Tsum Valley with Manaslu Circuit Trek- 20 days

Our Tsum Valley Manaslu trek starts from Kathmandu. After an early breakfast, we will take a local bus ride and head west of Kathmandu via Prithivi highway.

The view from the road will be full of greenery accompanied by terrace farms, raging rivers giving off the serene sound of white noise and very typical hamlets. You’ll go across the river Trishuli as you march to Dhading Besi and continue to Arughat, driving along the villages while following the lead of Dorandi Khola northwards of Gorkha. Even from the road you’re on you’ll get to have glances of the peaks like Manaslu and Ganesh Himal. Alongside the road, a significant stream flows into the Budhi-Gandaki River we will drive along the river till we will arrive at Machha Khola.

The total bus ride duration on the first day will be about 10 hours. We will check in our teahouse in Machha Khola and call it a day.

On the second day of our 19-day Tsum Valley with Manaslu Circuit Trekking, We traverse the Tharo Khola River and proceed upstream to Khola Beni. The path takes us along striking gorges featuring waterfall-carved rocks and areas impacted by the landslides. 

Upon crossing the bridge, we’ll arrive at a small village called Kholabesi, followed by the natural hot springs. From there, we’ll take another trail to cross the Budhi-Gandaki River on a suspension bridge. We’ll then continue past a landslide to reach Dobhan village.

From Dobhan, we’ll cross the suspension bridge over the Yaru Khola and ascend the stone steps to Thado Bharyang before climbing up to the delightful village of Jagat which serves as a gateway to the Manaslu conservation area, where we’ll register the permit at a checkpoint.

Similar to other days we start our trek after breakfast in Jagat. We enter the restricted area of Manaslu by ascending a ridge to reach Salleri. Following the riverbanks, cross the Budhi Gandaki River via a long suspension bridge.

As we proceed, the valley opens leading to Philim. Just past Ekle Bhatti, the path diverges: one route leads to Tsum, while the other heads towards Manaslu. We make our way upwards Lokpa, traversing several villages along the way. The rivers narrow, and we catch a glimpse of the confluence of the Yar Rivers from the Tsum Valley.

Traveling along the right side of Tsum Valley we arrive at the Lokpa village, the first settlement in Tsum Valley that offers stunning views of the Manaslu range. This valley, a hidden gem blessed by Padma Shambhava centuries ago who was regarded as one of the founders of Tibetan Buddhism- provides a breathtaking sight of Himalchuli and Boudha Himal from Lokpa village.

Following breakfast, we’ll embark on our trip from Lokpa village which serves as a rugged gateway to the Tsum Valley. On a clear day, the views of Baudha Himal and Ganesh Himal are breathtaking along the path leading from Lokpa to Chumling.

Our route initially descends into Lungwa River Valley before climbing through a dense subtropical forest filled with rhododendrons and pines. There are no settlements between Lokpa and Chumling. We'll cross the Syar Khola to reach the Chumling. A detour to the upper sections of Chumling leads to a monastery that offers magnificent views of Ganesh Himal. Chumling leads to a monastery that offers a magnificent view of Ganesh Himal. Chumling is home to health posts and three monasteries: Panago gumba, Mani Dhungyur, and Gurwa gumba.

On the sixth day of the Tsum Valley Manaslu Circuit Trek, we’ll take a trip to the upper valley, located within the vicinity of the inner Himalayas. The trail traces the Syar River down to Domje, the largest town in Tsum Valley from where our ascent towards Chhokangparo begins.

On a clear day, Chhokangparo offers stunning views of both Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal. While in Chhokangparo, you’ll have the chance to experience the warmth of hospitality provided by the local Tsombo people, along with enjoying Tibetan tea (butter tea) and traditional local dishes.

Today, we’ll be traveling a relatively short distance. The Nile, situated on the western side of Shikhar Khola, is about a 25-minute walk from Chhule, the last village in the northern upper Tsum valley. Upon your arrival at Ngakyu Leru, you’ll see natives of the region farming on the fertile land of the region. After passing through Lamagaon, you’ll come to St. Milarepa Piren Phu cave known for preserving a footprint of the saint in the rock. This cave, referred to as the pigeon cave is one of the Tsum Valley’s most sacred locations. Inside you’ll find two distinct gumbas, vibrant Buddhist murals with intricately carved scripts on stones, long prayer flags, and important Buddhist texts which all contribute to its status as a vital cultural treasure of the valley. From there, we’ll cross a suspension bridge over the Syar River and continue the trip through several villages until we reach the Nile.

A brief stroll from the Nile along the west bank of the valley near the Tibetan border leads to Mu Gompa, the highest elevation on the Tsum Valley Trek i.e. 3,700m.

We ascend through yak pastures across the typical arid trans-Himalayan landscape. The Mu Gompa monastery features rows of Chortens and offers a stunning view of the mountains. Additionally, there is a chance to explore Dhepu Doma Gompa, which is one of the oldest monasteries in the Tsum region. 

We will stay in Mu Monastery tonight, where we can witness the lifestyle of the monks and get a chance to be involved in their culture.

On the 9th day of the, the descent starts from Mu Gompa.

We’ll make our way down to Phurbe, Chhule, and Rachen Gompa.

Rachen Gompa is encircled by enormous mountains and is located at the boundary between Nepal and Tibet. On this day, however, you will go through a forest before arriving at Chhokangparo.

Upon arriving in Chhokangparo, we will be accommodated in a teahouse and sum up the trek for the day.

As we arrive at Gho, we resume our descent from Chhokang Paro to get to Rainjam village, you’ll have to hike past Gho and cross a suspension bridge. We depart from Rainjam village, make our way down to Tsum Valley, and eventually arrive in Chumling, where we’ll spend the day.

So, on this day our trip to Deng begins. Leaving Chumling behind we’ll follow the lead of the trail by descending. This part of your trek will be quite an easier one. Strolling forward alongside the bank of Syar Khola to get to the Lokpa village. The trip might feel like the cherry on top if you get to witness the herds of sheep and goats as their presence in the greenery makes you feel like you’ve got back in time enjoying the beauty of mother nature.

Following Lokpa the path lowers as we pass Budhi-Gandaki River on a sturdy bridge. From there it begins to climb and descend as it gradually enters a narrow gorge across the valley. We reach a small village named Nyak Phedi where the Tsum Valley trek ends and we enter the Manaslu circuit Trail, continuing the hike from Nyak Phedi for about 2-3 hours, and crossing three suspension bridges, we reach The Gurung village of Deng.

On the 12th day of our Tsum Valley Manaslu Circuit Trek, we will be leaving the Tsum Valley and start hiking on the popular trail, Manaslu Circuit, which encircles the world’s eighth-highest mountain, Mt. Manaslu.

We'll ascend to Rana village from Deng and continue our way to Bhimphedi following which we’ll cross the Sarang Khola and wind down the valley gorges, the trip will finally lead us to Ghap.

We'll keep on with our lengthy ascent through the bamboo and rhododendron forests after departing Ghap and as we march ahead the valley gets steeper. Following the few crossings of the untamed rivers, we’ll arrive at Namrung village which acts as the gateway to the Nupri area.

Following our departure from Namrung, we’ll get across several villages, Buddhist Gompas, and entrance gates to several Mani walls. After that, the valley widens, and our village will be ahead of us.

Yaks abound in this part which is well-known for its magnificent views of peaks like Manaslu (8163m) and Manaslu North (7157m). On this wonderful day, it's a great time to enjoy the breathtaking vistas of the mountains. We'll walk along the right riverside, taking in the views of peak 29 to reach Samagaon (3530m). We’ll reach Shyala village after a few hours of rising through the jungle, where we can view the Himal Chuli, Phungi, and Manaslu mountains.

The Himal-Chuli and Manaslu are to the south and Ganesh Himal is to the east, as we walk up. The couple of tiers of houses that make up the center of Samagaon will be visible as you take a glance. Located at the far end of Samagaon is the famous Samagaon monastery which is extremely close to the Tibetan border. As the day comes to an end, we’ll stay there to acclimatize.

So, to make ourselves well adapted to the rising elevation of the trip, we’ll spend a day in the place and move around to get the fresh air. The place is full of attractions such as sculptures, scriptures, and Buddhist texts. Several things might come as cultural shocks that might both fascinate and confuse visitors. As acclimatization, it’s typically seen as rest, but you can also explore bit of surroundings as an alternative to just relaxing.  There are many things you can go around and see, such as Birendra Lake. The place is a spot encircled by glacial moraine which in itself is a great attraction to explore around.

Another option, you'll have is to visit Pungyen Monastery, which is one of the oldest monasteries in the Manaslu region.

If you are looking for a tough hike you can also visit the Manaslu Base Camp. There are also caves and hot springs to explore and make visits to if you like.

Today on our trip as we move forward, we’ll come across varieties of attractions incorporated and fused with traditions. As our trek keeps going, we’ll take a hike across the terraced fields beside the mani-walls.

We'll go across the wooden crafted bridge over the Budhi-Gandaki River that’ll eventually lead our trail to a beautiful valley named Samdo.

Our journey gets marked by the route where the stones also known as Mani walls do the marking for the start and end of the trip we had, as we move ahead the next Mani wall marks the beginning of our next ascent to the Larky la pass.

Today we leave our teahouse around 8 am in the morning after breakfast at our teahouse.

Just after starting our hike, 15 minutes later we reach Larkya Bazaar, from there we continue our hike uphill along the rocky trails. After hiking for 4-5 hours we reach our destination for today.

Today we won't for lunch mid-hike and directly head towards Dharamshala (4460m). Dharamshala is also recognized as Larkya Phedi. We will check in our teahouse, have our lunch, and spend the rest of our time relaxing and interacting with the locals.

We will also get energized and fully healed for a big day tomorrow, as we will be crossing the Larkya La Pass(5,160m/16,929ft) and will be hiking for 8 hours.

After we freshen up and have a warm breakfast early in the morning, we’ll start our day followed by hiking alongside the lengthy and strenuous trail which is also one of the tough portions of the trip. We'll be on the road that will take us through the Larkya la pass to get to Dharmasala, which will be our destination for the day.

The region or this portion of the trail is also infamous for strong current wind which we’ll need to cross prior it starts to approach. The walk begins with a mild ascent across the moraine. After a brief descent to the lake, it passes high grassy slopes and gets rockier and hazier. We'll keep up with our walk up to the moraine till we get to the ridge with a couple of cairns from where you’ll see the prayer flags that mark the pass from here.

The last strenuous ascent to the pass is after we descend to four ice lakes. The magnificent views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kanguru, Minjung, and the massive Annapurna II can be seen from the pass. From the top of the pass, we can enjoy the stunning views.

Then the descent starts, following the top of the moraine to the west, the trail crosses the moraine with a series of steep rugged switchbacks before prior descending gently on loose gravel to another grassy moraine at an elevation of 4,450m. Upon continuing our hike past the Mani walls we finally reach Bhimtang where we check in our teahouse and have a good rest for tomorrow’s hike.

The route begins at Bhimtang, passes through the moraine followed by a descent to the headwaters of Dudh-Khola after crossing a wooden bridge the path leads into the forest of pine and vibrant rhododendron flowers to reach Hompuk (3,430 m).

The woodland shelters a wide range of animals alongside rhododendrons of a wide variety of colors that can bring an instant burst of joy and a serene feeling of joy. The expansive vistas of Phungi, Manaslu, Manaslu North Peak, Cheo Himal, and Himlung Himal will also be like icing on top for you to view. You can descend Sangore Kharka meadow after 30 minutes through the woodlands.

Following that, you’ll traverse a landslip ahead of steep ascending to a ridge decorated with prayer flags, the path drops to the riverbank at Gho.

After hiking 2-3 hours from Gho we reach Dharapani where we stay overnight in a teahouse.

On the 19th day of our Tsum Valley Manaslu Trek, we take a jeep from Dharapani to Besishar, which is about a 4-hour drive. Upon reaching Besisahar we have our lunch and take a bus back to Kathmandu.

The bus drive from Besi Sahar to Kathmandu is about 5-6 hours. 

After reaching Kathmandu we check-in our hotel in Kathmandu and relax. In the evening we will have a farewell dinner and discuss how the trek went. 

On the last day of our Tsum Valley Manaslu Circuit Trekking you will check out your hotel and a representative from the office will come to bid you a farewell.

A private car will drop you off at the airport 3 hours before your flight time.