Tsum Valley trek has the beauty of Tibetan cultural heritage alive where the Tibet's great yogi and Tibet's great poet Milarepa meditated in 11th Century in the caves of Piren Phu where you will be visiting hundreds of years old monasteries and nunneries. Mountain Ram Adventures offers you the hidden gems of Nepal, Tsum valley, in the safe hand of our expert guides and porters. Tsum valley has its own unique meaning and the word " Tsum" was derived from the Tibetan word " Tsombo" which means "vivid" . Truly, it's definitely the vivid region to visit. Tsum valley is also known as the Beyul Kyimolung, as Guru Rimpochhe described, "the holy hidden valley of Happiness". No doubt, it's the hidden holy place where everyone is happy even though life is hard and people have difficulties in accessing to the cities to get their commodities.
Tsum valley trek, in a scenic perspective, is gorgeous with the beautiful mountains around ,Ganesh Himal range, and the forest along the way. Tsum valley trek starts from Arughat or bit further up Sotikhola which is sub tropical area with very hot weather. You will be trekking through the tropical forest to alpine forest where you will be seeing the wild life, flora and fauna with the greater perspective. Most importantly, you will be walking thought the villages of Hindus and Nepalese Buddhist and suddenly you will be experiencing the Tibetan life style which of course amazes you. People in Tsum valley mostly depend on agriculture and grazing herds of yak, trading with Tibet. Tsum valley being in 3700 meters has its alpine beauty to admire you too.
To forget that you are living in 21st Century, you should once visit Tsum Valley even though you don't have time enough to trek, you can have helicopter ride which Mountain Ram Adventures happily organizes. Tsum valley is recently opened tourism to explore authentic traditional culture which is definitely the hidden beauty of Nepal.
The members of Mountain Ram Adventures will be waiting for your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport. The members will be transferring you to your Hotel located at Thamel via a private car and will be helping you with the check in procedure and baggage. After checking in you can freshen up and rest or explore the touristic hub Thamel filled with Cafes, Pubs, Restaurants, Souvenir shops and many more. You can also purchase or rent any gear for your trek to the Tsum Valley.
The valley of Kathmandu is a heaven for culture and history enthusiasts as the valley boasts a total of 7 different UNESCO World Heritage sites and on the 2nd day of the trip we will be exploring 4 of the sites after having our breakfast. You will be assisted by an English speaking cultural guide who will share with you the historical and cultural details associated with the monuments. The sight seeing tour will likely be completed around 5PM after which we will be dropping you off at your hotel. Freshen up and explore the city for a bit as you will be meeting with the Mountain Ram Adventures team where we will be going through the list of essentials to ensure you are ready for the trip.
Highlights of The Sightseeing Trip
On the 3rd day of our trip we will be heading out from the capital city towards Machha Khola via Prithivi Highway. The journey is an enjoyable one as the views are majestic. The views of the lush green forests are compensated by the glimpses of the High Himalayas at times including the likes of Mount Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and the Mountain of the Langtang himalayan range. The road is filled with curves and twists yet providing spectacular views. We can also enjoy the views of the Trishuli River until we reach Bahuntar, Benighat from which we will be crossing the Trishuli river and then heading along the off-road trail alongside the Budhi Gandaki river. The offroad trail takes us to Machhe Khola where we will be staying for the night.
The trek from Machha Khola to Jagat marks the first day of our trek to the Tsum Valley. We will trek through narrow paths which are filled with comfortable ascends and descends. The journey takes us through the lush green forests filled with intimidating bold sounds of the Budhi Gandaki River. We will be passing through TatoPani, Dobhan, Yaruphant and other small scattered settlements leading to Jagat which is a small Gurung settlement. We will be settling for the night at Jagat.
As we will be entering the Manaslu Conservation area we are required to show our permits to the officials at Salleri checkpost to continue our trek towards the Hidden Valley. We will be heading toward Lokpa passing through beautiful landscapes greeted with glimpses of the Himalayas. We will be crossing the Budhi Gandaki River via the suspension bridge from Sirdibas and then crossing the settlements of Philim and Ekle Bhatti (Chisapani). The trekking trail of the Tsum Valley and Manaslu trek separates before reaching Lokpa which is the first settlement of the Tsum valley region. We can enjoy the scenic views of the Boudha Himal and Himalchuli from the settlement of Lokpa where we will be staying for the night.
The trek from Lokpa to Chumling is an enjoyable one as we will be trekking through the Pine and Rhododendron forest. We will be descending towards the Siyar Khola Suspension bridge and ascend back to the settlement of Chumling where we will be spending the night. The hike on the 6th day of our journey is not a tiring one and we will have enough spare time to explore some monasteries around the Chumling village. The Guruwa Gumba and Panago Gumba are the notable gumbas you can explore during your stay at Chumling.
On the 7th day of our trip we will be entering the upper regions of the Tsum valley which begins from the settlement of Chhekam Paro. The journey from Chumling is an uphill journey passing through the biggest settlement of the region Domje. We will be crossing a landslide area during the trek to Chhekam Paro. If the weather is clear then we will be greeted with the sites of the bold snow capped mountains like Himal Chuli (7893 M), Ganesh Himal( 7422 M), Shringi Himal(7161 M) and a few others. We will be staying at the village of Chhekampar village.
Our journey from Chhekampar to Mu Gompa begins after a hearty breakfast. We will be trekking through beautiful terrains filled with majestic views of the Himalayas alongside the farmlands of the locals. The trek is a comfortable journey of around 6-7 hours with around 690 M elevation gained. We will be enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the upper Tsum Valley while also exploring the Ranchen Gomba and the Milarepa Cave also known as the Phiren Phu cave where the Budhhist scholar Milarepa meditated while he was traveling around Tibet and Nepal. The Mu gumba is the furthest point of the Tsum Valley trek and is also the biggest Gompa of the area. To reach the Mu Gompa we will also be passing through the beautiful Yak Pastures before reaching the final destination of Mu Gompa where we will be staying the night.
Quick fact about Milarepa:
According to the locals of Tsum Valley when Milarepa was a child his father passed away which built a lot of resentment in his heart for the world. He started to learn some black magic (Kalo Mantra) and started troubling the people of his village. Then one day a Lama visited Milarepa and taught him about his actions having negative consequences to the villagers after which Milarepa started to rehabilitate himself and engaged in meditation and started devoting himself to Buddhism, he soon started to travel to different parts of Tibet and Nepal during which he visited the Tsum valley and Meditated in a cave in Tsum valley which is now called the Milarepa cave or the Phiren Phu cave which also contains the footprints of Milarepa.
After enjoying the beautiful sunrise of the high Himalayas we will be trekking back through the same route towards Chhekampar. The trek to Chhekampar will be a comfortable descending one as we will be again passing through the Yak pastures and farmlands of the locals enjoying the scenic views of the Himalayas.we will be staying in Chhekampar for the night.
The trek from Chhekampar to Gumba Lunding is a 6-7 hours journey of around 14 KM. We will be passing through the same route we came up to Gho and Rhenjam from where we will be heading towards Tumje through a descending trail then after crossing the Suspension Bridge we will ascend through the lush green forest which eventually leads us to Gompa Longdang where we will be spending the night.
The trek from Gumba Lungdang will be a long journey as we will be trekking to Ganesh Himal base camp and then return back to Gumba Lungdan for the night. The trek from the Gumba Lungdang takes us through the Torogumba Kharka basecamp towards the Ganesh Himal Base camp. Also we will be trekking alongside the Thorogumba Glacier which makes a spectacular sight to behold. After trekking alongside the glacier we will eventually reach the Ganesh Himal Base camp. We will then explore the Base camp and then will be heading towards Gumba Lungdang.
The trek from Gumba Lungdang takes us back to familiar tracks filled with beautiful Rhododendron forest. We will be trekking down to Tumje and will be ascending a bit towards the settlement of Chumling after crossing the suspension bridge at Tumje. The trek on the 12th day will take around 6-7 Hours. We will be staying in Chumling for the night.
The trek from Chumling begins after enjoying the views of the Ganesh Himal Range. The trek from Chumling to Philim is a downhill descent and is a comfortable journey through the lush green subalpine forest with rugged paths. We will be crossing the Siyar Khola via a suspension bridge. We will be crossing the settlements of Ekle bhatti before reaching Philim. If you want to continue to trek then you can also go to Jagat which takes around 1 additional hour to reach.
The trek from Philim to Machha Khola will be the last day of our trek and the longest distance trekked of the entire trip as we will be covering distance of around 25 KM the trek is a descent trek and a comfortable one as we will be passing through the settlements of Sirdibas Bazaar, Nagjet, Jagat, Doban, Tatopani and Machhakhola. The trek will be around 5-6 hours long. There is also a natural hot spring in Tatopani so you can soak in it for a while to destress a bit and head towards Machha Khola afterwards where we will be staying for the Night.
The trip is coming to an end as we will be heading towards Kathmandu on a scenic path in a 4WD. The drive from Machha Khola to Kathmandu takes 7-8 hours if there is no traffic. After reaching Kathmandu we will be dropping you at your designated Hotel freshen up then relax or explore the city. In the evening the Mountain Ram Adventures team will be hosting a farewell dinner where we will be providing a certificate of recognition for completing the trek with the team. After dinner, have a well deserved rest.
As your trip is concluded the team members will be arriving in your hotel for handling your checkout procedure and will be transferring you to the Tribhuvan International Airport in a private car. We will be assisting you with your luggages and will be dropping you at the airport around the security check in time. Share with us your experience and provide us with feedback so that we can provide even far more better services during our next trip with you to the mesmerizing Himalayas.
An elevated point of 5416m. You will be mountain climbing in the main on well established trails. Come and join a Great adventure trip.
The Tsum valley trek takes us through the North Central Himalayas of Nepal within the Restricted Area of Tsum valley and Manaslu Conservation Area. The trek provides spectacular views of the High Himalayas as well as the culture of the locals who follow the teachings of Buddhism and are of Tibetan origin.
You should prefer the Tsum Valley trek over other trekking routes as the trek not only offers you the spectacular views of the High Himalayas it also offers you a chance to fully immerse yourself within the authentic Tibetan culture preserved through generations by the Locals who are mostly Buddhist and are of Tibetan origin.
Yes, there is quite a high chance of spotting animals and birds which are native to the Himalayas so carrying binoculars for the trek can come handy. Around 33 species of mammals which includes Himalayan Blue Sheep, Snow Leopards, Musk Deer, Brown Bear, Jackal, Wooly Hare. The region also boasts around 110 Species of Birds, 11 species of Butterflies and 3 species of Reptiles.
The Best season to trek in the Hidden Valley is during the months of September, October, November (Autumn season) and March, April and May (Spring season). The trek can be done all around the year but inorder to experience the best of nature and culture the Autumn season and Spring season are perfect.
No, there are no ATMs in the trekking routes of the Tsum valley. The ATMs and money exchange services are available in Kathmandu so the trekkers are requested to withdraw or exchange the required amount in Nepalese currency for personal expenses, gratitudes and others accordingly.
The max altitude of the trek is 3774M at Ganesh Himal Base camp so the risk of getting altitude sickness is quite low yet the chances are not zero. The trekkers should be aware of their surroundings and inform their guides and porters if they face any difficulty in breathing or lightheadedness.
The Mountain Ram Adventures team will provide you with a shortlist for all the necessary essentials including clothing, gear, electronics and other essentials which are required for the trip. Before the trip begins you can purchase or rent the essentials from vendors and shops of Thamel.
Yes, licensed guides are compulsory for any trek within the protected areas of Nepal as per the amendment of the policies by the Government of Nepal in 2023. The Mountain Ram Adventures will provide you with expert guides and porters( 1 porter for 2 trekkers 10 KG each) who are well versed with the terrains of the hidden valley. Yes, the guides can communicate fluently in English providing you the necessary information effectively.
Yes, the Tsum valley trek can be easily done as your first trek as the trails are not so challenging with steady inclines and declines as well as you will be assisted by professional guides and porters along the way who will assist you for your trip making it a comfortable journey.
During your trek to the Tsum Valley you can leave your luggages at the Mountain Ram Adventures office or store it in your designated hotel where it will be safe. You can collect your luggages after returning back from your trip.
Yes, there are some threats of Landslides during the trek as we will be trekking along some landslide areas but you don't need to worry much about it as your guides and porters are there to assess the situation during your trek for your safety. If you decide to trek during the Monsoon/ Summer season or Winter Season the threat of landslides and Avalanches drastically increases causing hardship during the trek.
Currently there are no health restrictions to visit Nepal but we suggest you to be up to date with the policies of the country as we will be relaying information to you if any changes are made and we also suggest you to check the Department of Immigration of Nepal for any amendments in the polices. Make sure to also check the policies of the airlines and transit countries for a comfortable journey to Nepal.
The licensed guides are medically trained to handle any situation and are also equipped with First-Aid kits in case of any emergencies. The guides will take care of your wellbeing as best as they can and if further medical attention is required then the guides will be calling for an emergency evacuation via land or air.
Yes, drinking water is available during the trek. You can fill up your flasks and bottles at scattered settlements of the locals throughout the trails. Do not drink water directly from the water sources and taps as it might cause indigestion and other health complications.
The Tsum Valley trek itinerary designed by the Mountain Ram Adventures is an off beat journey of around 120-150 KM in the Gorkha District of North Central Nepal. The average walking distance per day ranges from 11-14 KM with an average trekking of around 6 hours per day. The trek is designed meticulously by the team members to ensure the safety and physical wellbeing of the trekkers.
During the trek which takes place within the Tsum Valley restricted area we can enjoy the stunning views of the high Himalayas from the Mansiri Himalayan Range and Ganesh Himal Range
● Mansiri Himalayan Range: Mount Manaslu (8156M), Himal Chuli (7893M)
● Ganesh Himal Range: Ganesh Himal I ( 7429M), Ganesh HImal II (7111M), Ganesh Himal III (7110M) , Ganesh Himla IV (7052M), Yangra South (6863M).