Manaslu Circuit with Tsum trek
Nepal

• The gradual ascent profile for this trekking holiday works well for acclimatisation. We organise a longer trek around Manaslu by visiting the Tsum valley. We spend two nights for essential acclimatisation at Samagaon (3,450m) and Samdo (3,860m).
• We include all meals at the teahouse lodges (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner) while on the trek. Importantly, we clearly define what dishes and drinks we provide so there is no confusion in terms of what is allowed. Given the amount of food and drinks we include, there should be no need to spend any extra money on additional food.
• We are Himalayan trekking specialists having operated trips in Nepal for many years. Roland Hunter has designed the itinerary from his first-hand experience of this trek.
• Our AITO Traveller Reviews for Manaslu Circuit with Tsum Valley and also our AITO Traveller Reviews for Manaslu Circuit have a holiday rating of 100%. Based on client feedback we won the 2018 Gold Award as AITO Tour Operator of the Year. Read more about our Testimonials and Awards.
• We review weather forecasts for the Manaslu region throughout the duration of this trek.
• We send a Thuraya satellite phone on our group treks in Nepal. Your leader will have reliable communications for logistics, planning, and group safety.
• We provide the porters with windproof jackets & trousers and shelter. We follow International Porter Protection Group (“IPPG”) guidelines.
• We bring a comprehensive medical aid kit.
• Our team with first-hand knowledge of this trek provides pre-trip support. During high season we have someone from our UK Operations team based in Kathmandu.

Flying into Kathmandu on a clear day is in itself an unforgettable experience. The Himalayan peaks are only a short distance north of the capital of Nepal as seen from the plane. After customs, you will pass into the passenger pick-up area outside the building. You will see a Mountain Company signboard. Our representative will be waiting to welcome you to Nepal.

After transferring to your hotel we will give you a full trek briefing. The rest of the day will be yours to explore Kathmandu and to make final preparations for the trek. You will hear the Nepalese word for hello ‘Namaste’, you will never forget that word after this holiday.

This is a one-day guided sightseeing tour of the Kathmandu Valley. We visit three out of the seven World Heritage Sites. You start off by visiting Patan Durbar Square. Afterward, you drive to the Buddhist stupa at Boudhanath. The last stop of the day is at the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath. The tour is likely to finish around 4pm and the rest of the day is free to further explore Kathmandu.

Three major towns in the valley, are Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Each place has great artistic and architectural traditions. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city in the country. Patan, the second largest separated from Kathmandu by the Bagmati river. Bhaktapur, the third largest, is towards the eastern end of the valley. Its relative isolation is reflected in its slower pace and more medieval atmosphere. In Kathmandu, there is a bustle of activity, especially in the bazaars and markets. While the city has expanded over the last 10 years it is still possible to see traditional buildings and temples.

We leave Kathmandu early in the morning by private vehicle. It is a scenic drive with occasional glimpses of mountain peaks. After exiting the Kathmandu valley we drive along the Pokhara road. We turn off to head North following Buri Gandaki to Arughat Bazaar. Along the way, we see traditional villages surrounded by rice paddies.

After the busy market town of Dhading Besi, the road is no longer hard-topped. It is likely to be quite dusty on the bus so it is a good idea to bring a buff or scarf along with you. The road extends beyond Arughat so these days we continue the drive further up the valley to Machha Khola. This village is a better trailhead than Arughat as it saves two days walking along the dusty road. For the first night of the Manaslu Circuit trek, we have an overnight stay in one of the tea houses at Machha Khola.

Today we start the journey into the mountains. Our route heads North following the Buri Gandaki river, sometimes called Budhi Gandaki. We walk through terraced fields and a forest path often lined with troops of monkeys. The path follows the Buri Gandaki river climbing up and down ridges. We pass through the villages of Khorlabesi and Tatopani. After crossing the bridge over to the east bank of Buri Gandaki we hike through the forest to Dobhan. Further along, we cross the bridge over the Yaru Khola river. Shortly after we cross another suspension bridge over Buri Gandaki to Jagat village. We enter inside the Manaslu Conservation Area where we have to show our trekking permits at the police check post.

Hiking during the months of both April and early October will be very hot and humid. Temperatures are often more than 30 Degrees Celsius for the first two days of the trek. These dates are the optimal conditions for crossing the high pass. Please be aware of the hot start to the trek. It is important to bring plenty of water, wear a sun hat and apply sun cream.

After Jagat you cross a bridge over Dudh Pokhari khola. We trek through the villages of Salleri and Sirdibas. The trail then descends to cross the bridge over Buri Gandaki to the larger village of Philim. At Philim there is a checkpoint to enter Tsum Valley where the authorities check our permits. We continue to Lokpa located above the confluence of Buddhi Gandaki and Siyar khola.

We walk along the south bank of Siyar khola on an undulating path through forest. We cross bridges over tributaries Lungwa khola and Sarli khola. Later on we cross another bridge over Siyar khola to the North bank. After this bridge there is a climb up to Chumling where you stay for the night.

The trail stays on the North bank of Siyar khola. We cross bridges over the rivers of Udilu khola, Samatikring khola and Sarpu khola. You hike through the village of Gho then further uphill to the village of Chhokang Paro.

The trail continues along the North of Siyar khola where the valley is now much wider than before. We walk through the villages of Phurbe and Pangdun before continuing to Nile where we stay for the night.

We follow the trail up to Mu Gompa and visit the monastery. Drupa Rinpoche established Mu Gompa. He was a Bhutanese lama who meditated in the caves close to the current location of the monastery. Mu Gompa is at an altitude of 3,700m and located in a position surrounded by high mountains. 

We descend to Nile for lunch and in the afternoon we descend to Rachen Gompa. This nunnery is well worth visiting to see its Buddhist thanka murals.

We descend down the same trail to Chumling village.

From Chumling we descend to Lokpa village. We then cross the bridge over Buri Gandaki to join the main Manaslu Circuit trail up to Deng village. We enter Deng through a Buddhist stone arch known as a Kani.

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. Shortly after we pass a large waterfall. Once over a wooden bridge, the trail contours up and out of the canyon. We climb high above the river before dropping into the Shringi Khola valley. After the suspension bridge over the Shringi Khola there is a steep climb. The trail traverses along the Buri Gandaki as it flows between vertical walls of rock.

After a few more ups and downs through forests, the trail turns a corner and arrives at Ghap. We enter through an intricate kani with well-preserved paintings and elegant mani wall. After leaving Ghap, you pass more mani walls on the southern side of the river. We walk through a forest and the trail climbs along the river. We pass a waterfall and continue through fir and rhododendron. The trail climbs and finally we enter Namrung through another stone archway.

We spend two nights at Samagaon to help acclimatisation to the high altitude. There are several options for good day walks. One of them is to walk towards Manaslu Base Camp with views of Manaslu and Peak 29. We can also walk up to Phung Gyen Monastery located on a ridge above the village.

We follow the Buri Gandaki northwards to a bridge over a side stream. We walk along a trail passing several mani walls on the trail toward Samdo. The valley widens and there is juniper and birch forest. After passing the stone huts at Kermo Kharka, we descend off a shelf to cross a wooden bridge. We climb up 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 two nights at Samdo to help acclimatisation before ascending to Larkya La. There is a good day walk towards Gya La which is the trading pass with Tibet. There are blue sheep in this area so look out for these on the grassy slopes.

After breakfast, we leave Samdo and start the ascent to the Larkya La pass. We descend through fields to an old mani wall and stone arch. After dropping to the river we cross over on a wooden bridge. This place shows up on maps as the mythical Larka Bazaar.  This used to be a flourishing market, but nothing remains there.

Another mani wall marks the beginning of the ascent to the pass. The trail climbs through tundra and juniper. We can see the Larkya Glacier coming from Manaslu from here. We stay on the ridge to the right to find a trail that crosses over the top of two ravines. The trail becomes steeper and ascends up the side of a gorge to a viewpoint at the edge of a huge gorge at 4,000m. Near Larkya Glacier, we reach Larkya Phedi, where there is a small lodge. This is very basic accommodation built for trekkers crossing the Larkya La.

After an early morning start, we follow the trail up long gentle climb across moraine. We descend a short way to a lake. Then it becomes rough and indistinct as it crosses to the south of steep grassy slopes. The trail stays on the moraine to a ridge marked by two cairns. From here we can see the prayer flags marking the Larkya La pass. We descend to four frozen lakes then make the final steep climb to the pass.

The summit of Larkya La pass is at 5,213m. The view of the Himalayas is superb and Mount Manaslu is centre stage. The conditions for crossing the pass vary depending on time of year. We include micro crampons, gaiters and walking poles in our kit list. You will use this equipment if the pass is icey and slippery.

On the descent from the pass the trail follows the top of the moraine. We make a set of steep, rough switchbacks as we cross the moraine. Then we descend a less steep slope 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 trails heads down to a large meadow. We pass a mani wall then enter the cluster of lodges at Bimthang at an altitude of 3,590m.

From Bimthang the trail drops to a glacial stream and these are the headwaters of the Dudh Khola. We cross a wooden bridge and descend into pine and rhododendron forest to Hompuk at 3,430m. The trail improves as it descends to a fork in the river and then follows the river at 3,030m. Not far from here you reach Karche's fenced fields. We cross a landslide before making a steep climb to a ridge decorated with prayer flags. We make a descent to the river bank at Gho.

The trail continues through fields and intermittent stands of rhododendron and oak. We arrive the large Gurung village of Tilje. We exit the village through a stone arch and cross the Dudh Khola. We follow along its embankment descending through scrub forest. We see the walls of the Marsyangdi Valley and finally the houses of Dharapani appear in the distance. We pass through Thonje via a wooden bridge and through a chorten-shaped arch. Then Dharapani lies across a long suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi.

After Dharapani we are now on the popular Annapurna Circuit. As there is a road, these days we drive by jeeps down to Besisahar. It will be a bumpy ride but we feel that it is a better option rather than walking on a dusty road with passing vehicles. After reaching Besisahar, we switch vehicles to our private bus sent from Kathmandu to collect you. From here. we drive on a black-topped road down to the main Pokhara to Kathmandu highway. Then we drive up to the traditional Newari town of Bandipur where we stay the night in a hotel. We stay at The Old Inn in Bandipur, this is a lovely hotel in a traditional house in the main square of Bandipur.

Bandipur is a small town located on a ridge above the Kathmandu to Pokhara road and has superb views of the Himalayan peaks to the north (Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Ganesh Himal). Bandipur has been considerately developed for tourists whereby some of the old houses have been carefully converted to hotels and there are thankfully few concrete buildings like elsewhere in Nepal. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu the small town of Bandipur is a very peaceful place as vehicles are not allowed into the main square.

Today we drive back to Kathmandu on the main highway from Pokhara.

Today is a free day to relax in Kathmandu after the trek. You can do some independent sightseeing around the city. You can enjoy spending time at restaurants and cafes. The reason for having an extra day as a buffer is in case of any delays or cancellations driving back from Dharapani. This helps to minimise the risk of missing your international flight back home.

Transfer to Kathmandu airport for the flight back home. End of trip.