Tsum Valley Manaslu Trek

Our Tsum Valley Manaslu trek starts at daybreak with an early transfer to the west of Kathmandu. Once we exit the capital, our public vehicle will descend us along the Thankot Pass.

We will then follow the road leading to Pokhara for a while along the Prithvi Highway. Passing through the green cliffs of Malekhu and Trishuli, we will journey north to reach Dhading.

The dirt road will begin to enhance our adventure as we progress through Dhading Besi into the Upper Gorkha district. Forgetting the hilly road experience in the views of Ganesh, Manaslu, Langtang, and Annapurna, we will reach the Budhi Gandaki Valley.

We will pass by the beautiful local market of Arughat and continue along a stretch to Soti Khola (730 m), traveling through the gorgeous small settlements of  Maltar, Shante, Arkhet, and Kyoropani.

The road will gently start to climb towards Khursane, where we will see the mightiness of the Nuali Khola. Passing by Labubesi, we will soon arrive at Machha Khola, where our long driving journey finally ends.

After a warm, tasty breakfast early in the morning, we will now get ready to kick off the trekking part of our Tsum Valley Manaslu trek adventure. The mighty Budhi Gandaki River will still be there while we take the upstream trail towards Thado Khola.

A long, steel, wavy suspension bridge will then take us across the river to Khorla Besi. The remote hilly terrain will now guide us to the Hot water spring of Tatopani at 1040 m.

From here, we will trek into the beautiful Dobhan Khola Valley, where we will be face-to-face with the remarkable 92 km-long suspension bridge, which will take us into the Yaru Khola Valley.

The gently rising hilly trail will now take us to Thulo Dhunga and then to Jagat, where happy, smiling Gurung people greet us. We can see the signs of Tibetan Buddhism culture with a few Mani Walls.

Early morning, as we start to leave Jagat, we will have our permits registered and verified at the military checkpoint of the Manaslu Conservation Area.

We will then trek through the beautiful Tibetan villages of Salleri and Nagjet. A gentle ascending dry terrain will now take us toward the Sridibas Village, where we can enjoy the sight of the beautiful waterfalls.

We will now traverse a small bridge and reach the bright village of Philim (1590 m). We will now leave the Budi Gandaki Valley and plunge through the bamboo forest of Ekle Bhatti (a secluded tea house) to Lokpa Village that stares straight at Tsum Valley. But for now, we will concentrate our sight on the very gorgeous Gajung Kang and Shringi mountains.

After breakfast at the tea house, we will now get ready to hike through the narrow shaded jungle trail that overlooks the stone villages of the Sardi Khola Valley.

The increasing alpine environment will take us further through Gadhkhola and Lungwa Khola. We will then traverse the narrow shaded gorge, which will ascend us to Gumlung Village (2130 m).

A sharp bending trail will then take us to the Ripchet Village (2470 m) and then to Chumling. The village is filled with the aura of the ancient religious monasteries such as Gurwa, Panagao, and Mani Dhungyur, while Baudha and Ganesh stand smiling at us from a distance. Welcome to the Tsum Valley.

Today, the Tsum Valley Manaslu trek will take us into the region of the Upper Tsum Valley. The views are now more open with the mighty Ganesh commanding the sky.

The alpine trail bordered by the Mani Walls will initially ascend us gently to Dumje Village. We will now find ourselves standing in front of two converging trails: one going towards the base camp of the Ganesh Peak and the other ascending towards the village of Lar.

We will proceed on to the next path and follow the bank of the beautiful Serpu Khola. The river will guide us to the Tibetan Gho settlement, where we will have to traverse the small bridge.

We will then calmly and slowly climb for around 2 and a half hours and reach the Chekampar Village. In the latter hours, we can visit the small temple in the village.

We will continue with the ascent through the Upper Tsum Valley with the aim of reaching the lonely village of Nile. Our trail will run along the ridge for a moment, taking us to Lamagaon (3202 m).

Here, we will see the Rachen Monastery or Nunnery, where we will meet numerous nuns finding their solace. A little further, we will also come across the Piren Phu Cave of Burji Village, which is known among westerners as Pigeon Cave.

Being the site where Milarepa once meditated, the cave is also referred to as Milarepa Cave. We will now traverse the Siyar Khola along a small bridge and proceed upward through Phurbe  (3250 m) and Pangdun (3258 m) villages to reach Chule.

From the village, we can gaze at Mu Gompa, and we can also enjoy the coolness of a beautiful waterfall. Opposite is the village of Nile, which can be reached by trekking upward for an hour.

The locals here are called the Tsumbas, who speak very little Nepali but are very welcoming to the few tourists they see every year.

Early in the morning, we will take a moment to bask in the beauty of Ganesh Himal, Naike Peak, Simnang Himal, Manaslu, Shringi Himal, Himal Chuli, Ngadi Chuli, and Saula Himal.

Then, we will set off towards the highlight of our Tsum Valley Manaslu trek, a visit to Mu gompa. From Nile, we will have to engage in around 2.5 hours of laborious climb to the Gompa, which was established in 1985 in the amazing setting of Shringi, Baudha, Ganesh, and Himalchuli.

About 100 monks live here who partake in daily rituals, and they are more than happy to take us around the monastery. Among the notable attractions, the towering representations of Goddess Tara, Avalokiteshwara, and Padmasambhava will steal our attention.

Once we are at the periphery of the Gompa, we can then look straight at the desert terrain of Tibet, and the daunting presence of the Ngula Dhojyang/Mailatasachin Pass (5093 m) and Thapla Bhanjyang (5104 m).

We will now retreat to Nile for a cozy night.

We will now have to exit the picturesque beauty of the Tsum Valley to get on with the second part of our amazing Tsum Valley Manaslu trek. Descending from Nile, we will once again traverse the landscape of lovely Chule, Pangdun, Phurbe, Burji, Chhekampar, Gho, and Dumje before we reach Chumling again.

It’s time that we join the trail of the Manaslu circuit on our Manaslu circuit Tsum Valley trek. Following the same route, we will exit the gate of Tsum Valley a little further from Chumling.

We will once again pass by Lokpa and then continue on the trail that will lead us to Philim. We will follow the right turn and cross the Budhi Gandaki to reach Ekle Bhatti.

The now a bit crowded mountain path will take us into the bamboo thickets of Nupri. En route, we will traverse numerous small bridges and arrive in Deng for the night.

We will now begin the circuit route around Manaslu, where the trail is rich in beautiful, enticing views and villages. After Deng, we will cross several steel bridges and then start ascending the slope over Budhi Gandaki to reach Rana Bridge.

Following the left shore of the Budhi Gandaki, we will shortly reach Bihi Phedi. The open wide valley path will generously ascend us through thick rhododendron forest to Ghap and Prok villages.

We will now climb through the forest to reach Namrung, where we will come across a checkpoint. After registering our permits, we will proceed to rest in the village beneath the massive features of Manaslu, Pang Phuchin (6335 m), and Saula Peak (6235 m).

From Namrung, we will continue to ascend to Lihi Village (2900 m), where we can witness the Himal Chuli rise majestically. Then, we will make a small descent and again climb up to reach Sho Village (2950 m) in around 45 minutes.

Standing in the village, we can see Ganesh and Himal Chuli. Continuing on, we will reach Lho (3180 m), characterized by its traditional stone houses and a beautiful Ribung monastery, along with Naike, Manaslu North (7157 m), and Manaslu itself (8163 m).

We will not make a long descent to Thusan Khola and again climb sharply along its tight, small gorge till we are at Shyala Village, sculpted by the presence of Manaslu and Peak 29 (7871 m).

We have a relatively short and simple journey today as we head towards Samagaun. The path to the village extends along a beautiful mountain plain adorned by the magnetic presence of Himal Chuli and Peak 29.

After reaching Samagaun, we will have a well-deserved rest after numerous days of trekking. We can spend the evening wandering through this enchanting village and meeting its warm, smiling people.

The stunning, extraordinary mountain panorama created by gorgeous Himalchuli, Naike Peak (6211 m), Shringi Himal (7155 m), Ganesh Himal (7422 m), Simnang Himal (6158 m), Manaslu, Ngadi Chuli (7879 m), and Saula Himal will give an energetic start to our morning in Samagaun.

After a nice breakfast, we will consider the options to engage in our acclimating hike. One of the attractive options is to head west to the picturesque Birendra Lake (3460 m) created by the icefalls from Manaslu peak.

From here, we can then continue climbing to the Manaslu Base Camp (4800 m) and stand right below the magnetic Manaslu. After this hair-raising adventure, we will now descend to Samagaun.

From Samagaun, we will follow the valley track to the north and trek along the almost flat terrain, which will lead us to the Budhi Gandaki River once again.

We will now head northwest and traverse the yak pasture called Kermo Kharka. Walking by the long Mani Wall, we will engage in a sharp climb of about 150 m that will directly take us to Samdo Village.

If you like, you can also choose to ascend the Samdo Ri Peak (5170 m) later in the day.

The day of reaching the highest point of our Tsum Valley Manaslu trek is approaching, and today we will be reaching the base camp of this highest point, called Larke Pass.

Our trek today will be relatively shorter but with significant elevation gain of around 900 m. We will therefore take our steps slowly and proceed from Samdo along the ridge line of Larke Bazaar.

The route will now start to change into glacial terrain, displaying the mesmerizing views of Manaslu North and Syacha Glacier. We will now have to cross a rickety bridge over Salke Khola and then ascend the scree steep slope to reach Dharmasala.

All around, you can see huge rock formations with the encircling presence of Syacha Glacier, Larke, Naike, Samdo, and Manaslu peaks. This site is also called the Larke Phedi, Duwang, or Tibetan Refugee Camp.

If possible, our guide will ensure your stay in the newly formed tea house in the area. Sleep early as a long and laborious day awaits us tomorrow.

Finally, the long-awaited day of our 18 days Tsum Valley Manaslu trek is here. We will triumph over the Larke Pass today, for which we will start our day very early, probably in the dark.

We will ascend the north lateral wall of the Larkya Glacier for a while. When we stand just below 100 m of the pass, we will have to prepare ourselves for the steep stretch.

A slow approach will finally lead us atop the pass, decorated with piles of prayer flags. Standing on the pass summit, we will see the scenery shaped by Gyaji Kang, Himlung, Cheo, Kanguru, Ngadi Chuli, Annapurna II, and many others.

After this otherworldly view, we will retreat to the lodge of Dharmasala for breakfast. Then, we will set forth on a long descent towards Bimthang.

The route will wind around the beautiful Pongkar Tal and the Salpundanda Glacier moraine, before we cross the Larke Kharka. We will descend through Tanbuche (3900 m) and reach Bimthang.

This small village will once again offer us the views of Manaslu, Peak 29, Manaslu West, Himlung, and Lamjung peaks.

Today, our trek will conclude with a descent to Dharapani, the prominent village that will connect us to the trail of the Annapurna Circuit.

From Bimthang, we will start to walk downstream and pass through numerous tiny settlements such as Hampuk, Jangli Kharka, Sangure Kharka, Puktu Kharka, Phute, and Karche.

We will then make a small ascent along the ridge of the Karche Pass (2715 m) from where we will once again descend to Gho Village (2560 m).

The Dudh Khola Valley welcomes us as we reach Tilije, a major town that intertwines the Manaslu with the Annapurna region. We will stick to the northern shore of the river and reach Thongje village.

Then, traversing the small bridge twice, we will reach the right shore of the mighty Marshyangdi Khola. Here, we will pass by the checkpoint and then start trekking comfortably through the forest trail of Annapurna to reach Dharapani.

Today is the final day of our Tsum Valley Manaslu trek, which ends with a local jeep transfer from Dharapani to Besisahar. On the way along the dirt track, we will pass by Tal, Chamje, and Jagat before reaching Besisahar.

Then, we will switch to a tourist bus, which will drive us along the wide Dumre Besisahar Chame Highway. Further, Prithvi Highway will take us onward through Bandipur, Aanbu Khaireni, Deurali, Manakamana Temple, Naubise, Chandragiri, to Kathmandu.

Above the Himalaya team will also look after your transfer to your accommodation, thereby concluding our services for the Tsum Valley Manaslu trek.