Overview
Some of the finest mountains of the Himalayas are not far from Kathmandu. Nearby is an incredibly beautiful valley surrounded by snowcapped peaks called Langtang National Park.
The region contains a picturesque valley of terraced green farms and villages that are home of the Sherpa people. In the region are 108 holy lakes of the Gosainkunda which features incredible blue waters that reflect the snowcapped peaks of the region.
The center point of the region is Mt. Langtang Lirung (elev. 7,200 m). The other snowcapped peaks pay homage to this central mountain that towers above them. The skies here are incredibly blue, making for great contrasts against the snowcapped peaks. There are glacial moraines, dense forests of rhododendron, incredible waterfalls and much more.
The trip concludes by descending into the Helambu Valley before finally returning to Kathmandu.
This trip will take you through the heart of the Langtang region, sharing all of its wonderful secrets as you transverse high mountain passes and travels through beautiful villages. There are Buddhist monasteries, a yak cheese factory and much more as you enjoy 17 wonderful days in the heart of Langtang.
Vertical Expedition is pleased to be able to offer you this wonderful and exciting trip into the Langtang, Gosainkunda and Helambu regions north of Kathmandu.
Itinerary
Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport where you will be met by your representative of Vertical Expedition and taken by private car to your Three Star Hotel to relax for the night.
There is plenty to see and do in the Kathmandu Valley, including seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We will be visiting four of them today within the valley.
We head north by private vehicle from Kathmandu, crossing the valley rim by Shivapuri National Park and walk our way northwards to the picturesque village of Syabrubesi. We pass by the Trisuli River as it makes its way southward from Tibet. There are mountain villages and farms along the way. We will spend the night at a really nice local lodge with great food. Travel time is around 7 hours.
We enter dense forests following along the Langtang Khola (river). We will cross several suspension bridges along the way while seeing terraced farm fields that climb up the sides of the hills. We will spend the night in a local lodge.
We continue through dense forests as we make our way up the valley, finally leaving the tree line behind so we can have some magnificent views of the Langtang Range. There are water mills, prayer wheels, chhortens and sacred pilings of rocks with Buddhist inscriptions. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours, and we will spend the night at a local lodge.
It is a shorter day walk as we adjust to the higher elevation. We will pass through yak kharkas where the local people bring their animals for summer grazing in the high mountains. Our destination will take us to Kyanjin Gompa where we will have some wonderful views of Langtang Lirung, Gangchempu, Nayakhang and other snowcapped mountain peaks. There is also a gompa to visit along with a cheese factory that makes that delicious yak cheese. We will overnight in the local lodge. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours.
Today is a day to get used to the high elevation, and we will take a day hike to Tsergo-Ri, which will offer you the finest view of the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas. The trail starts out level for about a ½ hour, then it is climbing up, up and up with the views getting better and better. There are great views as you ascend for about 3 ½ hours. Enjoy the view, and then head back to Kyanjin Gompa for the night. Total trekking time is around 6 – 7 hours.
It’s time to begin your return trip, and we will follow some of the same trail out as we came in. We pass Langtang Village, and then through the forest to Lama Hotel. It’s about 5 – 6 hours as we descend to our hotel for the night.
We continue walking through dense forests today as we make our way to the village of Pairo for lunch. Here we will pick up a different trail. We will not be returning to Syabrubesi, but take a trail to the village of Thulosyabru. We will have great views of the mountains as we reach our lodge for the night. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.
We will take a broad trail that climbs upwards to Dimsa village. There are dense forests as well as great views of the high mountains and the beautiful Langtang Valley. There is a cheese factory that makes wonderful yak cheese . Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours, and we will overnight in a local lodge.
This is the heart of red panda country, and if you keep a sharp lookout, you may see one. They are there, but they tend to be nocturnal and very shy. We will explore some of the Gosainkunda Lakes in this area. We will overnight at a local lodge in Gosainkunda, with travel time between 5 – 6 hours.
The day will be more challenging as the trail is steep in places. We will cross the mountain pass of Laurebina la (elev. 4,609 m) then walk downhill until we come to Gopte village where we will spend the night. Trekking time is 6 – 8 hours.
We will descend into dense forests of oak, pine and rhododendron. There will be some great mountains views along the way, especially at Thare Pati where we will be able to see the Jugal Mountain area. We will be descending toward the Melamchi River and will finally come to Melamchigaon to spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.
We enter the Helambu region today, which is a wide valley composed of some very picturesque Sherpa villages. Here the stone houses are close together, typical of Sherpa villages. We will spend the night in Tarke Gyang. Trekking time is 5 – 7 hours.
We are passing through small forests with beautiful views of the valley below.The local religion is Drukpa Kagyu Buddhism which is the as the national religion of Bhutan. It is a bit different than traditional Tibetan Buddhism which is usually found in Nepal. Our destination is the village of Sermathang where we will spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 3 – 5 hours.
Kathmandu: We end our trek today as we make our way to Melamchi Puul Bazaar to pick up a bus back to Kathmandu. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours, with bus ride around 2 hours. We will check into our Three Star Hotel and enjoy a farewell dinner with a cultural show.
All good things must come to an end, and today, it is time to travel to your next destination. Your representative at Vertical Expedition can help you to plan your future trip as well as to other destinations around South Asia. Be sure to talk to your representative before leaving Kathmandu about a return trip to this great country. As they say, a lifetime is never enough to explore all that Nepal and the Himalayas have to offer.
Trip Information
- All airport/hotel transfers.
- Three nights in a Three Star hotel in Kathmandu. For duration of trek, local lodges and/or tea houses.
- All accommodations and meals during the trek.
- A full day of sightseeing tour in the Kathmandu Valley including an English-speaking tour guide and entrance fees.
- Private transportation by land cruiser.
- And experienced English-Speaking trek leader (government trained trekking guides), assistant trek leader (4 trekkers = 1 assistant guide) and Sherpa porters to carry luggage (2 trekkers = 1 porter). This includes salaries, insurance, food and lodging.
- Sleeping bag, a Vertical Expeditiion Duffle Bag, T-Shirt and trekking map. (Sleeping bags and duffle bags are to be returned at the end of the trek.)
- Farewell dinner along with one cultural show.
- A comprehensive medical kit.
- All government and local taxes
- Nepal Visa Fee (bring USD currently and four passport photographs)
- International airfare to and from Kathmandu
- Excess baggage charges
- Personal clothing and gears
- Lunch and evening meals in Kathmandu because of early arrival, late departure, and early return from the mountains (due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary.
- Travel and rescue insurance.
- Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower, etc.)
- Cost raised by cancellation, landslide, weather, political unrest or illness will not be our responsibility since these factors are not within our control.
- Tips for guide, drivers and porters.
Extras
FAQS
What will be the crew & group size during this trek?
For this trek, there will be one leader, an assistant leader (4 trekkers = 1 assistant leader) and Sherpa porters for carrying luggage (2 trekkers = 1 porter). This arrangement ensures that if anyone in the group is sick, the trip can still go ahead as planned. Vertical Expedition can run this trek for groups of any size. But, Vertical Expedition generally includes maximum of twelve (12) visitors as this company has found this to be the optimum size for a successful trip. However, if you would like to make a group booking for more than twelve people, Vertical Expedition can arrange this, too.
Where will you be staying during this trek?
All accommodations for the Langtang , Gosainkunda and Helambu Trek are on a twin sharing basis with inclusive trip costs and based on standard of hygiene, standard of service and food, location, etc. There are two styles of accommodations on this trip. In Kathmandu, we will stay three nights in Three Star Hotels. On the trek, we will stay thirteen nights at local lodges and tea houses which do vary in quality. Most contain unheated rooms with wood beds and foam mattresses. Vertical Expedition provides attached rooms in some major towns; however tea houses or lodges in some places only have shared facilities as well as shared toilet. If we are a solo traveler, we may have to share the room with someone else of the same sex. Please understand that we will try to provide single rooms if at possible for an additional supplemental fee.
What are the meals arrangement during this trek?
During our trek, we can enjoy typical Nepali food as well as some basic foods from different types of cuisines. While in Kathmandu, we can enjoy a great selection of foods from a variety of ethnic cultures. In the larger villages, we will have good selections, but some of the small villages may only feature a single item for dinner. Lunch will be served as a picnic lunch. There will be a farewell dinner that will feature a cultural show in Kathmandu.
