A walk around the mountain of soul

At 8156m Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Apart from the hard-core method of going up it, there's another - but equally spectacular - way to tackle Manaslu; walking around it.

It took three weeks to complete the circuit. It's a stunningly beautiful region, and far less crowded than neighbouring Annapurna or Khumbu to the east. In fact, during the entire trek I came across just three other people doing the same. I opted to go in December to be sure of clear skies but it did mean some chilly nights at high altitude. I think -20˚C was the coldest night!