Remote Annapurna and Manaslu Exploratory with Tim Macartney-Snape

You will be met by a representative of World Expeditions and transferred to the Radisson hotel. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure. A pre-trek briefing will be given around 5pm where arrangements will be made for the distribution of your kit bag, sleeping bag, down/fibrefill jacket and climbing pack.

Meals:  Nil

This morning a group meeting with gear check will be held and at this time any necessary items will be hired or purchased. The remainder of the day is free for you to explore Kathmandu’s bustling streets and significant landmarks. You may wish to start by exploring the city’s two most important World Heritage Listed spiritual sites: Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple and an important cremation site; and Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal and the most sacred Tibetan Buddhist shrine outside of Tibet. Alternatively you could wander through the markets and shops of the busy Thamel precinct or explore some more of the city’s significant sites such as Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) or the World Heritage Listed plazas of Patan, Bhaktapur or Durbar Square.

Meals:  B

This morning we fly to Pokhara and drive a further 2 hours to the village of Siklis. If the weather conditions are not favourable to fly on our scheduled day, we will drive west from Kathmandu to ensure we maximise our time on trek.

Meals:  B,L,D

We commence our trek up the Mahdi Khola Gorge through thick temperate rainforest, stunningly contrasted by the icy ramparts soaring just beyond. Camp is on a small apron of land surrounded by forest used for summer crops by local people. We will spend two nights at our campsite here.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we’ll take a day hike up to visit Kapuche lake, formed by melt water from the spindle glacier which is fed by enormous ice avalanches that plunge 3000 metres down from the Lamjung- Annapurna II ice neve. We will return to our camp to overnight.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our route, though somewhat planned, is exploratory in nature. Heading east we then begin climbing out of the gorge, the forest ever changing from broad leaf evergreens to deciduous species, rhododendrons and conifers and finally on up past the tree line, traversing grassland on Kori ridge with amazing views down onto the foothills, across to Machapuchare to the west, Lamjung to the North and the Manaslu, Himal Chuli massifs to the east. After four days we reach 4500 metres where we will establish a ‘base camp’ to rest, acclimatise and explore some glaciated peaks on the east ridge of Lamjung Himal and hopefully climb up to the 5500m ridgeline to gain views down into the upper Marsyandi valley and across into Tibet. Our route then takes us over the 4900 m Namun pass, an ancient trading route used by the Gurung people of the high foothills to the south and the Manangi traders of the upper Marsyandi. After resupplying down in the valley and a brief encounter with the road that has been forced up this amazing trans-Himalayan gorge, we again head for the higher ground. Exactly where will depend on conditions, more precisely if rare autumn snow has fallen up higher or not. There are several options. One will be to do a more in depth exploration of the valleys, untracked passes and high pastures towards the base of the almost 7000m Kang Guru then return down to the road head in the Marsyandi gorge. The other will be to explore some of the country to the north of Larkya la, the high point of the Manaslu circuit before descending down to the road head in the Buri Gandaki on the other side.

Meals:  B,L,D

We plan to end our trek in Phillim, with our magnificent traverse taking us on a journey through some of the most remote and untrodden trails in the Nepal Himalaya. From here we will commence our journey by road back to Kathmandu.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today after breakfast we travel by jeep to Khorlabesi. Overnight camp Drive: approx. 6-7 hours

Meals:  B,L,D

Today after breakfast we travel by road to the village of Liding. Overnight camp Drive: approx. 6-7 hours

Meals:  B,L,D

Our final day of driving sees us return to Kathmandu. On arrival to Kathmandu, we transfer to the Radisson Hotel for overnight accommodation. Drive: approx. 8-9 hours

Meals:  B,L,D

The trip concludes in Kathmandu after breakfast with a transfer to the airport.

Meals:  B