Langtang Gosaikunda trek

Today is your arrival day. We welcome you upon your arrival at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. Transfer to Hotel in Kathmandu. Prior to the activities, arrange a meeting with your guide for briefing about the necessary formalities on your tour and trek program. Depending upon your arrival time you may spend free time visiting nearby historic/Countryside areas.

Meet your culture guide for Half day sightseeing in Kathmandu World Heritage sights. Explore UNESCO enlisted Hindu and Buddhist temples, observe age old Newari architectures, friendly people; their culture and lifestyle. Our Trek Leader/Guide meets you in the afternoon for the trek briefing and for the final trek preparation. In the evening sample a delicious traditional Nepali Welcome dinner in authentic Nepali Restaurant with the cultural dances that represents different customs and music instruments of Nepal. Private vehicle is there for you to pick up and drop in Hotel with our staff. Overnight in Kathmandu.

You will take a bus/car all the way to Dhunche from Kathmandu, which lies on the east bank of the Trishuli River. Most part of the road is black topped, so the drive is going to be smooth expect for a 45 minutes' bumpy, slippery and congested trail we have to roll over after crossing Dhunche. What aggravates the condition is that the bumpy section of the trail actually is at the landslide prone area. The mammoth excavators clearing up the debris could be a familiar sight every now and then. You need not worry much, because our experienced chauffer is kind of hand and glove with these road conditions and exactly knows how to maneuver through such seemingly impossible tracks. The trek from this point allows you to travel through the best routes of the country with relatively few trekkers. The route follows the road up to a ridge at 1800m and then continues for a short distance till you reach the Tamang village of Thulo Bharku. About 100m from the village, the road crosses a small stream with water-driven mills. It is a delightful hike through occasional rhododendron and pine forests. After a short climb, the trail reaches a ridge crest at 2300m, where the trek officially enters the Langtang Valley. You can witness a few peaks in Tibet to the west of Ganesh Himal and the east of Naya Kangri and Ganja la peaks. A short, steep descent through the Bamboo forests leads to Syabru at 2100m. (3 hrs)

Our footy mission kicks off today. After breakfast, we kiss goodbye to Syabrubesi and head towards Lama Hotel, crossing a suspension bridge over the Langtang River on the very outset. Langtang river is going to be our constant companion throughout the day. It is a fairly challenging walk along the well defined trails, as we pass through the impressive clusters of oaks, rhododendrons and bamboos. The trail at times transition to the tiring stony steps, gobbling up a great deal of our calorie. We probably halt for lunch at Rimche (2455m) and then continue our walk along the treacherous uphill trail all the way up to Lama Hotel, a small village with a promising collection of teahouses. Overnight at teahouse in Lama Hotel; breakfast, lunch and dinner included. (6 hrs)

We gear up for another lengthy walk. The trail gradually ascends alongside the forests of oaks, maples, hemlocks and the funky rhododendrons, catering us the fleeting glimpses of Langtang Lirung (7,246m), as we arrive at Ghora Tabela, where we halt for lunch. When our trek resumes, we pass through a Nepal Army Check Post. We proceed further along a grassy trail enjoying the seemingly never-ending ambience of greenery. You can see some yaks grazing; dare you not tease them! Following the Langtang River, we now begin the ascent on a stoney trail tucked at the base of a rocky cliff. Conquering plenty of demanding switchbacks, we eventually arrive at the spectacular premises of Langtang Village, another settlement dominated by the Tamang population at 3140m, where you will have lunch. The route now opens up to an open countryside with Mani stones, water driven praying wheels and a few scattered Tamang villages before reaching Langtang. There is a small village with guesthouses and yak farms and surrounding fields consisting of buckwheat, potatoes, wheat, turnips and barley with stone walled fences. (5 hrs)

Trek from Langtang Village to Kyangjin Gompa (3,870m/3 hours)Kyangjin Gompa, the last human settlement in the Langtang region of Nepal offering some enticing excursions to Tsergo Ri and Yala Cheese Factory. This is perhaps the easiest, shortest and the most scenic walk of the trip. We can afford to spoil ourselves sleeping till late morning as our next destination, Kyangjin Gompa, is just about a 3 hours' walk from Langtang Village. We savor a good breakfast, relishing the mountains at a whooping close distance. And this is actually the catch of today's trek, we will be able to witness the Langtang Himalayas a lot closer, compared to the previous days. The trail constitutes a combination of dirt and grass, embellished with a plethora of wild flowers. As we traverse through the tiny villages of Mundu Singdum, Yamphu (3640m) and yak pastures, the Langtang valley extends further, subsequently bringing us even closer to the fascinating Himalayas. Passing several small streams and moraines along the open valley, we arrive at Kyangjin Gompa, the last settlement in the region. The place is akin to a darling hemmed by imposing lovers- the tall snow clad giants. You can't help but shower your glances around, getting bewildered with unprecedented views of Dorje Lakpa (6990m), Langtang Lirung (7,246m), Langtang Ri (6,370m) etc. Overnight at teahouse in Kyangjin Gompa; breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Tsergo Ri (4984m), one of the most frequently ascended ridges in the Langtang region of Nepal. Kyangjin Gompa is the hub that offers some enthralling excursions to the famed destinations like Yala Cheese Factory, Tsergo Ri, Kyangjin Ri etc. So, an extra day here is not just to get acclimatized to the soaring altitude, but also to sample the awesome side trips. Our pick today is to ascend one of the most famed ridges of Langtang valley, the Tsergo Ri, at a staggering 4984m. It takes about 6-7 hours to make it to the top of the ridge and get back to our teahouse in Kyangjin Gompa. The ridge offers a flabbergastingly beatific panorama of the Langtang Himalayas. If you are not ready to put up with the altitudinal hurdles of Tsergo Ri, you can simply stroll around the village interacting with the locals or clicking the Himalayas that seem almost at a stone's throw away. Overnight at teahouse in Kyangjin Gompa; breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today you retrace your steps back to Lama Hotel, a 1400m descent with a few short exceptions. You follow the same route till you reach the Landslide lodge where you now take the upper trail to reach Thulo Syabru. The trail goes up for 400 meters and passes a Bhatti at U Kyang on the ridge before reaching the pleasant village of Thulo Syabru, decorated with elaborately carved windows. Overnight at teahouse in Lama Hotel.

The first part of today's trek takes us down through the pine and juniper forests until we arrive at Bamboo, a tiny settlement poised aside the roaring Langtang River. As we commence the trek after lunch and advance further, we come across a trail junction. The first trail descends to Syabrubesi while the second trail winds up towards Thulo Syabru. Obviously, we take the second trail and head for an uphill march up to the village of Thulo Syabru. Overnight at teahouse in Thulo Syabru; breakfast, lunch and dinner included. (6 hrs)

You start the trek passing the Gompa , school and army post and switch back to the steep hill above the village to Dursagang (2660m). The trail becomes less steep now and passes through the forests of hemlock and oaks to the top of a ridge at Foprang Danda where you will have lunch. The trail to Sing Gompa cuts across the ridge top staying fairly leveled as it crosses the head of the valley. After passing the final ridge at 3260 m, you will reach Sing Gompa. ( 4hrs ) also known as "Chandanbaari". The place hosts a well running local cheese factory and a Buddhist monastery. If willing, we can explore these two sites and also sample the very famous, locally made cheese. Overnight at teahouse in Sing Gompa; breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The trail climbs steeply up the ridge which creates a transition zone between rich, moist forests on the northern slopes to dry, scrub vegetation on the slope facing south. The area on the northern slope is a sanctuary for the red panda, an endangered species that Nepali people call Cat bear. The trail crosses behind the ridge and stays in the deep forest for a while before emerging onto a saddle of Chalang Pati. From here we enter the Gosaikunda Protected Area where the killing of animals, lighting, wood fires and grazing is strictly prohibited. As the trail ascends, you can have outstanding views of the Langtang valley to Langtang lirung. It is possible to continue to Gosaikunda the same day, but you should stay in Lauberina yak to acclimatize to the surroundings. The morning view of the mountains from the small settlement is even better as you can see the breathtaking views of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang Hirung etc.

You start climbing further along the ridge till you see the first lakes around 4200 meters. The trail now leaves the ridge and heads high above the Trisuli valley. After the trail crosses a spur, the second lake in the chain ( Bhairav Kund) comes into view. The trail climbs gently but continuously to the third and largest lake, Gosaikunda. It has a black rock in the middle said to be the head of Lord Shiva. According to a legend, Shiva created the lake when he pierced a glacier with his trident to obtain water to quench his thirst after consuming poison. Hundreds of pilgrims come here to worship and bathe in the holy water during the full moon of August every year. It takes about 45 minutes to walk around the lake. ( 3 hrs)

The first part of the trail climbs further through rugged country, passing three small lakes towards the Lauberina La Pass (4610m). After the pass the trail descends alongside a stream through the alpine country to the national park post at Bhera Goth. You continue descending over a rocky trail along the middle of the valley to Phedi (3740m) for lunch. From Phedi the route drops to a stream and then climbs through scrub Bamboo to a crest at 3750 meters. From here you climb in and out of ravines across the head of the valley to Gopte. (7 hrs)

The trail continues up ravines and across the boulders of old moraines. You make a final ascent to Tharepati on the ridge at 3490m from where you can see the Helambu region. You will arrive around noon and take rest of the day off to relax. (3 hrs) In the morning you walk through the alpine countryside meadows and scrubs typical to high altitudes. You will enter the forest again and follow the ridges before descending to Magen Goth. There are still two lodges there that used to belong to former army camps. The trail gently climbs to a small pass at Mere Danda at 3510m before descending through rhododendron forests inhabited by only a few shepherds’ huts. The trail continues further down to Kutumsang from where we continue to the nearby Gul Bhanjyang which is a delightful classic hilly village. (6 hrs)

You start by descending down a forested ridge to the long, strung out village of Thodang Betini (2260m). From here you climb up around 200 meters to the top of the Jhogin Danda ridge and descend over a stone staircase to the teashops at Chipling . Continuing your way down past Brahmin and Chhetri villages and through meadows and fields, you finally reach Chisopani with an unfinished tourist resort (5 hrs).

You start the day by climbing up the last pass of the trek at Borlang Bhanjyang which lies at 2240m. From here you descend steeply through eroded chasms towards Tamang settlements of Mulkharka at 1800 meters. From here on it is a short walk to Sundarijal where you walk past the local water supply system and follow the water pipe to the village. From Sundarijal you can take local transportation or private vehicle to get back to your hotel in Kathmandu. (4 hrs)

You can use this leisure time to visit the various Thangka paintings, Pashmina and other souvenir shops and relax in the famous tourist area of Thamel. You can also take a tour of the city yourself or with a guide.

Your tour officer will meet you at the hotel to make your departure arrangements and drop you off to the Tribhuvan International airport for your scheduled flight. You are always welcome to return back and explore other treasures of our Himalayan kingdom.