Manaslu Circuit Trek in June

The lower gorge carries the weight of a June trip. Cliff-cut stretches between Jagat and Deng, easy and dry most of the year, turn slick and genuinely landslide-prone once sustained rain sets in, and progress through here slows noticeably.

Namrung to Samagaon is more forgiving. Still wet, but the terrain opens up and the worst exposure is behind you, with Lho's monastery view of Manaslu holding up on the mornings the cloud clears.

Oddly enough, the crossing itself is one of the more manageable parts of a June trip: no snow, mild pre-dawn temperatures and a normal descent to Bimtang, with cloud rather than cold the main thing likely to spoil the view from the top.

Numbers drop close to zero. Lodges in the lower gorge stay open on a thin, family-run basis, Samagaon keeps a handful of teahouses running, and Dharamsala's two guesthouses generally operate, though worth a check given how little traffic moves through this time of year.

The approach road is the real complication in June. The track between Arughat and Machha Khola runs through steep, rain-battered terrain, and landslide delays of a day or more are a genuine possibility. Once the walking starts the trail itself copes reasonably well; the risk sits almost entirely on getting to the trailhead.