Himalayas Magazine – June 2019

40 | TRAVEL HIMALAYA SPRING 2019 http://www.travelhimalayamagazine.com

of the Shringi Himal and then a great bit of

trail high above the river contoured round

the valley before descending to a spectacular

gorge. The trail hugged the river and we were

almost deafened by the roar of the water

Turning a corner at Deng, we began to climb

high above the valley through Bihi and Ghap,

descending at times to cross the river on

well-made suspension bridges – this area was

quite badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake

but MCAP have repaired most of the trails

now – landslide areas have paths across and

signs warning trekkers to take care. We now

ascended through thick forested areas with

spotted langur monkeys swinging from trees

and there were plenty of birds to keep the

birders happy. After Namrung (where we

stopped for tea at a very upmarket lodge),

the valley widened and the trees started to

thin out. The crops changed to corn, which

bears seem to love, and most farms have bear

lookout platforms. Small settlements with

traditional stone and wood houses dotted the

landscape as we approached the larger village

of Lho, where a large beautifully painted

chorten sits in the middle of the village and

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view of Manaslu, with its two distinctive

peaks. We were now in the Buddhist part of

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from rooftops, beautifully carved mani

(prayer) stones and monasteries.

Most of the larger villages have lodges and

as the numbers of trekkers increase more are

being built. They are simple but adequate with

twin bedded rooms and common toilets and

showers. Most have electricity and some even

have Wi-Fi. All have a standardised menu

with a good choice of food. Dal bhat, the typical

Nepali dish of rice, lentils and vegetable curry

is always tasty and a good option if you are

hungry as you can eat as much as you want but

there is also pizza, chips and pasta on the

MANASLU CIRCUIT & THE LARKYE LA