Manaslu Circuit with Tsum Valley Trek

After the early morning breakfast at the lodge, you will start your first walk of this long march. The trek will begin by crossing the river, which is also the first suspension bridge of the trek. You will be crossing many suspension bridges on the way, and come across the Budhi Gandaki River numerous times. You will be walking along the forest, passing through attractive waterfalls and some gradual uphill. Crossing Khorlabesi, you will reach a natural hot spring, namely Tatopani, where you can enjoy hot showers and relax for some time. 

Moving forward is the narrower sidewalk, stony paths, gradual uphill and landslip zone, so you have to be careful and calm. There are not only uphill but also downhill along the way. After walking for 4 more hours from Tatopani, you will reach Jagat, an entry checkpoint for the Manaslu Conservation Area. You will stay overnight at the teahouse of Jagat.
 

After having a hearty breakfast at the beautiful village Jagat, you will continue your journey to Lokpa. You will be going through the usual trail of the Manaslu Circuit until the diverting point towards Tsum Valley. The trail will start off through the stone steps uphill from Jagat towards Salleri. After one to two hours of walking, you will reach Salleri from where you will get to see the majestic view of the Shringi Himal. You will enjoy the view and trek down towards Siribas.

The trail is then wider, passing through the forests until a village named Philim. The trail gets narrow after this part; you will have a rough climb for an hour from a woody region and reach Ekle Bhatti. This is the point where the trail diverges. You will take the right-hand path and walk through the lush pine and bamboo forests, gorges, and canyons until you reach an isolated gateway village of Tsum Village at an altitude of 2240 m above sea level, Lokpa.

You will begin your day after breakfast, and trekking through the dense forest of rhododendron, pine and Juniper. The pathway has several ups and downs today.  Crossing the small suspension bridge leading to Chumling, you will enjoy the most prominent view of Ganesh Himal today. As you reach Chumling, you will get an idea and glimpse of the unique culture of Tsum Valley.  You will take a rest for a while and start strolling around the local monasteries, Gurwa Gompa, Panago Gompa and Mani Dhungur of Chumling. You will also get to see the panoramic view of Shringi Himal from Chumling. 
 

You will wake up with the stunning sunrise view of Shringi Himal across the agricultural land. You will have your breakfast and depart to Chumling. The trek today starts by crossing the suspension bridge over Syar Khola. There are many suspension bridges along the way today. You will be passing through the pine forests, some ascending and crossing the bridge, till you reach Gho. Gho is a small picturesque village where you will experience traditional Tibetan architecture. Then you will move forward for 2 more hours, to reach Chekampar.

Chekampar, also known as Chhokangparo is the largest valley in Upper Tsum. It is divided into two settlements, namely Chhokang and Paro.  You will get to see the excellent view of Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal across the flat meadows. You will have enough time to explore the village and call it a day.
 

You will again get the excellent view of the mountains today as you wake up and have the local breakfast. You will be gaining some altitude today so you have to be careful and slow while ascending.  On the way, you will make a stop at the Milarepa Cave. You will continue your journey alongside the river, until you cross the final bridge to reach Nile. Nile is the highest and the last settlement at the Tsum Valley. Due to the proximity to the Tibetan Border, the people there are highly influenced and have strong Tibetan Culture. During your stay at Nile, you will get to know about the century-old traditions and remote Himalayan lifestyle of people living there. 
 

You will wake up early, have your breakfast and start walking on the way towards Mu Gompa, the highest altitude gained on the Tsum Valley Trek. As you will be returning to Nile, you may leave your backpack and only carry the essentials on the way.  After 2 hours of the walk, you will reach Mu Gompa. 

Mu Gompa is a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Tsum Valley. Mu Gompa is a peaceful, tranquil monastery which is home to monks practicing Tibetan Buddhism. The older monks are responsible for teaching the younger monks/nuns. The monastery is full of the painted murals of Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), Avalokiteshwara and a life-size statue of Tara. The monastery provides a serene environment for motivation. After your visit and exploration, you will return back to Nile and call it a night. 
 

Today, you will descend back to Chekampar after the morning breakfast. On the way, you will also visit Rachen Gumba taking a slightly alternate route. It will provide you the best view of Kipu Himal. After 5 hours of walking, you will reach Chekampar and call it a day.
 

After breakfast, you will descend back to Chumling from Chekampar. You will be passing through the old forest routes, villages and suspension bridges.  You will be staying overnight at Chekampar. 
 

Today you will bid farewell to the Tsum Valley and start along the Manaslu Circuit route. After breakfast, you will descend back to Deng and rejoin the Manaslu trail. The trail today has some ups and downs but is not too strenuous. You will descend the rhododendron and bamboo forest and meet the Budhi Gandaki River again. The track again passes through the dense forest of the region, arriving at the Deng River. You will cross the river and walk along the trail to reach Deng and call it a night.
 

Today you will continue your journey on the Manaslu region route. The trek today could be slightly hard as you have to walk through the landslide area. The trail is off the beaten path and requires a lot of caution while walking. The way is zigzag uphill with small waterfalls until you reach Bihi Phedi. Since the trail is off-beaten, you have to move cautiously through the uneven trail. After 6 to 7 hours of walking and climbing Mt. Manaslu, you will reach Namrung. Namrung is a small village or a checkpoint where your trekking permits will be checked. Namrung is a culturally enriched Nubri Village, known for its paved streets, traditional houses and friendly locals. Also make sure to visit the local monasteries. Overnight at Namrung. 

After the early morning breakfast at your tea house, you will start your trek towards the Nubri Region. The region is called Nubri because the people living there have similar lifestyles. As you ascend, you see people wearing the traditional local clothes named Chuba, and similar house styles.

Walking further, you will gradually reach the alpine region of the Manaslu Area. You can have a great view of Mt. Manaslu and Manaslu North on the way to Lho. Not only the smiling mountains, mani walls, prayer wheels, Tibetan inscriptions, will also be greeting you, symbolizing your arrival at a large village settlement, Lho, where you will be staying overnight.

You might be missing the sunrise view of mountains as you would not have seen it after leaving Tsum, but today, as you wake up, the eighth highest mountain would be greeting you mesmerizingly from afar. You will start your journey by walking inside the rhododendron forest. The more you ascend, the panoramic view of mountains can be seen. On the way, you can take a visit to Pungyen Monastery (4000 m) to enjoy more of the mountain views and the moraines of Manaslu Glacier.

After the short visit to Pungyen Monastery, you will descend down and continue the walk towards Samagaun. Samagaun is the main village of Nubri people. Having quite more amenities than other places, Samagaun is a memorable stop during this trek. Samagaun has a tranquil peaceful environment making your night more wonderful to sleep.
 

Acclimatization is necessary as you move towards higher altitude.  You have been constantly walking for the last 2 weeks, so you need to move to avoid body pain. As you ascend to higher altitude, the oxygen in the air gets thinner so your body needs to adjust to avoid altitude sickness. So, you will stay at this beautiful village for one more night. During the day, you will be either visiting Manaslu Base Camp or exploring Birendra Taal or hiking to Pungen Gompa. 

Birendra Taal is a high-altitude glacial lake just a couple of hours away from Samagaun. The lake is at an altitude of 3,450 m/ 11,318 ft next to Pungen Glacier. The lake is serene and marvelous, surrounded by the glacier and the peaks. 

Manaslu Base Camp is situated at 4,800 m above sea level. It is an arduous journey that takes you to the base of the eighth-highest mountain in the world and provides a panoramic view of Mt. Manaslu, Shringi Himal (7,187 m/23,579 ft), Ganesh Himal (7,319 m/24,012 ft), Himalchuli (7,893 m/ 25,895 ft), and many others. 

Pungyen Gompa is a sacred monastery situated at an altitude of 4,000 m above sea level. The monastery is nestled in the mountains, providing stunning views of mountains and glaciers with spirituality and calmness. 
 

Today after breakfast, you will be leaving Samagaon and further to Samdo. You will walk through the yak pastures and cross the Budhi Gandaki River then walking through to the rhododendron, Juniper, birch forest. The path is attractive as you cross Kermo Kharkha with mani walls and prayer wheels until you reach Samdo. Samdo village offers a stunning view of the mountains including Samdo Himal. Overnight at Samdo.

You will be only walking for 3 to 4 hours today. The last stop today is Dharamshala, also the base camp of Larkya La Pass. It might get quite hard to reach Dharamshala because of the altitude. So, you have to be slow and steady to avoid altitude sickness or any other mishaps. There are only a few lodges and tea houses in the region as it is situated at quite a higher altitude and the weather is constantly changing. You will rest early at Dharamshala today as you will have to wake up quite early to cross the Larkya La Pass.
 

At the high altitude passes, the weather gets unstable, very windy and dewy during the afternoon. So, you will rest early and in Dharamshala and wake up very early today to avoid the afternoon wind. You will be reaching the highest point of the entire trek, i.e. 5,106 m above the sea level. The trail is quite challenging as it is one of the longest passes of the Himalayas, but you are getting the exceptional view of the mountain during your walk. The snow-capped mountains will make your ascent more beautiful and memorable. 

After some hours of strenuous uphill, you will get the breathtaking views of mountains like Himlung, Annapurna II, Manaslu, Kang Guru, Cheo Himal and many others as well as the Larkya glacier. Not to forget the breathtaking sunrise view from the top of Larkya La Pass. After some tea time and pictures, you will descend the pass. You will have to walk carefully through the glassy moraines and steep slopes witnessing the Pongkar Glacial, Salpu Danda Glacier and other impressive icefalls. 

Following the path, you will come across the little meadow and descend towards the big pastures, then reaching Dingboche Kharka and walking furthermore, you will reach Bimthang. Bimthang is a small settlement surrounded by small peaks, marking the end to your long but worthy day.
 

After your cherishable trudge at the Manaslu Circuit with Tsum Valley, this is the final day on the trekking trail. As you descend, you will start noticing, leaving behind the alpine pastures, as breathing becomes easy and the trails have more greenery. After 7 hours of the walk, you will reach Dharapani. Enjoy the serene atmosphere, mild temperature and modern comforts.

After the early morning breakfast, you will conclude your 19-day long trek and the memorable trek to Tsum Valley with Manaslu Circuit. You will return through the drive so prepare for a 10-hour long drive to Kathmandu.