Overview
The Tsum Valley Trek leads into one of Nepal’s least touched corners, a valley kept closed to outsiders until 2008 and still known to locals as a beyul, a hidden valley blessed by Guru Rinpoche himself. Tucked behind the Ganesh and Sringi Himal ranges in the northern part of Gorkha district, the valley’s centuries-old ban on hunting and killing animals still shapes daily life here.
The journey begins with a drive from Kathmandu to Machha Khola or Soti Khola, then follows the Buri Gandaki river through Jagat, where permits are checked, before turning north into the valley itself. The trek branches off the Manaslu Circuit at Lokpa and follows the Shiar Khola upstream through Chumling, Chhokangparo, and Nile to Mu Gompa at 3,700 metres, passing Milarepa’s Cave and the Rachen Gompa nunnery along the way. Stone houses, mani walls, and prayer flags appear at every turn throughout the valley.
This trek is suitable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness and no prior high-altitude experience, since the maximum altitude stays below 3,700 metres. It combines remote Tibetan Buddhist culture, dramatic mountain scenery, and one of the quietest trails in the Manaslu region, making it one of Nepal’s most rewarding restricted-area treks.
Permits for this trek are issued under Nepal’s Department of Immigration Trekking Permit system, alongside the Manaslu Conservation Area Permit.
If you have more time, consider combining this with our Manaslu Circuit Trek and for a similarly remote restricted-area trek, see our Upper Mustang Trek.
Highlights
- Closed to outsiders until 2008 — one of Nepal's least touched valleys
- Visit Mu Gompa (3,700m), the highest point of the trek and an important monastery
- See Milarepa's Cave, where the Buddhist poet is said to have meditated
- Explore Rachen Gompa, a working nunnery
- Enjoy views of Ganesh Himal and Himalchuli
- Walk through villages where killing animals has been banned for generations
- Experience one of Nepal's quietest trails, with fewer than 2,000 trekkers a year
