Tsum Valley Trek

Upon arrival at Kathmandu airport, you’ll be greeted by a representative from Glorious Himalaya who will transfer you to your hotel. After checking in, take some time to refresh yourself.

Your guide will visit your hotel, introduce himself, and give a briefing about your upcoming Tsum Valley trek.

He’ll also check your trekking gear. Any missing items can be purchased in the Thamel area. Spend the night at the hotel.

Today, we’ll explore the sights of Kathmandu Valley. After breakfast, a private vehicle will pick you up from your hotel. Our itinerary includes UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Pashupatinath Temple, Bouddhanath, Swayambhunath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square.

We’ll start early with a visit to Pashupatinath Temple, a sacred Hindu site with a vast temple complex and a riverside cremation ghat. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it’s an important pilgrimage destination.

Next, we’ll head to Bouddhanath, home to a grand stupa known as “Khasti Chaitya.” This imposing structure is one of the world’s largest stupas, surrounded by monasteries and Tibetan restaurants offering authentic cuisine.

Swayambhunath, or the Monkey Temple, is our next stop. Legend says it was formed when Manjusri drained an ancient lake. The site features a park, shrines, and three significant statues.

Our final destination is Kathmandu Durbar Square, boasting the impressive Kaal Bhairav statue, temples, and the Hanuman Dhoka museum. Take a leisurely stroll through this historic area and enjoy the ambiance.

After the tour, we’ll return to the hotel, concluding our day of exploration.

At 6 am, your guide will collect you from your hotel and transfer to the bus station. From there, we’ll embark on a scenic drive to Machha Khola via Prithivi Highway, along the Trishuli River. After reaching Soti Khola, we’ll change a vehicle for the remaining journey to Machha Khola.

Expect a mix of paved and off-road driving, which is about 8-9 hours. Spend a night at a local teahouse in Machha Khola.

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, about a 6-7 hour 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.

The day kicks off with a trek from Lokpa village, marking the pathway to Tsum Valley. However, the actual entry point to Tsum Valley lies within a deep, slender, and narrow gorge leading to Lokpa. Along this path, you’ll be treated to breathtaking views of Boudha Himal (6,672m) and Ganesh Himal.

As you continue, the route descends into the Lungwa River valley, winding through a dense forest teeming with rhododendron, juniper, and pine. Eventually, you’ll reach Gumling, and shortly after, Syar Khola, close to Chumling village. The short trek allows ample time to explore the three main monasteries of Chumling: Panago Gompa, Mani Dhungyur, and Gurwa Gompa.

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 the Nile takes about 4/5 hours. The trail ascends through the local villages, wider cultivated land, and partly through pine forest. After 4-5 hours we will be at Nile 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 Nile, 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 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. After visiting Mu-Gumpa, we trek back to the Nile.

We begin our hike 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 Chokang 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. After breakfast, we start from Philim and make the 6-7 hour descent to Machha Khola. The trekking route will lead us down to Lapubensi. The descent will be pleasant, with the real excitement from crossing the suspension bridges. Along the way to Lapubensi, you’ll pass through charming villages such as Yaruphant, Dovan, Tatopani, and Khorlabesi before reaching Machha Khola.

Today, we grab a local jeep or bus after breakfast and drive to Kathmandu via Soti Khola. 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.