Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek: 20 Days Complete Itinerary and Guide

You arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, where our team welcomes you and transfers you to your hotel. The short drive gives you your first look at Kathmandu's busy roads, local shops, temples, and everyday city life.

Once check-in is complete, you can rest or take a light walk around Thamel. Later, your guide meets you for a short briefing about the route, permits, transport, accommodation, packing, altitude safety, and daily walking plan.

The journey begins in the middle of heavy city traffic, where the busy capital is full of life. Soon, the city disappears behind you. The road winds past green, terraced hills and through deep river valleys, passing rustic country towns and tranquil landscapes.

As you get closer to the lower Manaslu region, the smooth road changes to rough dirt tracks. This makes the ride long and bumpy. The day's travel wraps up as the roaring Budhi Gandaki River welcomes you to Machha Khola, a lively settlement built right along the rushing water.

The roaring Budhi Gandaki River guides your morning path. You walk along rocky paths and cross high suspension bridges over the water. The path also takes you through small forests and past tiny villages like Khorlabesi, Tatopani, Dovan, and Yaruphant.

A steady, stone-paved climb brings you into Jagat, where neatly laid flagstone alleys and dry-stone houses sit far removed from the modern world.

First, you walk along the river in the morning, and the trail takes you through nice forests and past small villages. Then, you will reach a big village called Philim, which is the perfect place to stop and rest.

Then, you leave the main trail to turn toward Tsum Valley, but the path changes right away. It becomes highly secluded because the valley gets narrower and has fewer hikers. Finally, you walk through deep woods until you arrive in Lokpa to sleep for the night.

Leaving Lokpa, the trail enters the quieter side of Tsum Valley through forest paths, narrow tracks, rocky bends, and river valley sections. Suspension bridges add small moments of adventure as the route moves deeper into a less crowded part of the trek.

Later, the trail leads toward Chumling, a calm village in the lower part of Tsum Valley. By the time you arrive, traditional homes, prayer flags, small monasteries, and quiet village life give the overnight stop a clear cultural feel.

The day begins with a gradual climb from Chumling to Chhokangparo through farmland, traditional villages, mani walls, chortens, and open mountain slopes. Higher up, the valley opens to wider views and a cooler mountain climate. 

The landscape shifts completely into old Tibetan-style architecture, marked by long mani walls carved with ancient mantras. Your day concludes in Chhokangparo, a village of flat-roofed mud-brick houses framed by the towering, snowy peaks of Ganesh Himal.

The trek from Chhokangparo to Nile takes about 5 to 6 hours and leads deeper into the upper Tsum Valley. As the route moves higher, the land becomes drier and more open, with mani walls, prayer flags, village fields, and Buddhist landmarks along the path.

You reach Nile by the end of the walk and stay overnight in this quiet high-valley village. This stop helps you rest before the acclimatization day and the optional hike to Mu Gompa.

This day is set aside for acclimatization at the Nile before the longer return toward the lower Tsum Valley. If you feel comfortable at the altitude, you can also hike to Mu Gompa, following open trails, village paths, and quiet highland landscapes.

Mu Gompa is one of the main cultural highlights of Tsum Valley and an old Buddhist monastery near the Tibetan border area. After spending time around the monastery, prayer flags, and wide mountain views, you return to the Nile for rest, dinner, and overnight.

Your return route from Nile follows the upper Tsum Valley back toward Chumling. You pass familiar villages, mani walls, fields, and river sections, but the views feel different as the valley opens in the opposite direction.

As the route descends, the lower altitude makes breathing feel easier than on the past high-valley days. If timing allows, your guide may add a short cultural stop near Rachen Gompa or another nearby site before you reach Chumling for the night.

You start by leaving Chumling and walking down from the lower Tsum Valley. This path leads you back toward the main Manaslu Circuit trail. Along the way, you walk through quiet forests, cross high suspension bridges, and hike around the small areas of Lokpa and Nyak Phedi.

As you walk, the views begin to change. The hidden valley fades away, and the big mountain scenery of the main Manaslu region appears. By the end of the walk, you reach Deng. This is a peaceful little village where you will spend the night and join the main trekking trail.

Your trek continues from Deng through forested trails, river crossings, small settlements, and quiet mountain paths. The route takes you through Rana, Bihi, Ghap, and nearby villages, where mani walls and Tibetan-style details become more common. 

Beyond these villages, the valley starts to feel cooler and more alpine as the trail climbs higher. By evening, you reach Namrung, where clear mountain views, stone houses, fields, and quiet lanes create a peaceful overnight setting.

From Namrung, the trail climbs through a beautiful mountain section toward Shyala. The route takes you through Lihi, Sho, Lho, and other small villages, where stone houses, mani walls, fields, and Tibetan-influenced culture become more visible.

Higher up, Mount Manaslu begins to appear more clearly, and the scenery feels wider with every section. Near the final stretch, the trail leads toward Shyala, a quiet village surrounded by snowy peaks and open mountain views near the heart of the Manaslu region.

You leave Shyala in the morning and head toward the high ridge of Pungen Gompa. This side trip is a beautiful highlight of the day. It gets you very close to Mount Manaslu and gives you amazing views of snowy peaks and quiet mountain paths.

After enjoying the views at Pungen Gompa, you make a steady descent down to the main trail and continue to Samagaun. You will reach this important village at the foot of Mount Manaslu by afternoon. Here, you can rest and let your body get used to the thin mountain air before climbing even higher tomorrow.

This day helps your body adjust further after the high walk to Pungen Gompa on the previous day. You stay in Samagaun and use the day for rest, light movement, or a guided side hike based on your energy and weather conditions. 

In the morning, your guide will check the weather and see how everyone is feeling. If you feel strong, you can take a challenging hike up to Manaslu Base Camp for incredible, close-up mountain views. For a gentler option, you can take a calmer walk to Birendra Lake to see the beautiful glacial water with much less strain on your body.

You make a short but important walk from Samagaun to Samdo, gaining height slowly through a wide mountain valley. The route gives you open views of Manaslu, yak pastures, stone walls, and dry highland scenery without making the day too long.

Samdo sits near the old Nepal-Tibet trade route and feels more remote than the villages below. Since you sleep higher here, the rest of the day is easier, so your body can adjust before the route heads toward Dharamshala and the Larkya La Pass.

Your trek continues from Samdo toward Dharmasala, also known as Larkya Phedi. The trail moves through dry high-altitude terrain with rocky paths, open slopes, wide mountain views, and a clear feeling of being close to Larkya La Pass.

The final section leads slowly toward Dharmasala, the basic overnight stop before the pass crossing. Facilities are limited here, but sleeping at this point places you closer to Larkya La for the early morning start.

This is the hardest and most rewarding day of the whole trek. You start before sunrise from Dharmasala and walk with a headlamp through cold, dark, high-altitude terrain. The early start helps you cross Larkya La Pass safely before the wind becomes stronger later in the day.

The climb to the pass is long, steep, and rocky, but the mountain views from the top make the effort worthwhile. After enjoying the views of snowy peaks, you begin the long descent toward Bimthang. By late afternoon, you reach the village, where you can rest, eat, and recover from the toughest day of the trek.

As the morning sun hits the surrounding peaks, you leave Bimthang and head down the mountain. The cold, high trails slowly turn into warmer, greener paths. The snowy views disappear as you walk back into forests, cross wooden bridges, and pass through small villages in the lower hills.

Further down the trail, you pass the village of Tilje. Your multi-week wilderness journey officially connects with the modern road network at Dharapani, where the remote Manaslu trail finally merges with the classic Annapurna Circuit route.

The return drive begins from Dharapani after breakfast, first following rough mountain roads toward Besisahar. This section can be bumpy, with narrow road bends, river valleys, hillside tracks, small settlements, and changing lower-hill scenery.

From Besisahar, the road gradually connects with wider highways, busier towns, and the main route back to Kathmandu. The long overland journey brings you full circle by late afternoon, depositing you back at your city hotel for hot showers and clean laundry.

You have your final breakfast at the hotel before preparing for departure. Our team picks you up at the scheduled time and transfers you to Tribhuvan International Airport by private vehicle. The airport transfer marks the end of your Manaslu Tsum Valley Trek.