Tsum Valley Trek

Tsum valley Trek takes you to the mystic valley of Tsum which has been described as the hidden valley of Happiness by the holy Guru Rimponche. This beautiful valley located under the shadows of Ganesh Himal, Sringri mountain, and Boudha mountain preserves some ancient gompas that hold the history which dates back to centuries. Tsum valley Trek takes you to the wild and secluded region of Tsum and lets you experience the pristine cultural influence in the wilderness of rough landscape and mountains. As you walk through the forests to the rocky terrain, you will get some insights into the dynamics of life, nature and living. The stunning forests, wild landscape and traditional villages of the valley make the journey to Tsum one of the most cherished off the beaten trekking trail that has been recently opened for the tourists.

The word – Tsum is derived from a Tibetan word – Tsombo which means vivid. Situated in northern Gorkha district of Nepal, Tsum valley is a heritage that consists of art, culture, and tradition in abundance. In the valley, there is a cave which is popularly known as Milarepa cave. The cave is believed to be the same cave where the Buddhist Saint Milarepa has practiced meditation and attained enlightenment. The valley is culturally very rich and consists of many gompas like Rachen Gompa, Mu Gompa, and nunnery gompa. These gompas are beautifully built and are a home to many monks who practice meditation and teachings of Lord Buddha. We can find the influence of Tibetan Buddhist culture as we walk through the trail of Tsum valley Trek. The prayers flags, chortens, mani walls and stupas on the way makes the journey to Tsum valley more vivid and lively.

Similarly, Tsum valley consists of traditional villages that are inhabited by local people. The local people live a very simple life in a traditional manner. They are engaged in farming and animal husbandry. They have their own unique culture, custom, and dialects. They enjoy their traditional festivals, dances, and practices in the backdrop of beautiful mountains in an enthusiastic manner.

If you are willing to dive into the glory of wild mountains and valleys in Tsum, join Nepal Intrepid Treks to make your journey more vibrant and worth it.

Outline Itinerary

  • Day 01: Arrive at Tribhuwan International Airport
  • Day 02: Kathmandu Sightseeing and trek preparation
  • Day 03: Drive to Arughat and trek to SotiKhola
  • Day 04: Soti Khola to Machha Khola
  • Day 05: Machha Khola to Jagat
  • Day 06: Trek to Lokpa in Tsum valley
  • Day 07: Trek to Chumling in Tsum valley
  • Day 08: Trek to Chhokang Paro in Tsum valley
  • Day 09: Trek to Nile in Tsum valley
  • Day 10: Trek to Mu Gompa in Tsum valley
  • Day 11: Trek to Rachen in Tsum valley
  • Day 12:Trek to Chumling in Tsum valley
  • Day 13:Trek to Lokpa
  • Day 14: Trek back to Jagat
  • Day 15: Trek back to Lapubesi
  • Day 16: Trek to Sotikhola and drive to Arughat
  • Day 17: Drive back to Kathmandu
  • Day 18: Farewell

Detail ItineraryExpand all

Nepal Intrepid Treks will be your dedicated travel companion until you return to your home country. Once you arrive at Kathmandu airport, we will be there to pick you up and take you to your hotel. Accommodation for our valued customers includes room and breakfast in a three star hotel in Kathmandu.

Take in the impressions of Nepal as we drive you from the airport to your hotel. We will assist you with the check-in and provide you with further information regarding your Everest Base Camp Trek. You may then have a rest or stroll through the bustling, colorful streets and alleys of Kathmandu.

Prepare for a day of immersion into the Nepalese culture, while visiting the most important landmarks of this fascinating city and its outskirts. Our experienced guide will take you to Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO heritage site which represents the political and historical values of Nepalese civilization.

We then proceed to Swayambhu Nath Temple, also known as ‘Monkey Temple’ thanks to its adorable colony of monkeys that run free. This temple is the symbol of harmony between Buddhists and Hindus. At the top of the stupa you will have a splendid birds-eye view of Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings.

We continue to the sacred Pashupatinath Temple, a holy place for Hindu devotees. Especially interesting is the holy cremation area where preparations and daily cremation ceremonies take place. From here we return to the hotel.

Today, we leave Kathmandu city and take a drive to Arughat. We drive along the lush hills, rivers and river to Dhading Besi. The highway route till Dhading Besi is concrete and smooth. We enjoy our drive with views of hills, terrace fields, countryside houses on the way. From Dhading Besi, we further drive to Arughat. The way from Dhading Besi to Arughat is quite rough and bumpy. After around four hours of smooth ride and then another four hours of rough ride, we reach Arughat. We get off from our ride and take a local jeep that will lead us to Soti Khola in around one and half hours. We stay at a guesthouse in Soti Khola for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Today we initiate our actual trekking journey. The day consists of around six to seven hours walk to Maccha Khola. We take our breakfast and follow our trail. At first, we cross a popular suspension bridge over the Soti Khola and walk through a forest until we reach top of a ridge. We can see and hear the water of Budhigandaki river splashing with its rapids. At Khursane, our trail gets rocky as we pass the stunning waterfall, terraced farmlands and few settlements until we reach a Gurung village popular as Lapubesi. We further climb a cliff and walk along the sandy river bed until we reach Maccha Khola. We even cross some suspension bridges in between. As we reach Maccha Khola, we stay at a guesthouse for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Our trail narrows as we walk ahead towards Khorlabesi. After few ups and downs, we reach a popular place with natural hot springs known as Tatopani. Here we can enjoy a hot water bath to stimulate ourselves for our journey ahead. Leaving Tatopani, we climb up a ridge and cross a suspension bridge over Budi Gandaki river. We climb up the stone paved staircases to Doban which further leads us to the Thado Bharyang. We again climb up a ridge and cross Budi gandaki river and ascend up until we reach the village of Jagat. We stay at a guesthouse in Jagat for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Today, we enter the restricted area of Manaslu region i.e. into Tsum valley. At the checkpoint in Jagat, your guide will take the permit to Manaslu Conservation Area. We walk for a while along the riverbank and wind up through some ups and downs of Shridibas to Philim. We pass a suspension bridge and explore the Philim village for a while. As we move ahead, we pass Eklebhatti from where our trail gets separated towards Tsum valley and Manaslu. We take a trail to Tsum valley and hike up until we reach Lokpa. As you enter, the hidden valley of Tsum in Lokpa, you will be the remoteness in air. The view from Lokpa includes forests and hillsides in every direction.(Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

If you are exploring the Tsum valley, you should be aware about the fact that the valley is divided into two parts: upper tsum valley and lower tsum valley. Lokla is the first settlement of the valley which is nothing more than three guesthouses. Leaving, Lokpa, we head towards Chumling today. Chumling is an old village in the valley where people are very traditional. As modernization has not touched this area at all, people follow their traditional lifestyle, culture, thoughts and everything. We visit an old monastery in the village from where the view of Ganesh Himal is splendid and the old chorten made up of stones and mud looks exotic. Admiring the wild nature along with the barley fields in Chumling, we spend our night at a guesthouse in Chumling. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Leaving Chumling, we cross a suspension bridge and walk through the fields of maize and potatoes. We can find the traditionally built Tibetan style houses made up of stones with firewood piled upon the roof. We the cross a flood cleared area which is the same place where five people were killed in 1999. Passing the area, we traverse into the forest until we reach up the valley from where we can get some superb views of Ganesh Himal. Further, we cross Srpukhola and climb up to upper Tsum until we reach the joined village of Chhokang Paro. As we reach the village, we can see the stone houses and crop fields. We stay at a guesthouse in Chhokang Paro or the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Today, we head towards Nile in Tsum valley. In the morning, we explore the Chhokang Paro village and climb north to a place where Lama Kongchog had died after 26 years long meditation. We further walk east and pass small villages, school and climb up over a ridge to Lamagaun. Further we reach the nunnery – Rachengompa that resembles the Kapan monastery in Kathmandu. We can also get a key to Milarepa’s cave at Lamagaun. Moving ahead, we cross a bridge over Shyarriver and pass the hamlets of Phurbe and Pangdun and reach an impressive gate that takes us to the village of Chhule. From the village, we ascend up until we reach Nile. We stay at a teahouse in Nile for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Today, we leave the last settlement of the area i.e. Nile and move ahead to Mu Gompa which is our destination for the day. We cross a suspension bridge over the river and ascend up towards the Tibetan border. We walk in the dry land adorned with chortens, mani walls ans prayer flags until we reach Mu Gompa. Upon our arrival in Mu Gompa, we further hike up to DherpuDomaGompa and explore the monastery. After exploring the monastery and taking good photos, we return back down to Mu Gompa where we will be spending our night today. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

We return down to valley through Chhule and continue down to Phurbe. We stay at the east bank of Siyarriver and cross the flat plains covered by boulders followed by power lines to RachenGompa. Upon arrival, we explore the Gompa and interact with the friendly nuns’in the gompa. We stay at the gompa for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

After exploring the gompa, we retrace ur journey back to the Chumling village in the Tsum valley. We walk along the same stone built houses and crop fields of maize and potatoes to Chumling. We stay at a guesthouse in Chumling for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

We leave Chumling village and retrace our journey back through same path to Lokpa. We stay at a guesthouse in Lokpa for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

We continue retracing our journey back the same path to Jagat. We stay at a guesthouse in Jagat for overnight halt. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Today, we walk down along the stone paved stairs toYaruphant. From here, we further descend down to Tatopani via Doban. Tatopani is a natural hot spring where you can soothe your muscles with a hot water bath. After resting in this place for a while we walk ahead to Khorlabesi and then to Lapubesi. We stop at a guesthouse in Lapubesi for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Leaving Lapubesi, we walk along a steep rocky trail to BudhiGandakiriver. We cross the bridge over the river and continue walking until we reach SotiKhola.From Sotikhola, we catch a local jeep that will take us to Arughat. During our drive in jeep, we pass beautiful waterfall, ArkhetKhola and Mangaltar. We pass various small villages, lush forests and Budi Gandankiriver to Arughat. We stay at a guesthouse in Arughat for the night and conclude our trekking journey. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Today, we head towards the capital city – Kathmandu. After a drive of around eight hours along the countryside landscape of Nepal, we reach Kathmandu. Spend your night at a hotel in Kathmandu. (Breakfast included)

After this wonderful adventure, it’s finally time to bid you a farewell. We will pick you up from the hotel and escort you to the airport for your journey home! We hope with all our hearts that we served you well and look forward to seeing you or your friends again someday.

Cost Includes

  • Free pick up and drop option from and to the airport
  • Accommodation in Kathmandu will be in a 3-star category hotel which is inclusive of breakfast only
  • All the ground transport
  • Three-time meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) during the trek
  • Accommodation in best available guesthouses during the trek
  • Hot water for drinking purpose during the trek
  • First aid kit with basic medicines.
  • Necessary documentation and Permit costs to enter into Manaslu conservation area and trek.
  • Professional guide and porter (1 porter will be available to two persons)
  • Expenses related to our staffs (guide and porter)
  • A duffle bag, t-shirt and travel achievement certificate on the behalf of our company
  • Government taxes and office service charge during travel

Cost Excludes

  • Airfare from your homeland to Nepal (International air fare)
  • Visa fees while you enter into Nepal
  • Your travel insurance
  • Lunch and Dinner at three star hotel in Kathmandu
  • Cold drinks, mineral bottle water or any other kind of beverages. (You can buy it on the trekking route if you want, on your own)
  • Personal trekking equipment and gadgets
  • Tips for driver, guide and porters (though optional)
  • Personal refreshment and utility expenses like phone calls, internet service and others.
  • Cost that is not mentioned in our cost inclusion section above
You can choose your dates at the time of booking. Thanks!

Best value and service — Hikes, Paragliding, Helicopter Tours

Best value and Best Service 

We visited Nepal in December and had only 7 days, not long enough for multi-day treks yet, as travelers from the US, we wanted to experience as much as possible within that time frame the comprised of visiting the breath-taking mountain sceneries, sport activities, and history. While Nepal Intrepid Treks was started by trekking guides, they have diligently built their business and tourism relationships over the last few years to cater to different tourist needs. As an active planner, i had reached out to a dozen tour companies as opposed to only settling for the top 2-3 on Tripadvisor ratings. What first impressed me about Nepal Intrepid Treks is their responsiveness, flexibility and transparency about planning constraints. Its really the best value and service. 
 
They also offered the best value by a large margin. At no time during my interactions with them did they push any additional services on me, but rather adapted to whatever changes I wished to make. Given the relationships they made in the industry, they also offered some of the best rates relative to other tour companies for the exact same vendors. We did the heli ride to Everest Base Camp, hikes in Nagarkot, paragliding, city tours in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Pokhara and of course the sunrise trips to the neighboring hill stations. What really made the difference is their sense of service on the ground. They were always on time and went the extra mile whenever there were unexpected delays. On one day, our morning flight to Pokhara was delayed for several hours and eventually canceled yet our guide went above and beyond to get us on an afternoon flight so we wouldnt miss out on the activities for the rest of the day. That sense of urgency on our behalf extended through the whole trip. Even though we missed an activity for no fault of theirs, they did their part in making up for it by dining us at a cultural center on their own cost, which wasnt needed at all yet we fully appreciated. We are so much happy for this best value and service.
 
In summary, I was thoroughly impressed -- a sense of humility, superior service, flexibility, transparency with unmatched value. We know we will definitely return to Nepal for the treks; we will look no further than Nepal Intrepid Treks. A big thank you Nisan, Santa and Lal! Keep it up!
You guys are best value and service provider team in Nepal. 
Best value and service trekking company
Sami Muneer,
United States

April/May 2019 16-Day Trek to EBC

Had an extraordinary trek with Nepal Intrepid to Everest Base Camp. I got sick from the food in Kathmandu, and by day 4 I was too dehydrated and weak to continue. One of the guides stayed with me as my group continued so that I can rest. We eventually caught up with the group and made it to EBC! Such excellent and professional guides and porters!

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whysoscherious,

You Need This Team To Make It To The Top. 100% Mera Peak Summit Success Rate. Looked After From Day 1.

I owe our success in reaching the Mera Peak summit safely to our amazing guide Lal and his amazing team of porters! We were a team of four women and we had a 100% summit success rate.

Lal went above and beyond from Day 1 when I missed my connecting flight to Kathmandu from Guangzhou due to bad weather in China. I finally arrived in Kathmandu late at night, tired and stressed out about my bags since it did not make my flight. As soon as Lal found out that I made it to Kathmandu, he made it to the airport in a flash, waiting to pick me up and take me to the hotel with a warm smile and a big welcome - and this was really late at night! When my airline failed to get my bag in time for the trek, Lal organised my luggage to arrive in Lukla before I even made it to Lukla! My luggage had all my gear and summit clothing, without this luggage I could not have started the trek. It was a huge relief seeing my luggage and it was all thanks to Lal and his efficiency for getting my luggage in time. There would have been no other way.

This was my first time doing a multi day trek, let alone climbing a mountain, I was nervous but Lal made sure I enjoyed the trek and most importantly I was safe. Lal and his team made sure it was their priority to make sure we were well prepared, safe, looked after and most importantly we all make it to the top. Little things like telling us to slow down while ascending to make sure we don't get altitude sickness, while other groups sped in front of us and did not make the summit because they were sick, making sure we were all well fed so that we had all the energy to endure the full 13 days, giving us water when we ran out of our own and believing in us all added up to our successful summit! His porter team Bupendra and Tula Raj all took turns to lead the party and helped us to carry our gear.

Every morning we would wake up and see their smiley faces ready to start the day trekking, while they were getting ready to carry our 50kg bags in tough terrain. Without hesitation, Lal and his porter team always offered a hand when us ladies weren't comfortable going down a steep hill and believe me the passes were insane! They made the trip much more enjoyable and memorable as we all had our funny and scary moments together.

Summit day was unbelievably the hardest and craziest day of my life! One to remember for the rest of our lives but we couldn't have made it without his team, his positivity and his patience. It took us 6 hours to reach the summit and Lal was with us every step of the way - feeding us snacks, opening our water bottles so that we can drink, carried our back packs to putting our polarised sunglasses on our faces to protect us from the sun. His team absolutely went above and beyond! Making the summit was an epic experience and to do it with a team that we grew closely with, who supported and believed in us made the experience even more special.

Lal and his team were always looking out for us and I could not be more grateful. We were constantly surrounded by positive attitude the whole way up and the whole way down, even after our summit day.

Although, we successfully summited and made it to Lukla, Lal did not stop working. Leaving Lukla was such a mess and super stressful as I had an international flight to make. Lal was always alert, always on call to see if there was an available seat for me on any of the outgoing flights.

Lal is honest and professional and I would definitely choose Nepal Intrepid Treks again. What an incredible ascent. I will never forget this trip. Until then my friend!

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Tina N,
Sydney, Australia

Mera Peak 14 day hike & 100% Success Rate!

This was my first trip to Nepal, and thanks to Lal and his amazing team, climbing Mera Peak was an awesome experience. Our group of 4 had a 100% success rate, when a lot of other travelers we met along the way, did not make it to the top.

Nothing was a problem for Lal, we had lost luggage and bad weather delays – which meant he had to reschedule accommodation/flights several times for us. He was so gracious, professional, and incredibly helpful every step of the way (literally!). Both him and our two incredible porters, really made our trip, going above and beyond on so many occasions.

Summit day was tough, but the support of Lal and his team – helped us all get through and make it to the top!

Lal always made us feel safe, supported and that nothing was a problem – and there was always a smile on his face. I would absolutely recommend trekking with Nepal Intrepid Treks and Expeditions, I’m so grateful for the experience, and can’t wait for my next adventure with Lal and his team.

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Lyn K,
Auckland Central, New Zealand

Patan historic and good adventure

Was such an awesome trip and loved getting to try local cuisine. Our guide Amit was very knowledgeable and showed us many spiritual sites which were really cool. A must do if in the Kathmandu area.

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melissabartonnn,

Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp 19days

Unreal experience! I opted for the longer trek as I wanted to see as much as possible in the time I had. I'm so glad I did.
My wonderful Guide Prem Karki and my assistant guide Lukpa were sensational! We laughed so much on the trek, with these 2 guiding us there was never a dull moment. Our success in reaching the Lakes and Everest Base Camp are purely down to their hard work and dedication. Plus I was lucky enough to meet another 6 legends who also opted for this unreal trek. We are now all the best of mates.
The trekking was hard at times and and some days were super easy. We had rain, snow, sunshine and everything in between. Each day we witnessed another insanely beautiful mountain and watched the landscape change the higher we went.
The Gokyo Lakes were stunning, I'm so glad we opted for this trek. The pictures attached are unfiltered!
Everest Base Camp was great! Such an amazing feeling to finally get there. We just sat and took it all in. Photos don't do it justice.
All the villages and places we stayed along the way were awesome! These tiny lodges and tea houses in the middle of the mountains were so cosy and the food is delicious. We met quite a few Sherpas who had summited Everest and we spoke to them at length about their expedition. Great bed time stories :)
Do yourself a favour and get on board this trek, you wont regret it!

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Jade C,
Orange, Australia

Everest Base Camp & Gokyo 925-1010/2019

Kamal, Tilak and Prince were our guide. They have done an excellent job in ensuring we had everything we needed - water, wifi, food and so on. They explained Nepalese culture and identified the peaks for us as we were asking for the names every day, it is one of the most precious thing about having the locals with us. The tour was a huge success and thank you guys and team for making it happen, it would not be the same without you. I had really enjoyed every moment on the trek. Highly recommend the agent and guides to anyone considering paying a visit to the beautiful Himalayas.

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olivieryiu,

Perfection EBC trekking

Professional risk control on EBC trekking. About airplane change the landing place on lukala or change the trekking schedule, your team also can find good guest house and restaurant.

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Iverroce Tu,

Wonderful experience

It was wonderful experience in my life. Our guide Kamal is professional, patient, and kindly. In this trekking journey still had some situation from uncontrollable mother nature. But this team also can control and change it perfectly. If you will come to Nepal to explore, don't miss Nepal Intrepid Treks and Expeditions!

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Nora H,

Our Visit to Nepal

I dont know where to Start. There are barely any bad points to talk about. The service was exceptional and everbody was so polite and friendly. Everything was well organized. The places we used to rest and eat where always nice and clean. The employees and shepards where dedicated for their jobs and tried to accomplish our goals in the best way possible. I want to send my best wishes Lal, Ram, Tulla and Santos.

Best Regards
Luca & Ludovico

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Bahadir E,
Koenigswinter, Germany

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