Manaslu Tsum Valley and Larkya La Pass Trek

When arriving at Tribhuvan Internation Airport (TIA) in Katmandu, you will be met by the Nepal Adventure Team member holding our company’s signboard. After that, you will be taken and transferred to your respective hotel. Depending on the time, it is possible to go for a stroll and get familiar with Thamel – the tourist area of ​​Kathmandu. In the evening you will have dinner at a welcome dinner banquet hosted by the Nepal Adventure Team at an authentic Nepalese restaurants. There, you will have a chance to taste the real Nepali cuisine, as well as watch folk dances.

After a hearty breakfast, you get an organized city tour to see several attractions in Kathmandu, namely historical and cultural as well as world heritage sites. First of all, you go to Durbar Square to watch ancient building and to learn about Newari life. Subsequently, you visit the most important Nepalese Shrine; the Lord Pashupatinath & also the Monkey Temple Known as Swoyambhunath by the Buddhists. Last is the Boudhanath Stupa, which is a very large stupa in Kathmandu Valley. At the end of the tour, there is a pre-trip meeting where you get to know your trek leader and crew and also learn more about the trek ahead and time for general questions.

You start from Kathmandu where early in the morning, you head for Machha Khola passing through Gorkha and Arughat. Take a silent drive in the rich green slopes of hills and some beautiful Nepalese villages before you get Dhading Besi (1050m) which is the administrative headquarters of the Dhading District on black topped road only. After Dhading Besi, the road stretches out and it becomes dusty and muddy with an uneven surface throughout. There is no direct buses to Machha Khola from Arughat so you make a transit and you continue your trip by public jeep. However, you can also transit in Dhading Besi which is approximately 930 meters and can be reached by a local bus. Thus, after 7-8 hours continuous driving with some stops for few times, you reach the destination at Soti Khola where you will be staying for the night.

You will be proceeding to Jagat which is quite about 6-7 hours trek on foot from here. The first hike is a moderately challenging path, in approximately 1 and a half hours, you arrive at Khorla Besi village that stands at 960 meters above sea level. This is almost a 6-hour trek starting from Khorla Besi, but you get to Tatopani within an hour which is famous for its hot spring for a brief bath. After a cup of tea, the route gradually proceeds towards Dovan, which is at 1000 meters above sea level and a halt is taken for lunch. After lunch, you start walking for Yauraphat and proceed on your track until you come to Jagat, a broad space leading on the western part of Budhi Gandaki.

Getting up after taking breakfast in the restaurant of Jagat, you can replace it with a fascinating walk along the sand trim. Your trail will begin its descend to Sirdibas which lies at an altitude of 1430m. Turning left and proceeding further in upstream, you will get a suspension bridge on the bank. On the other side, there across the bridge, one will find a village known as Philim with an altitude of 1590 meters and the inhabitants are mostly the Gurungs. Continuing the journey north beyond Philim, visitor gets to Ekle Bhatti which is at the altitude of 1600 meters. Subsequently, crossing over a pine forest area and a spiral trail leads to the place known as Lokpa nestling at 2040 meters above the sea level. The first part of the Annapurna circuit trek offers stunning view of Himchuli (7893 m) and Ganesh Himal (7422 m). The following day, you will spend a night in a lodge in Lokpa.

This morning after having breakfast with your porters, you will begin today’s trek to Chumling. It is the most popular among trekkers for its places offering views of Ganesh Himal and Boudha Himal. You will trek up about two hours duration through the pine forest before arriving at Gumlung at 2130 meters above the sea level. And from there – kinematically rises continuously to Ripchet, which is situated at an elevation of 2470 meters above sea level. Climbing a steep trail would be not easy but you will have to follow the steps and cross a wooden bridge over Shier Khola. The next village after crossing the bridge is Chumling which is a small beautiful village with typical Arunachaol got buildings and Shringeri Himal view. Here you can also see the older Gompa as part of this trek before you spend the night here in Chumling.

Today will be an easier for you, as you will go through an easy trail and cross a long suspension bridge to the other site. While walking, you will be at the side of the astonishing Ganesh Himal. It will take the same route as the previous day, going through the dense forests until you get to Rainjham (2400 m) where you will have lunch. Then, you will move further towards Serpu Khola and there you will find yourself in Tsum, the secluded valley. Ascending steep will take you to Chokhangparo, which will be our halt for the night. This beautiful village gives some spectacular views of Himchuli mountain peak that is 7893 meters high.

Carrying along your back, Chokhangparo is left behind while you move towards the Nile; passing through Gumpas and caves. Ensure that you do not be affected by altitude sickness especially when you are high up in the mountains. If you are in good health, you will traverse the trail to Lama Gaon (3202 m) and through rice field to Rachen Gompa or better still Nunnery Gompa (3240 m). The next place that will be on your roadmap is Milarepa’s Cave in Tsum Valley right behind Burji, where you can find the footprint of the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa. Plying in the pleasant track, you will get to Nile (3361m), the place where you are going to stay the night. From there you will move on to Mu Gompa at 3700m located in the Manaslu region which was founded in 1985 AD. It takes about 1 to 5 hours from the Nile to get to Mu Gompa and, on the way, there is a mountain view beside the old historical site.

When you go back to Chokhangparo village, there are more scenic mountain views and beautiful villages on the route travelling from the Nile through the Phurbe, Pangdun and Chule villages. At the end of the trip, you will then get to Chokhangparo village and spend a night in the village at a camp site.

If you plan your trip back to Chokhangparo village from Nile, you will get a sharp rang of mountains in the path that passes through the beautiful villages of Phurbe, pangdun and Chule. So the final destination at the end of the journey is Chokhangparo village where you will be staying for the night.

There is Trekking on the 12th day of the Manaslu Tsum Valley and Larkya Pass Trek – Lokpa to an exposed track from Philim. This will take not more than an hour and at around half of this journey; you will have the opportunity to cross Budi Gandaki River arriving at Bhatti from where you get your last view of Tsum Valley and on to Larkya La Pass. The trail is downhill and uphill, where you will walk through a very, very narrow gorge. Two and a half hours later from the previous day, trekkers reach Sirdibas (1860m) at Nupri and cross through the bamboo forests to the Gurung village of Deng (1800m) which would be the overnight stop.

If you leave Deng early enough, and cross the Thullu River to the eastern side, you will proceed uphill to Rana Gaon (1980m ). The next destination is Ghap which situated at the altitude of 2160 m after you crossed the river named Shier Khola. Mani walls shall be come across while on a walk to Bhimthang. The second day of the trip allows you to see beautiful landscapes of Ganesh Himal, Jugal Himal and Shringeri Himal before arriving Namrung. That would be the place where you will be spending the night.

It is going to be a long day for travelling; you have to travel 11 kilometers to get to Lho Gaon from here. But need to cross the Budhi Gandaki River and get to meet some local people who wear Tibetan costumes on the whole trip. In total everyone will enjoy a trip through a tree line, along the impressive mani stone wall, and through beautiful villages. Although the walk is comparatively easy, you’ll reach Lho Gaon (3180 M) only by evening. That is where you will spend the night.

Depending on the specific trail you take, you will follow the right bank of the Budhi Gandaki River, hike through forests, and get to the beautiful village of Shyala. From there you get to enjoy spectacular view of Phungi, Manaslu and Himchuli mountains which are actually far impressive than even the highest mountains of countries. On the last part of this trek, you will be treated to views of the south face of Mt. Manaslu and the Ganesh Himal range to the east. When you have ascended a number of hundred meters more to reach a village in comparison to this one, then Mt. Manaslu is out of view. Food crops that can be grown in this village by considering the elevation, include potatoes and barley. In the evening, seeing Sama Gaon monastery, a well-known monastic institution, becomes possible, where you will spend the night.

Sama Gaon is a charming village with an altitude of 3,520 meters where you’ll spend your acclimatization day. You have two main options for a day hike: It is going to take 4-5 hours to reach till Pungyen Gompa and for those who are less adventurous you can take a 2 hours trek to Birendra Lake. In this case, you may choose a more time-consuming trek that might take 7-8 hours to reach Manaslu Base Camp with an amazing view of a crystal lake and great mountain landscape. One has to embark on these hikes to enable the physical body to adjust to the altitude to minimize altitude related complications during the trek.

In as much as the trek you embark on is following an easy trail towards Samdo, the scenery is amazing. Gradually, ascending, the trail leads through the yak grazing territories in a wide valley affording views of three large Mani walls and a wooden bridge over the Budhi Gandaki river. Finally, you approach Samdo, a pretty village located at a rather high altitude of 3860m. Here you can walk through the village area which for us was a plus because it is not filled with tourist traps, you can also watch the yak herding and Stana’s name means more such beautiful area with fewer people and more animals and natural fodder shelters.

Today, you start from the village of Samdo which is the last village on the upper part of the Manaslu valley moving on a wide trail. After, you are required to trek through a wooden bridge over the Budhi Gandaki and the ancient trading route to Tibet. This route leads to a very old and historical market that was very vibrant during our grandparents time. After crossing a few streams emerging out of the glacier you come to Dharmasala (4460 m) which is also called Larkya La Phedi. Here you can get a nice picture of Larkya Glaciers with beautiful mountain in the background of Mt. Manaslu. You will spend an overnight stay in Dharmasala. Tomorrow, you will be ascending the Larkya La pass, a highly revered one among all the passes in the area.

You rise early to undertake the physically demanding trek to Larkya La Pass because of high winds that come after sunrise in the morning when snow has accumulated. A companion noted that the morning provided less snow for the trail and it was easier to excavate through the snow carpet. As you ascend gradually through the way, you will cross over the ridge and the big lateral moraine of Larkya Glacier and exploring the views of Cho Danda and Larkya Peak. The landscape remains rough; the trail proceeds to move downhill along with few glacierified lakes and then rises to the left to Larkya La Pass at 5160m. Here, we have erected prayer flags and from here, one can enjoy the view of Himlung (7126 meters), Cheo Himal, Kang Guru (6981 meters), Annapurna II (7937 meters), and Manalsu peaks. After you enjoyed your time in these mighty mountains you take a steep descend to Bhimthang at the height of 3720 meters. Free from the glaciers and moraine, you follow an easier path to the left of the large lateral moraine, and you’ll cross through a meadow before reaching Bhimthang, a broad green valley with a few lodges where most trekkers spend the night.

At this point, you will be begin to drop down rapidly in the difficult trail towards the Annapurna mountain range. During this walk, you cross through the agricultural land where yaks are grazed and pass through two tiny places, Kharche and Gho, due to the decrease in altitude. A final stop is Tilche at for 2300m which mark the end of the journey or your trekking will be ended.

This day you will say goodbye to your tour in the Manaslu Tsum Valley and the Larkya La Pass. You will be joining the main полов with most of the trekkers all the way down through Besisahar to Chamje and then finally to Kathmandu the journey will take you approximately 8-9 hrs. Chamje to Besisahar is an off-road, with some bumpy roads, it will take around 3-4 hours, after Besisahar for almost an hour you get on to Prithvi Highway. On the trip you can get some magnificent views of different green hills, mountains, farming terraces, villages and two rivers Marshyangdi and Trishuli. After your early arrival, you will be picked up from the airport and taken to your hotel to rest for sometime. You will also set of for a farewell dinner party by Nepal Adventure Team in the evening where feedbacks regarding the trip are normally entertained and the whole experience shared. 

Optional: if you don’t want to drive by public bus, you can also take a private jeep from Chamje to Kathmandu which will be more comfortable and faster. 

Your long Manaslu Tsum Valley and Laekya La Pass Trek comes to an end as you head towards your home. There may be a few hours left from your scheduled flight for last-minute shopping. If you have time, you can do sightseeing and enjoy shopping for souvenirs. Nepal Adventure Team’s representative will take you to the airport approximately three hours before the flight. We hope you have a safe journey back home. We are hopeful to guide you to your next adventure in Nepal.