Manaslu Circuit Trek with Tsum Valley - 18Days

Highlights: Tatopani hot springs · Suspension bridges over the Budhi Gandaki · Doban village · Permit checkpoint and entry into the Manaslu Conservation Area

This is your first real day of walking, and the route eases you in gently along the Budhi Gandaki River through warm, humid, sub-tropical terrain, so lighter clothing and sun protection matter more today than on almost any other day of the trek. You leave Maccha Khola on a riverside trail through Khorlabesi, a small settlement with a couple of tea stalls, before the trail narrows and crosses the Budhi Gandaki on the first of many suspension bridges you will walk over during this trip. Around mid morning you reach Tatopani, meaning hot water in Nepali, a natural hot spring beside the trail where many trekkers stop to soak tired feet or even take a proper dip. It is a genuinely nice break, worth building in fifteen or twenty extra minutes for. From Tatopani, the trail continues past small farms and riverside terrain to Doban, a good lunch stop, before climbing a short stretch of stone steps and ridgeline path into Jagat. Jagat itself is one of the more attractive villages on the lower trail, with paved stone lanes, a central mani wall, and stone houses that give it a settled, permanent feel compared to the smaller stops earlier in the day. This is also where the trip becomes official in a practical sense: your guide submits your permits at the checkpoint here, officials check your passport details against them, and a local rural municipality fee is collected on top of the government permits. It only takes a few minutes, but keep your passport easily accessible rather than buried in your pack.

Good to know: Bring a small towel if you plan to properly enjoy Tatopani. It is one of the few chances on the whole trek to actually get in warm water outdoors.

Highlights: Philim, the largest village before Tsum Valley · Ekle Bhatti trail junction · Entering Tsum Valley · Views toward Himalchuli

Today is one of the longer days on the itinerary, both in distance and in how much the landscape changes along the way, so pace yourself and start early. The trail climbs out of Jagat over a rocky ridge toward Salleri, then drops down to Sirdibas, where the valley opens out and walking becomes noticeably easier for a stretch. From there you reach Philim, the largest village you will pass through before Tsum Valley itself, with terraced fields, a school, small shops, and a genuinely good lunch stop. It is worth a short wander through the village if your guide has time built in, since Philim gives you a clear sense of settled Gurung farming life before the trail turns wilder. Just beyond Philim, at a junction known as Ekle Bhatti, the main Manaslu Circuit trail continues straight ahead toward Deng and Namrung, while your route branches north into narrower canyon walls. This is the actual start of Tsum Valley. Local legend holds that the valley was blessed by Padmasambhava, one of the founding figures of Tibetan Buddhism, centuries ago, and from this junction onward you will notice the trail becomes quieter almost immediately, fewer trekkers, smaller settlements, and a stronger sense of being somewhere genuinely off the main circuit. The final hours into Lokpa run through forest and along the river, with your first real views toward Himalchuli opening up as you climb. Lokpa itself is small, just a handful of lodges, but it is the recognized gateway village into Tsum and a good, quiet place to end a long day.

Good to know: This is one of the longer trekking days on the itinerary, so an early start from Jagat, ideally before 7am, helps you reach Lokpa comfortably with daylight to spare.

Highlights: Descent into the Lungwa river valley · Rhododendron and pine forest · Syar Khola suspension bridge · Chumling's three monasteries

A shorter day by distance after yesterday's push, though the terrain keeps you honest, this is not a flat stroll. From Lokpa the trail drops down into the Lungwa river valley before climbing steadily back up through dense rhododendron and pine forest. There are no villages at all between Lokpa and Chumling, so today has a genuinely wild, isolated feel compared to the settled lower valley, just forest, birdsong, and the occasional glimpse of Ganesh Himal appearing through gaps in the trees. The trail eventually brings you to the Syar Khola, which you cross on a suspension bridge, and on the far side lies Chumling, your first proper introduction to Tsum Valley village life. Chumling is home to three small monasteries, Panago Gumba, Mani Dhungyur, and Gurwa Gumba, along with a health post and stone houses strung with prayer flags along narrow lanes. Because it is a shorter walking day, you should have energy and daylight left on arrival, and the short uphill walk to the monastery above the village is genuinely worth it, both for a closer look at the gompa itself and for the view back over the rooftops of Chumling toward Ganesh Himal.

Good to know: If you have energy left after arrival, the walk up to the monastery above Chumling is one of the better short side trips on the entire route, and it rarely takes more than thirty minutes each way.

Highlights: Domje, the largest village in Tsum Valley · Butter tea and local Tibetan hospitality · Twin villages of Chhokang and Paro · Mani walls and chortens

The trail continues deeper into Tsum today, and the cultural shift that started yesterday becomes much more obvious. You pass through Domje, the largest and busiest village in the valley, with more shops and a stronger sense of community life than anywhere you have stayed so far, a good place to pause, refill water, and pick up snacks if you need to. As you climb from Domje toward Chekampar, Tibetan Buddhist culture becomes the dominant presence along the trail, mani walls, painted chortens, fluttering prayer flags, and it would not be unusual for a local household to offer you a cup of butter tea as you pass, a genuinely warm gesture worth accepting if you have the time. Chekampar, your destination for the night, is technically two villages built together, Chhokang and Paro, sitting on an open shelf of land with some of the widest views in the valley toward Ganesh Himal. The local community here identifies as Tsombo, an ethnic group of Tibetan origin with its own distinct customs, and Chekampar functions as one of the cultural centers of Tsum Valley, worth a slow evening walk through if you arrive with energy to spare.

Good to know: Chekampar has some of the better lodges in Tsum Valley, a few with more comfortable rooms and better food than what you will find higher up. If a slightly nicer night matters to you before the more basic villages ahead, this is the place to treat yourself.

Highlights: Rachen Gompa, Tsum Valley's principal nunnery · Serpu Khola valley walking · Gho settlement · First views toward the Tibet border region

Today includes one of the genuine cultural highlights of the entire trek. After a short, gentle walk beside the Serpu Khola, you reach Rachen Gompa, the most important nunnery monastery in Tsum Valley and home to a resident community of Buddhist nuns. Unlike some of the monasteries you will pass on this trek, Rachen Gompa is an active, lived-in place rather than a historical site, and the courtyard here is genuinely worth spending real time in rather than rushing through. If your visit happens to coincide with a prayer session, ask your guide about staying to observe quietly from the back, it is a rare and memorable thing to witness, though timing depends entirely on the monastery's own schedule and is never guaranteed. From Rachen Gompa, the trail continues past the small settlement of Gho and climbs gradually into the upper part of the valley, where the landscape visibly opens up, trees thin out, and the terrain starts to feel closer to the Tibetan plateau than to the forested lower valley you started this trek in days ago. Nile, your stop for the night, sits quietly on the west bank of the river, a smaller and calmer village than Chekampar, with fewer lodges but a genuine sense of being close to the edge of things.

Good to know: Rachen Gompa welcomes visitors, but a small donation toward the nunnery is appreciated and goes directly to supporting the community of nuns who live and study there full time.

Highlights: Highest monastery in Tsum Valley · Trans-Himalayan, arid landscape · Yak pastures near the Tibet border · Rows of ancient chortens

A short walk by distance but a genuinely high and dramatic one in character. The trail follows the west bank of the valley through dry, wind-scoured terrain that looks and feels distinctly different from anything lower down, closer to the Tibetan plateau than to Nepal's greener middle hills, past yak pastures and long lines of chortens strung across the landscape. Mu Gompa itself is over a century old, said locally to have been founded by Guru Rimpoche, and it sits on a hilltop at the head of the valley, the highest and most significant monastery in all of Tsum. Inside the monastery, ancient statues, hand painted murals, and spinning prayer wheels fill the interior, and outside, on a clear day, the views back down the valley and toward the peaks marking the Tibetan border are some of the best of the entire trek. Whether you spend the night up at Mu Gompa or return down to Nile the same evening depends mostly on lodge availability and how the group is doing with the altitude, and your guide will make that call with you once you have had proper time to explore. Staying overnight at Mu Gompa, when it works out, gives you a genuinely rare early morning and evening at one of the most remote, quietly powerful places on the whole route. Returning to Nile keeps you at a slightly gentler altitude for the night, which some trekkers prefer at this stage of the trek.

Note: For trekkers with extra energy and good weather, a short optional extension toward the base of Pika Himal is possible from Mu Gompa. This is entirely conditions dependent, ask your guide on the day itself.

Highlights: Milarepa's Piren Phu Cave · Descent through Chekampar · Return to lower valley forest · Long, mostly downhill day

The return journey begins today, and rather than simply retracing yesterday's steps, the route takes a slightly different line that brings you close to Piren Phu, the sacred cave associated with the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa, one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. If you stayed overnight at Mu Gompa, the day starts with a short downhill stretch back to Nile before continuing on; if you returned to Nile the evening before, you simply set off from there. His footprint is said to be preserved in the rock inside the cave, and the site itself, wrapped in prayer flags and marked with carved stone scripts, houses two small attached gompas built directly into the rock. It is a genuinely atmospheric stop and one of the more unexpected highlights of the whole trek. From the cave, the trail descends back through Chekampar, and seeing the village again in the afternoon light, heading downhill rather than up, gives it a noticeably different feel than your first visit. The trail continues down through familiar terrain toward Chumling, retracing ground from earlier in the trek but at a faster pace since you are losing altitude rather than gaining it. It is a long day by distance, but the steady downhill grade means it moves faster underfoot than the number suggests.

Good to know: The late afternoon light on this descent, especially around Chekampar, is some of the best for photography on the whole Tsum Valley section, worth keeping your camera out rather than packed away.

Highlights: Retrace through Lokpa · Rejoining the main Budhi Gandaki trail · Bamboo forest · Siringi Himal viewpoint

Today closes the Tsum Valley loop and brings you back onto the main Manaslu Circuit trail. You retrace the route back through Lokpa, the same gateway village you passed through on Day 3, before dropping steeply down to rejoin the Budhi Gandaki gorge near the same junction at Ekle Bhatti where the two trails first split. From here you are officially back on the standard Manaslu Circuit route, and the trail character shifts again, narrowing into a gorge with a couple of genuinely exciting suspension bridge crossings high above the river, before easing into bamboo forest as the trail climbs gradually into the Nupri region. This stretch of forest tends to be more alive with wildlife than anything you saw in Tsum Valley. Keep an eye out for monkeys moving through the canopy and a good variety of birdlife along the trail. Deng, your stop for the night, is a small Gurung village tucked between steep cliffs and the riverbank, simple and quiet, and on clear afternoons it offers a decent viewpoint toward Siringi Himal to the north.

Good to know: Keep your camera or phone easily accessible through the bamboo sections today. Wildlife sightings here tend to be quick and easy to miss if your gear is packed away.

Highlights: Ghap village and its kani gateway · Increasing Tibetan cultural influence · Mani walls and painted chortens · Namrung's stone entrance gate

The trail's character shifts noticeably today as you move deeper into the upper Manaslu region. From Deng the path climbs and drops through the villages of Rana and Bihi Phedi, alternating between riverside walking and short forest climbs through fir, oak, and rhododendron. At Ghap you pass through your first kani, a painted archway chorten that marks the formal entrance to the village and is a style of structure you will see repeatedly from here onward. You will also start walking beside proper mani walls, long stone walls carved with Buddhist scripture, and local custom asks that you pass these on your left, in the same direction the mantras are meant to be read. The final approach into Namrung runs through denser forest before the trail opens onto the village itself, marked by a stone gateway and a small army checkpoint that gives it a clear sense of being a genuine threshold into the upper Nubri region. Namrung is one of the better developed villages on this stretch of the circuit, with a small monastery, carved prayer wheels along the main path, and noticeably more comfortable lodges than you have had for the past several days.

Good to know: Namrung has some of the better lodges on the entire circuit, several with attached bathrooms and even bakery items available. If a more comfortable night matters to you before the terrain opens up higher, this is a good place to book ahead through your guide.

Highlights: Lho village and Ribung Gompa · First full view of Mount Manaslu · Open alpine landscape · Himalchuli and Peak 29 coming into view

This is a genuine climbing day, roughly 870 metres of elevation gain over the course of the walk, so treat it with real respect and settle into a steady pace rather than rushing. The reward comes early: Lho, a village built directly around Ribung Gompa, one of the largest and most photogenic monasteries in the region, framed by Manaslu itself rising immediately behind it, likely the single best photo opportunity of the trek up to this point. Past Lho, the trail continues climbing through increasingly open landscape, the forest thinning out as you gain altitude, with Himalchuli and Peak 29 staying in clear view for long stretches of walking. Shyala itself sits on an open shelf of land surrounded by high peaks on almost every side, a small settlement with a handful of lodges and one of the more dramatic mountain backdrops anywhere on the route. Because this day now covers what used to be a longer, more compressed push all the way to Sama Gaun, you arrive in Shyala with genuine time and energy left to properly take in the surroundings rather than pushing straight through.

Good to know: Walk at a pace where you can comfortably hold a conversation today. This is often the first day trekkers genuinely start to notice the altitude, and pacing yourself properly here pays off directly over the following days.

Highlights: Continued views of Himalchuli and Peak 29 · Gentle valley walking · Arrival in Sama Gaun, the main Nubri village

A short, easy morning after yesterday's climb, and a good chance to let your body properly settle at altitude before the acclimatization day ahead. The trail out of Shyala stays largely level, tracing open valley ground with Himalchuli and Peak 29 remaining in view for much of the walk, and the gentle grade makes this one of the more relaxed mornings of the whole trek. Sama Gaun, your stop for the next two nights, is the main village of the Nubri people and noticeably larger and more developed than anywhere you have stayed since Namrung, with a large gompa, several shops, a health post, and even a small heliport, along with your best phone signal and wifi access since Maccha Khola. Because the walking is so short today, you arrive early, with plenty of time to rest, wander the village, or simply sit somewhere with a good view of Manaslu before tomorrow's acclimatization day.

Good to know: Use the extra time this afternoon to hydrate well and rest properly. A short, easy day like this is exactly the kind of day where good acclimatization habits make the biggest difference later on.

Highlights: Birendra Lake · Manaslu Base Camp · Pungyen Gompa (gentler alternative) · Rest and acclimatization in Sama Gaun

A necessary rest day before you climb higher, built around the day trip up to Manaslu Base Camp. The route climbs past Birendra Lake, a striking glacier fed lake with genuinely turquoise water, continuing on to Manaslu Base Camp itself, a demanding but unforgettable side trip that puts you standing at the foot of the world's eighth highest mountain, surrounded by glacier and moraine. It is a long, strenuous half day, roughly seven to eight hours round trip, and is worth attempting if you are feeling strong and adjusting well to the altitude so far. If the altitude has been catching up with you, or you would simply prefer something gentler, the alternative is Pungyen Gompa, an older monastery tucked beneath Manaslu's east face, reachable on a shorter and considerably easier morning walk that still delivers genuinely close mountain views without the same physical demand. Either option brings you back to Sama Gaun for the same second night, and either way the underlying purpose of today stays the same, giving your body real time to adjust before Samdo and the pass beyond it.

Note: Your guide will help you decide between Base Camp and Pungyen Gompa on the morning itself, based on the weather, how the group is feeling, and how well you are handling the altitude so far. Both are entirely valid choices, and this is not a day to push yourself if you are not feeling right.

Highlights: One of the longest mani walls on the route · Manaslu's North Face · Samdo's Tibetan refugee history · Short, gentle walking day

Today is a short, gradual walk, and a deliberate one. The light schedule is built in on purpose to give your body an easy day at real altitude before the bigger effort still ahead. The trail crosses the Budhi Gandaki and climbs steadily past one of the longest mani walls you will see anywhere on this trek, an impressive stretch of carved stone that takes a few minutes just to walk alongside. You also get your first proper look at Manaslu's North Face today, a completely different profile from the views you have had over the past several days, worth pausing for. Samdo itself was founded by Tibetan refugees and has close historical ties to cross border trade with Tibet, and both the layout of the village and the customs of the people who live here still reflect that history clearly. Because the walking day is so short, you arrive early afternoon with plenty of time to properly explore the village, rest, and continue acclimatizing before tomorrow.

Good to know: Samdo is a genuinely good village to ask questions in. Many local guides here have direct family or trading history with Tibet, and it is well worth bringing up over dinner if you are curious.

Highlights: Larkya Bazaar historic trading site · Views of the Syacha Glacier · Barren high alpine terrain · Final stop before the pass

The trail crosses the Budhi Gandaki one final time near the site of Larkya Bazaar, once a seasonal trading post where Tibetan and Nepali merchants met to exchange goods, before climbing into increasingly bare, rocky, treeless terrain with clear views of the Syacha Glacier spilling down from the peaks above. This is your last stop before the pass, and it is worth setting expectations accordingly. Dharmasala, also known as Larkya Phedi, is less a village than a small, purpose built cluster of basic lodges that exist specifically to support trekkers crossing Larkya La. Do not expect much beyond a roof, a hot meal, and blankets. The rooms are simple and shared bathrooms are the norm, but arriving by early afternoon leaves plenty of time to rest properly, organize your gear for tomorrow's early start, and eat a good dinner. If the sky is clear, step outside after dark for a few minutes, at 4,460 metres with essentially zero light pollution, the night sky here is genuinely extraordinary and worth the cold.

Good to know: Pack your bag fully and lay out tomorrow's gear before you go to sleep tonight. The start is early and often in complete darkness, and there is real comfort in not having to think or search for anything the next morning.

Highlights: Pre-dawn start under the stars · Larkya La Pass at 5,106m · Views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru, and Annapurna II · Long descent into the meadows of Bimthang

This is the defining day of the entire trek, and everything up to this point has been building toward it. You leave Dharmasala well before sunrise, typically between three and four in the morning, walking by headlamp across moraine and loose rubble while the winds are still calm, since afternoon winds at this altitude can be strong enough to matter. As the sky slowly lightens, the climb steepens, and then comes the moment the whole itinerary has been working toward, cresting Larkya La at 5,106 metres, met by a dense wall of prayer flags and a full 360 degree panorama that genuinely stops most trekkers in their tracks. Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kang Guru, and Annapurna II all stand together in a single ring of ice and light around you, and it is worth taking real time here for photos and simply absorbing where you are before starting down. The descent that follows is steep and demanding on the knees, more so than the ascent for a lot of trekkers, dropping through glacial moraine and loose scree into an entirely different valley on the other side. By the time the terrain eases and the green meadows of Bimthang appear below, it genuinely feels like a reward after a very long day.

Good to know: Trekking poles genuinely earn their place on this descent, not as an optional extra, the terrain underfoot is loose and uneven in places. And save some appetite for tonight. Dinner in Bimthang tends to taste better than any meal you will remember from the entire trip.

Highlights: Descent through changing forest zones · Dudh Khola valley · Rejoining the Annapurna Circuit trail · Warmer air and lower altitude

After the effort of the pass, today is almost entirely downhill, and the change in your surroundings happens fast and is genuinely enjoyable to walk through. The trail drops out of high glacier country into rhododendron and pine forest, and eventually oak, tracing the Dudh Khola valley down through smaller settlements including Tilje along the way. The air warms noticeably with every hour of descent, and the vegetation thickens and greens up in a way that feels like an entirely different trek from the barren high country you crossed yesterday. By the time you reach Dharapani, a busy trail junction where this route merges with the classic Annapurna Circuit, you will notice more trekkers on the trail, more developed lodges, and generally more infrastructure than anywhere you have stayed for the past two weeks, a clear sign of rejoining a much more heavily trekked route.

Good to know: Your knees will thank you for shorter, controlled steps on the steeper sections today rather than rushing the descent just because it is downhill. There is no need to hurry. The hardest part of the trek is already behind you.

Highlights: Marsyangdi River valley · Besisahar transition from mountain track to highway · Farewell dinner in Kathmandu

The drive out follows the Marsyangdi River down through the valley to Besisahar, where the road changes from an unpaved mountain track to a proper paved highway for the remainder of the journey, running through Dumre and Mugling before rejoining the Prithvi Highway back into Kathmandu. It is a long day of travel after more than two weeks on foot, but a welcome one, and most trekkers spend it alternating between watching the scenery change back to lowland Nepal and quietly reflecting on the trip behind them. Once you arrive back in the city, your guide drops you directly at your hotel, giving you time to shower and rest before Thrill Himalaya Treks hosts a farewell dinner to properly close out the trip together as a group. It is a good chance to swap photos, thank your guide and porters directly, and mark the end of the adventure, and it is also when you receive your official Trekking Completion Certificate from Thrill Himalaya Treks.

Good to know: A hot shower and a real bed will feel unreasonably good tonight after two weeks of teahouses. Enjoy it fully, you have earned it.