Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley trek

Arrive in Kathmandu, permit briefing

We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and settle you at Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel. Two restricted area permits, for Tsum and for Manaslu, are issued only through a registered agency with your original passport, so we handle the paperwork today or beforehand if you send your documents. Your guide comes to the hotel in the afternoon for a kit check and route briefing. With three weeks ahead, it is worth buying a spare pair of socks and a good map in Thamel.

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Drive to Machha Khola

An early private jeep west along the Prithvi Highway, north from Dhading Besi on a rough road to Arughat, and up the Budhi Gandaki via Soti Khola to Machha Khola. It is a long and bumpy day, and a landslide can mean a short walk around a blocked section. Machha Khola is a small bazaar of lodges where trekkers for Manaslu and Tsum spend their first night. Eat well and sleep early; the walking starts tomorrow.

Up the gorge to Jagat

The trail follows the Budhi Gandaki upstream past Khorlabesi and the hot spring spouts of Tatopani, then over spurs and across suspension bridges to Dobhan. It climbs above the river to Jagat, a stone-paved village where the Manaslu Conservation Area checkpost checks your permits. The people of the lower gorge are mainly Gurung and Hindu hill families, growing millet, maize and rice. The heat in the gorge surprises many trekkers, so start early and carry water.

Philim and the turn into Tsum

Climb past Salleri and Sirdibas, where the first mani walls appear, to Philim, a large Gurung village. Beyond Ekle Bhatti the trail divides; you leave the Manaslu route for now and climb steeply through pine forest to Lokpa, the first village of Lower Tsum. You will come back to this junction in a week, heading up the main valley. From the ridge above Lokpa, the Shiar Khola gorge leads east into Tsum like a corridor.

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Through the Shiar Khola gorge to Chumling

A quiet trail through pine and rhododendron above the Shiar Khola, with few houses and the sound of the river below. Chumling sits on a shelf above the gorge, with stone houses, potato and maize fields and an old gompa that the caretaker will usually open for a small offering. From here on, every village gate has a chorten and every wall has mani stones. Take the afternoon gently; the next days climb into the dry upper valley.

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Up to Chhokangparo

Cross the river and climb through Rainjam and Gho into Upper Tsum, where the valley opens and forest gives way to barley fields. Chhokangparo is two villages side by side, Chhekam and Paro, on a broad terrace with Ganesh Himal to the south. Houses are close-built stone with flat roofs stacked with firewood. This is your first night above 3,000 m, the start of the acclimatisation that will carry you over the Larkya La in ten days.

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Milarepa's cave and Nile

Walk through Lamagaon, with its long mani walls and chortens, to Piren Phu, a cave that tradition links with the yogi Milarepa, now a shrine with offerings and prayer flags. Continue past Burji and the bridge to Rachen Gompa to Nile, a stone village facing Chhule across the river. The upper valley is dry and open, with juniper, barley and yak pastures. Tibet is only a few days' walk north, along a route used by traders for centuries.

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To Mu Gompa

A short climb up the open valley to Mu Gompa at 3,700 m, the largest monastery in Tsum, on a ridge near the head of the valley. The monks live here much of the year, and if a puja is under way, sit quietly at the back of the hall. In the afternoon, walk higher on the slope behind the monastery to help acclimatise, then come down to sleep. The night is cold and very still; this is as close to Tibet as the trek gets.

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Down to Rachen Gompa

Descend the valley to Rachen Gompa, a large nunnery below the cliffs on the south side of the river. The nuns run their own kitchen, fields and school, and visitors can stay in the guesthouse when there is space. Ask your guide whether you may attend the evening prayers. After a week of steady climbing, this is a restful day, and the late light down the valley toward Ganesh Himal is among the trip's best moments.

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Back down to Chumling

A long day down the valley, back through Chhokangparo, Gho and Rainjam to Chumling. The change from dry upper valley to green forest happens within a few hours. Your legs are now well used to the trail, and it is a good day to talk with your guide about the Nubri villages ahead, which share Tsum's faith but have their own dialect and customs. Tonight you sleep in Chumling again, in the same lodge as a week ago.

The story of Tsum Valley →

Out of Tsum and up to Deng

Walk back through the Shiar Khola gorge to Lokpa, drop to Ekle Bhatti and rejoin the main Budhi Gandaki trail, then climb north through bamboo forest above the river to Deng. This is where Nubri begins, and the people speak a Tibetan dialect related to, but distinct from, the one you heard in Tsum. Deng is small, a few lodges in a narrow valley, but after the climb out of Tsum it feels like a proper rest.

Ghap and Namrung

Cross the river and climb past Rana and Bihi Phedi through forest of fir and rhododendron, with langur monkeys in the trees. At Ghap, carved mani stones and chortens line the path; walk to the left of them, keeping them on your right, as local custom asks. The trail keeps climbing through forest to Namrung, where a checkpost looks at your Manaslu permit. Lodges here are good, and the dining rooms busy with trekkers heading to the pass.

Lihi, Sho and Lho

Above Namrung the forest opens into barley and buckwheat fields around Lihi and Sho, villages of stone and timber houses. Then Manaslu comes into view at the head of the valley, and it stays with you all the way to Samdo. Lho sits beneath it, with Ribung Gompa on the hill above. Walk up to the gompa in the late afternoon; sunset on Manaslu from here is one of the best mountain views in Nepal.

Shyala and Samagaon

A gentle climb through forest and meadow past Shyala, with Manaslu, Himal Chuli and Peak 29 in view, to Samagaon, the largest village in Nubri. Sama sits at the foot of the Manaslu glacier among yak pens and fields of barley and potato. After Tsum you will notice the altitude less than most trekkers here. Visit the village gompa in the afternoon and walk the lanes, where women work wool and children run between stone walls.

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Pungyen Gompa or Birendra Tal

An acclimatisation day. Walk up to Pungyen Gompa beneath Manaslu's east face, a half-day outing to a monastery whose earlier building was destroyed by an avalanche in the 1950s, or climb part of the way toward Manaslu Base Camp for a bigger view of the glacier. In the afternoon, stroll to Birendra Tal, the glacial lake just below the village. Rest, eat well and keep drinking. The next four days take you over the pass.

The story of Samagaon →

Up the valley to Samdo

Follow the young Budhi Gandaki up a broad valley of juniper and yak pastures to Samdo, the highest permanent village on the route, near the old trade paths into Tibet. Because Tsum has already acclimatised you, we skip the usual second rest day here, but we keep the walk short and the afternoon free. Climb a little way up the ridge behind the village for an hour, then come down to sleep. Watch the yaks come home at dusk.

To Dharamsala below the pass

Cross the stream below Samdo and climb steadily past the ruins of Larkya Bazaar, an old seasonal trading post, to Dharamsala, also called Larkya Phedi. It is a cold, basic stop: a stone lodge, sometimes dormitory rooms or tents, and a crowded dining room in peak season. Eat early, pack for the morning and sleep by 7 pm. Anyone with serious altitude symptoms goes back down to Samdo rather than over the pass.

Larkya La and down to Bhimthang

Start around 4 am and climb by headtorch over moraine and false summits to the Larkya La at 5,106 m, hung with prayer flags. Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru and Annapurna II spread out to the west. The descent is steep and can be icy near the top, so microspikes help late in the season. Lower down, the trail eases along moraine to Bhimthang, a meadow with lodges and pine trees. It is the longest and finest day of the three weeks.

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Down through forest to Tilije

Cross the Dudh Khola and descend through rhododendron and pine past Karche and Gho to Tilije, a Gurung village of stone lanes and terraced fields. The thicker air and warmth after the pass feel wonderful, and your appetite will return in full. Fields of maize and buckwheat replace the yak pastures, and the houses change style again. Tonight is the last proper evening on the trail, so thank your porter and guide over a long dinner.

Dharapani and jeep to Besisahar

A short walk to Dharapani on the Marsyangdi, where your trail joins the Annapurna Circuit and the ACAP checkpost stamps your permit. A jeep takes you down the rough road through Tal, Chamje and Syange to Besisahar, the headquarters of Lamjung district. The road is narrow, with long drops to the river, but the drivers know every bend. A hot shower and a real mattress in Besisahar make a fine end to twenty nights on the trail.

Drive back to Kathmandu

A private car takes you down to Dumre on the Prithvi Highway and along the Trishuli river to Kathmandu, with lunch at a riverside stop. We drop you at your Kathmandu hotel in the afternoon, where the trip ends. If you would rather finish in Pokhara, the drive from Besisahar takes around four hours. Either way, keep at least one buffer night before an international flight in case of road delays.

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