Manasalu round in Homestay style

[Adventure-Samsara]

I am leaving Kathmandu on 6th November for Mt. Manasalu Round starting from Aarughat for twenty days.
This time I am doing this trek in different style: homestay style.
This style, as I felt, would provide me much more chance to observe local culture of different ethnic group along trail.
I will be staying at local houses and eating local meal.

Prem Thapa

[phacops]

Auf meine Anfrage hat mir Prem folgendes gemailt:

Namaste and Greetings!
Yes, I have done this trek before. I enjoyed the trek very much despite
the ever same staple-food during ten days. We walked until the evening to avoid the night at the bottom of Larke Pass. If you could do it like we did you don't have to put up a tent at the bottom of the Larke La. I did the trek back in 2005.
There are houses along the route except at the bootom of the pass. So one should be equipped with sleeing bag and matresses so that the hosts donot have to offer his blanket to th eguests. I am doing Manasalu Round again, starting on 10th March 2008 with an English couple. This time I am doing fully equipped trek. Yet, I shall check, along the route, whether the living condition of the people have improved. And I am very positive that the food and accommodation facilities have improved. Yet, I suggest trekkers should be equipped with warm sleeping bag, water bottle, first aid box etc. I shall post the information on homestay in Manasalu Round soon, even if I don't get connected with the users.

Beautiful moments always be with you,
Prem


Da sind wir halt mal gespannt, was er noch an neuen Details postet.
All Manaslu trekkers are invited to join their experience with lodges and homestays here.

Over the pass - we trekked 10 hours from Bimtang to Sumdo in fresh snow (30 cm), we didn´t want to stay at the Daramsala. And we enjoyed the lodge and food in Sumdo!

phacops

[Soshin]

If the Round Manaslu would be possible in Homestay, it would attract Trekkers like me, who are not too inclined to take their tent with me (and even more so, to sleep in it).
Would be a definite plus.

Namaste,
Soshin

[Adventure-Samsara]

Namaste and Greetings!
I have just been back from Manasalu Round trekking. I feel like sharing the information about the possibility if combine trek in this region. I and my team started the trek from Aarughat after 8 hours of bus journey from Kathmandu to Aarughat bazaar. The first five hours of bus journey is on the black-tarred road and 3 hours of dusty and bumpy after Dhading Besi.
We arrived in our first teahouse after seven minutes of walk from the bus stop in Aarughat. This is small market where people from upper part of the region come to buy and sell grain and goods of other basic needs. The town is inhabited by mixed group of people.
Liding is another beautiful village where we stayed on our second day. The village has fascinating view of a water fall on the east by the bank of Budhigandaki River. We had nice bath in the brook in the west side of the village. The village remains strongly in my memory for its people’s liveliness. Dancing in the rhythm of the song and the drum after sipping Chhang makes one feel they are not in the misery of the rest of the world.
I don’t want to ruin your sense of imagination for this trek by going into detail of the activities that I took part during the trek.
The name of the villages where I made the Stops s follows:
Aarughat, Liding, Machha Khola, Jagat,(Philim ) Deng, ( Namrong), Lihi, (Lho), Samagaon, Samdo, Dharmasala, Bimthang, Karche, Dharapani, Chamje, Ngadi, Besishahar.
Dharmasala is not a village hence no facility. The trekker need to be geared up with means of accommodation and food at Samdo.

Philim is a name of a beautiful village between Jagat and Deng. The village has all the facility one can get in Aarughat but it was bit noisy when we were there so we decided to go for Deng.
Namrong is a name of a village between Gap and Bhanzam. The village has all better living facility than in Deng.
Lho is another village with huge monastery after Lihi.

The major communities in the trek are Gurungs and Tibetans (in the upper part). I met the Tibetan in the upper part introduce themselves as Gurungs. The trekkers who are looking for a cultural immersion trek should walk in this region to experience cultural and natural diversity. The region is rich with blossoms of Himalayan flowers this time of the year. The endangered wild flowers like spiny puppy (blue) blossoms in this region. This trek is equally attractive for those who are doing ethnic research and research in Himalayan flowers and Medicinal Plants. As for birds, we spotted couple of Golden eagles hovering in the sky of Samdo.

Hope to share experience of other exotic trekking routes in the days to come.

Prem Thapa

[Jens]

Dear Prem,
thank you very much for this information about Manaslu Circuit.

Regards
Jens

[phacops]

Dear Prem,

thanks for PN/Email! Good to see that you managed starting the new thread.
For sure some users will ask questions about weather conditions and lodging facilities.
And also: Have you encountered Maos and been asked for donations or heared of such events? Probably not in time of elections in the low spring season...?

phacops

[fabian]

Dear Prem,

thanks for PN/Email! Good to see that you managed starting the new thread.
For sure some users will ask questions about weather conditions and lodging facilities.
And also: Have you encountered Maos and been asked for donations or heared of such events? Probably not in time of elections in the low spring season...?

phacops

Dear Prem,Namaste!

Thanks for the information to the Manaslu Circuit.
[gelöscht]…:-/

Regards fabian

[Soshin]

Thank you!

But I will have a lot of questions, wait a day... :-)

Namaste,
Soshin

[phacops]

Email from Prem:
Dear phacops and fabian,
Sorry for the delay in my reply.
I keep on moving. It is not so easy to get hold of internet
cafe in right time, I mean when there is no power-cut.
We have 8 hours of power cut everyday, six days in a week.
I'm writing you now from Chitwan.

Power will be out in one hour time.

As for your last question about Donation: neither I was not asked nor my clients
were asked for the donation as has been reported in news and other medias.
I had donated Rs200.00 to the local government of maoist in November. The people
whom I handed over the money were locals. I feel that the local people in the mountain regions have more right to issue the permit than the Government, TAAN etc. After all it is locals who has put up with the all garbage the trekkers (guide, tourists, and porters).

people may have their own opinion!

Thank you
Prem

[fabian]

Dear Prem, Namaste!

Thanks for the info.

LG fabian

[Herb]

Dear Prem,
Namaste.
Please can you tell us about the teahouses and lodges in the villages of MC. Where can I find a basic teahouse. We like do make a teahousetrek with some nights in a tent.
Thank You
Herbert

[Adventure-Samsara]

Dear Readers,
I would like to apologise for mistake in writing a sentence. My meaning was As for your last question about Donation: neither I was asked nor my clients ( I was not asked donations nor the the other tourists who were trekking along with me.
And this is for Herbert,
The villages, dear Herbert, where I made the Stops has basic homestay facilities. Yet, it is not as equipped as tea houses in Everest, Annpurna and Langtang. The viallges are follows:
Aarughat,
Liding,
Machha Khola,
Jagat,
(Philim )
Deng,
( Namrong),
Lihi,
(Lho),
Samagaon,
Samdo,
Dharmasala,
Bimthang,
Karche,
Dharapani, Chamje, Ngadi, Besishahar.
Dharmasala is not a village hence no facility. The trekker need to be geared up with means of accommodation and food for an over night at Dharmasala.

Beautiful Moments always be with you,
Prem

[Herb]

Dear Prem,
Namaste.
Thank you for your detailed information about teahouses on the Manaslutrek.I like basic homestay and like to sit in the kitchen.
Dhanyabaad.
Herbert