Tsum Valley Trek

The very first day of your trip will be spent traveling to Kathmandu to check into your hotel. An employee of Glorious Himalaya will be waiting for you outside the terminal with a sign bearing your name on it. You and your belongings will be taken to your hotel in Kathmandu. After you have settled into your room at the hotel, you have the option of taking some time to unwind there or venturing out into the surrounding area to become acquainted with it.

Today we will go sightseeing around Kathmandu valley. After breakfast, you will be picked up via private vehicle in your hotel. World heritage sights that we will tour today include the Pashupatinath Temple, Bouddhanath, Swayambhunath and Kathmandu Durbar square.

In the early morning, we will go to the Pashupatinath temple and visit the area around the temple. Considered one of the holiest locations for Hindu’s the temple complex is very large and includes a “Ghat”. A ghat is a riverside cemetery for cremating dead bodies. The main temple is dedicated to lord Shiva with numerous other temples surrounding the area.

Bouddhanath is a large stupa also known as “Khasti Chaitya”. It is one of the largest stupas in the world and the largest dome stupa. The stupa is said to hold the remains of Kassyapa Buddha who lived many eons before the Buddha of our time, Shakyamuni. Numerous monasteries deck the area. Many Tibetan restaurants are nearby where you can have a taste of Tibetan cuisine also.

Swayambhunath is another large stupa said to have been created when Manjusri, the Bidhisattva drained the ancient Lake which filled Kathmandu valley. There is a park surrounding the main stupa and numerous temples and shrines are nearby as well. Three large statues of Amitabha Buddha, Avakokiteshvara and Guru Rinpoche are found in the area.

The last location we visit is the Kathmandu durbar square with a large Bhairava statue and numerous temples and the Hanuman Dhoka museum. The area has a nice ambiance to walk and explore and numerous rooftop restaurants also.

After the tour today we return back to our hotel.

After breakfast, we are picked up at our hotel and driven along the Prithvi Highway toward Soti Khola. After we get to Dhading, we take the road to Hanuman Danda, where we will have lunch. From this spot, we can see Manaslu and Ganesh Himal, which are set against the Trishuli river and the nearby hills.

We go down to the Ankhu river, and crossing the river we keep going up a steep road until we reach a relatively flat area. As we head toward Soti Khola, our destination for the day, we will pass through a number of different villages. Soti Khola is close to the river from which it derives its name.  We’ve been traveling for so long today that we’ve decided to rest as soon as possible after dinner to rest for the trek tomorrow.

We wake up early in the morning to begin our first day of walking. Although there is a dirt road that goes to Maccha Khola, the walk is quite nice and leisurely and prepares us for the longer treks the other days. We walk through the wide dirt road along the river amid terraced farms and village houses. We can stop by one of the villages on the way when we feel hungry or we can trek directly to Maccha Khola. The village is literally called “Fish River” and lies close to the river of the same name.

After having breakfast, we head for Jagat following the same river and passing some gorges of Budi Gandaki River and some lesser cultivated areas. The trekking trail starts from here and goes through beautiful woodlands. After some time the narrow path goes up and down a few small hills, crosses the Tharo Khola, which flows through a rocky gorge, and ends up in Khorlabesi.

After a few more ups and downs, we reach a small hot spring next to the trail. From there, we can get to Tatopani. The trail goes up a rough path to Dovan after crossing a suspension bridge over the Dovan Khola. As we walk on, we cross another suspension bridge over the Yaru Khola and climb the stone stairs to reach Tharo Bharyang. We cross to the west side of the Budhi Gandaki, climb over a ridge, walk along the river, and then climb up to the village of Jagat.

Hanging on to the same river, we will be heading to Lhokpa which is about 7-8 hours trek. The trail goes through narrow valleys and green vegetation. The trek can be good as you can observe the snowy cones of Mt. Ganesh and Mt. Shringi. Overnight at a local tea house with all meals.

After having breakfast, we will leave for Chumling walking for about 3 hours. Still not leaving the same river, we will be walking on the bank of Budi Gandaki River in the same way for Manaslu round trekking. After enjoying lunch on the way, we will hike through a wild lesser-known route of Tsum valley. The trail mostly goes through the forest and some Gurung villages. We will camp at a Gurung village. Overnight at a local tea house with all meals.

From Chumling we trek to Chhokangparo. Upper Tsum valley (part of the Inner Himalaya) open from Chhokangparo.Chhokamparo is a village situated on flat land and made up of two settlements Chhekam and Paro. From the valley, the Ganesh Himal range can be seen directly to the south where it provides superb views of the Baudha and Himal Chuli peaks to the south-west. Some households in this village practice polyandry. Overnight at a local teahouse lodge with full board meals.

Trekking to Lama Gaun takes about 2-3 hours of short walking. The trail goes upwards ascending through the local villages and wider cultivated land and partly through pine forest. After 3 hours we will be at Lama Gaun where we can visit the Milarepa cave monastery which is about 45 minutes’ walk from the campsite. Overnight at a local tea house with all meals.

From Lama Gaon, the trail gradually ascends to Mu Gumba, the largest monastery in this area. Mu Gomba was established in 1895 AD and is situated at an altitude of 3510m. The monastery houses religious books, including Kangyur, a life-sized statue of Avalokiteshwara, and images of Guru Padmasambhava and Tara. Dephyudonma Gumba is one of the oldest monasteries in the Tsum Valley and is situated in the rugged mountains, a 2 hr walk from the village of Chhule and Nile. The history of this monastery is directly associated with the dawn of Buddhism in the valley. The monastery is run by Lama Serap of Nile Ladrang from the Kangin sect. There are a few campsites and drinking water facilities. We bunk out for the night in our lodge with all meals.

Today, we explore the nearby areas at Mu Gumba. We can hike to Rachen Gompa and explore the monastery there also. There are paths that lead to the Tibet border nearby as well. All in all a day spent amidst the mountains relaxing at the monastery is a day well spent.

Today we begin our descent back through the same route. The main village on our descending route is Burgi village where we will stay. Walking through mostly downhills with a few uphills we begin to see the vegetation grow larger once again. Burgi is a small village at about 3245 meters that are on the trails of the Tsum valley trek. In the Tsum valley, this small village is a great place to stop and rest. On top of this hill, you can see Poshyop Glacier, Kipu Himal, and Churke Himal. This spot is well-known for its great views. On the other hand, only a few homestays are available here.

We begin our descent early in the morning along the same route we climbed. Today is a long day of the trek and we make our way through the forest trail now. Lunch can be had at Chhokang Paro where we stayed on our climb up. Today the trek is very long as we descend quite a bit down all the way to Chumling where we stay for the night.

Continuing our descent through the same trail we came back up, we leave Chumling after an early breakfast. We stay at Philim today, one of the villages we passed by earlier when climbing.

Today is the second last day of trekking. We start from Philim and make the 6-7 hour descent to Khorlabesi. We have descended all the way down to 970m and the temperate, climate and weather are completely different. We stay overnight at Khorlabesi.

Today is the final day of trekking. We leisurely stroll down crossing Maccha Khola where we have lunch and reach Soti Khola. We have successfully completed the Tsum valley trek and we can celebrate with snacks and drinks at Soti Khola.

Today, we grab on a bus after breakfast and drive to Kathmandu. We drive through most of the same route descending from Hanuman Danda and grabbing lunch there. Today is the last day we will see the beautiful hills and Himalayas so we enjoy the scenic drive back to Kathmandu. You will be dropped off at your hotel. In the evening, you will celebrate a farewell party with the company representatives.

After the Tsum valley trek is over, it’s time to leave Nepal and go back home. We’ll pick you up three hours before your international flight and take you to the airport. We hope that the time you spend with us in the Central Himalayas will give you memories that you will remember for the rest of your life. You are welcome to stay longer in Nepal if you want to, and the country has a lot of history and culture to offer. Glorious Himalayas hopes your flight goes well and wishes you a safe trip.