My wife and I highly recommend this experience. We have nothing but amazing things to say about the trek we did, our guide Raju Kandel, and the company Nepal Climbing Adventure and its owner and manager Khum Subedi. I will review all three here: I will start by describing our trek. We booked a 22 day trek of the Manaslu circuit followed by the Annapurna circuit, including Poon Hill and ending in Pokhara, from March 15 to April 5. We took a local bus from Kathmandu to Machhakhola to start the Manaslu circuit. It took us 11 days to complete this circuit to Dharapani, which is where we started the Annapurna circuit. We did not trek the Tsum Valley due to time constraints. The main Manaslu cuicuit was spectacular. Only one day comprised of Jeep road trekking for portions of the day. Many epic suspension bridges, many colourful villages along the way. We were impressed by the mission statement of the Manaslu conservation Area Project in reducing environmental impact of trekking and supporting the local people. We met locals along the way, and where even invited into a local home for traditional Tibetan tea and Sisnu (nettle) soup that we collected on the trail. We got to partake in a local celebration including dancing and community Momo feast. We visiting the tranquil monastery in Lho, and passed by other monasteries with traditional music and ritual. The accomodations were satisfactory, we typically were able to pay for a hot shower expect at the highest elevation villages in the 2 night prior to Larke pass. The food was way beyond my expectations. We ate Dal Bhat every day, sometimes twice a day, and did not tire of this dish. Each restaurant had their own variation on the dish and the fresh vegetables were delicious. The day of the pass was difficult but the views are spectacular. Birendra lake was spectacular and worth a visit. The Annapurna section boasted more panoramic mountain views, different type of forest scenery and slightly more polished accommodations. It had more trekkers than Manaslu and more of the trek included the Jeep Road, however at most we would see 5-10 cars per day on the road. Thorong La pass was also a memorable experience. We took a bus from Muktinath to Tatopani and I do not think we missed much skipping this portion of the trek (dry arid and dusty area). From Tatopani ato Ghorepani was spectacular jungle and rhododendron Forrest trekking. Overall it was the most varied, beautiful, culturally immersive, and delicious trek I have done. Our guide Raju Kandel was fantastic and went beyond what I expected from a guide. He was a joy to trek with and very professional. He took our safety as top concern, regarding altitude symptom monitoring, and how to navigate around the animals that share the path for examples. We later learned he has experience in mountain search and rescue. He has done the Manaslu circuit for many years, and has a relationship with the locals in the guest houses and restaurants along the way. He was able to call ahead to reserve rooms at the best accommodations, pick the most delicious Dal Bhat restaurants, plan the days in order to see key sights along the way, network with locals we met along the path to translate our questions and even get an offer for a visit into a home for food and tea. He taught us Nepali trekking songs and key phrases. He learned what our interests and preferences where along the trek and was able to tailor the experience for us. He got us into the kitchen at most smaller Tea Houses on Manaslu circuit to witness the cooking our our meals. Without Raju as our guide, our experience would not have been as personal or immersive. Nepal Climbing Adventure was a a fantastic agency to book our trek with. Khum Subedi, the past president of the Trekking Agencies Association or Nepal, was friendly, professional and went the extra mile. He personally picked us up at our hotel on the first day of the trek. He helped us navigate an issue we had with another trekking agency (and luckily we ended up not booking with the other agency), again going the extra mile. He ensures a debrief meeting with his trekkers, demonstrating his commitment to providing the best experience for the trekkers that book through his organization. Overall very pleased with the entire experience. It was the adventure of a lifetime.
