Tsum Valley Trek takes you to one of the most remote Himalayan valleys which lie on the backdrop of Ganesh Himal. The word ‘Tsum’ literally means vivid, as one can vividly see the picturesque panorama, lush green vegetation, and unique local culture that very much resembles Tibetan culture, as this valley used to be an important junction for trade with Tibet.
The indigenous people that inhabit this region are quite unique in their culture, dialect, art, and ways of living and those rare visitors who make it to this valley will surely be able to have a unique experience. The element of adventure will never leave you as you will be venturing into a land that is relatively untouched!
Tsum Valley Trekking region was opened very recently, in 2008. Thus, visiting this place is very different from trekking to other well-known routes that the Himalayas has to offer. This region is still pristine, less crowded, and the fact that you can see and experience the continuation of an ancient culture that still imbibes the lifestyle of people is quite astounding.
This mystical place is believed to be where ancient Tibetan sage Milarepa meditated when he was on his mission to spread the ethos of Buddhism in his lifetime. One will see religious relics that are unique to this place, carved on the stones, Chortens, Mani walls, and Gumpas all around. Any form of animal slaughter, hunting, or fishing is not allowed in this region as this hidden gem of a place lives and breathes Buddhist spirituality.
The Tsum Valley is surrounded by the Buddha Himal and Himal Chuli to the west, Ganesh Himal to the south, and Sringi Himal to the North. Tsum valley trek lies in the Manaslu region. The attractive views of Himalchuli (7893m), Manaslu (8163m), Ganesh Himal, and NgadiChuli (7879m). Apart from these majestic mountain ranges, the diverse flora and fauna and very warm hospitality of local people will make for an unforgettable experience.
The Tsum Valley Trek trip starts from Arughat also the start point of Manaslu Trek, which is about 8 hour of drive from Kathmandu and we hike towards Macchakhola and then to Jagat passing through the hills, rice fields, and local villages. Once we leave the main Manaslu Circuit Trek and enter the valley, beautiful Rhododendron forests will greet us. Once you are in the valley, you have a choice of homestay at tea houses or camping.
Tsum Valley Trek Brief Itinerary
| Days | Description | Destination | Altitude |
| 01 | Arrive in Kathmandu & Transfer to Hotel | Kathmandu | 1400m |
| 02 | Kathmandu: Sightseeing and Trek Preparation | Kathmandu | 1400m |
| 03 | Drive from Kathmandu to Soti Khola | Soti Khola | 710m |
| 04 | Trek to Machha Khola | Machha Khola | 920m |
| 05 | Maccha Khola to Jagat | Jagat | 2340m/7676ft |
| 06 | Jagat to Lokpa | lokpa village. | 2,040m/6,692ft |
| 07 | Lokpa to Chumling | Chumling | 2,386m/ 7,828 feet |
| 08 | Chumling to Chokhangparo | Chokhangparo | 3,010m/9,903ft |
| 09 | Trek from Chhokang Paro to Nile | Nile | 3,361m/11,026ft |
| 10 | Trek from the Nile to Mu Gompa, visit Dhephyudonma Gompa (4,060m/13,320ft) | Mu Gompa | 3,700m/12,139ft |
| 11 | Trek from Mu Gompa to Rachen Gompa. | Rachen Gompa | 3,240m/10,629ft |
| 12 | Trek from Rachen Gompa to Gumba Lungdang | Gumba Lungdang | 3,200m/10,498ft |
| 13 | Trek from Gumba Lungdang to Ganesh Himal Base Camp (4,200m) | Ganesh Himal Base Camp | 4,200m |
| 14 | Trek Gumba Lungdang to Lokpa | Lokpa | 2,040m/6,692ft |
| 15 | Trek from Jagat to Lapu Bensi | Lapu Bensi | 900m/2,952ft |
| 16 | Drive back to Kathmandu | Kathmandu | 1400m |
| 17 | Final departure | ———— | ———— |
Tsum Valley Trek Highlights
- Unique Landscape with preserved Buddhist culture.
- Newly open trek trail.
- off the beaten route.
- Meditation cave of famous sage Milarepa.
Itinerary
After landing at the Tribhuwan International Airport, we will be greeted by a representative of Trek Venture Nepal, who will drop us off at our hotel. We then check-in at the hotel, freshen up and take a rest. In the evening, a welcome dinner will be hosted by Trek Venture Nepal. Overnight in Kathmandu.
We tour Durbar Square, Pashupatinath temple, Swayambhunath stupa and Bouddhanath stupa which are all world heritage sites. The Durbar Square reveals the life of the royals in ancient times. Pashupatinath temple is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for all Hindus. Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple and Baudhanath Stupa is one of the largest stupas in the world. After sightseeing is done, we prepare our required trek gears.
Our guide will meet you at hotel. We will leave Kathmandu after breakfast. Our driver (Guru ji) for the day will accelerate our trip ahead towards Soti Khola. The drive pass through local communities, river, suspension bridge, green terrace and hills. The road are sometimes bumpy and muddy and eventually we will have a sight of Annapurna south, Ganesh himal, Langthang himal. We will arrive at hotel in time for dinner.
Today is the first day for the trek you have been looking forward to. Our guide for the trek not only lead the trail but he will also share his knowledge, entertain the team and take care of you.
Trek to Machha Khola will take 5-6 hours. The day trip for the day will be short and easy. Check in at hotel. Leisure time for rest of the afternoon.
The following day, you will start walking across the twisting road on the bank of Buri Gandaki river. As you enter the forest trail, you will witness many monkeys and langurs. After the forest, you will walk to the Gurung villages, like lower Khorlabeshi. In the village, you will notice the shepherds clad in a typical smoke-browned cape called Bokkhu.
After more ascending and descending, you’ll arrive at a small hot spring in Tatopani—a good place to take a break!
Crossing the west bank of the Budhi Gandaki, you’ll climb over a ridge, trek along the river and then climb towards the village of Jagat. This is the gateway to Mannaslu conservation area and all your permit are stamped after verification. Overnight in hotel.
We leave Jagat after breakfast. Today, the traditional Manaslu circuit trek and Tsum valley trail takes a separate direction after Philim. The views of Singhi himal, Ganesh himal and Budighandaki river will be in our sight while trekking. We will stop at Philim for lunch and we may be rechecked with our permits here aswell. Our trail take its turn after Eklo Batti to the right towards lokpa village.
Overnight in tea house.
The trail is rough with a lot of rocks. We will follow our guide lead slowly.We tackle the steep ascents and descents for the day. The path gets beautiful by passing through dense green forest and narrow gorge, which then opens out on to a stunning vista of Shringi Himal and waterfalls cascading down the mountain. Chumling is on the south face of the Shingri Himal. Overnight in Chumling lodge.
The destination for today is Chhokang Paro and we begin our trek early in the morning. The upper Tsum valley opens from Chhokang Paro. It is a village that is situated on flat land and is made up of two settlements which are Chhokang and Paro. As we cross the suspension bridge onto the opposite bank, we will see great views of Ganesh Himal and from the south, we can see spectacular views of Boudha Himal and Himalchuli peaks to the southwest. We continue trekking past Rainjam to Serpu Khola crossing another bridge, arriving at the Gho Village. After another two hours climb, we finally make it to the village of Chhokanparo. In favorable weather, we will enjoy the views of Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal. Overnight in lodge.
The Nile village is on the western side and is the last village heading north in the upper Tsum Valley. As we trek, we will pass the Piren Phu cave which is also known as the pigeon cave. This cave is one of the most sacred caves in the Tsum Valley. It is located at the foot of a rugged cliff near the village of Burji. The famous Tibetan sain, Milarepa meditated in that cave and his footprint is imprinted on the cave. The route further is a very pleasant trek, as we will be walking past green meadows and the landscape become fertile and narrow. There are two separate monasteries that are attached to the rocky cave. It is abundantly painted with Buddhist murals, excellent artistic scripts carved on the stones and long prayer flags and Buddhist paper scripts are in it that makes it one of the most important socio-cultural asset in the valley. Crossing the suspension bridge over the Shiar Khola, we will soon arrive at the Nile. Overnight in lodge.
We leave Nile after breakfast and ascends to Mu Gompa., which is the largest monastery in the region. Mu Gompa is located at the highest and the farthest point in the Tsum Valley. It was established in 1895 AD and includes many religious books including Kangyur, a life-size statue of Avalokiteshwara, and images of Guru Padmasambhava and Tara.
The historical Dephyudonma monastery connected with the dawn of Buddhism run by Lama, on the lap of the rugged mountains, is one of the oldest monasteries in the Tsum valley that we will get to witness. The route takes us through yak pastures through typical dry and arid Trans Himalayan Terrain. The monastery has rows of Chortens and beautiful mountain views and houses. Overnight in Lodge.
Today, we will head from Mu Gompa to Rechen Gompa. It is situated in the Shiar Khola Valley in the foothills of the mountains that border Nepal and Tibet. We return down the valley through Chhule and continue down as far as Phurba.
Rachen Gompa was established in the year 1905 AD and is one of the largest nunneries in the Tsum valley, a monastery only of female monk. The interior of the Gompa is richly painted with murals about Buddhism and its history. Sightseeing around the monastery and overnight in lodge.
After breakfast at lodge, we begin our trekking towards south, we cross a bridge to the west bank passing through the Chhokangparo again. We descend down the old trail towards Chumling and approximately two hours later we will witness a small white gompa on the left at Gho (2,458m). we will be crossing the bridge to Domje village, which has a Tibetan herbal medicine clinic and a school. Further with a steep climb through pine, juniper, and rhododendron forest, the track starts to traverse at a mani wall with many prayer flags hung. Finally, in the forest, there is a prayer flag that marks the uphill trail and makes a zigzag climb through a big silver pine to reach the Gompa in Lungdang. During spring time, Rhododendrons flower blooms along the way. We take our time to explore the area an the views. Overnight in lodge.
Today we will trek to the Ganesh Himal Base camp according to our itinerary.The route follows into wilderness and the views are enjoyable. The route crosses through two small valleys dropping on the muddy meanders on a shortcut to regain the lower track and continue up the valley via a thick and dense forest. We will cross a small pasture, taking a right turn, we descend the trail and down to the river.
The trek is less crowded and not many of trekkers have taken the route to base camp. The journey to get there are rough sometimes but it is all worth when you get to the destination. In good weather, we will have the stunning view of whole Ganesh himal range closely. We will have our pack lunch with us and we will return to the same place for overnight.
We start our trek after breakfast.Today we will be returning back to Lokpa. We will descend down to Domje by trekking in the upper track crossing the Laudang Khola. Crossing an unstable swing bridge between the lowest two houses in Domje, we will stay on the south bank of the Siyar Khola. On the way there, we will come across a new trail via a beautiful dense forest that will take us yet to another deep gorge and swinging bridges to Ripche (2,470m). Further, we will get to the Bhatti Ghumlong, a place we have trek while ascending several days ago. After 6-7 hours of trek, we climb up again through a pine forest and reach our destination, Lokpa.
After early morning breakfast, we will be descending to Lapu Bensi. The trek today will be at ease and pleasant as we will walk through terrains and cross severely bridges. Trekking down to Machha Khola we will yet again cross a suspension bridge over the Nauli Khola. As we trek on the sandy river bed of the Budhi Gandaki, we will finally reach the Lapu Bensi, a small beautiful Gurung village.
Overnight in Lodge.
Day 17 :
Drive back to Kathmandu
Today we will take jeep or bus to Kathmandu followed by an early morning breakfast. We drive on same road back and meet beautiful Trishuli river. Also, the greenery of the hills will be eye-pleasing and the drive west towards Kathmandu via the Prithivi Highway. Our trek journey ends after checking in at hotel in Kathmandu.
overnight in hotel.
Day 19 :
Final departure
Trek venture nepal representative will escort you to Airport for departure. It is best to reach airport 2 hours before your flight time. We bid our farewell here and end our services here.
This itinerary is only a guideline, and is occasionally subject to change to suit local conditions, particularly on this trek where lot of time is spent above 4000m.
