The drive from Kathmandu offers good views of Manaslu, Ganesh and Langtang Himals as well as brief glimpses of village life in the Himalaya. The first section is a good sealed road to Trisuli before a slower climb to Dhunche, where there is a National Park and police checkpost. Continue to Syabrubesi (1503m), where there are many teahouses.
There are two trails to Gatlang (2300m) from Syabrubesi: the first option follows the new valley road to the Chilime Khola valley into which you turn west (left) and follow a good trail to Thambuchet and then to Gatlang.
The second, faster option from Syabrubesi is to climb a trail that begins beside Buddha Guest House. This is a direct route to the Rongga Bhanjyang (2187m, 2 hours) above Syabrubesi, and also sometimes coincides with the route of an old road to Somdang. From the pass it is an easy 2 hours and 20 minutes along the road to Gatlang (2238m).

Follow a large track from Gatlang school up to Parvati Kund (45 minutes). From the lake the trail intermittently cuts across the road as it winds through pine and rhododendron forest. At 3100m (2 hours) you come to a large kharka where you can camp. Not far above you re-join the road and follow it as it traverses a steep rocky hillside to another, smaller, kharka where the road does a U-turn (3400m) – note that you could take a jeep to this point and reduce the day to a 3 hour trek.
From the U-Turn, take a small trail that climbs up and right, away from the road, into a gully filled with rhododendron to the Khurpu Dada Pass (3710m, 1.5 hours). For location reference, note a line of old powerlines (now only poles) that crosses the Khurpu Dada, small chautara and trail junction. To the north, along the ridge, is a small trail, which leads to Jaisuli Kund (Jageshwar Kund, side trip 5 hours), from where you could head to Paldor Peak Base Camp. Instead, head west and descend quickly, cutting across the road a few times, before following it again as it gradually descends to Somdang (3258m, 1.5 hours), where there are some campsites and teashops.

From Somdang, the trail climbs up through forest and occasionally follows road construction. In 2.5 hours you should reach a small pass at 3780m, where the trail begins traversing steep, rocky hillside. If there has been recent snowfall care should be taken to avoid small avalanches along this section of track. The trail traverses above a large kharka before arriving at the Pansan Pass (3830m, 1 hour) where there is a teahouse and excellent views of the Ganesh Himal.

Descend through rhododendron forest for 2 hours, passing through a couple of kharkas, which are potential campsites. However, it is best to continue to the terraced fields of Lawadun or Tipling village (1890m, 1.5 hours), where there is a small teahouse in the centre of the village and camping is possible in the school. Nearly all the locals in this region of the Ganesh Himal are friendly Gurung Christians, who have decided to ban all alcohol from their communities. 

It’s a very pleasant walk through villages and farmed terraces along the main trail from Tipling to Sertun (1920m, 1.5 hours) and on to Boran (1560m, 2.5 hours), all the time with the Ganesh Himal rising above to the north.

From Boran there are two options:
1. Continue heading westwards to Lapagaon, Nauban Kharka, Yarsa and the road at Machhakhola, but this means 2 long days and camping/bivvying as there isn’t a teahouse at Nauban Kharka.
2. Head south towards Darkha Phedi to take a jeep to Bidur, this effectively shortens the trek to 6 days.

For option 1: As you enter Boran there is a stone house on the right-hand side of the trail. Next to this house is a stone staircase that cuts down through the northern edge of the village to the Akhu Khola below. Which leads to Lapa Khola (1285m, 30 minutes). If you choose to camp by the river you will need to post a night guard on your camp as local thieves are not uncommon. From just beyond the riverside campsite, cross another suspension bridge to the true right bank and begin the long climb to Lapagaon (1850m, 2 hours), a large Tamang village, where there is a small teahouse towards the top of the village and the school grounds can make a good campsite. Unless someone in your group knows the trail ahead it is wise to employ a local guide from this village.

For option 2: descend the main trail to Singgang and then to Darkha Phedi – the road is under construction so this may be as far as jeeps can get to Boran.

A new, steep trail climbs a hillside to the west of the village to a chautara with views back down the valley (2200m, 50 minutes). You now enter a section of mixed forest with many trails. After 70 minutes you reach a kharka with a dharamsala. The trail heads north-west up a gully with a rocky spur to the north. The gully steepens as it nears a ridge and the barely distinct Mangro Pass (2936m, 1.5 hours), which leads to the first of a series of shallow basins that make the next few hours tricky to navigate.
Descend into and then climb out of the first basin to another minor forested ridge in 45 minutes. The trail now heads north-west, first through forest and then across an exposed hillside to the large Myangmal Kharka (2936m, 50 minutes), where there is a dharamsala. However, rather than camp here, ascend an easy trail to a final forested ridge marked with a chorten (2975m, 10 minutes), which the locals call Myangmal Bhanjyang. Descend a good trail through forest for 25 minutes to Nauban Kharka (2750m), which makes a better campsite.

The trail continues to descend, sometimes steeply, through dense forest for 2.5 hours to a bridge over the Richel Khola (1555m) from where it is less than 1 hour to Yarsa village (1877m). As you leave the village, the trail swings north-west into the large Budhi Gandaki valley and in 30 minutes you reach a trail junction, right is to Kashigaon, but turn left and descend to the river. Do not go to Kashigaon. In 3 hours reach a bridge to Machhakhola (870m) and the main Manaslu Circuit trail.
Note: If you miss the descent to the Budhi Gandaki before Kashigaon you will probably have to continue to Kerauja/Rumchet and then make a very difficult descent to another bridge across the river to Tatopani. This route involves rock scrambling and should not be attempted with loaded porters. You should also consider taking a local guide from Rumchet for this section.

The main trail south following the true right bank of the Budhi Gandaki feels like a super-highway compared the trails of the previous days! But it is bumpy road through to Soti Khola, where things improve to Kathmandu or Pokhara