Detailed Itinerary of Manaslu Circuit Trek with Tsum valley
Day 01: Pick up from Kathmandu Airport and Drive to the hotel.
Notable Altitude: 1,400m(Kathmandu)
You’ll receive the warmest welcome once you land at Kathmandu Airport. The team of ours will guide you towards your hotel. There will be no specific plans for the first day. You will take a rest in your hotel to make yourself home in Kathmandu. However, you can go on an evening excursion around the city. Later, you end up in the hotel for nightfall.
Day 02: Half-day sightseeing tour of Kathmandu
As you are in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital and historical city of Nepal, you will have a full day for sightseeing. You will get to go around the famous heritage sites like Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath Temple, Kathmandu Durbar Square, and others. The day will come to an end once you have done visits to must sites. Afterward, you will be on the way back to the hotel for the evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day 03: Scenic Drive from Kathmandu to Sotikhola
Drive Duration: 8-9 hours
Drive Distance: 160Km
Notable Altitude: 700m/2,896ft (Sotikhola)
You will leave Kathmandu’s hustle and bustle to begin the trek. The bus will pave its way in the direction of Soti Khola, the starting point of Manaslu Circuit Trek with Tsum Valley. It will need 8 to 9 hours to reach you there but don’t think it will be a boring ride. You will see lots of fresh views of the countryside of Nepal.
Firstly, you will reach and drop in Arughat Bazaar, a happening hillside town. Arughat is a transit place for every Manaslu Region trek. From there, you will have a two hours ride to Sotikhola by joining a jeep. After arriving at the village that is right by a river, you will rest. It will be a basic teahouse for the night.
Day 04: Trek from Soti Khola to Macche Khola
Trek Duration: 6-7 hours
Notable Altitude: 900m/2,965ft(Macche Khola)
It will be the first trekking day of Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley Trek. So after having breakfast in the lodge, you will slide yourself out of Soti Khola by traversing a bridge. Eventually, you will head into a Sal forest. Moving along the river bed of the Budhi Gandaki River, you will end up in Khursani and Labubesi, respectively.
Having rested in one of those stops, you will join the trail yet again. En route to Macche Khola, you will come across several pristine waterfalls and streams. It will not be a difficult trekking day as you will reach Machha Khola(900m) by the evening. You will spend the night in a tea house there.
Day 05: Trek from Machha Khola to Jagat
Trek Duration: 6-7 hours
Notable Altitude: 1,340m/4,593ft(Jagat)
Jagat(1,340m), a village and entrance to Manaslu Conservation Area, will be waiting to welcome you today on the other side. For that, you will leave the Maccha Khola after breakfast. After leaving the village and joining the river bed trail yet again, you will reach Khola Besi. From there, you can view Ganesh Himal perfectly.
You can also take a quick relaxing hot spring bath in Tatopani.
After the bath, you will climb a ridge called Dobhan, and from there, the trail goes down to the river. Stepping upwards through stone stairs, you will reach Thado Bharyang before getting to Jagat. Overnight in Jagat.
Day 06: Trek from Jagat to Lokpa
Trek Duration: 6-7 hours
Notable Altitude: 2,040m/4,493ft(Lokpa)
We will approach Lokpa now by getting the trek permits approved at Jagat. The trek will start with a climb just over the hill. Next, you reach the riverbanks of Budhi Gandaki River yet again. As you get near to Lokpa, the valley will get broader and more beautiful from Philim. After some hours of the trek, you will reach a place where two trails meet. You’ll follow the one that goes to Lokpa for now. Lokpa is the first settlement that you will visit in Tsum Valley. Make yourself comfortable in the village and call it a day there.
Day 07: Trek from Lokpa to Chumling
Trek Duration: 4-5 hours
Notable Altitude: 2,386m/6,692ft(Chumling)
After some morning hours in Lokpa, you will join the trail that goes deeper into the Tsum Valley. If the day is clear, you will see clear views of Boudha Himal and Ganesh Himal. Besides mountains, you will trek through a tropical forest that is dense with pine and rhododendrons. You will reach Gumling before heading to Chumling. Crossing the bridge over a river, you will get to Chumling before the dark. So you can go around to explore the Chumling village, which is home to three old Buddhist monasteries. Overnight back in the hamlet.
Day 08: Trek from Chumling to Chekampar
Trek Duration: 5-6 hours
Notable Altitude: 3,031m/9,944ft(Chekampar)
The trail from Chumling to Chekampur will be through a forest that is lush and dense. You may see some Langur around the woods jumping here and there. Out of the forest, you will see a gompa arriving, Damphe Gompa. You will take a break there for a while. And then, you will join trekking to hit an elevation of 3,000m for the very first time in the trek. From the gompa, you will descend towards Sarphu Khola to cross a bridge over the river. And Chekampar will finally come up after a slight ascend. Overnight in a teahouse of Chekampar.
Day 09: Trek from Chekampar to Nile
Trek Duration: 5-6 hours
Notable Altitude: 3,361m/9,944ft(Nile)
On this day, you will make it to a few of the major highlights of Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley Trek. Firstly, you will reach to explore Rachen Gompa shortly after leaving Chekampur and joining an uphill. The gompa is one of the oldest in the region. The rest of the valley will look breathtaking as you move to Piren or Milarepa Cave, a holy cave in the area. After that, you will find your way to Nile village for the evening.
Day 10: Rest day and Explore Mu Gompa
It will be a rest day in Nile village. But you will not be resting at all as you have to do a day hike to Mu Gompa(3,700m), the biggest gompa of the trek. You will spend around 4 hours completing the round hike. As you reach this historical place, you will find 100 monks living around. And that makes it such a lovely place to spend a rest day. After the visit, you will get back into Nile Village for a rest.
Day 11: Trek from Nile to Chekampar
Trek Duration: 5-6 hours
Notable Altitude: 3,031m/9,944ft(Chekampar)
After an eventful day around Nile, you will trace back to Chekampar to move further on the trek. The trail is through the same region, and you will be doing more downhill treks than uphills. Aas you find the way back to Nile, your overnight will happen in the village’s teahouse.
Day 12: Trek from Chekampar to Chumling
Trek Duration: 6-7 hours
Notable Altitude: 2,386m/6,692 ft(Chumling)
You will keep doing the same thing today, retracing. This time you will be retracing back to Chumling from Chekampur. The conjunction of Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit Trek is at Chumling. That is why you will return to Chumling after exploring the Tsum Valley. You will lose some elevation by the time you reach there. Overnight in Chumling.
Day 13: Trek from Chumling to Deng
Trek Duration: 4-5 hours
Notable Altitude: 1,860m/5,917ft(Deng)
From Chumling, you will start to descend lower towards Deng Village. As you slide down, you will see peaks like Manaslu and Ganesh Himal on a clear day. You will not have any hard time while trekking today as you have to walk for just 4 hours which is primarily a downfall. You will make your way to Deng by traversing through a bamboo forest. Overnight in the village.
Day 14: Trek from Deng to Namrung
Trek Duration: 5–6 hours
Notable Altitude: 2630m /8626ft(Namrung)
You will meet the Budhi Gandaki River once more as you move to Namrung from Deng. Passing by the river, you will start an uphill trek which will end at Rana. Then you have to descend from the ridge to land on the bank of Shringi Khola(River). There will be a final uphill trek from the bank to Namrung village. You will pass through several wooden bridges and the Gap Village before getting to Namrung. Overnight in Namrung.
Day 15: Trek from Namrung to Samagaon.
Trek Duration: 6-7 hours
Notable Altitude: 3530m /11,578ft(Samagaon)
Your time in Deng will come to an end as you leave it for Samagaon. The trek will start by climbing a steep track that goes through a forest. Eventually, you will come up in Lihi, a village with beautiful terraces. From the village, you can look at numerous peaks of the Manaslu Region. Simang Himal, Ganesh Himal, and more peaks will come up at the view on the day. Likewise, you’ll subside from the village through some other communities to finally make it to Samagaon. You will spend the night in Samagaon.
Day 16: Rest Day in Samagaon and Exploring Pungyen Gompa
You will get a little lucky here as you do not have to leave this beautiful mountain village yet. Instead, you wander around the hamlet to explore the near and dear places of the area. One of them is the Pungyen Gompa, an old gompa perched on a hilltop. You will get to enjoy great mountain and landscape views too. It will be a day to put into your memory. Back to Samagaon for the night.
Day 17: Trek from Samagaon to Samdo .
Trek Duration: 4-5 hours
Notable Altitude: 3875m /12,713ft(Samdo)
S for Samagaon and S for Samdo; it will be time to get to Samdo following a rewarding rest day in Samagaon. Descending to the riverbank of Budhi Gandaki, you will get deeper into the valley. The mountains will become more real and alive as you move along the route. It will take you a couple of hours to reach Samdo. Overnight in Samdo’s teahouse.
Day 18: Rest Day in Samdo.
Samdo will host another rest day, making it the third one in Manaslu Circuit Trek with Tsum Valley. On the day, you will hike to the viewpoints that are near the village. The hike will make you comfortable with the heights, and you will also observe mountain ranges in between. Moreover, the village is an exceptional place for Himalayan Bird Watching as well. After doing all of that, you will get back to Samdo for the nightfall.
Day 19: Trek from Samdo to Dharamsala/Larkya Phedi.
Trek Duration: 4-5 hours
Notable Altitude: 4,450m /14,5796ft(Dharamsala)
Now you will walk to approach Dharamsala, which is also known as Larky La Phedi. En route to the place, you will walk by a Tibetan market, Larke Bazaar, before falling to the riverside. You will get the sights of Larkya Glacier along with traditional monasteries as you move to Dharamsala. From the river, you will join an uphill path to reach Dharamsala. Night in Dharamsala.
Day 20: Trek from Dharamsala to Larke La Pass and then descend to Bimthang.
Trek Duration: 8-9 hours
Notable Altitude: 5,160m/16,924ft(Larkya La Pass)
From Larkya La Phedi or Dharamsala, you will move upwards to the famous mountain pass and the highest point of Manaslu Circuit Trek. It will be a long trekking day as you also have to descend to Bimthang after the mountain pass for the night. So you will try to ascend Larke La Pass early in the morning.
The trail to the top is a little challenging and rough, thanks to the terminal moraines. But the climb and hardship appear worthy as you get to see the view from the top, which is simply breathtaking. How not when you are witnessing peaks like Manaslu, Annapurna, Kang Guru all at once. Afterward, the pinpoint, you will descend to Bimthang through a rough and rocky track. You have to walk slowly and carefully to the village. You can have the mountain panorama from Bimthang as well. And this way, it will become an end to a beautiful day in Bimthang’s teahouse.
Day 21: Trek from Bimthang to Tilije.
Trek Duration: 7-9 hours
Notable Altitude: 2,300m/7544ft(Tilije)
After being in the Manaslu Region for over 20 days and exploring it thoroughly, you will start to head back home. In that stretch, you will descend to Tilije village from Bimthang. You will pave through the way that is by greenfields, terraces, and villages. Most of the trek will be a descending one and hence an easy-peasy one. After walking for around 7 to 9 hours, you will enter the Gurung settlement, Tilije, for the night’s stay.
Day 22: Trek from Tilije to Dharapani and Drive to Besisahar
Trek Duration: 3-4 hours
Drive Duration: 4-5 hours
Notable Altitude: 825m/2,706ft(Besisahar)
As you are heading closer and closer to the end of the expedition, you will trek from Tilije to Dharapani through the Marshyangdi Valley. By noon, you will reach Dharapani by hiking side by side of the Dudh Khola River. And from there, you will attend a jeep drive to get to Besisahar. The ride will be a bumpy one which will last for 4 to 5 hours. As you reach Besisahar, you will feel like you are back in civilization. Overnight in Besisahar.
Day 23: Drive from Besisahar to Kathmandu
Drive Duration: 6-7 hours
Notable altitude: 1,400m/4,500ft(Kathmandu)
Through the winding roads, you will drive back to Kathmandu from Besisahar. It will be the last day of the trip. As you reach Kathmandu, you will enter your hotel in Kathmandu for a rest after doing the Manaslu Adventure successfully. What an adventure and sense of relief it will be!
Day 24: Free and Shopping day at Kathmandu
You can have a free day in Kathmandu to do some leftover touring of the city. Shopping is also not a bad idea in Kathmandu. Farewell dinner with the team will bring an end to the day. Night in Kathmandu
Day 25: Final Departure
The team will assist you in taking you to the airport for your departure. And this way, you will bid a farewell to the team and Nepal.