Tsum Valley Trek-18 Days

  • Duration 18
  • Destination Nepal
  • Trip Grade Adventurous
  • Starts at
  • Ends at
  • Meals Full Board During Trek
  • Accommodation 3-star & Tea House
  • Max. Altitude 3,700 m (12,136 ft.)
  • Activity Sightseeing and Trekking
  • Group Type
  • Group Size 1-15(Customize your Trip on Request)
  • Best Season

Tsum Valley Trek-18 Days Overview

Embark on an extraordinary 18-day Tsum Valley Trekking adventure and journey into one of Nepal’s best-kept secrets. Located north of the majestic Manaslu, the Tsum Valley was a restricted area until 2008, preserving its pristine beauty, ancient culture, and untouched landscapes. This Adventurous grade trek offers a rare glimpse into a region where Tibetan traditions, art, and spirituality thrive, making it an unforgettable Nepal trekking experience.

Tsum Valley Trek Overview: Nepal’s Undiscovered Gem

The Tsum Valley Trek is a captivating exploration that begins with cultural immersion in Kathmandu, visiting its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, before a scenic drive to Sotikhola, your trek’s starting point. As you ascend through varying altitudes, you’ll witness a remarkable change in vegetation, geography, and climate – transitioning from subtropical forests to semi-arid landscapes. This trek is distinct from other Manaslu region treks, offering a truly unique blend of natural beauty and cultural authenticity.

Throughout your Tsum Valley adventure, you’ll be enchanted by beautiful rhododendron and coniferous forests, cascading waterfalls, and the elusive views of prominent Himalayan peaks like Ganesh Himal, Sringi Himal, and Boudha Himal. A highlight of the journey is exploring ancient Buddhist monasteries and gompas, including the revered Rachen Gompa and Mu Gompa, where the rich Tibetan culture, art, and religion are vividly alive. This less-traveled route offers an unbeaten path for those seeking genuine discovery and unexplored spiritual sites.

Trip Highlights & Features:

  • Duration: 18 Days
  • Destination: Remote Nepal (Tsum Valley, Manaslu Region)
  • Trip Grade: Adventurous (Requires good physical fitness)
  • Max. Altitude: Reach Mu Gompa at 3,700 m (12,136 ft.)
  • Activity: Cultural Sightseeing, Scenic Drives, and High-Altitude Trekking
  • Group Size: 1-15 participants (Private departures available)
  • Best Season: Autumn (Sept. to Nov.) and Spring (March to May)
  • Explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu.
  • Journey into the Tibetan arid region of Tsum Valley.
  • Discover ancient Buddhist Monasteries and Gompas, including Mu Gompa and Rachen Gompa.
  • Witness stunning waterfalls and diverse landscapes.
  • Enjoy picturesque views of the Himalayas, including Ganesh Himal.
  • Experience authentic Tibetan and Buddhist lifestyle, culture, and art.
  • Visit the revered Milarepa Cave.

Accommodation & Dining: Comfort on Your Trek

Your Tsum Valley trek package includes comfortable stays throughout your journey. You’ll lodge in 3-star hotels in Kathmandu (as per itinerary), and experience authentic local hospitality in teahouses during the trek (14 nights). All accommodations are based on a twin-shared basis. A single supplement can be arranged upon request for an additional cost. While most lower elevation regions offer rooms with attached washrooms, facilities may vary at higher altitudes. Mountain Expedition Nepal prioritizes your comfort during this incredible Himalayan trekking experience.

For Meals, all meals are provided during the trekking days (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). In Kathmandu, only breakfast is included, with special welcome and farewell dinners to enhance your trip. Our diverse menus offer delicious Nepalese, Tibetan, Indian, and Continental dishes.

Can You Accomplish the Tsum Valley Trek? Fitness & Preparation

The Tsum Valley Trek is classified as a Challenging trip, making it suitable for trekkers with good physical health who can comfortably walk at least 6-7 hours a day with a light backpack. No technical mountaineering skills are required. To best prepare, we strongly recommend a regular jogging and exercise regimen for at least a month prior to the trek. If you have any pre-existing health conditions, please inform Mountain Expedition Nepal for personalized advice.

Best Time to Travel to Tsum Valley

The ideal seasons for the Tsum Valley Trek are Autumn (September to November) and Spring (March to May). These periods offer stable weather, clear skies, and optimal conditions for trekking and cultural exploration. If your travel plans fall outside these months, please contact us for customized trip arrangements.

Day to Day Itinerary
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Our airport representative will be receiving you at Tribhuvan International airport, Kathmandu. S/he will be displaying  signboard outside the airport terminal. You will then be received and transferred to your respective hotel in our private tourist vehicle. Overnight at a Hotel. No meals included.

After a hearty breakfast, at 8.30 am your sightseeing trip will start. You will have a private vehicle and a professional tour guide at your disposal. Today we will visit some heritages listed below: Pashupatinath Temple: Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River. Though you are not allowed to go inside the temple as it is strictly for Hindus only, you can clearly see the temple and the activities from the eastern bank of the Bagmati River. It is a square two-tiered pagoda temple built on a single-tier plinth which is famous all over the world. Boudhanath Stupa: Boudhananath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu. It was built in the 5th century with four pairs of eyes of Lord Buddha in four cardinal directions keeping an eternal watch over the people and their doings. You will find Buddhist pilgrims from Tibet going round the stupa spinning the prayer wheels. Bhaktapur Durbar Square: Visit the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Royal Residential Quarter of Bhupatindra Malla, famous five-storied temple of Nyatapola in Pagoda style Batsala temple, Bhairavnath temple, Duttatraya temple, Pujari Muth and Palace of 55 windows. The rest of our time in Kathmandu is free for further exploration and some last-minute shopping in Thamel area for trekking essentials. Overnight at a Hotel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

After the morning breakfast we leave for Sotikhola, the starting point of our trek. From Kathmandu to Dhading Besi is a 3-hour comfortable drive after which will be a 5-hour bumpy and winding dirt road to Sotikhola. The total drive for the day will approximately be 8 hours. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today we start walking to Machha Khola. The trail is full of ups and downs and goes through narrow and rocky terrain. We come across many beautiful waterfalls. Before reaching Machha Khola, we pass through Labubesi village which is a Gurung community. After walking for almost 6 hours, we arrive at our destination for the day which is Machha khola (River). Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

After crossing Machha River and Khorla besi, there is a hot spring called Tatopani. The trail follows a forest reaching Dovan, below which flows the massive Budi Gandaki. As the elevation increases, the rapids and the scenery undergoes a complete transformation. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The early morning trek makes us climb through a rocky ridge up to Salleri from where we descend down towards Sirdibas. The valley widens as the trail takes us to Ghatta khola and then upstream towards the Gurung village, Philim. Walking towards the northern direction through the forest, we reach Chisopani. Leaving Chisopani, we cross the gorge and walk for around half an hour only to arrive at the beautiful waterfall. We then walk into the pine and rhododendron forests, descend down the trail towards Tsum Valley to Lokpa. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today is a tough day as the altitude increases and the trail is mostly an ascent too.  The panoramic views of the Himalayas hides and seeks time and again throughout the trail. We walk down beautiful villages of Lungwa Khola and then ascend through pine forests to Gumlung.  After crossing the Siyar Khola, we finally reach Chumling, the lower Tsum valley, famous for Chumling Gompa and the stone paved streets of the village. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The trek starts with crossing the suspension bridge today. We walk on the other side and enjoying the views of Ganesh Himal walk towards Rainjam towards Serpu Khola. We cross one more bridge and head towards a village named Gho. We walk further 2 hours to finally walk to the upper Tsum valley and reach Chokhangparo. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today there is a strong rise in altitude and the ascent in the trail too. We walk past Lamagaon crossing suspension bridge towards Rachen Gompa, also known as Nunnery Gompa. After making a visit to the Gompa we return back on the trail. We pass through Shiar Khola, Lar, Phurbe and Pangdun village, many Buddhist monasteries, cross the final bridge before reaching Nile. There is a monastery at Chule nearby to Nile which can be visited after resting at Nile. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The trail today takes us closer to the Tibetan border. We walk through the west bank of the valley through Tibetan landscapes. After walking for around 3 to 4 hours we finally reach Mu Gompa. Overnight at a Guesthouse or Gompa. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today we spend the day resting and exploring the Mu Gompa, the other Tibetan landscapes and the most remote area of this Tsum valley. Mu Gompa is the largest monastery in the region. After completing the exploration at Mu Gompa, we can also consider walking to the base of the Pika Himal (4,865 m). Overnight at a Guesthouse or Gompa. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today we walk back the trail to Chhule and Phurbe. On the east bank of Shiar Khola, we arrive at Burgi village. This village is small and beautiful. We climb up the Milarepa cave famous for the mesmerizing view of the Kipu Himal, Churke Himal and Poshyop glacier. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

We walk back the trail enjoying the dense pine and rhododendron forests, descending down to Chokhangparo and then walking towards the lower Tsum Valley Chumling. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The walk today will be of 5 to 6 hours. Descending down to Lokpa, enjoying the gorgeous Samba Falls, we finally reach Philim. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

We walk down towards Sirdibas then to Jagat and further descend to Yaruphant. The Tibetan arid climate can be seen gradually changing over to the subtropical green vegetation. We continue descending down towards Dovan and finally reaching Tatopani. There is a hot water spring at Tatopani, if preferred one can take a dip into it to relax the tired muscles. We further walk down and finally reach Khorlabesi. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The trail today is mostly a descent. We walk down the trail, cross suspension bridges, walk back to Machha Khola, walk along the Budhi Gandaki river, pass the Gurung village of Lapubesi, the waterfalls, a village names Khursane, walk across the pine forests, cross the bridge and finally arrive at Sotikhola. Overnight at a Guesthouse. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

We will be driving back to Kathmandu in the morning. If you are interested in extending the trip, there are many options such as Chitwan jungle safari, river rafting adventure, Kathmandu shopping tour, mountain biking and other activities. In the evening we will have a farewell dinner in a traditional Nepalese restaurant with cultural performances. Overnight at a Hotel. Breakfast and farewell dinner included.

The trip ends, our Airport Representative will drop you to the Kathmandu International Airport for your final flight departure from Nepal. Breakfast included.

Our team guides, porters and accompanying staff are locals with a broad knowledge about each and every location that we travel through.

Customize Trip
Cost Includes
  • Standard twin-sharing accommodation in a three-star hotel in Kathmandu including breakfast (3 nights).
  • Guesthouse accommodation during the trek in mostly twin-share and occasionally dormitory-style rooms (14 nights).
  • All standard meals during the trek (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner).
  • Local English-speaking trekking guide having licensed. An experienced, English-speaking and government-licensed trek leader and assistant trek leader (6 trekkers: 1 assistant guide)
  • The required number of local staff and porters to carry your luggage during the trek. Food, accommodation, salary, insurance, equipment and medicine for all staff.
  • Restected area permit/Manaslu conservation area permit/Annapurna Conservation Area Permit & TIMS.
  •  T shirt, bag.
  • Official expenses.
  • Welcome dinner with cultural program as listed in the itinerary.
  • Day guided city tour
  • Farewell Dinner
  • Public bus ticket to and from the starting and ending points of the trek as applicable
  • Medical kit (carried by your trek leader)
  • All government and local taxes
Cost Excludes
  • Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu. Except Welcome & Farewell Dinner
  • Travel Insurance (compulsory!), which covers emergency high-altitude rescue and evacuation
  • International airfare and airport departure tax
  • Nepal entry visa – You can obtain the visa easily upon your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu (Tourist Visa with Multiple Entries for 15 days can be obtained by paying USD 25 or equivalent foreign currency. Similarly, Tourist Visa with Multiple Entries for 30 days and 90 days can be obtained by paying USD 40 and 100 respectively. Please bring 2 copies of passport size photos.)
  • Alcoholic, hot and cold drinks.
  • Personal trekking equipment (click on the Equipment tab).
  • Tips for trekking staff and driver (tipping is expected).
  • Any others expenses that are not mentioned in the ‘Price Includes’ section.
  • Any extra night accommodation in Kathmandu because of early arrival, late departure, and early return from the mountain (due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary plan
  • Cost arising out of landslides, road blockade, and rescue of any form, cancellation of flight or reasons beyond our control
  • World heritage entrance Fees.
Departure Dates
  • We have daily departures for this trip from March to May and from mid-September to mid-December. You can type in the number of passengers to book a reservation and select a date that is convenient for you. Due to group size, we never cancel a trip once you’ve made a reservation. If you would rather join the group, we will add more travelers on the selected date. You can let us know once you make a reservation or earlier.
Useful Info

Our website contains as much information as possible about this trip. If you have some query please directly call us at any time. Your happiness is our success info@mountainexpeditionnepal.com

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