climb up a second, younger moraine after crossing a glacial stream. From atop that was a wonderful panoramic view of the whole glacier filled valley, over to Manaslu and across Ponker Tal and up the descent from Larkye La. The trail split here at some point, we continued along the ridge for a bit, took loads of pictures, and then descended to the lower trail that goes round the lake. But we only followed it for a bit, backtracking and climbing down to the lake where we had some snacks and lay in the sun for a while just enjoying the surroundings and chatting. It took about 2 hours of slow walking to get to the second ridge. After some time at the lake we made our way back and were back in Bimthang at 12:15. By now the first clouds showed up and by 14:30 everything was clouded over. After lunc I did some laundry, and as it got cooler due to the clouds, soon made my way to the dining room for a couple of coffees, reading and writing my diary which had been neglected for quite a few days. Over the next couple of hours a large Russian group came in one by one and in the same one by one style they ordered food. I was very sorry for the 2 people in the kitchen as they had to start over and over again. Luckily the group had dinner in the second, bigger dining room at the back but for dinner and breakfast they kept up this kind of ordering. Dinner at 18:00 and some more reading and chatting before going to bed at about 20:00. Day 18 Bimthang to Goa, 13,6 km, 1200 m descent Started at 8:15 with Bimthang still in the shadow and some clouds lingering. The ground was frozen and next to the stream the trees were covered in frost. We had a few clouds clinging to the peaks all day so the weather really seemed to have turned. The trail descended quickly after leaving Bimthang. At first it was still open alpine meadows with small bushes but soon we entered a forest of huge firs. Once in a while we got glimpses of the peaks to our left but we had really left the high mountains and reentered the hill region. I was very happy to have had that one extra day in Bimthang for a last day full of mountain views. The fir forest then was mixed with more open spaces with deciduous trees and lower down seabuckthorns. We reached the teahouses at Chauli Kharka too early for lunch so followed the trail down to Dudh Koshi, Milk River. Here we had to cross a big landslide area close to the river and shortly after that another one. Soon we were in Surki Khola where we stopped for lunch at the Seven Sisters Guesthouse. Which I had outside as the sun came out for a bit. Right after Surki the road starts or rather ends. Why they even built a road till here is beyond my understanding as there are only 2 lodges in Surki Khola, no real village. So we walked on the road a bit until the first landslide areas started, thus the road is not even passable anymore. Shortly after that it vanished completely for a few hundred metres only to reappear climbing the promontory. We used the old trail to walk up there but then had to use the road again. The clouds had gathered in by now and it felt so different from starting in the morning high up the mountain. We reached Goa at 14:00 and stayed at the nice Larke Peak Guesthouse where I even had an attached bathroom with western toilet. Here I had the best coffee of the trek. There was no shower so I had a wash in my bathroom. And again some laundry, I always only washed a couple of things in case they did not dry over night, therefore it was laundry every other day. More coffee at the low traditional table and seats in the dining room taking out the map to plan the last stages with my guide. Dinner at 18:00 like always, followed by hot lemon and some Uno with my guide. And bed at about 21:00. Day 19 Goa to Tal, 19,3 km, 1000 m descent I had enough time to walk out most of the distance to Besi Sahar and my guide is not good in cars, being Tamang from the Gatlang area, he gets carsick easily. Some genetic trait the mountain people of tibetan descent have. So I had planned for 3 more days of hiking, and it was very nice to slowly ease back into comparable civilisation rather then taking the jeep back to Kathmandu from Tiliche. We started early (for us) at 7:45. The night before I had found a trail avoiding Dharapani on the map but my guide told me that we had to report to the checkpoint in D., so no avoiding the road today. The first part till Tiliche was on the rough road where nor cars/jeeps can go due to a few landslide areas. Right after Goa the road was completely destroyed by what looked like a river having flooded the area carrying big boulders with it. There is a footbridge but no ford/bridge for vehicles. Further down there was an excavator clearing a landslide. After an hour we reached Tiliche which is a nice village, flagged lanes and a few lodges. Right before the village there is a ford, currently the only way for vehicles to get to the other side of the river, a second excavator had just crossed here for some more repair work further along the road. We crossed on a suspension bridge in the village. At its end a lot of jeeps wait for passengers, shuttling them down to Dharapani. We kept walking and were only passed by one jeep up and one down. Half an hour later we had to cross the river again, the trail on the right hand side of the river from Tiliche was destroyed a couple of years ago. As was the footbridge in Dharapani or rather Thoche that would have saved us a 2 km detour to cross the bridge further upriver in the main valley. By now it was really hot and the first clouds were appearing. In Dharapani my guide checked us/me out and got told off for being 2 days late and without the second trekker. I had my usual coffee while waiting. A lot of jeeps were coming through in both directions, it was really busy with lots of people still starting their Annapurna Circuit though it was already the end of November. We took the trail shortly after leaving Dharapani crossing ober to the other side of the Marsyangdi but after only 1,5 km had to return to the road on the right side of the river at Karte. The trail between Dharapani and Tal had been repaired in May but road work had destroyed the last stretch near Karte. So the rest of the day was walking on the road. At first quite a few jeeps passed us, including a few with the Russian group from Bimthang, but later on there was only the odd one going down and a few ones going up. By 11:30 it had completely clouded over which today was a blessing as it was hot with nearly no shadow. We reached Tal at 12:45 and stayed at Sunrise Hotel, the only guests for the night. I got a room with attached bathroom again, and then we all had a lunch of very good Dal Bhat with very unusual bamboo pickles. Sometime later I had a hot shower followed by coffee and later on a wander round the village with the sky mostly clear by now. Dinner of spring rolls, not as nice as in Samdo but still nice. And my guide brought me some tastings of a kind of black pudding made from yak blood and some rehydrated and fried yak meat they had with their dinner of Dal bhat. Both was very good. He also had heard that a few people from Tal were going to repair the broken trail near Karte the next day. They were also discussing trying to get the permission to build a trail between Tiliche and Tal as the official route leaving the Manaslu area with a permit checkpoint in Tal so more people would come through Tal instead of having to got via Dharapani and taking jeeps out. Went to bed quite early again, though read and used the internet for a while . Day 20 Tal to Ghermu, 14,5 km, 320 m ascent, 800 m descent We started at 8:15, the first 4,5 km are along the very nice old trail on the left side of the river, with the first part being a steep descent. Was I happy to be descending rather than going up! We met quite a few people, single trekkers, a family, a few couples and a bigger group coming up, hiking all of Annapurna Circuit, not just jeeping in to start at Dharapani or Manang. The road on the other side of the river is well visible from the trail and looked quite scary, blasted from the sheer cliff. At Sattale there were tall, at least 3 m, Poinsettias, full in bloom, beautiful. The valley is narrow with steep sides here but widens a bit shortly before you reach the bridge at Chamje where you need to cross. We stopped for a coffee/tea break at a teahouse right across from a beautiful waterfall, picture time once again. Sadly we missed the turn-off from the road for the alternative AC, none of the locals were sure where it really started. So we stayed on the road which was quite busy today. Shortly before Jagat I had to backtrack some as I had left my camera on a rock where we had a short break. In the meantime the others continued to Jagat and ordered lunch, so a little less waiting than usual for it. Afterwards the clouds had gathered, saving us from the sun though there were a few more trees around, including banana trees. At 13:30 we reached Syange where my porter rested while my guide and I continued to the waterfall. Well, I continued all the way up, my guide stayed at the foot of the steps talking to locals. The waterfall is quite nice and I would recommend going there if you are not too tired. Afterwards we crossed the river again and climbed up to Ghermu. It is what we call "Strassendorf" (street village) in German: one lane with houses all along, in this case only on one side as the drop to the river is on the other. It is about 2 km from one end to the other and we stayed at Fishtail Guesthouse about 1,4 km after the bridge. Again I got a room with attached bathroom. The dining area was a covered patio, very nice to be able to sit outside till late for a change. After a coffee and freshening up I did a last round of laundry and then had another coffee enjoying the garden setting . A very tired trekker from Chile arrived, having started at Besi Sahar that day! And later on two mountain bikers who had done the AC from the west by bike (with some walking/pushing their bikes) after a guided mountain bike tour in Mustang before that. After dinner the three of us sat chatting till quite late. Day 21 Ghermu to Bhulbhule, 13,7 km, 250 ascent, 520 m descent Started at 8:00, with some clouds still around, mostly clearing away by midday. The first 3 to 4 km were on a trail, later a rough track, following the river along the edge about 100 m above the river. Then the track turned into something resembling a jeep track/road shortly before Bahundanda. Here we took the footpath that steeply climbs up to the village, with us there were a few school children between 4 and 12 on their way to school. And after reaching the small village square the path continued straight ahead, dropping down steeply between the houses and fields until we joined the jeep road again. On the fields people were busy threshing rice using 4-5 oxen, stacking the rice straw on the fields. Where they had finished maquaques were busy harvesting the left rice grains. The track continued downhill, we were able to leave it for a few hundred metres on a trail to go through Lampata village. The first little clouds started to appear but views were still clear. After that there was the odd lorry on the by now rough road until at 11:00 we reached Ngadi Khola where a chinese built dam and powerplant are located. Here we had Dal bhat with my permit partner‘s guide. The rest of the way to Bhulbhule was on the road, still a rough track on this side of the river, the better road is on the other side. Nearly fully clouded over but cleared again later in the day. After the dam there is Ngadi Bazaar with some small lodges, all with nice gardens, sadly with not that many guests not that many start AC from Bhulbhule or Besi Sahar anymore. But we met a few trekkers throughout the day, and there were a few looking for lodges here. We reached Bhulbhule at 14:00, and stayed at River View Cottage Lodge right at the bank of Marsyangdi. After a quick coffee we all took a wonderful hot shower, which I followed by another coffee before taking a walk across the bridge to, what I think, was the original part of the village. Afterwards we sat on the terrace watching life on the road. There was quite some traffic, a couple of small local busses, some school buses, some jeeps with locals and trekkers and so on. This was a good way to get used to more people around. Early dinner, and some more people watching from the terrace as it was still quite warm. And early bed. Day 21 Travel Day We left at 7:30 by Tuk Tuk to Besi Sahar and took a local bus from there to Kathmandu. I did not feel up to sitting in a Microbus all the way to KTM but it might have been less loud. Sadly in Dumre a second "bus boy", the one that collects fares etc, joined us who was both drunk and obnoxious. He turned up the music so loud that even the driver got annoyed, and hassled new passengers and the first bus boy. Luckily after the lunch stop he fell asleep and we were able to turn the music down. Left B.S. at 8:10, and as always the traffic jam started at the climb up the pass before Kathmandu. We got off the bus near Thamel a 16:45, and took a pathao taxi to my hotel. All in all this was a great trek, Tsum Valley was enchanting, the upper part especially. I would have liked to stay one more night at Chekumpar on our way down. The upper, wide valley had a special atmosphere to it, I am not into esoteric interpretations at all, but there was "something" in that place. On the Manaslu trail do not miss the detour to Pungyen Gompa, and if you have time, stay 2 nights in Bimthang and visit Ponker Lake. And bring earplugs inside a local bus, do not pack them in the big bag that sits on the roof..... I hope this helps future trekkers. While planning my trek I tried to figure out how long the days would be, that‘s why I included my times as a reference. All the lodges at Dharamsala have set meal times, and breakfast is only between between 3:30 and 4:00. No other times. Someone said it is because people WANT to start that early in order to get to Bimthang early enough. I heard that it is because usually the wind on the pass gets nasty by 10:00, so everyone want to be there before. When we crossed, there was no wind at all between 10:00 and 11:00 on the pass while we were there, so we could have started later. ============================================================================================ https://www.allianz-assicurazioneviaggio.it/ Una assicurazione che ho trovato buona. Per bagagli, salute e recupero. Tutte le assicurazioni hanno un limite di quota sopra il quale non procedono al recupero. Per la Allianz è 4500 m, e ci riguarderebbe solo per le poche ore del passo (dove comunque non potremmo rimanere in attesa del recupero). Solo per Fabio: sembra che la Heymondo abbia il limite a 4000 m. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://www.ntc.net.np/ NTC (Nepal Telecom) - PER SIM E DATAPACK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://youtu.be/kbfs_RHYx7c QUASI ESATTAMENTE IL NOSTRO GIRO, un video molto lungo, suggerisco velocità 2x Nicholas Eager - Where Tibet and Nepal Meet: Tsum Valley Trekking -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unmistaken Child - Film noioso, ma interessante, sulla reincarnazione sacra, in inglese, la storia ruota attorno a Chokangparo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmistaken_Child descrizione su wikipedia https://www.aparat.com/v/u10xtyt sottotitoli in Farsi https://ok.ru/video/39099894505 sottotitoli in Vietnamita -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://himalayan360.com/getting-a-new-sim-card-in-nepal/ Per una spiegazione su provider e SIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Il nostro percorso in formato KML *** ~/wrk/travel/manaslu/manaslu-tsum.kml -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://nepaliport.immigration.gov.np/on-arrival/IO01 NEW ONLINE VISA, DA PROVARE ============================================================================================ PER IL TREKKING, MATERIALE MINIMALE Lo zaino per il trekking dovrebbe stare sotto i 12 kg. Sicuramente è possibile 10 kg perché le 4 volte con Simo avevamo 12 (io) + 8 (lei). Questa volta abbiamo la guida-portatore che ci toglie 3 - 5 kg a testa (a seconda di quanti siamo). Quindi possiamo largheggiare un po', ma pensate anche al piacere di andare leggeri, specialmente ad alta quota. E poi dobbiamo aggiungere acqua e talvolta cibo. Passaporto valido almeno 6 mesi, portafoglio con soldi, carte credito e bancomat (verificare validità e se il PIN è lo stesso anche all’estero) Carte di credito, bancomat e EURO NON sono utilizzabili durante il trekking. Soltanto rupie nepalesi, ottenute a Kathmandu prima di partire. Quindi ... Almeno 1400 EURO in banconote in buone condizioni (circa 500 ancora da dare all'agenzia per permessi e guida-portatore, circa 750 = 30 giorni*25 EURO/giorno, il resto per SIM, micropur, microspikes, e un po' di margine). Io anticiparò circa 350 EURO (210 USD già pagati per il deposito all'agenzia, 50 USD in contanti a testa per i visti, e circa 50 EURO in Rupie nepalesi che ci permetteranno di non dover cambiare subito all'aeroporto. Pareggeremo quando torniamo e sapremo cosa abbiamo veramente speso. 5-8 foto tessera (già stampate, le porto io per tutti) Zaino (con etichette ESTERNE e INTERNE, con vostro nome, cognome, cellulare, indirizzo). Io attualmente uso un Osprey Talon 55 (1.6 kg, 55 litri). Pantaloni lunghi tecnici Cintura, non di cuoio (per peso e tabù religiosi) 2 mutande (1 usabile come costume, il primo giorno troveremo una fonte calda) Scarponi 2 paia di calzettoni Piumino Poncho impermeabile Guanti di pile Scalda collo (anche come copri bocca) Calzamaglia Maglia di pile Cappello per il sole Cappellino di pile o lana per il freddo 2 T-shirt tecniche corte 1 T-shirt tecnica lunga Occhiali da sole Bottiglia da 1 oppure 1.5 litri (robusta, tipo Ferrarelle) Lampada frontale con batterie nuove Sacco a pelo Telo salvavita Cellulare (installate Google Translate con vocabolario nepali e Organic Maps con le mappe di Kathmandu e Manaslu) Medicine personali e generiche (oltre a quelle per il cuore, io porto Augmentin, Naprossene, Pantoprazolo, Diamox, cioè antibiotico, antiinfiammatorio, antiacido, diuretico per l'altitudine) Carta igienica (1 rotolo) Un asciugamani di microfibra Mascherine per polvere / covid19 Carica batteria e cavetto Busta beauty Spazzolino da denti Dentifricio (bastano 25g) Filo interdentale Saponetta Shampoo (confezione PICCOLA) Rasoio di sicurezza Tappi per le orecchie 2 fazzoletti (oppure fazzoletti di carta) Sacchetti di plastica per proteggere/organizzare tutto il materiale Microspikes (le compriamo a Kathmandu, insieme al Micropur e a quello che eventualmente ci manca). Le lasceremo il secondo giorno a Lopka (bivio Manaslu-Tsum), assieme a qualcosa altro, per riprenderle al ritorno da Tsum. Un sacco di stoffa (tipo quelli della COOP) per dare circa 3-4 kg alla guida-portatore. Pesate e segnate i pesi per scegliere cosa dare. Sicuramente sacco a pelo e beauty. Se avete un borsone leggero che possa contenere tutti i sacchi, portatelo. Io ne ho uno forse un po' troppo vecchio. Altrimenti ce lo da l'agenzia. Un grosso sacco della spazzatura che possa contenere l'intero zaino. Lo abbandoneremo a Machakhola (dove iniziamo a camminare). Serve a proteggere gli zaini durante il trasporto in bus/jeep. Staranno sul tetto (la strada è sterrata) oppure per terra. Se non avete un sacco, lo posso portare io. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MATERIALE PERSONALE OPZIONALE Quaderno e 2 penne per diario e appunti Sandali per doccia e sera (infradito oppure Teva leggerissimi, imitazioni a Kathmandu) Copripantaloni (io ne ho uno leggerissimo che uso anche come pantaloni di ricambio) Bandanna Caramelle / Mentine / Liquorizia Un paio calzini sottilissimi (per eventuale spessore, mai usati ma li porto) Sotto guanti (raramente usati, ma li porto) Cardiofrequenzimetro Macchina fotografica (memory card svuotata/formattata, data/ora settata su Nepal) Memory card supplementare Libro o meglio ebook Ulteriori t-shirts, mutande, calzettoni, pantaloni, pile, guanti (senza esagerare, io aggiungo una t-shirt leggerissima per i 2-3 giorni a bassa quota, e una maglia di pile) Cintura portamoneta, penso di portarla solo per Kathmandu Eventuale power bank (ma potremo ricaricare quasi sempre, talvolta pagando) Bastoni da trekking (l'agenzia li consiglia caldamente, ma io non li porterei) ... Even though you and your friends are used to big ascents and descents, I still recommend trekking poles, at least for the pass day. They can make the long descent from Larkya La much easier on knees and balance, especially if there is snow. Bottiglia a collo largo per pisciare di notte (tipo latte o succo di frutta, se la è portata Giovanni e ho visto che è una ottima idea) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MATERIALE ADDIZIONALE CONDIVISIBILE, EVITARE DUPLICATI Kit per riparazioni (porto io ago, filo, attack, nastro telato, spago) Kit ferite (porto io mercurio-cromo, cerotto a nastro) Micropur (lo porto io, 100 pasticche / 20 $ da Kalapatthar Trekking Store) Crema solare con protezione 40 o superiore (la porto io) Bustine di detersivo (bastano 40 g per 20 giorni, le porto io e le ricompriamo) Forbicine da unghie (non trovo più quelle buone, chi le porta?) Coltellino (lo porta Giovanni) Satellitare (lo porta Giovanni, io contribuisco alle spese) Binocolo (forse lo porta Giovanni) Pulsossimetro (lo porta la guida-portatore) Barrette energetiche, salumi, formaggi, frutta secca, cioccolata (parliamone) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DA LASCIARE A KATHMANDU Zaino, borsa o valigia portata a bordo in aereo Almeno un ricambio completo Scarpe (da ginnastica?) e calzini per i giorni a Kathmandu e dintorni Shampoo, dentifricio e sapone extra Deodorante (inefficace durante il trekking) Chiavi di casa, spiccioli, schede italiane, copie biglietti Guide turistiche cartacee (io porto una vecchia Lonely Planet) Tutto quello che non serve in trekking ============================================================================================ flydubai, 2 colli In stiva 30 kg Bagaglio a mano - 55 x 38 x 20 cm e 7 kg Addosso in aereo, per protezione in caso di smarrimento dei bagagli: Scarponi, giacca a vento, pantaloni tecnici, pile A bordo in aereo: medicine, tutto il materiale tecnologico, e qualcos'altro (sacco a pelo?), fino a 7 kg In stiva in aereo: Zaino, beauty, coltelli, forbici, e tutto il resto Check in online from 48 hours to 75 minutes before departure Segnatevi marca e tipo dello zaino, e fotografatelo col cellulare, per comunicare come è fatto in caso di smarrimento. Magari comunicatemelo (foto inclusa). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kathmandu Peace GH 11 Euro/camera 2 notti -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portati 8000 NRP, 2000 EUR, 350 USD 210.00 EUR Anticipati agenzia 209.75 Assicurazione Allianz PREMIUM 865.95 Volo Raffaele/Amedeo (Fabio 867.24, Giovanni 984.53)