Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek

We will leave early in the morning by bus for Soti Khola via Arughat. We will drive along the Prithivi Highway west of Kathmandu, viewing the terrace farms, rivers, villages, and dense forest. On a clear day, you may catch a glimpse of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and Langtang.

To get to Arughat, there are two different routes. Either you will go through Gorkha Bazar or from Dhading Besi, depending upon the situation. But these 21 days of Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek will pass through Dhading Besi. The road is a little tricky until crossing the bridge, with lots of turns and tiny lanes to reach Dhading Besi. As soon as we get to Dhading Besi, we will turn to the left to go to Soti Khola.

Until Arughat, the road is somehow in good condition, but after that, you will experience some potholes. Ahead, you will continue along the scenic village while following Dorandi Khola northwards to Gorkha. On a clear day, you might witness Manalsu and Ganesh Himal from a distance. From Arughat, we have another 2-hour drive through past fields and cascading waterfalls till we reach Soti Khola.

Today is the first day of walking, and you will follow the low valley to the north, observing the majestic Himalayas. You will enter the picturesque, densely forested Buddhist Gandaki Valley as we hike further. The route passes through several small villages until the valley opens up. During the walk, you will see streams flowing and joining the Budi Gandaki River. Ahead, we will reach Lapu Besi (880 m), and then we will descend to reach Machha Khola.

In the initial part of the trail, we will experience some steep ascent and descent, and we will cross the Tharo River to reach Khola Beni. The route ahead takes you to dramatic gorges with waterfall-sculptured rocks and sloppy paths. After crossing the bridge, we will arrive at the small village of Kholabesi and reach the hot spring.

From there, we will catch another trail and descend to cross the Budi Gandaki River on a suspension bridge. After some moments, we will pass a landslide area to reach Doban village. Then we will cross the suspension bridge over Yaru Khola again and climb up to reach Thado Bharyand.

During the walk, you will pass through diverse flora, fauna, and people with different religions and cultures. As we ascend through the beautiful trail, we see the Shiar River coming from the east and the Sarpu River from the west. We will keep walking to Jagat, which is also the entry point of the Manaslu Conservation Area. You will have to get your permit checked at a police checkpoint in Jagat.

From today, we enter the Manaslu region’s restricted area after you cling over the ridge of Salleri. We will then pass through several ups and downs and several waterfalls on both sides of the Budi Gandaki River. Depending upon the seasons, you will also experience a variety of birds and plants in the forest, which makes your trip memorable.

As we walk ahead, the valley widens and reaches the Philim after crossing the bridge at Sirdibas. In Philim, you will experience different cultures and hospitality. During the trek to Tsum and Manaslu, you will experience the magnificent peaks of Ganesh, Shringi, and Himal Chuli. As we walk further, we pass through large Gurung villages and agricultural farms.

From Ekle Bhatti, you will see the two paths that separate Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit. We will not cross the bridge over the Budigandaki River but head east-north to the Lokpa. We experience that the river will become narrower than before and also see the confluence of the Syar River with the Tsum Valley. Lokpa is the first village in Tsum Valley that is blessed with a clear view of Mt. Manalsu. This village was completely hidden in the past and blessed by Padmashamva centuries ago.

After early morning breakfast, we will start our walk from the wild route of Lokpa village. This village is also considered an entrance to the Tsum Valley. There are no vast settlements in Lokpa and Chumling. Ahead, the trail has several ups and downs through dense forest. You will experience a fantastic view of Baudha Himal (6672m) and Ganesh Himal VI from the routes joining Lokpa to Chumling.

During the walk, you will first descend to Lungwa river valley and then ascend to the subtropical forest. You will notice lots of pine and rhododendron vegetation up there. Before reaching the Chumling village, we will cross the Syar River. You will hear the chirping birds in a specific season and the relaxing sound of the river during your stay in this village.

If you like exploring more, you can also take a side trip to this village. You can explore the upper part of Chumling village, which takes you to a monastery. From there, you will see the mesmerizing view of green hills, valleys, and Mt. Ganesh. Chumling has three monasteries – Mani Dhungyur, Gurwa Gumba, and Panago Gumba.

After breakfast, we will continue our walk along the Shiar river down to Domje. Today we are stepping towards the Upper Tsum Valley (part of the inner Himalayas), also known as Chhekampar. Ahead, we will ascend to the Gho, one of the large settlements in Tsum Valley. You will also notice some unique and famous monasteries here.

We will also be rewarded with a spectacular view of the Ganesh Himal range to the south and the Baudha and Himal Chuli peaks to the southwest as we travel. After walking for an additional moment, we will finally reach Chhokangparo village. This village is divided into two parts, i.e., Chhokang and Paro. This is how the name of this village is kept.

Today your walk will be fantastic, as you will experience many attractions until you reach your final destination. After some hours of walking, you will pass the Milarepa Piren Phu Cave. It is also known as a pigeon cave, one of the most sacred caves in Tsum Valley. This cave is at the foot of a cliff near Burji village. According to locals, a famous Tibetan saint meditated in this cave.

You will notice 2 different monasteries attached to the cave. Decorated with colorful paintings, excellent artistic scripts carved in the walls and stones, fluttering prayer flags, and significant scripts of the Buddhist religion, these caves are important socio-cultural assets in the valley. After spending some quality time here, we will cross a suspension bridge over the Shyar River and reach the Nile.

After early morning breakfast, we will start our trek ascending towards Mu Gompa, the largest monastery in this region. We will walk along the west bank of the valley close to the Tibetan border, which takes you to the Mu Gompa. On the way, you will see the yak pastures and arid trans-Himalayan terrain.

After two to three hours of walking, you will reach Mu Gompa. Inside the monastery, you will see religious books, Tibetan canon, the statue of Avalokiteshwara, and images of Guru Padmasambhava and Tara. The row of chortens, prayer flags, and beautiful mountain views make this monastery more beautiful. Also, you will get an opportunity to visit the Dhephyudonma monastery. This monastery is one of the oldest in the Tsum Valley, located in rugged mountains, 2 hrs walk from the Nile.

The trail goes down from Mu Gompa to Chhokamgparo. We go down to Rachen Gompa, then to Chile, and finally to Phurbe. You can get to Rachen Gompa by walking along the east bank of the Siyar Khola and crossing flat, boulder-covered plains. You will finally reach Chhokangparo after a few more hours of walking.

From Chhokungparo, we continue our journey down to Gho. A suspension bridge awaits you close to Gho; from there, it’s a short hike to Rainjam Village. We set out from Rainjam, go through the valley of Tsum, and arrive in Chumling.

Leaving Chumling and continuing your descent will make today’s travels easier. To get to Lokpa Village, you’ll follow the Shair Khola bank. The trail may be covered with groups of sheep and goats on sunny days. After passing through Lokpa, the trail drops down to the Budi Gandaki. After passing over a narrow gorge, the trail begins an up-and-down ascent through the valley. Deng, a Gurung settlement, is reached after a suspension bridge crossing the river to Nupri and a trek through bamboo forests.

Just a short walk from Deng, the trail crosses the Budhi Gandaki River again and heads up to the town of Rana. Along the way, you encounter a waterfall and then follow the stream. The route winds through the villages of Bhi before reaching the river crossing across the Budhi Gandaki. After crossing the Serang Khola, the trail begins its meandering descent through the valley canyons into Ghap (2160m).

We continue our long ascent out of Ghap’s narrowing valley, where we’ll observe a variety of species, including the pheasant, the national bird of Nepal. Buddha is shown in various contemplative postures on Ghap’s mani wall, decorated with artistic sculptures.

After Ghap, we head through the middle of the forest, where we cross a wooden bridge. The trail goes a long way through bamboo and rhododendron forests until it reaches Namrung. This village is where you can get into the Nupri area.

After Namrung, you trek to upper Nupri (Tibetan Buddhist influence region). The trail goes up through a forest of firs, rhododendrons, and oaks. Along the way, it goes by the mani wall and many fields and houses. The valley then opens up, and we pass through Sho Village on our way. This village is known for its incredible views of Manaslu (8163m), Manaslu North (7,157m), and Naike Peak. There are many yaks here.

The trail leads to Lho, a big village with a gompa and a huge mani. Along the way, it passes a Buddhist stupa and a prayer wheel. After Lho, the trail goes down to a stream and follows it through damp forests. It ends on a plateau at Shyaula, where you can see a broad view of Mt. Himalachuli, Ngadi Chulian, and Manaslu. The trail then goes over the ridge and ends up in Samagaon. We stayed in Samagaon for a day to get used to the altitude.

Today, you stay at Sama Gaon to get used to the thinner air and get your body used to a higher altitude. Sama Gaon is close to Manaslu Base Camp. In this village, you can see thousands of mani stones with Buddhist texts and carvings. Here are some ideas for side trips you can take while you get used to the altitude.

You can hike to Birendra Tal, which is 3,450m high and is near the impressive Manaslu Glacier. You can also go on extra trips to the Manaslu Base Camp or Pungyen Gompa if you want to. The trip back to Manaslu Base Camp is an 8-hour side trip that is well worth the effort.

After breakfast, you go down to the Budhi Gandaki and follow it to a bridge over a sidestream. Our hike takes us through terraced fields with old mani walls and over the wooden bridge over the Budhi Gandaki. The first part is easy and takes you along a shelf above the river, past juniper, birch forests, and stone huts of Kermo Kharka. After it gets to Samdo village, the trail goes along the Kani.

Then we make another ascent, this time around the Salka Khola Valley. The next stop will be at a stone inn (4,450 m). After circling the gorge, the path emerges at Dharmashala, also called Larkya Phedi. You’ll have a great day viewing the Larkya Glacier and the towering Manaslu mountain.

Due to the length and difficulty of the trail ahead, we leave Dharmasala early. The trail then turns north and begins the ridge ascent in front of Dharmashala. We must make it across Larkya La Pass (5,160m) before the wind picks up.

We keep walking along the moraine until we reach a ridge with two cairns. Prayer flags flying above the pass can be seen from here. Incredible views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Garu Peak, and Annapurna II can be seen from Larkya La pass. Travel time from Dharmashala to the Larkya La pass is between three and five hours.

The steep decline starts on the western edge of the moraine. Next, the path levels off as it winds down a grassy moraine to a tiny meadow and a spring. Soon after, the trail makes a sharp turn, and the valley opens up. A vast meadow with a mani wall and rest house near Bhimtang may be found ahead on the trail.

The path leaves Bhimtang, traverses the moraine, and drops to the Dudh Khola. From there, you’ll make your way to Hompuk via a wooden bridge and through a pine and rhododendron forest (3,430m). After passing through a landslide and several fields, the path begins the ascent to the top of a ridge decorated with prayer flags.

Views of Phungi, Manaslu, Manaslu North Peak, Cheo Himal, and Himlung Himal will also be available. This path finally terminates at the riverbank in Gho (2,575m). The trail next enters Tilche, a little settlement surrounded by farms, rhododendron, and oak trees.

Today’s road is full of ups and downs trails, passing farmland, and even dense forests. Thonje village is located after you cross a bridge over Dudh Khola, ascend via an arch formed like a chorten, and then walk past a mani wall. The residences of Dharapani may be seen in the distance as the walls of the Marsyangdi Valley grow ever larger beside you as you continue your journey. We pass through a police checkpoint in the village and carry on to Dharapani. The trail to Jagat begins in Dharapani, where you enter the Annapurna Conservation Area.

The path is once again easy and pleasant to walk on this day. The trail continues downriver from the town of Naadi. The next step is to make your way to Bhulbhule along the Marshyangdi River’s bank.

We will board a bus at Bhulbhule in the morning and travel to Besisahar before continuing to Kathmandu. The roads are frequently situated near the Marsyangdi and Trishuli rivers. On both sides of the route, you can see picturesque villages surrounded by farming terraces.