The first day of the trek. We walked up the narrow valley, over chain bridges and on small paths. We started our trek at the end of the road. From here on, the settlements are only reachable by foot or in emergencies by helicopter.
Path through the trees
The trek starts at an altitude of 800 meters in a subtropical climate. Its really warm and humid, therefore the shadows of the trees are welcome. Although the valley is very narrow from the beginning you can sometimes see the snow covered mountains in the distance while you are waking in 30+°C.
Donkeys carrying goods
All goods that are needed in the valley are carried by donkeys. Therefore things get more expensive the higher you go. On average we needed about 12€ per day. Sometimes when the path is narrow you have the be very careful when donkeys are passing by. If you are on the side of the valley the donkey might accidentally push you down in the valley.
Short chain bridge
Especially in the first days you go over many chain bridges. Some are short and some are very long. If you are afraid of chain bridges then the Manaslu Circuit is maybe not the best trek for you.
Bananas
As we are in a subtropical climate vegetation is rich. Sometimes you see delicious bananas on the side of the path. You can even spot monkeys.
Looking back into the valley
The path meanders along the sides of the valley. As the valley is narrow it is an never ending up and down. You might only gain 200 - 300 meters in altitude in one day compared to the last night, but you easily hiked 600 - 800 meters of altitude in that day because of all the ups and downs.
Storing glass bottles
On the first day a part of the path is blocked due to falling rocks. Instead we had to go down into the riverbed and at one point wade through the ice cold river.
Blocked passage
