Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek - 20 days

We will begin our journey by driving from Kathmandu to Soti Khola (710 meters) by local bus. The bus will travel through the Prithivi Highway, passing by green gills, rivers, villages, and terrace fields.

The road condition is smooth until Arughat, after which we must travel off-road. The ride becomes bumpy, and after 7-9 hours of driving, we will reach Soti Khola.

We will trek to Maccha Khola (890 meters) on this day. We will cross a suspension bridge and head towards the Sal forest. Along the way, we will pass by several settlements and terraced fields.

The trail widens after we pass a small Gurung village, Lapubesi. Then, we will follow the sandy riverbed while witnessing the Ganesh Himal. Finally, we will reach Maccha Khola.

We will leave Maccha Khola and head towards Jagat (1400 meters). The first village we will come across after passing Thora Khola is Khorlabesi. The trail requires you to climb uphill and also downhill.

After a while, we will reach the famous Tatopani, known for its natural hot springs. We will cross the Budhi Gandaki and Yaru River. Then, after an uphill ascend, we will reach Jagat. It’s a 7 to 8-hour trek.

Today’s trail follows the Ghata Khola, crossing a bridge and ascending on a rocky ridge to Salleri. We can witness Mt. Sringri as we trek. Then, the trail will descend to Sirdibas, requiring us to cross a long suspension bridge. From here onwards, the trail begins to ascend.

After an hour’s climb, we will pass by Ekle Bhatt. The route goes through the pine forests, and then the trail divides into two. One goes to Tsum, while the other goes to Manaslu. We will take the right path towards Tsum Valley and reach Lopka (2040 meters). The trek takes 6 to 7 hours.

As we leave Lokpa, the trail enters the forest of rhododendrons and pines. We will ascend and descend along the way. Then, we will come across a small suspension bridge that leads to Chumling (2386 meters). En route, you can witness Mt. Boudha and Ganesh as we cross the bridge and pass by a small stone wall.

Chumling is a charming village also known as Lower Tsum. It is home to three religiously significant monasteries, i.e., Panango Gumbam, Gurwa Gumba, and Mani Dhungyur. There is also a field with a large chorten in the middle. Trekking from Lokpa to Chumling takes 4 hours.

Today, we will again gradually ascend to higher elevations. Our destination is Chhokangparo (3031 meters). The trail first descends to Domje and follows the Syar River.

From here onwards, the trail ascends through dense forests, wooden bridges, and several settlements.

Finally, we will reach Chhokangparo. Chhokangparo is a beautiful village that lies in the upper part of Tsum. The trek duration is 4 to 5 hours.

Our destination for the day is Mu Gompa (3700 meters). It is a scenic trek that takes us close to the Tibet-Nepal border. We will continue our walk on the valley’s west bank. Trekking from Chhokangparo to Mu Gompa takes 7 to 8 hours.

Mu Gimpa is the largest monastery in the region, with more than 100 monks. It is the highest point of Tsum Valley. Therefore, it is also known as upper Tsum. You can see religious paintings and statues. Similarly, you can sense the Tibetan influence here.

After visiting the beautiful Mu Gompa, we will head back to Chhokangparo. From head towards Manaslu. We will trek past small settlements, passing by the Siyar River and alpine meadows. Trekking from Mu Gompa to Chhokangparo takes 7 hours.

On this day, we will retrace our steps back to Lokpa. We will trek through the forests and settlements. Similarly, we will descend to Chumling. The trek takes 7 to 8-hour trek.

From Lokpa, our rocky uphill climb will begin. We can witness the Sringi Himla at a distance. We will trek on a difficult path alongside the Shair Khola’s bank. Then, we will enter the bamboo forest after crossing the Budhi Gandaki River.

As you get closer to Deng (1860 meters), Mt. Manaslu and Ganesh Himal will slowly appear. You will cross the Deng River for the last stretch and reach Deng. It is a 5 to 6 hours trek.

We will head to Namrung (2540 meters) via Ghap for this day’s trek. First, we will begin with an uphill climb from Deng to Rana village. Then, we must cross several bridges on top of the Budhi Gandaki River.

The trail gets more challenging as it gets crisscrossed before reaching Ghap. After reaching Ghap, we will continue our trek into a steep valley. The trail will gradually ascend. Similarly, it goes through the forests of rhododendrons and bamboo.

En route, you will come across a waterfall and a wooden bridge. We will finally arrive at Namrung village after a 7 to 8-hour trek.

This day’s destination is the Lho Village (3180 meters). It is an uphill climb from here onwards. The trail passes through the Simnang side valley while passing by the Hinang River.

The gorgeous mountain view will continue to keep us company. We will pass by Sho and then Shrip. The trail turns into a steep climb when we finally reach Lho.

It is a challenging hike that takes 4 to 5 hours. We can get a clear view of Manaslu North and Naike Himal from Lho village. Similarly, the Ribung monastery lies above the village. You can also witness the beautiful sunrise and sunset from Kani near Lho village.

We will leave Lho village and head to Samagaon (3540 meters) next. En route, we will traverse Sahyala village and several Tibetan settlements. Similarly, we will also come across gompas, yaks, and green pastures. It is a 4-hour trek to Samagaon. It is a large village where we will have an acclimatization or rest day.

We will take an acclimatization day today. It allows our body to adapt to the higher altitude and its surroundings. Samagaon is a beautiful and large village. You can explore or hike to the Birendra Tal, Anie Gompa, or Pungyen Gompa. There is also a glacial moraine near the Samagaon.

With our bodies ready to climb higher elevations, we will head to Samdo (3875 meters). En route, we can see yak pastures and enter the juniper forest. The trail passes by the Manaslu glacier and follows the Budhi Gandaki River. After crossing a wooden bridge, we will reach Samdo village.

The Samdo village is also known as the Tibetan Refugee Village. So, you will see a lot of Tibetan influence here. The village is also known for traditional yak herding.

We will leave Samdo village following the wide trail towards the Budhi Gandaki River. Then, after crossing the river, the trail enters the juniper forest. As we continue moving forward, the Larkya Glacier will come into view. Similarly, we can also come across Manaslu Glacier and Manaslu ice fall.

Then, we must climb a valley before reaching Dharmasala (4460 meters). It takes 4 to 5 hours to trek from Samado to Dharmasala. The village offers magnificent views of Mt. Manaslu, Simnang Himal, Nagdi, and many more.

We will climb to the highest point of the Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek, the Larkya La Pass. We will walk towards Larkya Glacier. From here, the trail gets rocky and rugged. Then, we will descend to four frozen lakes and ascend to Larkya La Pass again.

The pass sits at an elevation of 5106 meters. You can view mountains like Annapurna II, Humlung, Cheo Himal, Minjung, and others from the top of the pass. Again, we must cross several steep and narrow sections with rugged terrains. The tail will descend and become gentler as we cross another grassy moraine.

From here onwards, the trail becomes more straightforward. We will traverse a meadow and a mani wall before reaching Bhimtang (3590 meters). Trekking from Dharmasala to Larkya La Pass to Bhitang takes 7 to 9 hours.

We will start descending to the lower region from Bhimtang. We will slowly start our descent as the trail goes through the forest. Then, the trail follows the Dudh Koshi River. Similarly, we will have to cross steep sections while descending. The trail passes by Hompuk, Gho, and several other villages. After 6 to 7 hours of hiking, we will arrive at Tilijie (2300 meters).

We will leave Tilijie on a shared jeep to Besisahar (760 meters). The drive duration takes 5 to 6 hours.

Our Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek will end on this day as we head back to Kathmandu. We will be traveling on a tourist bus. The drive can take 6 to 7 hours, depending on the traffic. Once we arrive in Kathmandu, we will say goodbye with a farewell dinner.