Manaslu & Tsum Valley Trek – 22 Days

An early morning departure from Kathmandu westward through the Gorkha district. The road follows the Prithvi Highway before branching north at Dumre, continuing through Arughat and into the hill country of the upper Gorkha district. The route passes through the bustling town of Arughat Bazaar a significant market hub for the entire Budhi Gandaki valley region, before continuing on rougher road to Soti Khola (730m) on the Budhi Gandaki River.

The journey through the Gorkha hills is genuinely scenic terraced farmland, forested ridgelines, river crossings on single-lane bridges, and the progressive narrowing of the road as it approaches the mountain country. The drive takes 7–9 hours depending on road conditions. Soti Khola is a small settlement on the Budhi Gandaki River where teahouses perch above the water and the sound of the river fills the evening air. Rest well the first walking day begins tomorrow. Drive time: 7–9 hours.

The first walking day immediately immerses you in the distinctive character of the lower Budhi Gandaki gorge. The trail heads north along the river crossing the Budhi Gandaki on suspension bridges, following narrow ledge paths cut into cliff faces above the water, passing through dense subtropical forest of sal, bamboo, and wild banana, and crossing several smaller tributaries through deep jungle side ravines.

The lower gorge is one of the most physically dramatic approach sections on any Nepal teahouse circuit vertical cliffs, waterfalls emerging directly from rock faces, the trail occasionally reduced to a meter-wide ledge above the river with nothing between you and the drop. Not technical terrain but genuinely dramatic, requiring confident footing and an enjoyment of gorge exposure that makes you appreciate the scale of the landscape you are entering.

The trail passes through small lower valley settlements Gurung-chhap, Lapubesi, Khorlabesi before arriving at Machha Khola (930m), a riverside settlement named for the fish found in the cold, clear Budhi Gandaki. Walking time: 5–6 hours.

Another spectacular day through the deepening gorge. The trail continues northward crossing the river, ascending and descending through the gorge terrain, passing through the large mixed village of Khorlabesi and the settlement at Tatopani where natural hot springs emerge from the river bank. The hot springs here are a genuine pleasure an atmospheric natural geothermal source used by local communities for generations and a worthy brief detour after the morning’s walking.

Beyond Tatopani, the trail continues through the gorge to the larger settlement of Dobhan at a major river confluence before pushing on to Jagat (1,340m) the first major permit checkpoint of the entire 22-day circuit.

Jagat is where both the Manaslu Restricted Area Permit and the Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit are checked and stamped for the first time. Your guide manages all documentation at this and all subsequent checkpoints throughout the combined circuit. Jagat has a good selection of teahouses and a well-established trekking community. The character of the village signals the transition from the lower Budhi Gandaki world to the conservation area proper. Walking time: 5–6 hours.

The day the Tsum Valley adventure begins. From Jagat the trail continues north along the main Budhi Gandaki through the large Gurung and Magar village of Philim (1,570m) a prosperous settlement of terraced millet fields and bamboo groves, and then continues to the critical junction at Lokpa (2,240m) where the combined circuit makes its first major branch.

At Lokpa, the trail forks. The Manaslu Circuit continues north along the Budhi Gandaki toward Deng. The Tsum Valley branch turns east into the Shiar Khola valley a narrower, wilder, more forested gorge that leads into the hidden world of the Tsumpa. This is where the combined circuit diverges from the standard Manaslu Circuit for the next five days.

The Shiar Khola gorge is immediately different in character from the main Budhi Gandaki more enclosed, more forested, with a sense of entering a hidden and protected space that the Tsumpa have always associated with their valley’s sacred character. The permit checkpoint at Lokpa specific to the Tsum Valley Restricted Area is completed here. Ganesh Himal (7,422m) and Baudha Himal (6,672m) appear above the ridgeline to the north — the first view of the mountains that will frame the Tsum Valley for the next several days. Walking time: 6–7 hours.

The trail from Lokpa into the Tsum Valley is one of the finest gorge approaches in the Manaslu region a spectacular, forest-filled, cliffside traverse through the Shiar Khola gorge that gains altitude steadily while providing a continuous series of dramatic river crossing bridges, narrow ledge sections, and forested switchbacks through oak, rhododendron, fir, and bamboo.

The first distinctly Tibetan cultural markers appear as the valley opens mani walls beside the trail, stone chortens on the ridges above, prayer flags strung between the cliff faces. The landscape itself feels different more enclosed, more intentional, as if the valley has been arranged rather than simply carved by geological force.

Chumling (2,386m) the first village of Lower Tsum — is a complete and immediate transformation. Traditional stone houses with flat earthen roofs, carved wooden window frames, women in Tibetan dress with coral and turquoise jewelry, yaks and dzos sharing the village lanes with children, and the ancient Panago and Gurwa Gompas above the settlement both approximately 500 years old and both actively maintained. This is the Tsum Valley. Spend the evening here slowly, with the monastery chants drifting across the village at dusk. Walking time: 5–6 hours.

The transition from Lower Tsum to Upper Tsum and one of the most culturally and scenically complete walking days of the entire 22-day circuit. From Chumling the trail climbs through barley and buckwheat fields, past ancient chortens and prayer flag-draped ridgelines, crossing a significant suspension bridge over the Shiar Khola and entering the wide, open landscape of the upper valley.

The mountains assert themselves fully in the upper valley Ganesh Himal, Baudha Himal, and the glacier peaks of the Tibet border range rising on three sides as the valley opens. The trail passes through the scattered hamlet of Gho and crosses wide, open alpine terrain before the final approach to the largest and most significant village in Upper Tsum.

Chhokangparo (3,031m) divided into the settlements of Chhekam and Paro across open fields, is the cultural heart of Upper Tsum. Three functioning monasteries. The practice of fraternal polyandry as a living social tradition. And the centrepiece of the village’s cultural heritage the extraordinary mani wall corridor, a sequence of hundreds of individually carved prayer stones stretching through the heart of the settlement, each stone inscribed with Buddhist mantras, iconographic symbols, and the collective devotional labor of centuries. Walking through this corridor slowly, with your guide explaining the stories and symbols of the carvings, is one of the finest cultural experiences of the entire combined circuit. Walking time: 5–6 hours.

The most culturally layered single day of the Tsum Valley section. From Chhokangparo the trail heads north through the upper valley, passing through a sequence of small hamlets and open alpine terrain toward two of the most significant and least-visited religious sites in the entire Manaslu Conservation Area.

Rachen Gompa (3,240m) the largest nunnery in Nepal, home to over 100 Gelugpa nuns — sits against a dramatic cliff face, its whitewashed buildings and prayer hall decorated with some of the finest wall paintings in the Manaslu region. The daily life of the nunnery — the chanting sessions, the communal labor, the religious study schedule of the resident nuns — unfolds naturally around any visiting trekker who arrives with patience and respect. If you are fortunate enough to witness an early morning or evening puja, the sounds of chanting, hand drums, and cymbals echoing across the cliff face are among the most moving experiences the Tsum Valley offers.

The Geshe Lama Konchog Retreat Cave the hermitage of the revered master documented in the 2008 film Unmistaken Child — is passed between Chhokangparo and Nile.

The Milarepa Piren Phu Cave the sacred meditation cave of the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa, decorated with ancient murals carved directly into the cave walls, sits near Burji village on the north bank of the Shiar Khola, an atmospheric and genuinely haunting site that the Tsumpa consider among the most sacred in their valley.

Nile (3,361m) the highest permanently inhabited settlement cluster in Upper Tsum — sits on a wide, sunny plateau surrounded by glacier peaks. Walking time: 5–6 hours.

The innermost day of the Tsum Valley the day the valley reveals its most sacred and most remote heart. From Nile the trail climbs gradually northward into the highest and most remote section of the Tsum Valley, above the agricultural zone and into the pure high-alpine terrain of the upper Shiar drainage.

Mu Gompa (3,700m) is the largest and most sacred monastery in the Tsum Valley home to over 100 monks of the Gelugpa tradition, established in 1895 AD, and sitting just kilometers from the Tibetan border with extraordinary views of the Chhyosing Glacier and the surrounding peaks. The main prayer hall contains a life-size statue of Avalokiteshvara, the precious Kangyur religious texts, and the celebrated statues of Buddha Amitabha that are Mu Gompa’s most revered artistic treasures. Two major annual ceremonies Ngyungne (October fasting for world peace) and Yaarney (sacred text readings) draw monks from across the Tsum Valley.

In the afternoon, the excursion climb to Dhephu Doma Gompa (4,060m) a 600-year-old monastery on the clifftop above Mu Gompa takes approximately 30–40 minutes on a steep path. The panoramic view from its compound the entire upper Tsum Valley below, the Chhyosing Glacier, Ganesh Himal, Baudha Himal, and the Tibet border peaks filling the horizon is the finest high-altitude view in the Tsum Valley and one of the finest in the entire Manaslu Conservation Area. Walking time to Mu Gompa: 3–4 hours. Excursion: 1.5–2 hours return.

The long descent back through the Tsum Valley from the sacred high world of Mu Gompa southward through the upper and lower valley, retracing the route through Nile, past the Rachen Gompa and Piren Phu Cave junction, through Chhokangparo’s mani wall corridor, and all the way back down through the Shiar Khola gorge to Chumling (2,386m).

This day covers approximately 18–20 kilometers and loses nearly 1,300m of altitude a long, sustained descent that rewards an early start and steady, unhurried walking. The familiar landscape of the Tsum Valley, seen in reverse, carries a different quality of attention you are no longer seeing it for the first time, and the cultural sites you pass carry the accumulated meaning of the days you have spent among them. Chhokangparo’s mani walls feel different when you have spent time in the valley they lead into. The suspension bridges across the Shiar Khola feel different when you know what lies at the end of them. Walking time: 6–7 hours.

The day the combined circuit transitions from the Tsum Valley back to the Manaslu Circuit — and the structural hinge of the entire 22-day journey. From Chumling the trail exits the Shiar Khola valley at Lokpa and rejoins the main Budhi Gandaki corridor, heading south briefly and then north again on the Manaslu Circuit trail through the settlement at Pewa and into Deng (1,860m).

Deng is the first village on the main Manaslu Circuit where the distinctly Buddhist cultural character begins mani walls appear beside the trail, a small chorten marks the village entrance, and on clear days the first distant glimpse of Manaslu (8,163m) appears above the valley wall to the north. The route through Deng also passes several traditional stone mani walls and prayer wheels that signal the full transition from the Hindu and Gurung lowland culture of the approach gorge into the Tibetan Buddhist world of the upper circuit.

The day involves some descent to Lokpa and then re-climbing to Deng not the longest day by distance but a meaningful transitional stage that reconfigures the circuit’s direction and prepares you mentally for the Manaslu Circuit section ahead. Walking time: 5–6 hours.

Fully back on the Manaslu Circuit and heading north with purpose. From Deng the trail climbs steadily through progressively changing forest the subtropical vegetation of the lower gorge giving way to more temperate mixed forest, then to stands of oak, maple, and the first scattered rhododendron. The Budhi Gandaki gorge remains dramatic narrowing and widening, the river crossing between valley walls that in some sections close to almost nothing above the water.

The trail passes through Rana where a large wooden suspension bridge crosses the river to a dramatically positioned cluster of stone houses and through Bihi Phedi and Ghap, where an impressive mani wall extends for nearly 100 meters beside the trail and the village gompa is worth a brief, respectful visit. The carved prayer stones at Ghap are among the finest on the Manaslu Circuit and provide a beautiful preview of the mani wall culture that will continue and intensify through the upper villages.

Namrung (2,630m) sits in a widening of the valley with expanding mountain views Manaslu, Himal Chuli (7,893m), and Peak 29 / Ngadi Chuli (7,871m) appearing above the northern ridge for the first time in full profile and scale. The teahouses here are well-established and the village has a warm, welcoming character. Walking time: 6–7 hours.

A shorter walking day whose value lies entirely in what waits at its destination. From Namrung the trail climbs through open forest and alpine meadow to Lho (3,180m) a beautifully positioned Tibetan Buddhist village on a broad south-facing plateau where the cultural transformation of the upper Manaslu Circuit becomes complete and unmistakable.

Flat-roofed stone houses, prayer flags covering every rooftop, butter tea in the teahouses, women in traditional Tibetan dress, yak herds on the slopes above Lho is the moment the circuit fully enters the Tibetan Highland world and the character of every day ahead reflects that transition.

Above the village, the Nyingma Rimjung Gompa Lho Monastery is a 600-year-old active religious site sitting on a natural terrace with Manaslu’s entire west face directly in its courtyard frame. This is one of the most theatrically positioned monasteries in Nepal the mountain rises directly behind the gompa in a framing of religious architecture and Himalayan scale that no camera angle fully captures and no visitor forgets. Spend the afternoon here. Walk through the prayer hall, observe the ancient thangka paintings, spin the exterior prayer wheels, and sit in the courtyard with the mountain above you. This is one of the great monastery experiences of any Nepal trekking circuit. Walking time: 4–5 hours.

From Lho the trail continues north through open alpine terrain the forest thinning further, the yak pastures widening, and the Manaslu massif growing ever larger and more detailed at every step. The trail passes through Shyala (3,520m) a small settlement on a wide grassy terrace with a panoramic view of Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Himal Chuli, and Peak 29 that rivals any mid-circuit viewpoint on the entire Manaslu route before the short final descent to Samagaon.

Samagaon (3,530m) also written as Sama Gaun is the largest settlement in the upper Manaslu circuit, the primary acclimatization hub, and the cultural centerpiece of the high valley. Ribung Gompa, the village monastery, is richly decorated with active practice monks are regularly present for morning and evening pujas. The community life of Samagaon carries the unhurried dignity of a place that has been sustaining the balance between Himalayan mountain living and Tibetan Buddhist tradition for centuries.

Settle in, eat well, and hydrate generously. Tomorrow is a full acclimatization day with two of the finest optional excursions on the entire Manaslu Circuit. Walking time: 3–4 hours.

The finest acclimatization day of the entire 22-day combined circuit and one of the most memorable single days of any Nepal trekking itinerary. Two extraordinary destinations are within reach of Samagaon and the 22-day itinerary gives you the full day to visit both.

Birendra Lake (3,450m) sits in a natural bowl approximately 25 minutes above the village a glacial lake formed from Manaslu’s meltwater, its surface a deep turquoise-blue, perfectly still in the morning light, with the enormous south face of Manaslu (8,163m) reflected in the water. The silence at the lake is complete. The mountain in the water is one of the most beautiful natural images in the entire Manaslu region.

Pungyen Gompa (approx. 4,000m), reached by a steep 1.5-hour climb above Samagaon, is an ancient monastery on a high terrace with one of the most extraordinary and intimate close-up views of Manaslu’s north face available from any trekking trail in Nepal. The combination of ancient architecture, prayer flags, and the overwhelming scale of Manaslu directly above is deeply moving in a way that photographs cannot adequately convey.

The altitude work of today climbing to 4,000m and returning is the essential physiological preparation for Samdo, Dharamsala, and the Larkya La crossing ahead. Exploration time: 4–5 hours.

From Samagaon the trail heads northeast through open high-alpine terrain wide, grassy, and gradually ascending toward the Tibetan border zone. The landscape takes on a distinctly Tibetan character sparse, wind-swept, and beautiful in a clean, uncluttered way entirely different from the forested lower circuit.

Samdo (3,875m) is the last permanently inhabited village before the Larkya La crossing and sits tantalizingly close to the Tibetan border on clear days the plateau of Tibet itself is visible beyond the frontier ridge, an extraordinary geographical and cultural proximity. The small Samdo monastery is worth a visit. Prayer flags cover every rooftop. The community of Samdo maintains a Tibetan Buddhist practice of particular traditional purity.

This is the first night above 3,800m on the circuit altitude management is important. Eat well, hydrate actively, and notice how your body feels. Any concerns about altitude symptoms should be discussed with your guide this evening. Walking time: 3–4 hours.

A second critical acclimatization day at 3,875m before the altitude jump to Dharamsala at 4,460m the next day. The standard acclimatization hike from Samdo heads northward toward the Rui La Pass (5,095m) on the Tibet border climbing to approximately 4,500m on the approach and then returning. This provides essential altitude adaptation and extraordinary views of the Tibetan plateau country and the border range peaks.

Your guide uses this hike to make a final assessment of every group member’s altitude readiness before the Larkya La approach begins. Pulse oximeter readings are taken at the high point and any concerns discussed openly. The afternoon is spent resting, organizing gear for the Larkya La crossing section, and going to bed early. Hike time: 3–4 hours.

The approach to the final stage. From Samdo the trail climbs through open glacial terrain crossing moraine ridges and glacial streams, with the Larkya Glacier appearing ahead and the great flanks of Larkya Peak (6,249m) rising on the north side of the approach valley.

Dharamsala (4,460m) also called Larkya Phedi (base of Larkya Pass) is the last and most basic overnight stop before the pass: a cluster of stone teahouses and shelters huddled on the moraine at the approach to the Larkya Glacier. The altitude is seriously felt here. Appetite decreases. Sleep is lighter. Headaches are possible and entirely normal.

The evening routine at Dharamsala has a particular quality shared by trekkers across all groups organizing gear in the lamplight, laying out clothing layers for the pre-dawn start in order, filling water bottles, eating whatever dinner the altitude allows, and setting the alarm for 4:00 AM. The shared anticipation of the Larkya La crossing brings trekkers from different groups together around the teahouse stoves in a communal warmth entirely appropriate to the altitude and the occasion. Walking time: 3–4 hours.

The defining day of the entire 22-day combined circuit. Everything the gorge walking, the Tsum Valley monasteries and sacred sites, the Lho Monastery courtyard, the glacial lake at Samagaon, the acclimatization days, the altitude gains has been leading to this crossing.

The alarm sounds at 4:00 AM. In the pre-dawn darkness you eat breakfast in the teahouse, layer up completely every piece of warm clothing available, and begin the approach to the Larkya La in headlamp light. The air is cold, still, and thin. The trail crosses the Larkya Glacier on the approach, moving through a landscape of ice, moraine, and rock that begins in darkness and arrives at the pass as the first light breaks.

The climb gains nearly 650m in altitude from Dharamsala — a sustained, high-altitude effort on a trail that is non-technical but demanding in every other dimension. Go slowly. One step at a time. Breathe deliberately at every step.

At Larkya La Pass (5,106m), prayer flags snap in the cold mountain wind and the panorama opens in every direction simultaneously. Manaslu (8,163m) rises directly to the east — the mountain you have been circling for nine days, now seen from its western aspect in full massif width. Annapurna II (7,937m) appears to the southwest. Himlung Himal (7,126m), Cheo Himal (6,820m), Kang Guru (6,981m), Pisang Peak, and dozens of other peaks form a white horizon in every direction. The sense of position on the high divide between the Manaslu wilderness and the Annapurna world at over 5,000m, after 18 days of walking through two of Nepal’s most extraordinary restricted regions is one of the most complete and most satisfying physical and emotional experiences available on any standard Nepal trekking circuit.

The descent from the pass to Bimthang (3,720m) is long, steep, and rewarding nearly 1,400m of descent on a trail that reveals progressively the wide, glacially-carved basin of Bimthang with its panoramic views of Manaslu’s southwest face, Phungi Himal (6,538m), and Lamjung Himal (6,983m). Bimthang is one of the finest overnight stops of the circuit a wide, open alpine valley that receives you after the pass crossing with a beauty and spaciousness that feel like a genuine reward. Walking time: 8–10 hours.

The great post-pass descent a continuous dropping of over 2,000m in altitude that takes you from the high alpine world of Bimthang back into the warm, forested, lower-altitude landscape of the Marsyangdi River system. The ecological transition is one of the most dramatic of the entire circuit rhododendron and birch giving way to oak and chestnut, then to the warm, humid mixed forest of the lower Marsyangdi approach, all in a single walking day.

The trail passes through Hampuk and then descends through the village of Goa before reaching Tilje (1,700m) a Gurung community in the lower Marsyangdi valley where the subtropical warmth, the sound of irrigation channels, and the smell of cooking fires signal the return to a fully human, agricultural, warm-climate world.

The contrast with the glacier and the pass barely 24 hours behind you is vivid, physical, and deeply satisfying. Your lungs fill easily. Your appetite returns fully. The warmth on your skin is welcome in a way it never was at the start of the trek. Walking time: 6–7 hours.

The final walking day a short, pleasant 2–3 hour walk through the lower Marsyangdi valley from Tilje through Thonje to Dharapani (1,860m) the junction where the Manaslu Circuit trail connects with the Annapurna Circuit trail system on the Marsyangdi River. The teahouses and trekkers of the Annapurna Circuit arriving from Manang and the Thorong La have a slightly surreal normalcy about them after the solitude of the Manaslu restricted sections.

From Dharapani, your private vehicle begins the long road journey back to Kathmandu via Besisahar and the Prithvi Highway approximately 6–8 hours depending on road and traffic conditions. Back in Kathmandu, transfer to your hotel and enjoy the extraordinary pleasure of a hot shower, a proper restaurant meal, and the city’s warmth after 20 days in the Himalayan mountain world. Walking time: 2–3 hours. Drive time: 6–8 hours.

A practical buffer day built into the itinerary for any road delays affecting the return from Dharapani, or for any weather or logistics events that may have affected pacing during the trek. Mountain road conditions in the Gorkha and Lamjung districts can occasionally be affected by seasonal landslides.

If your return went smoothly, Day 22 is a free day in Kathmandu use it for cultural sightseeing, shopping, a massage, a cooking class, or simply the deep rest that 20 days of mountain walking in a row deserves. Our team transfers you to Tribhuvan International Airport whenever your departure flight schedule requires.