You would be having a tour of the Kathmandu Valley today. You would be visiting the sites that are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List, starting from the holy temple of Pashupatinath. It is one of the most sacred temples for the Hindu people and is located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. You can sometimes see the cremation ceremony being performed at the banks of the river as well. On the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, the temple sees the visit of thousands of devotees. Next on the tour is the Kathmandu Durbar Square. You would be able to look at intricate carvings and opulent Nepali architecture on old Palaces, temples, deities and statues in the Durbar Square area. The site does well to reflect Nepal’s rich monarchial days of the past. Moving on to the next site, you would be visiting the Swayambhunath temple. Located atop a hill west of the city, Swayambhunath is a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site. The stupa consists of a dome at the base and a cubical structure painted with the all-knowing peaceful eyes of Buddha looking in four directions. The stupa houses many artifacts inside and the golden tiers above the pentagonal Toran are majestic to look at. And lastly on the tour is a visit to the Bouddhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world. After the Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing Tour, you would be returning back to your Hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel, breakfast included.

You will be picked up at your guide at around 8 in the morning. Driving for around 8 hours, you will be reaching Arughat today. It takes around four hours to reach the village of Dhading Besi from Kathmandu, during which the drive is mostly comfortable. The views of the surrounding terrains are also quite beautiful and full of sights of the emerald hills and terrace farms. Dhading Besi is the headquarters of Dhading that lies at the elevation of 1050 meters. The rest of the drive from Dhading Besi is subjected to rough roads. Furthermore, you will be driving for 1.5 hours to Soti Khola in a public Jeep. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Arughat, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today, you will be following a trail that moves up and down many times. You will be walking through forests and will continue upstream along the Budhi Gandaki River. Then, as you descend to a wide sandy riverbank, you will continue along the winding mountain path that overlooks the river. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Machha Khola, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today’s trail climbs through rugged rocky paths. Climbing up and down the trail, you will be walking along ravines and beautiful alpine vegetations. You can get good views of the Sringi Himal as you continue up to the village of Philim. The village lies at the elevation of 1,550 meters. It is a large Gurung village and has fields of corn and millet. There are several good campsites and you can set up camp here, surrounded by alder and blue pine trees. Overnight stay at Philim, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will be taking a trail up Philim today and will be heading over the ridge that leads to the Ganesh Himal Base Camp. Further along the trail, you will be reaching Ripche. It is also called the Lower Tsum. You will be staying a night at Ripche. Overnight stay in the local teahouse, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

From Ripche, trekking to Chhokangparo will be done. From there, you will continue on to Nile. Upper Tsum valley (part of the inner Himalaya) opens from Chhokangparo. It is a small village situated on a flat land and makes up two settlements of Chhekam and Paro. From the valley, the Ganesh Himal Range can be seen directly to the south where it provides spectacular views of the Bauddha and Himal Chuli peaks to the south-west. Some of the houses in this village practice polyandry. From Chhokangparo, you will be trekking to Nile/Chhule. This is the last village heading north in the Upper Tsum Valley. Nile is on the western, sun-side of the Shiar Khola, about 20 minutes walk across Chhule. On the way, you will also be passing the Piren Phu cave. The cave, also called the Pigeon cave, is one of the most sacred caves in the Tsum Valley. It is located at the foot of a rugged cliff near the village of Burji. Milarepa- the famous Tibetan saint, was believed to have meditated here. There are two separate Gompa attached to the rocky cave. Richly painted Buddhist murals, excellent artistic scripts carved on stones, long prayer flags and significant Buddhists paper scripts make this cave one of the most important socio-cultural asset in the valley. Overnight stay at the local Tea-House, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

From Nile, the trail gradually ascends to Mu Gumba- the largest monastery in the region. Mu Gumba is located at the highest and farthest point in the Tsum valley. It was established in 1895 AD and is situated at an altitude of 3510m.The monastery houses religious books, including Kangyur, a life sized statue of Avalokiteshwara, and images of Guru Padmasambhava and Tara. Dephyudonma Gumba is one of the oldest monasteries in the Tsum Valley and is situated in the rugged mountains; 2 hours walk from the village of Chhule and Nile. The history of this monastery is directly associated with the dawn of Buddhism in the valley. The monastery is run by Lama Serap of Nile Ladrang from the Kangi sect. There are a few campsites and drinking water facilities. Overnight stay at the local teahouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

From Mu Gumba, you will be taking the trail to Rachen Gumba, a nunnery. The nunnery is situated in the Shiar Khola Valley in the foothills of the mountains bordering Nepal and Tibet. Rachen Gumba was established in the year 1905 AD and is one of the largest nunneries in the Tsum valley. It houses nuns belonging to the Ngak-pa sect, which does not allow animal slaughter. The nunnery houses one thousand clay-molded statues of Avalokiteshwara, a brightly colored and carved throne and pillar, and a large prayer wheel. The interior is richly painted with murals about Buddhism and its history. Overnight stay at the local teahouse, Breakfast, lunch and Dinner Included.

Today, you will be trekking to the settlement of Deng. It requires around 7 to 8 hours of walking, and the path is adorned with many natural sights and beautiful sceneries of the landscape. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Deng, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will be scrambling steeply up onto a spectacular trail and will descend to cross the river. Passing through some small settlements, you will ascend to an impressive valley where you can encounter various Mani stones (prayer stones) carved into wayside rocks, a sign that we are entering a Tibetan territory. In the afternoon, you will make an excursion to the small settlement of Prok. It is a two hour round trip. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Continuing your trek from Namrung, you will steadily climb up into the alpine hills where you can see the first glimpses of Manaslu North. The stunning view of Manaslu is awe inspiring. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will be passing the stone gate and a long Mani stone wall of the village, with full view of Peak 29 ahead. You can also make a side excursion to Pungen Glacier to get a close up view of Manaslu. The trial follows a lateral moraine of Pungen Glacier towards Sama. After another 20 minutes walk, you will reach Sama Gompa where you shall stop for a night halt. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

This day has been set aside for acclimatization. An option for full or half day walks has been set aside. Full day walk is towards Manaslu Base Camp (approximately 6-7 hour round trip). Alternatively, there are half day walks either to the glacier across the valley or to Birendra Ta. Stay overnight at guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The trail crosses grazing areas and gradually climbs the valley. Fantastic views of the mountains, especially Manaslu are adorned all along the trail. It leads to Samdo (3860m), a Tibetan refugee village. This remote village is only a day's walk from the Tibetan border. After crossing a couple of streams, you will reach the Larkya Bazaar, a village that thrived off trade with Tibet years ago. You will reach a lodge at 4450m, after a steady climb. It is the last night before the pass. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will climb Cho Chanda and slowly head uphill towards the steep snowed-up pass today. The panorama from the top is magnificent- Himlung Himal (7126meter), Cheo Himal (6820meters), Gyagi Kung, Kang Koru (6981meters) and the Annapurna II (7937meters). Then, you will be descending steeply through moraines to Bhimphedi. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

With a gentle climb through the paddy fields, you will be heading towards the Karche La pass. The trial descends through fig trees and rhododendron forests to Tilje. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Tilje, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will be climbing over a small ridge and can enjoy the stone paved trail as it passes through a beautiful village. Then, crossing the bridge over Dudh Khola, you will climb up through a Chorten-shaped arch, pass a Mani wall and reach the Thonje village. At the village, you can go through a police checkpoint and continue to Dharapani. You will have entered the Annapurna circuit section from Dharapani. Further down, you will come across the Karte village and after quite a bit of walking, you will cross a bridge over the Marshyangdi Khola. You will also come across some Mani walls before reaching the village of Tal, situated at the foot of a large waterfall. A short descend to Chamche village will then follow. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Catching a local jeep to Beshisahar, you will be driven back to Kathmandu in a private car. Overnight stay at the Hotel, Breakfast and lunch Included.

Approximately three hours before your scheduled flight, one of Escape Himalaya’s representatives will drop you off at the airport from where you will depart.