Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit Trek - 19 Days | Hidden Valley Expedition

Trek Highlights

• 19-day private trek combining the Manaslu Circuit with the Tsum Valley side trip. The classical Manaslu route plus the sacred valley most operators skip.
• Tsum Valley is a sacred Tibetan Buddhist valley closed to outsiders until 2008. Five working monasteries, including the famous Mu Gompa, and a culture that has not been touched by mass tourism.
• Crosses the Larkya La Pass (5,160m) like the standard Manaslu Circuit. Restricted Area Permits handled (2-person minimum + registered guide + special permits required by Nepal government law).
• Private guide and porter ratio that does not change based on group size. No shared-group surcharge gimmicks.
• 10% deposit to lock dates, balance paid in person in Kathmandu. No full prepayment required to a foreign trekker you have never met.
• Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center work at Saldum, where 70 children are taught by one dedicated teacher.

Why I built this trek the way I did

I am Shreejan, the founder of The Everest Holiday. My family is from Gorkha, the district that the Manaslu Circuit walks through. Tsum Valley sits at the northern edge of Gorkha district, against the Tibetan border, and it was closed to foreign visitors until 2008. The 19-day Tsum plus Manaslu trek is for people who want both: the high pass of the Manaslu Circuit and the deeper cultural immersion of a Tibetan Buddhist valley most operators never visit.

The trek starts on the standard Manaslu route through Soti Khola and Jagat. At Lokpa we branch north into Tsum Valley for 5 days: Chumling, Chhokangparo, Nile, Mu Gompa. You sleep in working monasteries, meet nuns and monks, and walk a side valley that feels physically and culturally like Tibet because that is exactly what it is. Then we backtrack to the main Manaslu trail at Lokpa and continue up to Samagaun, Samdo, Dharamsala, and over the Larkya La (5,160m) to descend into the Marsyangdi valley and Annapurna.

Manaslu and Tsum are both Restricted Area Permit zones. By Nepal government law you need a 2-person minimum, a registered guide, and the special permits. We handle all of that. The 2-person minimum is the reason we cannot run this as a solo trek. If you are travelling alone we will hold dates until we can pair you with one other client.

We run this as a private trek only. No shared-group commitment beyond the 2-person legal minimum. Your pace, your rest days, your conversations at dinner. We do not change the guide-to-porter ratio when the group is smaller. Your guide and porter are with you whether you are two people or six.

Every booking on this trip helps us pay the teacher’s salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum, where 70 children get free education. The salary is currently funded out of my own pocket. Your trek is what makes that sustainable.

“We chose the longer route including Tsum Valley and do not regret it for a moment. The children in the villages were wonderful and the mountain scenery rivals anything I have seen in Switzerland. Our guide was born in this region and his local knowledge added so much to the experience.”

— Anna Schmidt · Verified Google Review, September 2025 · ★★★★★

The monks are chanting when you arrive. You have walked for days through gorges and forests to reach this place, a valley so hidden that the outside world did not know it existed until cartographers mapped it in the 1950s. Chhokang Paro sits at the foot of a white cliff, its flat-roofed stone houses arranged around a gompa where the Shyagya tradition of non-violence has been practiced for over 500 years. Children wave from doorsteps. Prayer wheels turn in the stream. A woman in a striped apron offers you salted butter tea. And then, days later, you are somewhere else entirely: standing on Larkya La at 5,160 metres, wind screaming across the col, Manaslu's south face towering overhead, the glacier falling away beneath your boots. This is the Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit combined, two of Nepal's most extraordinary experiences stitched into one 19-day journey.

The route follows the Budhi Gandaki river from Soti Khola into the Manaslu restricted area, then detours east into the sacred Tsum Valley (known in Tibetan Buddhist texts as Beyul Kyimolung, a hidden paradise). You explore Chhokang Paro, Nile, Mu Gompa and Rachen Gompa before returning to the main Manaslu trail and continuing through Namrung, Shyala, Sama Gaon, and Samdo to cross Larkya La Pass (5,160m / 16,929ft). The descent through Bhimtang to Dharapani completes the circuit. No other trek in Nepal offers this combination: a sacred Buddhist valley untouched by tourism alongside one of the Himalayas' great high-pass crossings, all within a single restricted area.

What Makes This Trek Special

• Enter Tsum Valley, a sacred Buddhist beyul (hidden valley) that was closed to foreigners until 2008 and still receives fewer than 1,500 visitors per year, where the Shyagya tradition prohibits the killing of any living creature
• Visit Mu Gompa (3,700m), one of the highest and most remote Buddhist monasteries in Nepal, where nuns have lived in meditation for centuries beneath the Tibetan border peaks
• Cross Larkya La (5,160m / 16,929ft), the Manaslu Circuit's defining pass, with sunrise views across the Annapurna range and the massive west face of Manaslu
• Experience TWO distinct Tibetan Buddhist cultures: the Tsumba people of Tsum Valley, who trace their lineage to medieval Tibetan nobility, and the Nubri people of the upper Budhi Gandaki, whose monasteries rival those of central Tibet
• Walk through Chhokang Paro, Tsum Valley's largest settlement, where ancient mani walls stretch for hundreds of metres, and the pace of life has not changed in generations
• Trek beneath the south face of Manaslu (8,163m), hearing avalanches thunder from hanging glaciers while you rest at Sama Gaon's stone-walled tea shops
• Complete the most complete Manaslu experience possible: sacred valley, high pass, two cultures, and 19 days of walking through a landscape that shifts from subtropical jungle to high alpine glaciers

19-Day Tsum Valley + Manaslu Circuit Overview

Nineteen days. Two cultures. One glacial pass. One sacred valley. This trek is for people who want more than a highlight reel. The Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit combination gives you two entirely different Himalayan experiences in a single journey, connected by the same river valley but separated by centuries of distinct cultural evolution.

The first section follows the Budhi Gandaki from Soti Khola through the gorge, past Jagat and Lokpa, and then branches east into the Tsum Valley. Over several days, you walk through the Nile and Chhokang Paro to reach Mu Gompa (3,700m), a remote nunnery beneath the peaks that mark the Tibetan border. The valley is unlike anywhere else in Nepal: no bars, no internet cafes, no tourist infrastructure beyond basic teahouses. The people here follow the Shyagya tradition of non-violence, which means that no one harms any animal within the valley. The food is vegetarian. The silence is profound. Buddhist texts describe Tsum as Beyul Kyimolung, a hidden paradise revealed only in times of profound need.

After Tsum, you retrace your steps to the main Budhi Gandaki trail and continue north through Namrung, Shyala, Sama Gaon and Samdo. The culture shifts from Tsumba to Nubri. The architecture changes. The dialect changes. Even the butter tea tastes different. From Samdo, you cross Larkya La (5,160m / 16,929ft) before dawn, descend through Bhimtang's alpine meadows, and reach Dharapani, where the road back to Kathmandu begins.

The itinerary builds in acclimatization naturally. The Tsum Valley detour keeps you at moderate altitude (3,000-3,700m) for several days, giving your body time to adjust before you push above 4,000m on the main circuit. By the time you reach Samdo and face the Larkya La crossing, you have had more acclimatization time than trekkers doing the standard 12-day circuit. This makes the 19-day itinerary both more thorough and safer.

Arrive by 4:00 PM on Day One

Please arrive in Kathmandu by 4 PM the day before your trek. This gives you time for a final gear check, a briefing with your guide, and a good night's rest before the long drive to Soti Khola the following morning.

Online Trip Briefing

After you book, we schedule a video call to walk you through both sections of this trek: what to expect in the Tsum Valley (including the non-violence tradition and appropriate behavior), what the Larkya La crossing day involves, how the teahouse accommodation compares between the two sections, and anything else on your mind. The call is also when you share your Kathmandu hotel preferences so we can arrange accommodation that fits your budget.

Note to Hikers

Both the Tsum Valley and the Manaslu Circuit are restricted-area treks. You must travel with an organised group (minimum two trekkers) and hold special permits, which we arrange as part of your package. The Tsum Valley section involves moderate walking at relatively low altitude (up to 3,700m) with no technical terrain. The Manaslu Circuit section, particularly the Larkya La crossing, is significantly more demanding. Read the difficulty section below carefully.

Kathmandu Accommodation

Your hotel in Kathmandu is not included in the trek package. During the online briefing, tell us what you prefer, and we will arrange it. Kathmandu offers everything from budget guesthouses in Thamel to luxury hotels with views of the Boudhanath Stupa. Your trek package begins the moment you leave the city.

Compare Our Three Packages

Himalayas for Every Budget. You will receive the same expert guides and the same safety, with three comfort levels to choose from. Every tier includes all permits (Manaslu Restricted Area Permit, Tsum Valley Permit, ACAP, and TIMS), a Nepal government well-trained guide, airport transfers and 24/7 emergency support. Note: accommodation in both the Tsum Valley and upper Manaslu Circuit is more basic than in the Everest or Annapurna routes. At higher elevations and in the Tsum Valley, all tiers share the best available lodge. Hot showers are unavailable above Sama Gaon and throughout much of the Tsum Valley.

Difficulty: Strenuous (4.5 out of 5)

This is a long, demanding trek. Nineteen days of walking through two restricted areas, reaching a maximum altitude of 5,160 metres at Larkya La. The Tsum Valley section is moderate (up to 3,700m, no technical terrain, 4-6 hours of walking per day), but the Manaslu Circuit section is significantly harder. The pass crossing day involves 8 to 10 hours of walking over snow, moraine and loose rock, starting before dawn in freezing temperatures.

The length of the trek itself is a challenge. Nineteen consecutive days of walking, even with rest days built in, requires sustained fitness and mental endurance. The trail between Jagat and Deng includes narrow sections carved into cliff faces. Altitude sickness is a genuine concern above 4,000 metres. Our guides carry pulse oximetres and monitor your condition daily. Previous high-altitude trekking experience is strongly recommended. Travel insurance with helicopter evacuation cover is mandatory.

The longest restricted-area trek funds the longest school year

Combining the Tsum Valley with the Manaslu Circuit makes this our longest restricted-area trek. Both regions require separate Nepalese permits and a minimum of two trekkers by law. The pricing reflects all of that, and a fixed share of every nineteen-day booking goes to the Nagarjun Learning Center — the village school in Saldum that my family runs. Around seventy children attend on free places, and the school provides two hot meals a day. It is a registered Nepalese charity and listed on the UN Partner Portal. A nineteen-day combined Tsum + Manaslu booking covers more than a full year of one child’s school.