Mantra at the foot of Manaslu: A Soul’s Crossing of Larke La

Summit day on the Manaslu Circuit is a meditation disguised as a mountain crossing. Imagine walking for eight hours in pleasant weather, wrapped in the most comfortable gear, taking the slowest, most forgiving pace. You sip from just 750 ml of water, resting on your feet but never sitting, letting the simplicity of movement carry you. Even that feels tough, isn’t it?

Now lift this simple walk to 15,000–17,000 feet altitude, where oxygen thins and the world narrows to breath and will. Wrap yourself in layers that guard you from –10°C that feels like –15°C when the wind slices through the dark. Begin two hours before dawn, with only a torch guiding you over icy trails, crampons clinking with each step, the silence broken only by the rasp of breath. This is the climb from Dharamsala to Larkya La — an ascent that tests bone, mind, and prayer — followed by a three-hour descent, making it eight hours on icy trail in total before finally reaching the warmth of the lunch spot.

When I reached the summit, there was no dramatic rush of triumph, no tears, no ecstasy. Instead, an unexpected humility washed over me — the kind that arrives when the ego finally steps aside. I stood there, soul stripped bare though my body was wrapped in layers, feeling profoundly aware that I had reached this point only through the grace of the mountains and the unwavering support of the Whitemagic team. I felt no desire for achievement, only gratitude. Grace is gratitude — the two became indistinguishable. A guru mantra whispered on my lips with every step, the quiet engine of my ascent, and the words of a friend echoed inward: Half the battle is in the mind. They were right.

A Trek That Demands Everything and Gives More

The Manaslu Circuit is not for the faint-hearted. Across its raw, ancient pathways lie days long enough to blur into timelessness — four days of nearly half marathons, river crossings cold enough to sting memory, and landslide sections that require careful negotiation. And then there is summit day, an ordeal that refuses to be forgotten.

But what the mountains demand, they return tenfold. The landscapes feel like the earth opening its secret diary — colossal waterfalls tumbling in silver cascades, hills rising like ancient guardians, autumn colors tender enough to make you pause mid-step, and the first sight of Manaslu herself — so majestic she rearranges something inside you. And then there were the fellow trekkers: spirited souls who filled the days with laughter, shared stories, endless spice-laden meals, and conversations that made the cold warmer and the nights lighter.

On the Manaslu Circuit, you don’t just meet trekkers — you meet stories in motion. There was a 73-year-old woman, returning to this very trail a decade after first conquering it at 63, her eyes sparkling with the same stubborn joy of youth. Ultra-marathoners passed by with effortless stride, Himalayan veterans who had kissed countless summits, and nomads whose lives are woven with the rhythm of the mountains. Each face carried a tale, each step an inspiration. Here, every conversation, every shared laugh or silence, became a window into courage, persistence, and the quiet ways the mountains teach us to honor our own stories.

Day-by-Day Journey

Day 1 & 2: Arrival in Kathmandu; drive to Maccha Khola

Day 03: Maccha Khola → Jagat (1410m | 7 hrs | 18 km)

Day 04: Jagat → Deng (1804m | 7 hrs | 21 km)

Day 05: Deng → Namrung (2630m | 7 hrs | 19 km)

Day 06: Namrung → Lho (3150m | 4 hrs | 10 km)

Day 07: Lho → Samagaon (3530m | 3–4 hrs | 8 km)

Sunrise trek – See the progression of golden rays of sun on Manaslu.

On the trail towards Samagaon

Day 08: Rest day — Acclimatization hike to Birendra Tal (3 hrs | 3 km)

Day 09: Samagaon → Samdo (3860m | 4–5 hrs | 8 km)

Day 10: Samdo → Dharamsala (4460m | 4–5 hrs | 8 km)

Day 11: Dharamsala → Larkya La (5160m) → Bimthang (3720m)
(12 hrs | 18 km)

Day 12: Bimthang → Tilche (2253m | 8–9 hrs | 21 km)

Day 13–14: Drive to Pokhara; flight to Kathmandu; homebound

A Thank You to Whitemagic

To the Whitemagic team — thank you feels far too small a word. You are an impeccable trekking company, but more than that, you are steady hands and strong belief when my own falters. You have a way of seeing a version of me I have not yet fully met, and each trek with you reveals another layer of strength I didn’t know I possessed. Your care, your confidence, your quiet encouragement — they build mountains within while helping us climb the ones without.

Thanks is an understatement. What I carry home is deeper — a quiet reverence for your craft, your heart, and your unwavering belief in every trekker who walks beside you.

Mountain Souls: Friends of the Trail

Among the souls who shared this journey, some left marks deeper than the trails themselves.

Prashant, whom we reverently call “General Saab”, is a true general at heart — trekking like a seasoned pro at 60, fastest and fittest, yet humble to the core. He wears the spirit of the mountains on his sleeve, a devoted coffee lover who spills not just beans but wisdom at the high altitudes of Manaslu.

Anand Mishra, the Iron Man with a heart of gold, blends the charisma of a business stalwart with the quiet grace of a sage. A vivid storyteller, he has a gift to make one laugh, to lift spirits, and to charm Manaslu itself; his mathris kept the trail alive, spicy, and cheerful.

And then there’s Shwetha — a climber, a rockstar, a spiritual soul. Her gentle words and radiant warmth transformed dark nights into starry ones. She etched herself into my being; parting from her felt like leaving a piece of my own heart behind, and I will carry her spirit in every step I take from now on.