Tsum Valley Trek

Arrive in Kathmandu and meet your Mantra Adventure guide. The Tsum Valley is one of Nepal's most recently opened trekking areas — a hidden Himalayan valley bordering Tibet that remained completely closed to outsiders until 2008. Its people are deeply devout Tibetan Buddhists; its monasteries among the most intact in the Himalayan world. Welcome dinner included. Meals: Dinner.

Drive 8–9 hours through the mid-hills of Nepal — a landscape of terraced rice fields, rushing rivers and small market towns — to Machha Khola, the trailhead for the Tsum Valley. The Budhi Gandaki river gorge, which you will follow for several days, begins to assert its dramatic character. Overnight: Machha Khola teahouse. Meals: All included.

Trek along the Budhi Gandaki River through deep subtropical gorge, crossing suspension bridges and navigating narrow cliff-edge paths. The river is powerful and turquoise. Sub-tropical forest clings to the steep walls above the water. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Continue up the Budhi Gandaki gorge through increasingly dramatic terrain — the valley walls steepen and the river narrows between enormous boulders. Jagat is the last permanent settlement before the gorge deepens further. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

The trail climbs out of the deepest section of the gorge to the wide valley floor at Philim — a Gurung village with a spectacular mountain backdrop and the smell of dry upland air. Here the Tsum Valley branch departs from the main Manaslu Circuit trail. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Begin the ascent into the Tsum Valley proper. The trail crosses into a different cultural world — Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags, mani walls and chortens replace the Hindu influences of the lower valley. Chumling is one of the first Tsumba (Tsum people) villages, with extraordinary mountain views and a warm teahouse welcome. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Ascend through increasingly alpine terrain into the heart of the Tsum Valley. The flat valley floor — unusual in Nepal — is cultivated with barley and potatoes. Chortens and ancient stupas dot the landscape. Chhokangparo is the valley's main village, with a central monastery and a collection of traditional flat-roofed stone houses. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Ascend to the upper valley and visit Mu Gompa — the most important monastery in Tsum Valley and one of the most sacred in Nepal. Founded in the 8th century, the monastery complex contains the country's oldest surviving murals and a collection of Buddhist relics of immeasurable value. The monks here maintain practices unchanged for over a millennium. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Trek to the upper reaches of the Tsum Valley near the Tibetan border. The landscape becomes remote and primordial — glaciers visible in all directions, the sound of wind carrying prayer flags, and the vast silence of high altitude. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Visit Rachen Gompa — a nunnery of approximately 100 nuns, the largest in the Tsum Valley. The nuns maintain a strict schedule of prayers and study. Their gompa, perched dramatically above the valley, contains important religious manuscripts and thangkas. Walking time: 3–4 hours. Meals: All included.

Begin the return descent through the Tsum Valley, taking time to revisit the remarkable cultural landscape — the chortens, mani walls and village monasteries that give this valley its unique character. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Continue the descent south through the lower Tsum Valley, passing below the point where the valley narrows. The contrast between the open upper valley and the steep lower gorge is dramatic. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Rejoin the main Budhi Gandaki trail at Philim. The subtropical warmth of the lower altitude is welcome after days at 3,000+ metres. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Retrace through the Budhi Gandaki gorge, crossing the river multiple times on suspension bridges. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Continue down the gorge through tropical forest and beside the powerful river. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Final day of trekking — return to the trailhead at Machha Khola. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Long drive back to Kathmandu — 8–9 hours on mountain roads through the mid-hills. Arrive in time for a farewell dinner. Overnight: Kathmandu hotel. Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Airport transfer for your international departure. The Tsum Valley is one of the last places on earth where ancient Himalayan Buddhist civilisation survives in its complete, living form. You have seen what very few ever will. Meals: Breakfast.