Tsum Valley Trek

Welcome to the vibrant city of Kathmandu, Nepal! Upon your arrival at the International Airport, one of our team/representative will be there to greet you and escort you to your hotel in Thamel.

Later in the evening, we will have a brief meeting to provide you with important trip information and introduce you to your guide. This is also a great opportunity for you to explore the nearby Thamel area on your own.

After morning breakfast, our tour guide will receive you for a sightseeing tour around an interesting part of Kathmandu. Kathmandu city is an old lively city of cultures where you can witness medieval period villages and way of life of the locals as it was for the past hundreds of years.

Kathmandu is full of ancient history-old traditions full of world heritage sites of Buddhism and Hinduism temples/monasteries.

Tsum-The Valley of Happiness trekking adventure begins with an interesting and exciting long overland drive on Nepal’s busy highway to reach Dhading Besi. It is a large town headquarters of Dhading district. After Dhading, you will head to Arughat town by the River Burigandaki. From here, we will take another vehicle for a rough and interesting ride towards mid hills following Bhurigandaki River passing few farm villages to reach Soti Khola village.

From this village, our walk starts following the Budi Gandaki River upstream through many farm villages crossing over Nuali Khola with views of waterfalls. After that, we will cross a stream to Machha Khola for an overnight stop. The village name as Machha Khola means “Fish stream”.

After a pleasant overnight stay in Macha Khola, we continue our journey by following the upstream of Budi Gandaki River. The winding path takes us through the small farm village of Khorla Beshi and leads to Tatopani village, which is famous for its natural hot spring. This is the perfect spot to take a break and enjoy a relaxing hot bath.

After a refreshing rest, we continue on our trek, passing through the villages of Dovan and Yaruphant, until we reach Jagat for our overnight stay. Jagat is a moderate-sized farm village that offers various shops and stores to explore.

Before heading towards Lokpa, we will need to register our permits for Manaslu and Tsum Valley at the entry checkpoint in Jagat. From there, we will commence our morning walk, leading to higher areas, passing scattered farm villages with short climbs and downhill stretches to cross a bridge to reach Nagjet and Philim. Philim is a large village with spread-out farmhouses.

After Philim, we will walk through farm terraces of golden fields of wheat and barley, followed by a climb on the rocky ridge top into the bamboo forest area, and finally, we will arrive at our overnight stop at Lokpa.

After spending a week away from the Budi Gandaki River in Lokpa village, our journey now leads us towards the Tsum Valley, also known as the Valley of Happiness. We enter a narrow gorge and walk through a rhododendron and pine forest, passing small farm villages with short descends and uphill climbs. After crossing Lungwa Khola, we arrive at Chumling village where we will spend our first night in Tsum Valley.

We start the day with a descent and cross a bridge over Smatiking Khola while enjoying the breathtaking views of Ganesh Himal, also known as Yangra, which towers at 7,422 m. As we continue our walk, we come across Chhokang Paro village where we will be spending the night. The village and its landscapes bear a striking resemblance to the windswept plateau of Tibet, and offer stunning views of the Ganesh Himal peaks.

After departing from Chokan-Paro, we will trek towards the upper Tsum region, towards Nele. The journey will begin with an ascent into an open valley, with sparse trees that manage to survive in the arid terrain. The path continues uphill, providing stunning views of the Ganesh and Manaslu Himalayas. After a picturesque hike, we will arrive at Nele, where we will visit an ancient cave that belongs to Saint Milarepa, a renowned poet, singer, and tantric guru from the 11th century. His folk-tales and songs are still fondly remembered by Tibetans and Buddhists to this day.

Morning walk starts on reaching the highest point at Mu Gompa and the main destination of this adventure. Climb on high arid terrain offering views of high peaks on the way to Mu Gompa for an overnight stop.

Take a rest and enjoy a free day at Mu Gompa, where you can explore the surrounding villages and visit the fascinating ancient Mu Gompa monastery. This monastery is home to significant relics, statues, and antique scrolls, making it one of the most important monasteries in the Tsum and Manaslu regions.

After an enriching experience at Mu Gompa, we will return and visit another remarkable monastery, Rachen Gompa. The walk follows a pleasant path with a few short ascents and descents, passing through some small villages of cattle herders. Finally, we will reach Rachen Gompa for an overnight stay and visit the monastery in the afternoon.

Today marks our final day in the stunning Tsum Valley. Our morning walk will consist of a long descent towards Chumling village, passing through beautiful farm areas before heading back into the shade of the tree lines. The journey will be a lengthy 6-hour trek, but eventually, we will reach Chumling village for our last overnight stop in the Tsum region.

After departing from Chumling village, we will descend down the river with beautiful views of waterfalls. During this trek, we will pass through various villages such as Samba, Tingding Chhupyang until we finally reach Philim village. This village is our overnight stop and is known for its beautiful farms and a school supported by the Japanese. The Japanese have a special affinity for this area because Mt. Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, was first climbed by a Japanese expedition.

Continuing our trek from Philim village, we will enter a warmer area with lush paddy fields. After breakfast, we will follow the Budi Gandaki River and pass through several small villages such as Nugget, Sidibas Bazaar, and Jagat. As we continue our descent, we will reach Yaruphant and the vegetation will undergo a dramatic change. Finally, after six hours of walking, we will arrive at Tatopani, a small farm village known for its hot spring. Here, we can relax and enjoy the natural hot springs, which are believed by locals to have the power to cure various diseases and wounds.

After a nice time at Tatopani and hot spring, morning walk leads to Soti Khola walking along the Budi Gandaki River downstream, after hours of good walk reaching Gurung village of Labubesi. From here, walk further through terraced fields and waterfalls to reach our last overnight stop at Soti-Khola.

After a pleasant overnight stay at Machha-Khola village, our final day in the mid-hills of the Mid-West Himalayas concludes with a lengthy drive to Kathmandu, following the downstream of the Budi Gandaki River towards Arughat, which is the last village in the Gorkha area. The journey to Kathmandu will take you through Dhading, and you will arrive in Kathmandu, marking the end of a captivating trek in Tsum – The Valley of Happiness.

On your last day in the amazing country of Nepal, Pristine Nepal staff/representative will transfer you to the airport according to your international flight schedule. We hope to see you again in the future.