Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek

Arriving in Kathmandu counts as the first day of your Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. You will find our representative at the terminal, waiting for you with your name on a board. You will be greeted and welcomed to Nepal before having your luggage set on the back of a car that takes you to your accommodation for the night.

The government of Nepal offers a visa-on-arrival for most countries around the world, meaning that you do not have to apply for a tourist visa before arrival. To have your tourist visa approved, first, you must fill out your visa application, which you can get at the immigration booth. Second, you must pay your visa fees at the banking counter nearby and get a bank receipt.

Now, all that is left to do is submit the application and the bank receipt along with your passport, proof of residence, two passport-sized photos, proof of return tickets, and prior visa approvals, if any. After this, you will shortly have your tourist visa approved. This whole process can take about an hour.

Or you can also apply for a tourist visa from the government’s official website. Online applications are very handy during the spring and autumn seasons when tourists from all over the world flock to Kathmandu or Pokhara. An online application saves you the time of waiting in line to get your visa approved.

This is your first free day of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. You should use this day to prepare well for the trek. The best way to go about it is to make sure that you have all your essentials, your meds (if you are on some), your trekking gear, your clothes, and other stuff. The bare minimum gear you will need for this trek is trekking poles, shades, trekking boots, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, layered clothing, warm sleeping bags, sun hat, warm trekking gloves, water purification tablets, and energy bars.

After you are done with your luggage packing session, your next focus should be preparing yourself physically. If possible, you should hit the gym and train your cardio for an hour or two, this makes you ready for the upcoming trekking days. After all that, you will have a couple of hours left to roam around the streets of Kathmandu. Do not eat the street food from just anywhere, we do not want you to have an upset stomach.

The nightlife in the bustling streets is very vibrant, but do not get too carried away. You will have plenty of time to celebrate after you complete the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek.

Today is the first day of travel as per our Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek itinerary. We will start the day in Kathmandu with a lovely breakfast. Then, we will get on a private ride to Machha Khola, the starting point of our trek. Kathmandu sits at 1400 meters above sea level while Machha Khola is at 850 meters of altitude, so you might feel a bit hot there. The total distance between the two places is about 160 km which takes around 7 hours to complete.

We will be driving over the Prithvi Highway for almost half of the way, and turn north right before we reach Malekhu. Up until this point, we will be following the Trishuli River all the way from Galchhi. Turning north, we will not drive alongside the Thopal Khola for a scenic countryside road trip experience. We will first make our way to Bungchhung, followed by Dhading Besi, Murali Bhanjyang, and Sunkhani.

Continuing the drive, we will pass by Aarughat, Mt. Himalchuli viewpoint, Ramailo Danda, and Tari Bensi to reach Machha Khola village. There are banks and ATMs in this village, which is the last you will see on this Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek.

The 4th day of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek is the first trekking day. Today we will trek about 21 km to get to Jagat, a charming Gurung village situated at 1340 meters above sea level. Reaching this village takes 6 to 7 hours of trekking, which gains us almost 500 meters of altitude by the end of the trek. There are many ups and downs throughout today’s trail, but the overall trek difficulty is very mid.

We will start the trek with a gentle ascent to Khorlabesi village. We will follow the Budi Gandaki River upstream, go over several ascents and descents, and cross the Tharo River. Soon enough, the trail will lead us to the Gurung village of Khorlabesi, where we will rest for a while. Continuing the trek, we will reach Tatopani, where natural hot springs are the main attraction.

We then reach Dobhan after crossing the Budi Gandaki river over a swaying suspension bridge. Our next stop will be the village of Yaru Bagar which requires a series of ascents and descents to get to. From there, we will get to Jagat in about 1.5 hours.

Today’s trek starts at 1340 meters above sea level and takes us to 2240 meters after about 6 to 7 hours of trekking. This day trek spans over 18 km and has an elevation gain of 900 meters. We will be ascending for most of today’s trek with some plain sections here and there.

Leaving Jagat behind, the trail initially ascends gently following the Budi Gandaki River upstream. We will pass by farmlands and tiny villages along the way to get to Ekle Bhatti. This part of the trek takes around 1.5 hours to complete; it’s a great resting spot, and we will refresh a little before resuming the trek.

Moving forward, we will traverse a narrow gorge and get to Philim after an additional 2 hours of trekking. From there, the trail takes us into a rhododendron and pine forest with many ups and downs. This path is narrow and one of the most isolated sections of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. After about 2 to 3 more hours of trekking, we will finally reach Lokpa.

This is the shortest day of the trek, we just have to cover a distance of 8 km over a period of 4 hours to get to the Lower Chumling village. We will gain about 145 meters of elevation and reach 2386 meters of altitude. The trail starts with a descent towards the Lungwa River valley. We will traverse a lush forested trail dominated by pine and rhododendron trees as the path grows slimmer.

We will soon cross the Lungwa River over a suspension bridge and get on a steep ascent that leads to Gumling village. This part of the trek offers us great scenes of Ganesh Himal and Baudha Himal. After reaching Gumling, we will take a short break. Continuing the ascent, we will go over a trail full of ups and downs to get to Syar Khola. Then, we will cross yet another suspension bridge to get to our destination of the day.

Today’s trek takes us to 3010 meters above sea level at Upper Chum from 2386 meters at Lower Chum, gaining us an elevation of 624 meters. This trek extends over 10 km and requires 5 to 6 hours of trekking. Leaving the village of Chumling, we will trek alongside the Syar Khola river and get on an ascending trail through a lush pine woodland.

After about 2 hours of trekking, we will reach our first resting stop, Domje village. This is the biggest village in the entire lower Tsum valley. Moving on, we will ascend further into the valley and get to the village of Gho in about 1.5 hours. There’s a unique Gompa in the village which we will visit for a brief period. After that, we will go over the final leg of today’s trek. It is a gradual ascent to the village of Chhokangparo with views of Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal.

Day 8 of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek is one of the climactic days of the trek since we will visit the centuries-old Milarepa Cave. The trek starts at 3010 meters above sea level and ends at 3361 meters at Nile village, covering a total distance of almost 10 km. The total trekking time ranges from 4 to 5 hours and takes us 350 meters higher.

Our first stop of the day will be at Lamagaon. The journey to Lamagaon starts with a trek alongside the Syar Khola river, passing by little villages and farmlands. After about an hour of trekking, we will reach Lamagaon. From there, the trail ascends slightly till we reach Milarepa Piren Phu Cave. In ancient times, the great monk Milarepa meditated here, as per the legend. At present, the cave has been linked with two monasteries.

From there, we will first get to the village of Phurbe, followed by Pang village, and continue the trek to get to Chhule, where we will have our lunch. Moving on, we will cross the Syar Khola river over a suspension bridge to get to Nile village.

It’s a short distance from Nile village to Mu Gompa, we just have to trek 5 km to get there, which takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. This trek gains us 344 meters of elevation and follows the Syar Khola river for most of the way. Trekking along the western shores of the Syar River, we will trek a gradual ascent and visit a couple of Chortens on the way.

After we reach Mu Gompa, we will check in at our accommodation for the night, rest our bags there, and go on a day hike to Dhephu Gompa. This day hike will take about 3 to 4 hours to complete and takes us to 4060 meters above sea level. Dhephu Gompa is one of the handful of nunneries in the entire Himalayan region, and it is also one of the oldest

The next day of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek takes us back to Chumling village. This day trek is one of the longest trekking days of the trek, going over 18 km and taking 6 to 7 hours to complete. We will get down to 2386 meters of elevation, losing 975 meters of height in the process. From the Nile, we will first descend to Chhule following the Syar Khola river downstream. It will take us about an hour to get there.

From there, our next destination is Rachen Gompa, which takes about 1.5 hours to reach. This nunnery is past the Pang village and the Phurbe village. From the gompa, we will get on the track to Lamagaon, our last stop before we reach Chumling. After a little shy of 2 hours of trekking, we will reach Chumling, where we will spend the night.

Similar to the previous day, day 18 is yet another long day of trekking on the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. We will get way down to 1860 meters of elevation at Deng village and lose over 520 meters of elevation. This trek stretches over 19 km and takes around 7 hours to complete. Leaving Chumling, we will trek a steep descent through a lush forest and cross the Syar Khola river over a suspension bridge.

Continuing the trek, we will get to Lokpa after about 3 hours of trekking and take a much-needed rest there. From there, we will keep following the Syar Khola river downstream with views of Sringi Himal. Traversing a series of ascents and descents, we will finally reach Ghatta Khola, which must be crossed over a bridge. Then the final portion of the trek begins, which takes about 1.5 hours to complete, taking us to Deng.

The starting point of today’s trek is 1860 meters high at Deng, while the ending point is 2630 meters above sea level, gaining us 770 meters of elevation. The total trekking distance spans over 19 km and requires over 7 hours of trekking since we will be ascending for most of the way. First of all, we will cross the Budi Gandaki River to get to Rana village, The trail is steep and scenic.

From there, we will continue the trek and get to the village of Bihi. We will pass by a couple of beautiful waterfalls and lush forests. Overall, the trail is very mild. Our next stop is the village of Ghap, which calls for a trek over forested trails with occasional encounters of Chortens and mani walls. After Ghap, we will reach Namrung in just about 1.5 hours. The scenes from Namrung village are very pleasing.

Today’s Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek is just 10 km long, a great discount in comparison to yesterday. This day trek gains us a whopping 913 meters of elevation and takes around 6 hours to complete. Leaving Namrung, we will first arrive at the village of Sho, ascending gently via lush oak forest. This part of the trek takes 1.5 hours and offers occasional views of the peaks nearby.

Fomr Sho, we will keep ascending and enter the alpine vegetation zone. Following a 2-hour trek, we will reach the village of Lho. This village is famous for having the Ribung Monastery, which we will visit shortly. The monastery offers a cultural and scenic trip with views of Manaslu peak and others. Leaving Lho, we will ascend through wide paths and get to Shyala in about 2 more hours of trekking.

Day 14 of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek starts at 3480 meters high at Shyala and takes us to 3530 meters above sea level at Samagaon. The elevation gain at the end of the day is trivial, but we will be reaching a maximum altitude of 4050 meters at Pungyen Gompa. Today’s total trekking distance stretches over 17 km and takes about 4 to 5 hours to cover.

Leaving the village of Shyala, we will trek through thin woodlands and patches of grass to get to a junction that leads to Pungyen Gompa. This junction can be reached in an hour; from there, we will first get to a Yak pasture land for an expansive view of the entire surrounding. Next, we will trek about 1.5 hours to get to Pungyen Gompa.

Descending from Pungyen Gompa, we will lose over 500 meters of altitude. The descending trail is not that difficult, but it can get a little heavy on your knees.

Day 15 of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek is the ultimate day of the trek since we will get to Manaslu Base Camp. Starting at an elevation of 3530 meters, we will reach 4800 meters of height, at the base camp. This climb spans over 12 km and takes about 7 hours to complete a round trip. The climb starts with a gradual ascent and takes us to Birendra Lake in just an hour of trekking.

Moving forward, the trail becomes more rugged and steeper as we traverse over loose rocks and tiny icy streams. Trekking for 3 or so hours, we will finally reach the Manaslu Base Camp, which offers a great scene of the Manaslu peak along with the entire wide valley. We will get back down to Samagaon after spending some time at the base camp.

Today’s trek stretches over 9 km, takes about 4 hours to complete, and gains us 330 meters of elevation. There’s a longer route (about 16.5 km) if you want to choose a less trodden path. It’s more scenic and remote. From Samagaon, we will first ascend to Birendra Lake and get on the trail to Kermo Kharka. We will pass by several glacial streams and meadows to get there.

Following that, we will get on a gradually ascending trek, pass by chortens and mani walls, and reach Samdo in about 2 more hours of trekking. This tiny and charming village is located near the Tibetan border and is very influenced by the culture and practice of Tibetan Buddhism.

From Samdo to Dharamsala, the distance we need to cover is 12 km, which takes about 5 hours to complete. Today’s trek gains us 600 meters of elevation, taking us to 4460 meters above sea level. Leaving Samdo, we will go over the Budi Gandki River on a wooden bridge and get on a gently ascending path to Larke Bazaar. This seasonal market is our first rest stop and offers a great scene of the Shyacha Glacier along with a wide view of the valley.

From there, the trail turns barren and rugged, having us trek through rocky trails, passing by chortens and mani walls. As we get closer to Dharamsala, we will have to climb a gradual ascent that requires about an hour of trekking. The village of Dharamsala is also known as Larke Phedi. There are only a couple of tea houses to accommodate the trekkers that pass by.

Today’s trek is almost 25 km long, the longest distance of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. This will set us back 7 to 8 hours, losing us 1210 meters of elevation at the end of the day. The trail starts with an ascent following a rocky ridgeline. As we move forward, the trail becomes steeper, and the people use cairns to mark the way. After about 4 hours of trekking, we will reach the summit of the Larkya La Pass.

From the top of the pass (5160 m), we will get to see a 360-degree view of the entire surrounding area with peaks including Cheo Himal, Annapurna II, Himlung, Kanguru, and more. This is also the highest point of the entire Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. We will take a whole lot of pictures and rest our tired legs before getting down.

The descent to Bhimtang is steep and challenging. You will definitely feel the heat on your knees as we get down to Bhimtang. We will travel over icy patches and grassy meadow patches to get to Larche. The trail will be somewhat better from there as we go through a rhododendron forest.

Traveling from Bhimtang to Tilje, we will lose about 1420 meters of elevation over 7 hours of trekking. The trek starts with a gradual descent to Yak Kharka, offering a beautiful view of the Manaslu Himalayan range. After about 2 hours of trekking, we will reach Yak Kharka and rest a little with a cup of tea. Going further down, we will travel through a forest of pine and rhododendron to get to the Gurung village of Karche. This descent takes about 1.5 hours of additional trekking.

From Karche, we will first get down to Goa village, which takes about an hour or less. This is yet another beautiful Gurung village with traditional stone houses. Leaving Goa, we will pass by farmlands, and some remote villages to get to Tilje. This will take us about 2 hours to complete. The village of Tilje is a big Gurung village with many accommodations.

Day 20 is the last trekking day on the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. We will go from 2300 meters at Tilje to 1910 meters of elevation at Dharapani, lodging almost 400 meters of altitude. This descent takes about 4 hours to complete and covers almost 8 km of total distance. Leaving Tilje, the path gradually descends through a dense forest and some terrace farmlands. We will first reach Thonje village after about an hour of descending.

From there, we will continue the descent and cross the Marsyangdi River over a hanging bridge to get to Dharapani. Overall, the descent is mild with some steep sections. Arriving at the bustling market of Dharapani, we will finally feel like we have returned to civilization. We will have a tasty lunch at Dharapani before getting on the jeep ride to Kathmandu. This marks the end of the trekking days of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek.

This is the second and final rest day of the trek. It is also a contingency day, just in case we run into some unforeseen circumstances that cost us a day’s worth of progress. We will spend the entire day in Kathmandu; you can go around the neighborhood, shop for things you like or find interesting. Or we can arrange a sightseeing tour around the Kathmandu valley, visiting a bunch of historic and interesting sites that have been around for hundreds of years.

Note: This day tour is not a part of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek package and will be charged separately.

Today is officially the last day of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek. We will go over the aspects that we have yet to discuss and escort you to the airport after a short farewell ceremony. You are more than welcome to leave us a feedback.