On arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, you will complete all necessary immigration formalities followed by baggage collection from the designated area in the airport. As you exit, one of the representatives from Aid Journeys, with a placard, will officially welcome you and escort you to your pre-assigned hotel. At the hotel, you may stretch out your legs and relax for few hours from the possible jet lag that you might have experienced after a long flight. Those who are anxious and want to hit the streets right away, may stroll around Thamel and do a bit of shopping or hire gears and equipment for the upcoming trip. Overnight in Kathmandu.
After a good night’s rest, you will be woken up with a morning call, if you desire, followed by a warm bed tea. Once you finish your breakfast, there will be a guided tour to some of the most historical and spiritual landmarks of the city, all of them being recognized as UNESCO world heritage sites. You will visit the most revered and holy Hindu temple complex of Pashupatinath, and one of the largest stupas in the world - a Buddhist shrine at Bouddhanath. You will also take a tour to Patan, the city of artisans. There you will visit the historical Patan Durbar Square and delight in the architectural wonders of the Malla era. Other attractions in Patan are the Mahaboudhha temple, the Kumbeshwor temple, Krishna temple and the Golden temple. After sightseeing, you will visit our office site to make necessary preparations, get your equipment checked, and meet your trip leader, crew members, and other fellow accomplices. You will have a brief discussion about the forthcoming trip and return to your hotel room. Overnight in Kathmandu.
After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will embark on the long, yet scenic drive from Kathmandu via Dhading Besi towards Arughat Bazaar lying in the Gorkha district. Driving through several vibrant villages and terraced fields through the dirt road and green hills, you arrive at Arughat. It is a significant town divided into two parts with the Budi Gandaki River flowing between them. Overnight in Arughat.
This morning after having your breakfast at the lodge, you will commence with the trek first by crossing the bridge over Budi Gandaki River. Starting from western Arughat following the stone-paved street passing the hydro-electric power plant, paddy and millet terraced fields you will reach Mangaltar. After crossing a lush green forest with bushy foliage, green hills, numerous villages and Shanti Bazaar, the trail becomes steeper and quite challenging before crossing a suspension bridge to reach Arkhet Bazaar. After having your lunch in this market town, you will follow a downhill path through a cascading waterfall making a steep effort up to a ridge to Kuerepani. The track from here descends until you reach Soti Khola, where you can relax or enjoy swimming to ease your weariness from the grueling hike. Overnight camping in Soti Khola.
After finishing your breakfast, you will start your walk crossing the bridge trekking through beautiful Sal forests, meandering paths through rocky trails and tropical waterfalls clinging to a cliff. Traversing through clean streams, pretty waterfalls and green dales past few terraced paddy fields, you will reach the Gurung settlement of Labu Besi. After a zigzag path behind a rocky projection where the valley opens while the river twists and turns, you will continue by descending to the riverbed. Walking along smooth stones on the river bank for a while, it is a gentle climb over a ridge, from where you will once again drop down to the river to finally reach the Machha Khola Village. Overnight at Machha Khola Village.
After an amusing overnight followed by breakfast in the morning, the trek begins with crossing the Thado Khola after an undulating path leading you to Khorla Besi. Following the same kind of track, you will reach Tatopani, a village with hot springs. From here, you will climb a ridge and cross the Budi Gandaki River over a suspension bridge, then climb up the staircase and pass a landslide to reach Dobhan. Passing yet another suspension bridge at Dobhan River, the path ascends on a rugged trail to Duman. Rising and falling several times crossing few other rivers and suspension bridges to climb more stone staircases, you will reach Thado Bharyang. Crossing the Budi Gandaki at Lauri again and rising over a ridge and walking along the riverside will lead you to Jagat, a moderately sized farming village with few shops and stores. Overnight in Jagat.
On completion of the ACAP process, you will leave Jagat and begin walking through the rocky landscape over a ridge up to Salleri, and gently descend to Sirdibas. Continuing on a relatively more comfortable path through the broadened trail, you will cross the Ghatta Khola over a suspension bridge. Following the stream upwards and passing a long hanging bridge, you will lightly climb up to a big Gurung village, Philim. Walking ahead of the Gurung village northwards trudging through a thick forest will lead you to Chisopani. Overnight in Chisopani.
After breakfast today, you trek begins through the trail just above the Budi Gandaki to reach Ekle Bhatti. Crossing a gorge and a large waterfall, and walking through the river banks, you will enter the beautiful pine and oak forest through the lush green leafy trail dropping down to the Tsum Valley. Ascending through another rhododendron forest with astounding views of the snow-capped mountains of Himalchuli and Boudha Himal, you will arrive at Lokpa, an attractive small village. The path from Lokpa village is quite challenging with frequent ascents and descents through pine and rhododendron forests. Descend towards Lungwa Khola and then ascend again through repeated ups and downs. Crossing Gumlung and Siyar Khola, you will eventually reach Chumling, from where majestic views of Shingri Himal can be seen. You can visit the old Chumling monastery and walk on the stone lanes here. Overnight in Chumling.
Crossing the suspension bridge with exceptional views of Ganesh Himal, you begin the day’s walk with steady altitude gains. The villages and landscapes look similar to the Tibetan plateaus. Walking past Rainjam and Serpu Khola and crossing a bridge, you reach the Gho village. From here, it is a continuous climb for another two hours towards Tsum to reach Chokhangparo (also called Chekhampar). Reaching this village is a challenging task due to the difficult climb as it is located at the top of the hill. Chokhangparo comprises of two rocky settlements, ‘Chokhang’ and ‘Paro.’ Combined, it is a large village populated by the Tibetan Buddhists. One striking feature of this village is that the inhabitants of this village do not sacrifice animals for religious reasons. There are some ancient monasteries in this village, which you can visit after your lunch. Overnight in Chokhangparo.
Today, you will be heading north towards the last village in the upper Tsum Valley, Nile. It is advised to remain cautious regarding the altitude concerns as you will be ascending above the Chokhangparo village. Crossing a rope suspension bridge after Lamagaon village will guide you towards Rachen Monastery, which is otherwise known as Rachen Jangchub Choeling Nunnery. Founded in 1936 by Drukpa Rinpoche, the nunnery is home to eighty young and old nuns, meditating, praying and studying. After a brief visit, you will cross the Shiar Khola and continue walking through well-managed villages of Lar, Phurbe, and Pangdun. Passing by an old significant Buddha stupa on the way crossing the Chhule village, it is a gradual rise upstream to cross the bridge and arrive at Nile. Here, you may visit the famous Chhule monastery that is positioned on the highest point on a hilltop. Overnight in Nile.
You will begin your short gradual ascent after breakfast leaving behind Nile towards Mu Gompa, the largest monastery of this region. It is located at the highest point of Tsum Valley and because of being less frequented and very rarely in access with humans, you will enjoy the clean and beautiful site with no human inhabitation. The initial trek today begins following a stream before ascending towards the valley surrounded by the snowy peaks. Walking towards the western bank of the valley through stunning Tibetan landscapes, the trail climbs up leading you to the ancient monastery, Mu Gompa. You will set out for a short hike to Ani Gompa, which is located nearby and return. Various crops are cultivated in this area, especially buckwheat, potatoes, and barley. Overnight in Mu Gompa.
It is quite a relaxed day today as you will be exploring the surrounding areas around the high valley of Tsum, visiting traditional villages and the old Mu Gompa (monastery) instead of walking on tiring unpredictable paths. The Mu Gompa is the largest and the most important monastery of Tsum and Manaslu region, and it is located at the most remote and the highest part of the Tsum Valley. The monastery was established in the year 1895 AD, and it houses the oldest books and statues. A big life-sized statue of Avalokiteshwara, also known as Kangyur and images of Guru Padmasambhava and Tara are some exciting assets of the monastery. After a brief excursion to the Gompa area, you have an option of visiting the base of the Pika Himal. Overnight in Mu Gompa.
After having your breakfast in the morning, you will hike back through the villages of Chhule and Phurbe. The trek today is going to be comparatively more comfortable as you will be walking mostly downhill. Walking all the way on the east bank of the Shiar Khola, you will reach Burgi, a tiny attractive hamlet. Once at Burgi, you will ascend up to the famous Milarepa’s Cave (Phiren Phu). The cave is recognized for the astonishing beauty of Poshyop Glacier, Kipu Himal, and Churke Himal. Overnight in Burgi village.
This day after breakfast, you will continue with a brisk walk gently descending to Chokhangparo enjoying the green views of nature all around. Continuing the descend passing the Gho village and further beyond, you cross a bridge over the Sarpu Khola, the river made from the Syakpa Glacier. Trudging further below to the Tsum Valley, you will finally reach Chumling for your second night in the village and a possibility to see your hosts again. Overnight in Chumling.
Leaving Chumling after breakfast, the trail today continues ahead on a flat path to reach Lokpa, encountering the elegant Samba Falls en route that provides a brief photography opportunity. Beautiful views of forests and streamlets can be enjoyed during the day’s walk towards Philim. After long hours of walking, you will finally arrive at Philim. From this village, there is a visible trail that leads to the Ganesh Himal Base Camp, where you may be able to meet and exchange stories with some other trekkers heading towards the summit. Overnight in Philim.
Leaving behind the cultivated areas around Philim, you will head towards Khorla Besi in the morning after breakfast. Descending the trails down to Sirdibas takes you to Jagat, the same moderate sized farming village with few shops and stores. Dropping further below, you will arrive at Yaruphant and then to Dobhan, where the surroundings become more tropical and greener unlike the arid Tibetan climate at higher elevations. Descending the staircase after crossing the landslide area, you will pass the suspension bridge over the Budi Gandaki River to reach the village with hot springs, Tatopani. Here, you may dip yourself in hot water and relax your tired muscles, then continue walking the undulating paths from this village to reach Khorla Besi following the banks of the river.Overnight in Khorla Besi.
Today, you will follow the same trail from Khorla Besi following the Budi Gandaki River, as you did on your way up towards the Tsum Valley, a few days back. The path crosses the Thado Khola from where it is a steep descent to the river and traversing towards Machha Khola village. Enjoying the pristine beauty of the waterfalls on a steep rocky trail, and walking through tiny Gurung village of Labu Besi, you will reach another small village of Khursane. From Khursane, you will walk along the ridge above Budi Gandaki River crossing the Sal forests and finally crossing a bridge to reach Soti Khola village. Overnight in Soti Khola village.
Today’s route is the same one that you walked on the starting day of your trekking trip from Arughat. Climbing up from Soti Khola to the ridge at Kuerepani, you will make a steep descent to the cascading waterfall. Hike towards Arkhet Bazaar and cross the river leaving behind the Budi Gandaki River to arrive at Shanti Bazaar. Then pass through the forests of Mangaltar, the terraced paddy and millet fields and the hydroelectric power plant along the stone-paved streets, you will finally Arughat. After lunch or a quick snacks, you will board on a bus back to Kathmandu along the banks of the Marshyangdi and Trishuli Rivers with a magnificent view of the green hills, mountains and terraced farms and tiny hamlets on both sides of the meandering road. On arrival at Kathmandu bus depot, you will be transferred to your designated hotel room. You may stretch out your legs and relax the whole evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Today is the day your holidays in Nepal has come to an end, and you will be flying back home with ample memories of the experiences you’ve had in the Himalayas. A representative from Aid Journeys will drop you off at the Tribhuvan International Airport well ahead of your scheduled flight for your onward journey. With plenty of time onboard, you may plan your next trip in the Himalayan realms of Nepal. For those willing to stay back and extend your holidays, Aid Journeys will be glad to plan your trip according to your craving.
