Manaslu Circuit & Tsum valley Trek

Upon your arrival in the Kathmandu airport (TIA), you will be greeted by a representative from Himalayan trekkers and transfer to hotel. We will be discussing the trek in details and free time of your own. We stay overnight at the hotel.

We will start our guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual attractions and some of landmarks which are considered as world heritage sites including the historic Durbar Square, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, the famous 'Monkey Temple' (Swayambhunath) and Buddhists shrine (Buddha Nath) which is one of the large Stupa in the world. In the afternoon, there will be a pre-trip discussion where we can meet our trek leader and other team members where we will discuss our trek. We stay overnight at the hotel.

Our route heads northwards following the Budhi Gandaki River, passing through Terraced fields and scattered farmhouses. After climbing briefly to Keurenipani, we descend once again to the river and walk to Soti Khola. We spend the night at a lodge.

The trail crosses a bridge and climbs to the ridge above the huge rapids on the Budhi Gandaki and continues to Korsani. The trail now gets slightly more challenging as it climbs over a large rock and crosses a stream on a single log bridge and then weaves its way up and down again to the banks of the Buri Gandaki. It continues up a steep rocky trail to Labishe which is predominantly a Gurung village. Here the valley narrows and in places the path is cut into the steep valley side. From Dobhan it climbs behind a rocky outcrop to an old school from where the valley widens, then the trail drops down to a high waterfall with a wooden bridge. The trail climbs over another ridge and descends to the sandy riverbed. There is a slight diversion before a climb so as to avoid a spot where the river has eroded the original trail and after a short downhill trek there is another climb to a ridge. From here we walk to the village at Macha Khola and stay the night at the local lodge.

From Korlabesi there is a steep climb to a ridge and then down to a hot spring and a stone structure that marks Tatopani. After crossing a suspension bridge over the Budhi Gandaki the trail climbs some stone stairs to Doban. The trail gets quite rugged from here and we start by climbing till the two teashops at Duman; then cross a landslide-prone area and after some ups and downs through ravines reach a large field. There is some scrambling and grappling over gravel slopes until the descent to the wide river valley. After crossing a suspension bridge the trail climbs up a set of stone stairs, drops to the river and then again starts upwards to Thado Bharyang. Once over the river, the trail continues for a while before climbing to Jagat. We will stop for our overnight stay at Jagat.

At Tatopani, there is a couple of hot springs where the porters will no doubt take the opportunity to have a quick wash. After Tatopani, the trail crosses to the left bank of the Buri Gandaki over a suspension bridge. After walking through a section of forest we reach the village of Doban. At this point, the Buri Gandaki descends in an impressive series of rapids. Further up the valley the river opens up and meanders across a broad gravel bed. Philim is the checkpoint to enter Tsum Valley where our permits will be reviewed; this is our first night in Tsum. Stay at an overnight lodge.

We take the trail up through Philim and head over to a ridge that leads to the Ganesh Himal Base camp and Chumling (Lower Tsum). We explore around it and stay at a lodge in Chumling.

From Chumling we trek to Chhekam Paro. The trail to the Upper Tsum Valley (part of the Inner Himalaya) opens from Chhekam Paro. Chhekam Paro is a village situated on flat land and made up of two settlements Chhekam and Paro. From the valley, the Ganesh Himal range can be seen directly to the south where it provides spectacular views of the Baudha and Himal Chuli peaks to the south-west. Overnight stay at a lodge in the village.

From Chhokangparo we trek to Nile/ Chulle. This is the last village while traveling north in the Upper Tsum Valley. The Nile is on the western, sun-side of the Shiar Khola, about 20 minutes walk across from Chhule. On the way, we pass the Piren Phu cave. Piren Phu (pigeon 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.

Milarepa, the famous Tibetan saint, was believed to have meditated here. There are two separate Gompas attached to the rocky cave. Richly painted Buddhist murals, excellent artistic scripts carved on stones, long fluttering prayer flags and significant Buddhists paper scripts make this cave one of the most important socio-cultural asset in the valley. Beautiful views can be had of the Shiar Khola, Rachen Gumba, the mountains and settlements amidst vast agricultural land. Stay the night at a local lodge.

From Nile, the trail gradually ascends to Mu Gumba, the largest monastery in the region. Mu Gumba is located at the highest and farthest point in the Tsum valley. It was established in 1895 AD and is situated at an altitude of 3510m above sea level. The monastery houses religious books, including Kangyur; a life-sized statue of Avalokiteshwara, and images of Guru Padmasambhava and Tara.

Our leader from Himalayan trekkers will guide us to take a hike up until Mu Gumba and reach the base of Pika Himal (4865m). At this point of the trek, we are quite close to Tibet and will be able to get a good view of the Tibetan peaks as well as the Ganesh Himal range. After the day's excursion, we return to our camp at Mu Gumba.

We take the trail to Rachen Gumba which is a nunnery and is situated in the Shiar Khola Valley at the foothills of the mountains bordering Nepal and Tibet. Rachen Gumba was established in the year 1905 and is one of the largest nunneries in the Tsum valley. It houses nuns belonging to the Ngak-pa sect, which does not allow animal slaughter. The nunnery houses one thousand clay, mounded statues of Avalokiteshwara; a brightly colored carved throne and pillar, and a large prayer wheel. The interior is richly painted with murals about Buddhism and its history. We will spend the night at a local lodge.

After a journey of around 6-7 hours, we will reach Chumling where we will halt for the night at a local lodge.

We will be walking for 7-8 hours from Chumling to reach Deng and spend the night there.

A short distance out of Deng, the trail crosses back over the Buri Gandaki onto what is now its north bank near Rana. From the bridge, the trail climbs a little before heading west on level ground and passes a large waterfall. Once over a wooden bridge, the trail continues up and out of the canyon and later on climbs even higher above the river before dropping into the Shringi Khola Valley. After the suspension bridge over the Shringi Khola is crossed, there is a steep climb and the trail traverses along the Buri Gandaki as it flows between vertical walls of rock. After a few more ups and downs through the forests, the trail turns at a corner and arrives at Ghap through an intricate Kani with well-preserved paintings and elegant Mani wall.

After leaving Ghap, you will pass more Mani walls on the southern side of the river before heading into some woods. The trail follows the river, past a waterfall and continues through deep Fir and Rhododendron forests with a wooden bridge in the middle which crosses the Buri Gandaki River. The trail continues along the north side to a big cave; then crosses over the river again. This is the place where you can enjoy the company of the grey langur monkeys. On the south bank of the river, the trail makes a long overhaul through bamboo and rhododendron forests and finally enters Namrung (or Namduna) through a stone archway.

Today’s trek will be a short distance one as we need time to acclimatize for even more higher altitudes. Not long after leaving Namrun we arrive at Banjam with its wide fields. Soon after Banjam the trail becomes steep as we walk up to the next village of Lihi with a fine view of Ganesh Himal. A further hour of walking along the trail and we arrive at Sho and then further another hour to Lho. From this village, you can get a fine view of Manaslu and the Kutang Himal. In the afternoon it would be worth visiting Ribang Gompa overlooking the village as well as exploring the stupas, mani walls, and Kani gateway. Overnight stay at a lodge in the village overlooking all these beautiful sights.

The trail crosses the ridge onto the Buri Gandaki Valley and then descends to a rock-strewn moraine. After crossing over some boulders, we walk onto the extensive pastures and fields near Sama Gompa. There is a lot to explore in this area; it is literally a little piece of Tibet with many gompas and a traditional Tibetan village.

We will follow the Buri Gandaki northwards to a bridge over a side stream where the trail forks; the left leading towards the Manaslu Base Camp and the other passing several mani walls, heads for the Larkya La Pass. The valley widens along an easy trail past juniper and birches forest to the stone huts at Kermo Kharka and then drops off a shelf to cross a wooden bridge. It further travels between a fork in the river to a promontory. From this vantage point, one can see the white stone kani marking the entrance to Samdo. We spend the night at a lodge in the village.

We spend two nights at Samdo to help acclimatize ourselves to the place and the weather conditions. It is a good day’s walk towards Gya La which is the trading pass with Tibet.

Today we start the ascent to the pass by walking through the fields to an old Mani wall and stone arch before coming down to the river and crossing a wooden bridge. This place shows up on maps as the mythical Larka Bazaar, which used to be a flourishing market, but now there is nothing remaining of the years gone by. Another Mani wall marks the beginning of the ascent to the pass where the trail starts climbing through tundra and juniper; the huge Larkya Glacier coming down from Manaslu can be seen from here. We will stay on the ridge to the right to find a trail that crosses over the top of two ravines. The trail grows steeper, climbing up the side of a gorge to a viewpoint at the edge of a huge gorge at 4000m. Near the Larkya Glacier, we reach Larkya Phedi where there is a small lodge, built to serve travelers crossing the Larkya La which now lies just ahead.

The trail starts as a long gentle climb across the moraine, climbs down a little to a lake and then becomes rough and indistinct as it crosses to the south of a steep grassy slope. The trail stays on the moraine till we reach a ridge marked by two cairns; from here the prayer flags marking the pass are visible. Walk downwards to the four frozen lakes and then make the final steep climb to the pass.

While coming down from the pass, the trail follows the top of the moraine to the west. Here it makes a set of steep, rough switchbacks as it crosses the moraine and then descends more gently on loose gravel to another grassy moraine at 4,450m. The trail now becomes easier to follow and reaches a small meadow and spring at 4,080m. The valley becomes wider as the trail heads down to a large meadow, past a Mani wall and a small rest house that marks Bimthang at 3,590m.

We follow the trail that drops to a glacial stream which is the headwaters of the Dudh Khola and then crosses a wooden bridge to enter a pine and rhododendron forest leading to Hompuk at 3,430m. The trail improves as it climbs down to a fork in the river and then follows the river to a stable at 3030m. Not far from here are Karche's fenced fields from where you cross a landslide before making a steep climb to a ridge decorated with prayer flags.

From here we climb down to the river bank at Gho. The trail continues through fields and intermittent stands of rhododendron and oak to arrive at Tilje, a large Gurung village. We will exit the village through a stone arch, cross the Dudh Khola and walk along its embankment climbing down through the scrub forest. The walls of the Marshyangdi Valley loom larger and finally, the houses of Dharapani appear in the distance. We will further pass through Thonje via a wooden bridge and through a chorten-shaped arch, and Dharapani lies across a long suspension bridge over the Marshyangdi.

From Dharapani onwards, you are now on the more popular Annapurna Circuit and the trail now follows this classic trek. From Jagat, we can drive to Kathmandu directly by taking a 4WD drive, however, at the monsoon the trail might be damaged as it is fully off-road and graveled road other than monsoon season we can drive to Kathmandu in order to skip a day.

Today you can visit the heritage sites of Kathmandu valley or you can spend your day doing shopping or exploring the city area.

You can depart from Kathmandu to your home country or extend the trip and head for another trip within or outside Nepal.