- Length
- 16 days
- Highest point
- 3,700 m
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Starts
- Arughat / Soti Khola
- Group size
- 2–10 People
- Sleeping
- Tea House / Home Stay
A hidden Tibetan Buddhist valley sealed from the modern world — 16 days in Tsum Valley reveals sacred monasteries, ancient pilgrim routes, and a living culture unchanged for centuries.
- Tsum Valley — a Tibetan Buddhist 'hidden land' undisturbed for centuries
- Mu Gompa — the valley's largest active monastery with centuries-old Buddhist murals
- Rachen Gompa (nunnery) — Tibetan female monastery high in the upper valley
- Ganesh Himal (7,422 m) and Baudha Himal dominate the skyline throughout
- Milarepa cave site — sacred pilgrimage spot in Chhekampar village
- Medieval stone villages of Chhekampar, Nile, and Gho — authentically unchanged
- No mobile signal, no crowds — Nepal's ultimate wilderness solitude
- Restricted area permit limits visitors to under 3,000 per year
The climb, day by day
Day 1Arrive Kathmandu (1,400 m)1,400 m
Arrive in Kathmandu and transfer to your hotel in Thamel. Evening briefing covering Tsum Valley permits, culture, and trek logistics. The Tsum Valley requires a special Tsum Valley Restricted Area permit in addition to the Manaslu Conservation Area permit.
- Distance
- –
- Walking
- –
- Meals
- –
- Night
- Hotel
Day 2Drive Kathmandu → Soti Khola (700 m)700 m
Drive northwest through Gorkha and Arughat Bazar along the Budhi Gandaki valley. Soti Khola is the trailhead for the Tsum Valley approach. First permit checkpoint here — have all restricted area permits ready for inspection.
- Distance
- –
- Walking
- 7–8 hours drive
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 3Soti Khola → Machha Khola (900 m)900 m
Begin trekking through tropical forest and Gurung farming settlements along the Budhi Gandaki river. Multiple suspension bridges cross the churning river. The trail is well-marked but narrow through the gorge.
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 5–6 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 4Machha Khola → Lokpa (2,080 m)2,080 m
At Khorlabesi the trail diverges from the main Manaslu Circuit and heads north into the Shar Khola drainage toward Tsum. Steep climb through terraced fields and forest to Lokpa — a warm, welcoming village with a small gompa.
- Distance
- 18 km
- Walking
- 6–7 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 5Lokpa → Chhokopokhari (3,031 m)3,031 m
Cross the Shar Khola and enter the Tsum Valley. Magnificent views of Ganesh Himal (7,422 m) emerge ahead. Pass through Lamagaun village and climb through mixed forest to Chhokopokhari, where the Tibetan cultural landscape begins in earnest.
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 5–6 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 6Chhokopokhari → Nile (3,361 m)3,361 m
Trek through the heart of the Tsum Valley with ancient prayer walls, chortens, and fluttering prayer flags lining the route. Stone-carved mani walls some hundreds of metres long are among the longest in Nepal. Nile is a prosperous village with a beautifully maintained gompa.
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 4–5 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 7Nile → Mu Gompa (3,700 m)3,700 m
Continue up the narrowing valley through dramatic cliffs and gorge sections to the high plateau of Mu Gompa. This ancient monastery dating to the 9th century is the spiritual centre of the Tsum Valley — its resident lamas conduct daily ritual ceremonies.
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 4–5 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 8Mu Gompa — Upper Tsum Exploration3,700 m
A full day to explore the sacred upper valley. Hike to Rachen Gompa (3,800 m) nunnery for sweeping mountain views, or ascend the ridge toward Ngala Dhojhyang (4,600 m) for a panorama of Ganesh Himal and the Tibet plateau. Receive a blessing from the resident lamas.
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 4–5 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 9Mu Gompa → Nile (3,361 m)3,361 m
Begin the return trek south through the Tsum Valley. The downhill journey passes familiar landmarks with new perspectives. Stop at Chhule Gompa for a final look at upper Tsum's sacred landscape before descending.
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 3–4 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 10Nile → Chhokopokhari → Lokpa (2,080 m)2,080 m
Descend through Chhokopokhari and the lower Tsum Valley, retracing your steps to Lokpa. The return journey feels faster as you descend through the altitude gradient. Evening at Lokpa.
- Distance
- 16 km
- Walking
- 5–6 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 11Lokpa → Jagat (1,410 m)1,410 m
Descend from Lokpa back to the main Budhi Gandaki trail and continue to Jagat. Register at the Manaslu Restricted Area checkpoint. The descent from subtropical Tsum back to the hot river gorge is dramatic.
- Distance
- 20 km
- Walking
- 6–7 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 12Jagat → Machha Khola (900 m)900 m
Retrace the Budhi Gandaki gorge southward through the same dramatic canyon you entered on Day 3. The river feels familiar now, but the subtropical vegetation and warmth after high-altitude Tsum is a welcome change.
- Distance
- 17 km
- Walking
- 5–6 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 13Machha Khola → Soti Khola (700 m)700 m
Final trekking day, returning through tropical forest and Gurung villages to Soti Khola trailhead. Your jeep will be waiting for the long drive back to Kathmandu. Final permit check at the park boundary.
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 4–5 hours
- Meals
- B, L, D
- Night
- Tea House
Day 14Drive Soti Khola → Kathmandu1,400 m
Long drive back to Kathmandu through Arughat and Gorkha. Arrive in Kathmandu by evening for a celebration dinner and reflection on the extraordinary cultural and natural riches of the Tsum Valley.
- Distance
- –
- Walking
- 7–8 hours drive
- Meals
- B
- Night
- Hotel
Day 15Free Day Kathmandu1,400 m
Full free day in Kathmandu for rest, shopping, and sightseeing. Visit Boudhanath Stupa (whose Tibetan Buddhist culture mirrors much of what you saw in Tsum) or explore Durbar Square and Pashupatinath.
- Distance
- –
- Walking
- –
- Meals
- B
- Night
- Hotel
Day 16Departure Day1,400 m
Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for your departure flight. Your Tsum Valley journey — one of Nepal's most culturally intact hidden valleys — comes to a close.
- Distance
- –
- Walking
- –
- Meals
- B
- Night
- Hotel
The price includes
- Manaslu Restricted Area Permit (US$100/7 days + US$15/extra day Sep–Nov, US$75/7 days + US$10/extra day Dec–Aug)
- Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit (US$40 per person for 7 days Sep–Nov, US$30 Dec–Aug, + $7/extra day)
- Manaslu Conservation Area Entry Permit
- TIMS card
- Government-registered guide (mandatory for restricted area)
- Porter (1 per 2 trekkers)
- Kathmandu–Soti Khola/Arughat jeep or bus
- Return transport to Kathmandu (Dharapani/Beshisahar)
- All teahouse accommodation on trek
- 3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- All government taxes and service charges
You pay separately
- International airfare to/from Kathmandu
- Nepal entry visa fee ($30–$50 on arrival)
- Comprehensive travel insurance with emergency evacuation
- Meals not listed in daily itinerary
- Personal trekking gear and equipment
- Tips for guides and porters
- Beverages, hot showers, and battery charging at teahouses (payable direct)
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
- Any costs arising from illness, injury, or early departure
The Tsum Valley is Nepal's most culturally intact Himalayan destination — a hidden pocket of Tibetan Buddhist civilisation tucked into a remote valley north of the Budhi Gandaki river that was closed to foreigners until 2008. In the 15 years since opening, fewer than 20,000 foreign trekkers have entered the valley. The Tsum people speak their own Tibetan dialect, dress in traditional chuba, and maintain a living Buddhist culture — monasteries, mani walls, prayer-flag-strung ridgelines, sky-burial sites — that has not been adjusted for tourist consumption. It is as close to pre-modern Tibetan highland culture as it is possible to get in Nepal today.
The 16-day itinerary approaches via Arughat and the Budhi Gandaki gorge (shared with the Manaslu Circuit approach), branching northwest into Tsum at Lokpa. The valley ascends through terraced barley fields and juniper forest to the upper valley at Mu Gompa (3,960 m) — the spiritual heart of Tsum, with a walled monastery complex containing some of the finest 15th-century murals in Nepal. Nile village, the highest permanent settlement, sits at 4,200 m at the foot of the Tibetan border peaks. The descent retraces the valley before returning to the roadhead at Arughat for the Kathmandu drive.
Tsum Valley is a restricted area — mandatory licensed guide required; independent trekking not permitted.
What Makes Tsum Valley Different from Other Treks
Most popular trekking routes in Nepal are landscapes with culture as a backdrop. Tsum Valley is culture as the foreground, with the landscape as backdrop. The monasteries, sky burials, annual Tsum festival (Lha Chu), and daily rhythms of the Tsum people are the experience — the mountain scenery is a bonus. If you have done the Annapurna Circuit or EBC and are ready for something completely different, Tsum Valley is the answer.
Best seasons: October–November and March–May. Permit: Tsum Valley restricted area permit (included). Max altitude: Mu Gompa 3,960 m / Nile 4,200 m.