Tsum Valley Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek -13 Days

Monasteries one can visit during the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek 

Tsum Valley is famous for its unique culture, tradition and religious practice in Nepal. Majority of the people of the Tsum Valley are descendent from Tibet before/after China invaded Tibet and they follow Tibetan Buddhism as their main religion.

They have been preserving their age-old culture, tradition and religious practice. There are numerous monastery and cave that are very popular pilgrimage destination in the Tsum Valley. Buddhist Saint Guru Milarepa was one that did his meditation in the cave of Tsum Valley and hence the area is regarded as one of the sacred valleys by the Tibetan Buddhist followers.

The most popular monastery in the entire Tsum Valley is the Mu Gompa which is the largest and also the highest situated monastery at 3700 Meters. Rachen Gompa is yet another popular Nunnery Monastery that houses Buddhist nun providing training about religious practice.

Gomba Lungdang is yet another popular monastery that lies beneath the Ganesh Himal and is famous for practicing meditation and religious celebration. Apart from this, there are other numerous monasteries and gompa that are popular and are built in the villages of the Tsum Valley.

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek Difficulty 

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp is comparatively easy going and low altitude trek of the entire Manaslu Region. The best part of this trek route is its solitude and peaceful trail. There will be few trekkers in this trail and hence it is crowd-free route.

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek is a remote and off-the-beaten trail, however, trekkers will be staying in a tea house and home stay accommodation operated by the locals.

The trek to Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal follows the well-maintained trail and passes by the conserved forest, villages, farmland and the majestic view throughout. The trail crosses seasonal river in a peaceful environment.

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek mainly focus the majestic views, peaceful trail, diverse vegetation and the unique Tibetan culture and hospitality where trekkers will be able to visit popular monasteries.

The best part of this trek is its low altitude, here the highest point trekkers will reach will be the Ganesh Himal Base Camp at 4200 Meters, as a day hike. However, the highest altitude for the overnight stay in a tea house/home stay during the entire trek will be Mu Gumba at 3700 Meters.

With its easy-trail and low altitude elevation, Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek is doable to all age group and first-time trekkers as well and the itinerary can be customized/ tailor-made depending upon trekkers interest and time frame.

Overall, one can rate Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal as a MODERATE and LOW-ALTITUDE Trek which can be done by first time trekkers and also seniors. Here, prior trekking experience is not required.

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal  Base Camp Trek Route 

TSUM VALLEY and GANESH Himal Base Camp Trail falls under the same route of the Manaslu Region that also passes by the Manaslu Circuit Trek. Here, both the popular destination goes together and are doable in just a one try without any additional days.

The route to Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp diverts from Lokpa of the Manaslu Region and then continues towards the Tsum Valley and while descending trekkers can visit Ganesh Himal Base Camp.

This is comparatively short and easy trek of the entire Manaslu Region where one can explore the diversity and the typical Tibetan culture, tradition and monasteries along with their warm hospitality.

The starting and the ending point of the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek remains the same which is Maccha Khola / Jagat because there are no other alternative route to end the trek unless one prefers to joint the Manaslu Circuit Trek with the Tsum Valley Trail.

Tsum Vally & Ganesh HImal Base Camp Distance & Altitude 

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp are both co-joined trail and can be done easily in a one go. Trekkers will have multiple option to skip the distance of the trek, as there are tea houses and home stay available.

The trek to Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp can be customized as per you need and interest with your time-frame and pace of the hike. Below are the details of the Altitude and Tentative distance of the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek.

Best time for Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek 

Trekking in Nepal is possible throughout the year, however, Tsum Valley is a low altitude trek and, thus, there are specific months and season that is regarded as the best time for Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek.

When we trek certain areas, we expect different aspect and the majestic views during the hike. Thus, to get those, we have to be very precise with the months and season for this hike.

Due to global warming and changes in the sift of weather pattern, the worst time in Nepal for trekkers are regarded as the monsoon when it comes to low-altitude trek. And further, the shift of Monsoon is changing.

Thus, to avoid the worst time of Monsoon, trekking to Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp can perfectly be done during the Spring, Autumn and Winter and the months like January – June and October (2nd Week) till December is the best time of the year. This time of the year provides pristine environment, great view and relax hiking trail.

Starting and ending point of Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek 

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek which lies in the Manaslu Region, starts and ends at the same point, unless you want to add the trail to Manaslu Circuit Trek.

Here, if one wants to continue the combo Tsum Valley and/or Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek, then you have to follow the only one route available for this trek and this goes via Maccha Khola, a gate-way to entire Manaslu Region.

Maccha Khola is a point where trekkers can reach via Bus or Jeep from Kathmandu and then the trek enters into Lokpa via Jagat. Till Philim, almost half way from Jagat, the trail head to Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal remains the same.

Finally, your trek enters into Lokpa the gate-way to Tsum Valley and then continues into Mu Gompa and then you descend half way the same trail and then the route diverts towards Ganesh Himal trek.

Exploring the Ganesh Himal your trek descends towards Lokpa, the gate-way to Tsum Valley via an alternative Hydropower trail and then continues descending towards Maccha Khola via Jagat. Here, for Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek, the starting and ending point of the trail for couple of starting days and the last couple of ending days remain the same which is Maccha Khola

However, for trekkers, who wants to extend their trail towards Manaslu Circuit, they can ascend towards Manaslu Trail from Lokpa.

Required permits for Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek 

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal both falls under the Manaslu Conservation Area Project of the Manaslu Region. Apart from this, those areas of the trail also are declared as a Restricted Area and trekkers need to follow strict guidelines to trek in this route.

Further, the route of the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal are guided by the independent Village Development Committee (VDC) as a local body and they have the right to collect independent individual local tax, as a local permits.

Due to this, trekkers in the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp trail are to follow with some of the permits:

• Manaslu Conservation Area Project PERMIT (MCAP)
• Restricted Area Permits (RAP) of Tsum Valley
• Chumnubri Rural Municipality Permit

Food and Accommodation during the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek 

The option of food and accommodation during Tsum Valley Trek is perfect. Here, trekkers will be staying in a basic tea house and home stay during the entire trek. All the tea house and home stay are run by local people and trekkers will have an opportunity to explore their tradition and culture, and enjoy their hospitality.

Food goes will multiple option, as the tea house and home stay will have a menu card and trekkers will have an option to choose their food from the menu. Foods are hygienic and fresh and vegetable used are local grown.

Transportation during the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek 

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek falls under the Manaslu Region and the gate-way to the trail head is Maccha Khola. Trekkers can drive from Kathmandu to Maccha Khola via a Local Bus and after the trek local bus will be available for drive to Kathmandu.

However, if one prefers to take a private Jeep then one can drive all the way to Jagat on the same day. Here, one need to know that, local bus only operates till Maccha Khola, but a private Jeep will reach till Jagat. This will minimize two days in the entire program if trekkers prefer to go with a private jeep option. However, private jeep from Maccha Khola to Jagat only runs during the dry season, as this is off-road drive.

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Trek Cost 

Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp is a budget-friendly trek and is comparatively affordable in compare to Everest Base Camp Trek. The cost of the Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp is mainly determined by different factors, such as the number of day, number of trekkers and the means of transport one prefers to use during the trek to reach and to descend from the trailhead (Public transport / Private transport).

Overall, one can assume the trek cost for Tsum Valley and Ganesh Himal Base Camp Trek will roughly go from USD 1200 to USD 1500 depending upon the number of travelers and the services one prefers to take.