A twelve-day guided trek into the Tsum Valley, a Tibetan Buddhist valley on the Nepal–Tibet border that opened to trekkers in 2008, walking up the Budhi Gandaki and the Shiar Khola to Mu Gompa (3,700 m) and returning via the Rachen Gompa nunnery.
A twelve-day guided trek into the Tsum Valley, a Tibetan Buddhist valley on the Nepal–Tibet border that opened to trekkers in 2008, walking up the Budhi Gandaki and the Shiar Khola to Mu Gompa (3,700 m) and returning via the Rachen Gompa nunnery.
Tsum is a high, enclosed valley in northern Gorkha, tucked between Ganesh Himal, Shringi Himal and Boudha Himal and running up to the Tibetan border. Its people, the Tsumba, speak a Tibetan dialect and follow Tibetan Buddhism, and the valley stayed closed to outsiders until 2008. It remains a restricted area, so it sees only a small number of trekkers each season.
We start at the road end in Machha Khola and walk up the Budhi Gandaki gorge on the Manaslu Circuit trail as far as Ekle Bhatti, then climb east into Tsum. Lower Tsum, around Lokpa and Chumling, is forested and steep; above Chhokangparo the valley opens into wide barley fields, stone villages and long lines of chortens and mani walls.
The heart of the trek is upper Tsum: Milarepa's Cave, where the poet-saint is said to have meditated, the villages of Lar, Phurbe and Nile, and Mu Gompa, the largest monastery in the valley, at 3,700 m near the border. On the way back we stay at Rachen Gompa, a nunnery, before descending to Chumling, Philim and Machha Khola.
The maximum altitude is modest compared with the big passes, but the days are long, with steep climbs and descents in the lower gorge. Accommodation is in simple family-run teahouses and monastery guesthouses.
This trek suits reasonably fit walkers who are comfortable with five to seven hours on foot a day, several days in a row, on rough and often steep trail. The highest night is at 3,700 m, so altitude is less of a factor than on the big passes, but the climbs out of the Budhi Gandaki gorge to Lokpa and Chumling are steep and the descent on the last two days is long and hard on the knees. Start training two to three months ahead with regular long walks or hikes of four to six hours with a daypack, plenty of hills or stairs, and two or three sessions a week of running, cycling or swimming. Previous multi-day trekking is helpful but not essential.
We leave Kathmandu early and drive west on the Prithvi Highway, turning north at Dhading Besi towards Arughat and Soti Khola. The last section beyond Arughat is a rough dirt road that follows the Budhi Gandaki upstream to Machha Khola, where we stay in a teahouse. Allow 9 to 10 hours for the drive.
We follow the Budhi Gandaki upstream past Khorlabesi and the hot spring at Tatopani, crossing suspension bridges and side streams. Beyond Dobhan the valley narrows into a gorge before we reach the stone-paved village of Jagat, where your guide registers our permits at the conservation area checkpoint.
We climb past Salleri and Sirdibas to the Gurung village of Philim, then on to Ekle Bhatti, where we leave the Manaslu Circuit trail and turn east into the Tsum Valley. A steep climb through pine forest, with views back down the gorge, brings us to Lokpa, the first village of lower Tsum.
The trail drops to the Lungwa Khola and then climbs on a winding path through pine and rhododendron forest above the Shiar Khola gorge. Chumling is a farming village with an old gompa, stone houses and the first views of Shringi Himal across the valley.
We cross the Shiar Khola on a suspension bridge and climb past Rainjam and Gho into upper Tsum, where the valley opens out and Ganesh Himal and Himalchuli come into view. Chhokangparo is a pair of villages, Chhekam and Paro, on a broad, flat shelf of barley fields.
A gentle walk up the valley through Lamagaon, with a stop at Milarepa's Cave, where the Tibetan saint is said to have meditated. We continue past the villages of Lar, Phurbe and Pangdun, crowded with chortens and mani walls, and cross the river to Chule and Nile, the last permanent villages of the upper valley.
We climb through open, arid country towards the Tibetan border to Mu Gompa, the largest monastery in Tsum and the highest point of the trek. The afternoon is free to visit the monastery and walk up to the nearby Dhephyudonma Gompa, with wide views of the peaks around the head of the valley.
We retrace our steps down the valley past Nile and Chule, then walk on to Rachen Gompa, a nunnery where we can watch the evening prayers. Rachen sits above the river close to Lamagaon and the Milarepa cave.
A long descent back through Chhokangparo and Gho, leaving the open upper valley for the forested gorge of lower Tsum. We cross the Shiar Khola again and spend the night in Chumling.
We walk back through Lokpa and descend steeply through forest to Ekle Bhatti, where we rejoin the Budhi Gandaki trail. A short walk downstream brings us to Philim, a large Gurung village surrounded by terraced fields.
Our last and longest walking day is mostly downhill. We pass through Jagat and follow the gorge back down past Dobhan, Tatopani and Khorlabesi to Machha Khola, where the road begins.
We drive back down the Budhi Gandaki on the dirt road to Arughat and then on the highway to Kathmandu, a day of 9 to 10 hours. We drop you at your hotel in the evening.
Permits we arrange: Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit, Manaslu Conservation Area (MCAP)
Tsum is a restricted area. You need the Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit and the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit. The restricted area permit is issued only through a registered trekking agency, and a licensed guide must stay with you throughout. Since March 2026 the Department of Immigration issues the permit to solo travellers too, still with a guide, and one guide may lead at most seven trekkers. We arrange everything in Kathmandu before you set off; permits cannot be bought on the trail. If you want to continue over the Larkya La, the Manaslu Restricted Area Permit and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit are needed as well.
The Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit is charged by the week: from September to November it is USD 40 per person for the first seven days, and from December to August USD 30, with USD 7 per day after the first week in either season. The Manaslu Conservation Area Permit is NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals. Both are included in the trip.
The drive to Machha Khola ends on a rough, unpaved road that can be slow or blocked after heavy rain, especially in the monsoon. The trail through the Budhi Gandaki gorge crosses landslide-prone slopes and long suspension bridges, and your guide may reroute or wait if a section is unsafe.
The highest night is at Mu Gompa, 3,700 m, after a gradual climb through Chhokangparo (3,031 m) and Nile (3,361 m). Most people acclimatise well on this profile, but mild headaches and poor sleep are common above 3,000 m. Drink plenty, walk at a steady pace and tell your guide early about any symptoms.
There are no ATMs on the trail, so bring enough Nepali rupees from Kathmandu for drinks, snacks, showers, charging, monastery donations and tips. Teahouses in Tsum are small and family-run; electricity is mostly solar and charging may cost extra or be unavailable on cloudy days, so carry a power bank. Mobile signal is patchy in the lower gorge and unreliable in upper Tsum.
Tsum is devoutly Buddhist. Walk clockwise around chortens and keep mani walls on your right, remove shoes and hats in monasteries, ask before photographing people or prayer halls, and dress modestly. Animal slaughter is avoided in the valley, so meals are largely vegetarian. Your guide can help you make a small donation at the gompas you visit.
Everything is yours to bring, except items marked “We provide” or “Rent locally”.
Down jacketWe provide
On loan for the trek
Waterproof and windproof shell jacket
Waterproof over-trousers
Fleece or insulated mid-layer
Thermal base layers, top and bottom
Trekking trousers and quick-dry shirts
Long sleeves are better for monastery visits
Warm hat, sun hat and buff
Warm gloves
Broken-in waterproof trekking boots with ankle support
Trekking socks
Four or five pairs
Camp shoes or sandals
Easy to slip off at monastery doors
Sleeping bag rated to about -10 °CWe provide
On loan for the trek
Trekking polesRent locally
Helpful on the steep descents in the gorge
Daypack of 25 to 35 litres with rain cover
Headtorch with spare batteries
Water bottles or bladder, 2 litres in total
Power bank
Charging in Tsum is mostly solar
Sunglasses
Sunscreen SPF 50 and lip balm
Water purification tablets or filter
Personal first-aid kit and blister care
Personal medication
Passport with at least six months' validity and spare passport photos
Travel insurance policy details
Must cover helicopter evacuation
Nepali rupees in cash
No ATMs on the trail
We grade it moderate. There is no high pass and the top altitude is 3,700 m at Mu Gompa, but most days are five to seven hours with steep climbs out of the Budhi Gandaki gorge and a long descent at the end. Good general fitness is enough; previous trekking experience helps.
No. Tsum is a restricted area and a licensed guide must accompany you, with the permit issued through a registered agency. Since March 2026 the permit is available to solo travellers, but the guide rule still applies.
The Tsum Valley Restricted Area Permit and the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit. We arrange both in Kathmandu and the fees are included. We need a scan of your passport and Nepal visa to apply.
Late September to November gives the clearest skies and dry trails, and March to May is also good, with warmer days and flowering rhododendrons in the lower valley. Winter is cold in upper Tsum and some lodges close. The June to August monsoon brings landslides on the road and in the gorge.
Small family-run teahouses with simple twin rooms and shared toilets, and guesthouses at Mu Gompa and Rachen Gompa run by the monasteries. Facilities are more basic than on the Annapurna or Everest trails, and hot showers are not always available.
Yes. We stay at Mu Gompa and Rachen Gompa and visit Chumling Gompa and Milarepa's Cave on the way. Your guide will explain etiquette and help you join morning or evening prayers where the monks and nuns welcome visitors.
Yes. From Ekle Bhatti, on the way out, you can carry on up the Budhi Gandaki to Samagaon and cross the Larkya La to Dharapani. A combined trip takes about three weeks and needs the Manaslu Restricted Area Permit and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit in addition. Ask us for the combined itinerary.
Dal bhat, noodles, potatoes, Tibetan bread, tsampa porridge and eggs are the staples. Menus are shorter than on busier trails, and because animal slaughter is avoided in the valley, meat is rarely served.
Tsum Valley Trek
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