Trekking holidays into Manang

Over the Himalaya is a hidden valley. Surrounded by the 8,000 m-plus Annapurna range and the great peaks of Pisang and Chulu, the valley is wild and wonderful. Nomadic Tibeto-Burman people, moving across the mountains hunting and gathering food, found and settled the valley centuries ago.

Today, the Manangi people, with support from the late King Mahendra, have become prosperous traders, hoteliers, and businessmen. Many have moved down from the harsh and beautiful valley in north central Nepal down to Kathmandu.

The weather is dry and desert-like. The Annapurna range creates a rain shadow that stops the monsoon clouds from crossing over. This harsh climate ensured that the Manangi people never lost their nomadic roots. Horse-riding and archery were the most popular tools used by these people for gathering food, and these abilities continue to remain important for the community, and are celebrated each year with festivals.

A major stop on the Annapurna circuit, Manang has much to offer the intrepid adventurer, climbers, the cultural and religious tourist. The government has opened a number of new peaks in Manang and new destinations like Nar and Phu, the northernmost outposts of the district bordering Tibet are added attractions. The Destination Manang 2004 Campaign hopes to revive traditional festivals like Badhe in Manang. Celebrated on a grand scale once in every three years, Badhe has not been celebrated for the past decade owing to an influx of the local population to the city and a lack of economic resources in the village. But most important, local villagers have expressed a keen interest to promote sustainable tourism and are working with the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) to see that this materialises.

Long known as itinerant traders, the Manangi people, who live in six villages of upper Manang Valley in northwest Nepal, call themselves Nyeshang. There are many speculations as from where the name originated. According to local sources, a long time ago, invaders who came over the southern mountains harassed the people of the northern Valley. A lama, through some device made it impossible for the invaders to cross the high mountain passes. At the same time, the people of the northern valley were unable to get out. Today, upper Manang is also referred to as the Nyeshang Valley. Research also indicates that there was a place called "shang" in Tibet a long time ago.

And "Nye" in linguistic research means "us". More probable, say history books, is that Nyeshang was a tributary area to Se-rib, then a political entity encompassing many villages in the neighboring Kali Gandaki Valley south of Lo or Mustang. Yet again, others say, the Nyeshang might have migrated from Tengar in Tibet.

Upper Manang is mainly Buddhist. Chortens or Buddhist monuments can be see in and around the area. Built by Buddhist lamas, people believe the chortens protect them against natural calamities. In lower Manang district, the majority of inhabitants are "Gurungs" who speak their own dialect. Nepali is widely spoken in this area. While the majority of inhabitants are Buddhists, Hindu festivals are also widely celebrated.

Though a wide range of treks are possible in this region, we are supporting four main treks

Badhe Festival Trek
Older Manangis vividly remember how villagers used to gather once every three years in the fall to celebrate Badhe, a Nyeshang oral tradition and intricate performing art. Basically a play, where mother earth is the stage, with courtyards and terraced fields forming the backdrop, Badhe is full of sound, color and intense drama, which tells a story of two warring brothers. The villagers play the various characters. A decade ago, the Badhe tradition started to decline, as Manangis migrated to Kathmandu and took with them economic and cultural resources. But come 2004, the costumes and finery will be brought out from gompas and households, and the people of Nyeshang will come from far and wide to revive an ancient tradition. An offering of the tips of goat ears today symbolizes the sacrifice of 12 virgins- believed to have taken place in ancient times.

Snow Leopard Trek
The snow leopard is a charismatic flagship species, promoting moun- tain biodiversity conservation. This beautiful but endangered cat is a striking symbol of the world's high- est places. It is also an environme- tal ambassador, encouraging the establishment of trans boundary national parks or protected areas, and an indicator of a healthy mountain ecosystem. It is a medium to large-sized cat standing about 60 cm at the shoulder, with a body tail length of 1.8-2.3 meters, and a tail almost a meter long.

There is no guarantee that we will for sure show you the snow leopard but it will be our for most effort to show the habitat and possibly the live snow leopard. However we will guarantee to show you the blue sheep which is snow leopard most common large prey species.

Lake Tilicho Pilgrimage
At nearly 5000m above sea level, Lake Tilcho, situated high up in the scenic Manang Valley is the collected glacial melt of the entire northern slopes of Annapurna and Throng Peak. Tilicho is not a prohibited area but by virtue of its remoteness and altitude, few tourists take off the popular Annapurna circuit to hike up to the lake which lies within the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Those that do make the trip, roughly a day and a half walk from Manang Village, are treated to a spectacular view of the icy ramparts of Annapurna and Tilciho peak, carved by glaciers which plunge down to the lake itself. The shores of this idyllic, crystal-clear lake, dotted with wild flowers in spring, are ideal for camping. Trekkers, coming in from Manang village, usually spend a night at Khangsar, a small village on the way, before they make their way along the rugged and picturesque route to the base of the lake where there are a couple of lodges.

Hidden Valley Trek
Hidden by swirls of mountain mist, the Kangla Pass at 5200m appears remote and forbidding. The sturdy mountain ponies stop every few steps, their steaming sweat-soaked bodies heaving. Behind, Hunde airport which was left behind early morning, is a tiny speck. The destination is the Nar-Phu Valley, above the tree line on the upper limits of cultivation, in the very north of Manang district. It's takes five hours to reach the Pass that links Nar with Manang and three other Bhotia villages in the Nyeshang Valley lower down. At the top, there's barely space for the horses to stand. You then descend on the other side, towards the raging river that has to be crossed on the way to Nar. In terms of distance, both Nar and the neighbouring village of Phu, are an extremely long day's walk from Chame. But in terms of development and access, they are very remote. The little hydropower plant that provides Nar with electricity has been out of order for a year and there's little sign of it being fixed.