Where spirits dwell

 After trekking extensively through many of the recog­nized and ‘touristy’ paths in Nepal, I finally decided to take on the upper Great Himalayan Trail for the Manaslu section last season. Not because I had heard a lot about the area, quite the opposite actually. I had not and I wanted to see for myself what this trail had to offer. Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world, standing at an impressive 8,163 meters (26,781 ft) above sea level and located in the west-central part of Nepal. Its name, which means “mountain of the spirit”, comes from the Sanskrit word ‘manasa’, meaning “intellect” or “soul” and rightly so. For the Manaslu circuit trail is filled with mysterious lakes, ancient Tibetan culture and captivating monasteries.

 Trying to describe this experience in words is a daunting task

Trying to describe this experi­ence in words is a daunting task. I strongly feel it’s something you need to personally experience to fully appreciate the beauty and serenity that this trail has to offer. Every day of my trek was a gradual climb through forests, waterfalls and mountains.

The higher I went, the clos­er I felt to the mountains. For me, the highlight was reaching the ancient Tibetan settlements at Samagaon where everyone spoke only Tibetan language with the exception of a few youngsters. It sure was chal­lenging to hold a conversation there.

Even though we didn’t speak the same language, the native Tibetan ladies still extended their hospitality and I was reg­ularly invited to their homes for tea. Another highlight would have to be the Birendra Lake. As I was making my way towards the lake, I asked about it to a trekker returning from the lake. He simply replied, “It’s a place for the soul”, and I couldn’t agree more. I spent two hours at this lake, a place of peace and self-reflection, which had me returning as a much calmer ver­sion of myself.

Athough the trail is undoubt­edly one of the most beautiful in Nepal, not many people go here. This is mostly due to the fact that it has been designat­ed a restricted area in order to preserve its natural state. But this also affects local economy. Because few people go here the hotels and local businesses don’t gain visitors and then even fewer people hear about it.

I fear that this will result in a slow death of local cultures and customs. As we see in oth­er remote regions of Nepal, people invariably head to cit­ies in search of opportunity and stability.