The circular trek around Manaslu counts as one of the truly great Himalayan treks. Flanked by the Annapurna’s to the West and Ganesh Himal to the East it is one of the most graceful of the 8000-meter giants. Less than two percent of trekkers go to Manaslu. This means that even in the high season you will not meet many other groups. Manaslu trek is remote, physically demanding, culturally enriching and scenically uplifting. The circuit takes you from the steamy lowlands with their terraces of rice and millet, through the mighty gorges of the Budi Gandaki with its turquoise waters and amazing waterfalls. Suspension bridges in Manaslu trek are in a league of their own for both length and height, and the yearly monsoon often washes minor bridges away leaving trekkers to use semi-submerged rocks. Only opened to a maximum of 400 trekkers in 1992 it still has the feel of a pioneering expedition. If you want to know what trekking the 1980’s was like then Manaslu circuit trek is a visual feast from start to finish, but you better be fit. Slowly, you wind your way North to the snowbound Larkya La Pass next to the Tibetan border. The altitude here is a problem but almost forgotten with the jaw-dropping views of Manaslu.