Why is Mt Manaslu Trek the best trek in Nepal?

While each of the trekking destinations of Nepal is absolutely beautiful and worth visiting, each one of them has different ports and excitement. The Mount Manaslu trek is one of those exciting treks in Nepal that comes with a wholesome experience of natural beauty and cultural insight. The journey to Mount Manaslu is definitely a life-changing experience for new trekkers or regular travellers. While Nepal is known for other trekking routes, such as the Everest base camp trek and the Annapurna base camp trek, this recently emerging trip to the restricted region of Nepal is a more rewarding experience. Today, we are going to discuss why the Mt Manaslu trek is the best trekking in Nepal. 

Cultural experience

Mt Manaslu trek is mostly about strolling in the remote village around the Himalayas. Closed to the world for a long time until the 1990s, these villagers have been able to preserve their century-old culture and tradition In a very pure manner. Living in these villages and interacting with the locals is going to change your perception of life. Although in a very difficult landscape, you can find some of the happiest and most welcoming people in the mountains of Manaslu. The locals in Manaslu route not only allow you to live in their homes but also let you try local cuisines and local dresses and be a part of their lives. During the Mt Manaslu trek, you can join festivals such as the Tsum Shagya Centennial Festival, Yartung Festival, Buddha Jayanti, and Loshar. 

On the trail of Mt Manaslu trek, you encounter people of Indo-Aryans, Tibeto-Burmans, and Mongoloids all at the same time. The people of the Gurung ethnic group occupy most villages in the middle section, while the people of the Nubri and Tsum communities dominate the upper part. The two communities of Tsum and Nubri people live on the opposite side of the Chikkur River. These people have their own mother tongue and follow religions such as Buddhism, Animism, and the Bonpo on the Manaslu Nepal route.

Mountains and their beauty 

The major highlight of this Mt Manaslu trek is Mount Manaslu itself. This 8,156 m tall mountain is one of the 14 eight-thousands peaks in the world. And Mount Manaslu is still considered a great mountain to climb. Although we do not reach the summit of Mt. Manaslu, we will definitely hike to the base camp and get off the very close peak at the mountain. Other than Mount Manaslu, you can see the stunning Ganesh Himal during the Manaslu route. Other mountain peaks you can see during Manaslu route include Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kanguru, Siringi, Hiunchuli, Ngadi, Annapurna II (7,937m) and more. Also read Manaslu Circuit Itinerary.

Less crowd and a peaceful trail

While the popular trekking route of Nepal to the Everest base camp and Annapurna Base Camp is overly crowded in the peak season, the Mt Manaslu trek remains peaceful and silent throughout the year. You might have heard about incidences of a human traffic jam in Everest. In such a case, it will be extremely difficult to walk in peace or to find accommodation in Mt Manaslu trek. On the other hand, the trial to Manaslu is very peaceful, even during the peak trekking season. With less number of tourists visiting the Manaslu route , nature remains unspoiled and peaceful.

Rich Biodiversity and wild lives 

As mentioned earlier, Mt Manaslu trek is a less visited trekking route, and the local population of this area is also very low. This means the wildlife and natural vegetation of Manaslu have been untouched for a long time. This area is protected within the Manaslu conservation area, where you can find the rare animals and vegetation that make the environment balanced. This small area houses 33 species of mammals and many reptiles, including snow leopards, Himalayan thar and musk deer. Also, Manaslu is a great place for bird watching, with 110 species of birds that include Dhanpe, Monal, Tibetan snowcock, Himalayan Vulture and more. And just note that there are 120 species of butterflies alone.

The forest of Manaslu has around 19 forest types and 2,000 flowering plants. If you travel the Mt Manaslu trek in the spring, you can see these wildflowers blooming in a stunning way to make the entire forest of the Manaslu route colourful.

Many places to visit

Other than the sparkling Mountains, you have the organs of places to visit during this Mt Manaslu trek. We visit the Birendra Taal on the way to Manaslu base camp, which is a pristine blue-water glacier lake in the higher mountain region. Mount Manaslu from this lake that spread over three km². Also, on this Manaslu route, we get to visit many ancient Buddhist heritages such as Mu Gumba, Gumba Lungdung, Rachen Gumba, and Sarang Gumba. We can also visit Pirren Phu, which is known locally as Milarepa’s Cave and as a Pigeon Cave by tourists on this Mt Manaslu trek. Other caves and a big Saint Milarepa statue cover this beautiful Burji Village cave. Himalayan Masters 13- days Manaslu Circuit Trek include all these places.

Safety and Ease

Manaslu falls under the restricted trekking zone of Nepal, and the government closely observes tourists travelling to this particular region. This is to ensure that the tourist is not lost in the remote Himalayan land and that they return back to Kathmandu safely after the Mt Manaslu trek. Also, the Manaslu circuit trekking is designed in a way that you will be travelling mostly at the altitude of 3000 m. At this height the chances of altitude sickness are low.

The challenging part of this trip is the Larkya La Pass at 5,160m. Otherwise, the Manaslu route is quite a comfortable journey. Although you will definitely need some precautions to prevent altitude sickness, the chances of catching altitude are lower than on the other trekking routes of Nepal. Also, you will be working on a path that is made by the villagers of Manaslu, which is better than another off-beaten trekking route in Nepal. The Mt Manaslu trek route has no landslide-prone areas or chances of avalanches, blizzards or glacial slides. So you will be safe. Check How difficult Manaslu Circuit Trek.

Affordability 

Mount Manaslu trek is way more affordable than the famous Everest base camp trek. The first factor is you will not need any domestic flight at the start or end of the Manaslu circuit trek. Thus, the transportation cost is very low. Although you will need a restricted area trekking permit, the Manaslu permit is cheaper than others. Also, since the trial is just emerging, the cost of accommodation and food on the journey is also relatively low. You will need to pay for the guide and porter the same amount you paid for the other trek, but everything else is cheaper. One can complete a 13-day Manaslu circuit trek for about $995, while the same duration EBC trek costs up to $1500.