Yamnāṅ Kholā

Today was the best day so far! It was an acclimatisation day for us, so we were heading up to about 4,200m and then back down to sleep at our hotel at 3,500m. As it was just a day hike, it was nice not to have to take our full bags.

As we hiked the steepish climb towards Mt Manaslu Basecamp, the view just got more and more amazing. Once we got about halfway up to the basecamp, we stopped at a cave with prayer flags and paused to take in the view. There were no words to describe it. While taking it in, we watched the glacier break off and avalanche down the mountain.

Once we'd rested and taken in as much as we could, we headed back down and then took a detour to see the lake formed by the glacier. The water was SO cold but so beautifully blue it looked like it could be tropical. Cecilia stripped down to her underwear and went for a cold water swim. In comparison, I took off my shoes and socks and put my feet in, which I could only do for like 30 seconds.

We then headed back to town via the massive monastery and arrived just in time to enjoy lunch outside in the sun. We spent the rest of the day chilling until dinner.Read more