Manaslu Circuit Trek - Day0: Kathmandu to Machhakhola

CONTINUED FROM HERE: Exploring Kathmandu

Day 0: Drive from Kathmandu (1,300 m / 4,265 ft) to Machhakhola (930 m / 3,051 ft) - 160km/9-11 H

6 May 2026

Our bus to Machhakhola was scheduled to leave at around 7:00 AM. Krishna Prasad Bhatta (KP), our trek leader, had messaged me that he would pick me up from the hostel at around 6:30 AM. I got ready and left my extra luggage with Raju at the hostel. He tagged it and safely moved it to a storage room.

KP had already picked up Flavie before coming for me, while the others had taken a different taxi and reached the bus station ahead of us. At the station, I met Ward, Gilou, and Antonio. Our backpacks were loaded into the trunk at the back of the bus. This was a local bus, so one could not expect much comfort. The organisers had already warned us about both the comfort levels and the poor road conditions.

Knowing what kind of ride awaited us, I chose a seat near the front, while the others preferred to sit at the back. However, KP gradually persuaded everyone to move towards the middle of the bus, as the rear seats would be subjected to the worst of the bumps and jolts.

There were quite a few foreign trekkers on the bus, including three young men from Israel. One of them came across as rather rude, and many of the Western travellers seemed uncomfortable with the way he spoke to the bus conductor.

The journey from Kathmandu to Machhakhola was one heck of a ride. Although new roads were being laid in some areas, the road conditions were poor for most of the route. To make matters worse, the bus had to take a longer road because a newly built shortcut was not open to public transport. Had we been allowed to use it, we could have saved nearly 30 kilometres. The trekking company also offered a taxi service to the trailhead for an additional fee, but none of us opted for it. We all wanted to experience the adventure in its entirety.

During the journey, I spoke with Antonio, who was seated next to me. He is a doctor from Naples, specialising in angioplasty. We stopped several times—for breakfast, restroom breaks, and later for lunch. At lunch, we enjoyed a buffet of dal, rice, and a variety of vegetable sabjis.

As we travelled on, heavy rain began to fall, and we even encountered a brief hailstorm. Some of the luggage strapped to the roof of the bus had to be covered with plastic sheets and secured more tightly. Certain stretches of the road were so precarious that it remains a wonder to me how the driver managed the steep climbs and narrow bends. One mistake could have sent us tumbling down the mountainside towards the Budhi Gandaki River below. Nepal is, unfortunately, known for such road accidents.

Along the way, locals boarded and alighted at various villages. The driver also stopped at a few remote settlements to deliver packages that had been sent there. At around 3:00 PM, we reached Aarughat, a town not far from KP's village. He pointed out the school where he had studied. We also spoke about the devastating earthquake of 2015, whose epicentre is relatively close to the village we were heading to. 

As the bus wound its way through the mountain villages, I enjoyed watching the villagers working in their fields. It was also common to see women smoking, particularly the older ones.

What felt like a never-ending journey finally brought us to Machhakhola at around 5:45 PM. We were assigned our rooms and later took a walk to a nearby suspension bridge.

During dinner, our conversation drifted to European and Indian politics. We were there till late, long after the other guests had retired to their rooms. The owners were busy cleaning the dining area, gently lowering one shutter after another—a subtle hint that we were keeping them up. Realising that they had to go to bed and start early next day, we finally wrapped up our conversation and headed to bed.

To Be Continued...