One of the most beautiful and breathtaking mountainous regions of Nepal is the Langtang valley which lies to the north of the capital City. The Langtang national park covers an area of 1710 sq. km. The Langtang Valley Trek does not have hard climbs or high altitude problems so it is rated as one of the easier treks. The Langtang Valley Trek also allows you the views of Rhododendron forests, waterfalls, beehives clinging to the cliffs, Yak pastures and an insight into the life in the Himalayan region. It is a religious, cultural and adventurous trek into the splendid Langtang valley and its treasures.
The duration of the trek is 12 days, out of which 8 days will be for walking. It is a fairly easy trek (with a maximum elevation of 4290m) that sees fewer trekkers than other mountain treks. The Trek commences from and ends at Syabrubeshi. Sandwiched between the Himalayan region to the north and smaller peaks to the south, this valley was declared the first Himalayan national park of the country in 1971. The high and isolated region is inhabited mostly by Tamangs who share a closer resemblance to the Tibetan culture, costumes, language and other practices. It is believed that this valley was discovered when a lama was looking for his lost yak. In Tibetan language Lang means ‘yak’ and tang means ‘follow’ and hence the name of the valley and the peak came to be Langtang.
Day 1 : Arrival to Kathmandu
Welcome to Kathmandu. You will be welcomed by one of your guides upon your arrival to Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu. You will be checked in to your hotels and might spend some time visiting the nearby historic and religious places depending on the time of arrival. Usually, you will dine at an authentic Nepali restaurant to taste the Nepali cuisine.
Day 2: Half day cultural tour
You can stay and visit the three cities: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. The cities provide beautiful, religious and cultural experiences with the temples, palaces and other heritage sites. This is also the day when all the arrangements are finalized and briefing is done for the entire trip.
Day 3: Kathmandu – Trishuli Bazaar (1940 m) / Start trek to Syabrubeshi ( 2150 m)
You will take a bus/car all the way to Dhunche from Kathmandu, which lies on the east bank of the Trishuli River. 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)
Day 4: Syabrubeshi – Lama Hotel (2470m)
After leaving the hotel, you cross the Bhote Koshi River by a suspension bridge towards ‘old’ Syabrubeshi, which is a cluster of houses and a school opposite to the river. Another suspension bridge takes you to the south side of Langtang Khola which you will follow for the next couple of days. You climb slowly to Doman (1680m) and continue over a rocky ridge to Landslide lodge and Hot spring restaurant, named after a hot spring on the opposite bank at 1810 meters. The trail now climbs gently to Bamboo Lodge, where you will enjoy your lunch. Opposite to the river, you can see vertical cliffs covered with cactuses. After Bamboo, you cross the Langtang Khola on a new suspension bridge to the north bank. The forest is sparser and drier on this side of the river consisting mainly of scrub oaks and nettles. You climb steeply on a good trail to Rimche (2150m) .Then you descend slowly to Lama Hotel where you will spend the night. (6 hrs)
Day 5: Lama Hotel – Langtang (3430m)
The day starts with a gentle climb but soon becomes steeper, climbing through a forest of hemlocks, oaks, maples and rhododendron. You can see the beautiful view of Langtang Lirung (7246 m) from the trail. After a little more than an hour, you pass two lodges in the forest at Gumanchowk (2800m) from where you climb to a Nepal army post and a national park checkpoint at Ghoda Tabela (2970m). The trail ascends gradually as the valley becomes wider. You pass a few teashops at Thangshyap 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 the surrounding fields consist of buckwheat, potatoes, wheat, turnips and barley with stone walled fences. (5 hrs)
Day 6: Langtang- Kyangjin Gompa (3870 m)
Walking through the village of Langtang you will pass many mani walls covered with Tibetan inscriptions to please the Gods. The trail then climbs up gradually past small villages of Mumdu and Sindum. Then it continues through yak pastures. After crossing the Langtang khola, you climb up through a landscape scattered with large boulders to form a moraine where you will have the first peek of the Kyangjin Gompa and the dramatic Icefall flowing from Langtang Lirung and Langtang Kishung(6781m) to the north. The route weaves through the large boulders to a Gompa and from there a short descent to Kyangjin Gompa which easily takes you to your destination before lunch to acclimatize and explore the surroundings. Here you can choose to hike to one of the best viewpoints – to the north of the Gompa is the Kyangjin Ri which is a 2 hour climb which presents you a great view of the mountain range to the west, including Langshisha Ri (6370m), Gang Chhenpo (6388 m), Dorje Lakpa(6966m). (3 hrs, to the viewpoint and back is another 3 hrs)
Day 7: Kyangjin Gompa (3730 m)
Today you stay at Kyangjin Gompa to explore the Langtang valley a bit more. Your trail descends a little to the old abandoned VTOL airstrip and then follows the river upstream to some herders’ huts at Jatang (3840m). You will continue to climb slowly up the valley until you are surrounded by the amphitheatric view of the mountains like Langshisha Ri, Langshisha Kharka, and Dorje Lakpa. You will descend to Kyangjin Gompa after lunch.
Day 8: Kyangjing Gompa – Lama Hotel (2470 m)
Today you retrace your steps back to Lama Hotel, a 1400m descent with a few short exceptions. (5 hrs)
Day 9: Lama Hotel – Syabrubeshi
For some variation in the route, you will follow the so called ‘high route’ back to Syabrubeshi. This trail splits off the route you took upwards shortly after lama hotel. The route goes to the small village of Syarpagaon and continues to Bhanjyang Gaon and Khangjung before descending back to Syabrubeshi. This was the primary route to Langtang before the new trail was built. (6 hrs)
Day 10: Syabrubeshi – Kathmandu
You return back from Syabrubeshi to Kathmandu after breakfast which is a nearly 6 hour’s drive.
Day 11: Leisure in Kathmandu
You can use this leisure time to visit the various Thangka paintings, Pashmina and other souvenir shops and relax. You can also take a tour of the city yourself or with a guide.
Day 12: Departure from Kathmandu
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 to experience the other adventures that our Himalayan kingdom has to offer.
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