Trek in Langtang -18 days

Leave from Kathmandu early for the seven-hour drive to the entrance of the Langtang Valley. The road is hilly and winding though spectacular, climbing high and providing the superb panoramic views of the Annapurnas, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and the peaks of the Langtang region. The road then plunges down to the Trisuli River valley, which it follows for most of the day’s drive to Syabrubesi.

Syabrubesi is the common starting point for the Langtang Valley trek as well as the Gosainkund trek, but instead of heading in these directions, ascend a view point for an hour and a half for a fantastic view of Ganesh Himal, the Gosainkund range, and the Goljang Valley. Head down to the Goljang Valley (about an hour’s walk) and stop there for lunch. In the afternoon, trek for about three hours to reach Gatlang, a beautiful Tamang village.

Today’s walk begins by descending to Thangbuchet, by a lovely river. After lunch, the trail heads up again, across a hanging bridge and climbing to Tatopani, your stop for the night. The town’s name literally means ‘hot water’ in Nepali, and there are towns of this name all over Nepal. Unsurprisingly, here you can enjoy the natural hot springs, with water that comes straight out of the ground. Locals believe that the waters have a healing quality, and it will certainly ease away any aches and pains from the trek.

Today, the trail ascends to Nagthali Danda (3,300 m./ 10,826 ft.), a high, open grassland with amazing views of the Himalayas. Stop at the delightful Brimdang village for lunch en route, then continue up to Nagthali Danda. On arrival, stop for a masala chiya (tea), prepared by the gompa’s caretaker. Then, continue down to Thuman, a Tamang village with friendly people who love to sing and dance. You might even be invited to join in!

Today’s walk begins along a flatter section of trail, then descends to Timure. It follows part of the old trade route to Tibet, and in fact, Tibet is not far away—just three hours’ walk. However, it’s not possible to walk across the border these days, and there’s a heavy police presence along the roads in this area. After lunch, the trail continues to Briddim, another Tamang village, where you’ll stay in a local home for a truly unique experience. All accommodation, lodgings, and food are offered at local houses on a rotational basis, so you can be sure that your stay is benefitting the whole community and not just one or two enterprising families (as is sometimes the case with hotels and lodges).

Today’s trail gradually climbs through sub-tropical forests to join the trail from Syabru Besi, then climbing through uninhabited oak and rhododendron forests. Look out for langur monkeys in the trees. The trail through the forest up to Lama Hotel becomes rewarding is a comfortable bed in a nice lodge in the small settlement.

The trail continues to climb through forest, with occasional glimpses of Langtang Lirung between the trees. At Ghora Tabela (3,000 m) the trail emerges from the forest and the mountains loom on either side of the valley.The trail continues to climb gently and the valley widens, passing a few temporary settlements used by herders who bring their livestock to graze in the high pastures during the summer. You will probably glimpse your first yak if you haven’t already.The next part of the trail is a somber reminder of the 2015 earthquake. Where Langtang village once was with numerous lodges, there is now only a huge rock field. Spare a thought for the Nepalis and tourists who lost their lives here, and remember that your journey here will help support the survivors. Mundu is just half an hour’s walk further on. The old houses here are a reminder of what all the villages once looked like in this valley. Most of the lodges and homes in this area are now built in a more modern style.

From Langtang/Mundu, the trail climbs gradually through yak pastures as the valley opens out further and the views become more extensive. After crossing several small streams and moraines, the trail reaches the settlement at Kyangjin. Here there is a small monastery and a government-operated cheese factory, which is a good place to stock up for lunch and afternoon snacks. As you will arrive by lunchtime there is time to take it easy in the afternoon or explore the area. If you are feeling energetic, head up the Valley towards Langshisha Kharka to see some of the amazing views.

Today you can rest or explore the area. You can visit the monastery and the cheese factory, walk up the moraine to see the spectacular ice faces and tumbling glaciers of Langtang Lirung or ascend Kyangjin Ri directly behind the village, for a breath-taking panorama of the Langtang peaks.

From Kyangjin retrace the route you followed up the valley, following the Langtang Khola to Mundu village and on to Ghora Tabela. The descent will certainly be faster than the ascent. After lunch, continue the steep descent to Lama Hotel.

We begin our trek with a climb up to the Rimche Village. From here we descend to the banks of the Langtang Khola. We continue on an easy trail to Bamboo and begin ascending to Landslide Lodge. From here we continue our trek to Thulo Syabru. There are two trails as we cross another bridge. We follow the one that passes by Pahare hotel and a waterfall at 2210 m to reach Thulo Syabru. Overnight in Thulo Syabru.

Today will be a short walk but it is important to not reach Gosaikunda today because the steady gain in altitude will help us acclimatize better to the high altitude. After trekking for a while we pass by a chorten and a checkpoint. From the checkpoint, we move south and pass by Garta Village and Phulung Monastery before reaching Shin Gompa to spend the night.

Today we get to enjoy fantastic panoramic views of the Himalayas including the Annapurnas, Hiunchuli, Manaslu, Ganesh and Langtang. We follow a ridge for the most part of the day and catch a glimpse of the first of the holy lakes. The third lake, Gosaikunda (4380m), is of particular religious and cultural significance for the Nepalese and is one of Nepal’s most sought after pilgrimage sites. The lake is surrounded by mountains on almost all sides and has a great ensemble of nine other lakes to accompany it. Every year during Janai Purnima in August, hundreds of Hindu pilgrims visit the lake for a holy bath. The large rock at the center of the lake is said to be the remains of a Shiva shrine.

We move around the lake’s shore before ascending towards the Laurebina Pass (4610m). The Helambu region begins at the Lauribinayak La (pass) and descends to the Melamchi valley. The trail is rough and crosses moraines, but is well marked with cairns. We pass through three more small lakes before reaching the pass. We climb a small hill and enjoy excellent views of the area. Our trail passes through Surya kunda before reaching Ghopte.

We walk uphill and downhill on a trail that passes through dense forests. Walking on a trail through the forest will take us to Thare Pati Village. We climb a ridge above the village and continue our trek. The view from the ridge of the Nepalese hills and Soli Danda in particular is beautiful. We cross two suspension bridges before reaching Melamchigaon which is a beautiful village that houses a monastery.

We pass a stupa and cross a small stream below Tarkeghyang. Our trail passes through forests that lead up to Ama Yangri which is the highest point of our trek today located at 3,800m. There is a stupa and Buddhist prayer flags at the top of the hill. Furthermore, we get stunning views of Mt. Shishapangma and the Langtang ranges. The mountains are so close that we feel that we can almost touch them. As we descend we can often see yaks grazing in the bushes before entering a forest. We also walk on a trail made of broken stone before reaching Tarkeghyang which is a beautiful Sherpa village.

We begin our trek after breakfast. The trail is easy and passes through lush forests. We also pass by beautiful villages, chortens, a monastery and a mani wall before reaching Sermathang. It’s a beautiful Sherpa Village with incredible views of Ganesh Himal, Jugal Himal and the Langtang ranges. On a clear day, we can even see Mt. Everest in the distance.

We trek through meadows, fields and beautiful villages to reach Melamchi Bazaar. From here we drive to Kathmandu and reminisce about our trip in the Langtang and Helambu regions. After reaching Kathmandu, we freshen up and take a rest. The trip ends.