Manaslu Region Trekking

The trek around Manaslu was officially opened to tourists in 1991, but mountaineering expeditions have long had access to the area. In 1950 a party led by HW Tilman trekked from Thonje to Bimtang and Colonel Jimmy Roberts crossed the Larkya La looking for an interesting mountain to climb. Manaslu (8156m) was attempted by Japanese expeditions every year from 1952 until 1956, when the frist ascent was made. It thus became known as a ‘Japanese mountain’, and much of the information about the area was available only in Japanese. The Japanese continued to dominate the climbing scene on Manaslu until 1971.

A few trekkers, including the peripatetic Hugh Swift, managed to obtain trekking permits for the region, but otherwise this trek has always been the domain of the mountaineering expedition.