Langtang Gosainkund Helambu trek is an amazing adventure combining spectacular views of the Himalayas, with a number of interesting cultural experiences and quite geographically diverse landscapes.
This trek will give your legs a chance to warm up at the easier elevations and on the more moderate trails of the Langtang, before reaching the harder trails of the Gosiakund and time to become acclimatised to the higher elevations. In the spring your efforts will be rewarded, not only with some spectacular mountain views, but also with the rhododendron forests in full bloom and carpets of alpine wildflowers.
After the exhilaration of crossing a classic Himalayan high pass, you will be rewarded by the sacred Gosiankund lakes which are considered holy by both Hindus and Buddhists alike. Many Hindus make the pilgrimage to bathe in the lakes during the August full moon festival of Janai Purnima.
The trek then takes you onto the beautiful, calm valley of the Helambu. The terrain is classic Himalayan foothills. Despite its proximity to Kathmandu, the trails remain blissfully quiet as you wind your way through cultivated terraces, Sherpa villages and mountain viewpoints. A real taste of rural Nepal, before heading back to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu.
Stunning mountain scenery, high passes, hot springs, abundant wildlife, sacred lakes - the Langtang, Gosainkunda & Helambu circuit trek truly has a little bit of everything and will delight both newcomer and the most seasoned trekker alike!
The beautiful Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek is beginning and we, the trekkers, will be arriving in Kathmandu for the journey. We will be arriving in the capital via the Tribhuvan International Airport and upon our arrival, the representatives of the team will be picking us up from the airport and transferring us to our accommodation in a comfortable vehicle. We will make our way through the bustling roads of the capital and reach our hotel in the Thamel area. The representatives will be assisting us with our bags and hotel check in procedures after which we can freshen up in our rooms. At the evening time we will be having a briefing session with the Mountain Ram Adventures team, going over our agreed upon itinerary and meeting our guides for the journey. After the briefing session we will be heading over to our accommodation and prepare for our journey the next day.
We will be heading towards the Gateway of Langtang Region, Syabrubesi on a local bus. The bus ride to Syabrubesi from Kathmandu will take us anywhere around 7 hours while passing through the beautiful asphalt road carved alongside the hills and the views of the lush green valleys with glimpses of the Snow Capped peaks making the journey even more enjoyable. Syabrubesi is located around 120 KM North-West from Kathmandu in Rasuwa District mostly inhabited by the Tamang community of Nepal. After a scenic drive from Kathmandu we will reach Syabrubesi from where we will be beginning the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek.
Syabrubesi to Lama Hotel is a splendid trek which marks the beginning of our wonderful journey of Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek. The trail on the first half is gentle and flat with occasional inclines which lead us to Bamboo, Tatopani and Rimche. We will be relaxing for a bit in Bamboo and have our lunch enjoying the jaw-dropping views of the lush forests and peaks surrounding us. We continue our trek forward towards Lama Hotel where we will be staying for the night in a cozy tea house. Lama Hotel is located amidst the dense forest beside the Langtang Khola providing us with a tranquil experience during the trek.
The trek on our 4th day marks our entry to the Langtang Valley and the trail is a bit rugged at places, due to it being significantly damaged by the earthquake of 2015 AD. But after many years, the restoration of the trail has been done, making the trail comfortable to trek on. We will begin our trek after having our breakfast and making our way towards Ghoda Tabela and Thangshyap where we will be enjoying our lunch. We pass through the Landslide zone, where the old Langtang Village used to be. The village was swept away by a landslide, caused by an earthquake in 2015 AD. After crossing the Landslide zone we will eventually reach the Langtang Village, where we will be resting for the night.
We will be heading towards Kyanjin Gompa a bit earlier than usual. We will swiftly make our way towards Kyanjin Gompa through the beautiful landscape, enjoying the Himalayan views and crossing the glacier streams flowing down from the snow capped peaks down towards Langtang Khola. We will reach Kyanjin Gompa and have our lunches and check in to our rooms. After resting for a bit we will be hiking up to Kyanjin Ri. The trail to Kyanjin Ri is steep and we will need to take our time on the trail. We will be resting for a bit from time to time and enjoying the Himalayan views. During the afternoon time the wind starts picking up speed making it difficult for us to navigate through the trail. After an adventurous hike we will reach the Kyanjin Ri top from where we will be able to enjoy the beautiful 3600 panoramic views of the Langtang Himals including Langtang Lirung(7234 M), the highest peak of the range. We will be heading back towards Kyanjin Gompa after enjoying the panoramic views of the Himalayas for a good night's rest.
On our 6th day of the beautiful Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek, we will be heading towards Tserko Ri at an elevation of 5033 M, which will be the most challenging hike and the highest point of our entire trek. The trail to Tserko Ri is filled with challenging and demanding ascents and after hiking for 4 hours we will reach the summit of Tserko Ri from where we will be able to enjoy the panoramic views of the surrounding peaks including Langtang Lirung(7234 M), Langshisha Ri(6427 M), Dorje Lakpa(6966 M), Yala Peak (5520 M), Gangchenpo(6388 M) and many other snow capped peaks. We will be heading down towards Kyanjin Gompa for a well deserved rest after a long adventure.
We will be heading back to Lama Hotel from Kyanjin Gompa after our beautiful hike up to Tserko Ri. We will be having our breakfast in the tea house and making our way back towards Lama Hotel passing through the familiar settlements including Langtang Village, Thangshyap, Ghoda Tabela. The descent to Lama Hotel will be our longest distance traveled during the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek covering around 28 KM. We will also be losing around 1300 M in elevation during our 6 Hours downhill trek.
The trek from Lama Hotel to Thulo Syabru will take us around 6 hours in total and we will be covering 8 KM in distance. The hike to Thulo Syabru from Lama Hotel may be filled with surprise encounters from the wildlife of the Langtang National Parks including Langurs, Himalayan Tahr, Musk Deers and in extremely rare cases we might be able to spot Red Pandas. After passing through the dense forest we will reach the junction of the Langtang Trek and Gosainkunda Trek from where we will head towards Thulo Syabru through the comfortable inclined trail. We will reach Thulo Syabru after a short ascend and we will check into our rooms for the night in a cozy tea house.
On our 9th day of the journey we will be heading towards Cholangpati during our hike. The trail is mostly ascended during which we will be gaining 1200 M in elevation. We will be passing through Phoprang and Chandanbari(Sing Gompa) along the way to Cholangpati. We will be having our lunch in Sing Gompa. After having our delicious lunch at Sing Gompa we will head towards Cholangpati, enjoying the beautiful views of the Himalayas and the lush forests through which we will pass inorder to reach Cholangpati. After a comfortable ascent of 5 hours and covering a distance of 9.5 KM we will reach the final destination of the day, Cholangpati where we will be staying for the night in a cozy tea house.
The trek from Cholangpati to Gosainkunda is stunning and filled with beautiful views of the Himalayas including stunning peaks from the Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh and Langtang Himalayan Range. We pass through LauriBinayak, a renowned viewpoint in the Gosainkunda Trail. Enjoying and resting for a bit in Lauribinayak we make our way towards Gosainkunda Lake before which, we will be able to enjoy the views of the Bhairav Kunda and Saraswati Kunda towards our right hand side. The trail continues towards Gosainkunda Lake where we will be staying in a tea house on the shore of the holy Lake. Gosainkunda Lake is a holy lake significant for the Hindu and Buddhist community. The word” Kunda” refers to water bodies in Sanskrit and is considered to be one of the most revered sites in the hindu religion.
The surreal views of the frozen lake during the sunrise views are simply awe-inspiring. We make our way towards Ghope on day 11 after having our breakfast while enjoying the scenery. The trail begins with a steep ascend towards the Lauribina La Pass at an elevation of 4610 M. there are a total of 108 Lakes around the vicinity of Gosainkunda and during the hike we will be able to enjoy the surreal views of the Nilkantha Kunda, Surya Kunda, Chandra Kunda, Ragat Kunda, Ama Kunda and many other Kundas along the trail. After a scenic and challenging trek we will reach the top of Lauribina La Pass from where we will enjoy the beautiful views of the Himalayan Valleys. We trek towards Ghopte passing through Phedi and Dhupi Chaur where we will be spending our night. The trek from Gosainkunda Lake towards Ghopte marks our entrance into the Helambu Region.
The adventure through the Helambu Region continues towards Melamchi Gaon on our 12th day after we have our breakfast enjoying the breathtaking views of the valleys. The trek is comfortable, perfect for us to enjoy the mesmerizing views of the Himalayas and lush valleys. The trek is a short one of just around 4.9 KM, taking us around 5 hours. The Melamchi Gaon is picturesque and filled with beautiful farmlands and monasteries. After checking into our Tea House for the night we will be exploring the village including Gompas: Khandro Sngpuk and Melamchi Ghyang Gompa. We end our beautiful day with spectacular sunset views and a hearty dinner.
Today, we begin our day with beautiful sunrise views over the horizon. The gentle trek begins after a tasty meal. We pass through lush forests, crossing waterfalls and streams leading us towards Tarkeghyang. The slopes of the trail are comfortable and easy to conquer, making the trek to our destination not more than 5 hours. We will reach Tarke Ghyang and check into our rooms and explore the Hyolmo Cheri Gompa. The Hyolmo tribe are the primary residents of the Helambu Region, who have deep rooted connection with Nyingma Buddhism and Tibet.
The journey to Sermangthan from Tarke Gyang is mostly filled with easy descents with occasional inclined slopes. The trail passes through Ghangyul village and Chimi Village, both renowned for housing beautiful monasteries which we will be exploring during our gentle hike. After exploring the monasteries and having our lunch we make our way through the beautiful trail enjoying the lush valley views till we reach Shermangthang where we will be spending our night.
We head towards Kakani from Sermanthang which is just around 8 KM. The trek is absolutely stunning, filled with exciting panoramic views of the Himalayas and the lush hills just below the intimidating peaks. We march towards Kakani through the forest and beautiful monasteries along the trail. We will explore the Urken Chyoling Monastery, Parli Padma Odsal Ling, Buddhist Monastery Thangpal, Stupa of Kakani Bhanjyang and many more. We will reach our accommodation in Kakani after trekking for 4 hours. We will explore the village during the evening time and soak in the views of the valleys during the dusk, at which the valleys and Himalayas turn to a beautiful shade of Gold and Orange.
Melamchi Pul Bazar is the final point of our trek, marking the end to our beautiful Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek. We began our short journey of just 13.5 KM to Melamchi Pul Bazar from Kakani after exploring the village and having our lunch. We make our way slowly, soaking in the breathtaking views of the valleys and Himalayas. After a comfortable hike down(5 hours) we will reach Melamchi Pul Bazar, the destination where our trekking journey ends. We check in to our accommodation and unwind with our team members, enjoying every bit of our journey.
We wake up early in the morning and have our breakfast in our hotel and pack our essentials as we will be heading back to the capital in a scheduled bus. The journey back to the capital will take us around 6 hours, taking us through the mid hills and beautiful cities till we reach the capital, we will be dropped at the bus station from where we will be transported to our accommodation and will be bidding farewell to our assigned team members. After checking into our rooms in the Thamel area, we will freshen up and can explore the city for a bit. During the evening time we will be heading for dinner hosted by Mountain Ram Adventures. We will have a wonderful time during the dinner and we will be provided with a certificate, recognising our feat in the Himalayas. The team will also request us to share our honest feedback on the trek and about the assistance from the team members during the trek. After the dinner we will head back to our rooms and rest for the night or experience the nightlife of the Thamel area.
The Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek is completed and on our final day of the tour we will be transferred to the Tribhuvan International Airport by team representatives who will be arriving at our hotel 3-4 hours after our flight back home. We will be assisted with our bags and check out process by the representatives and will be transferred to the airport in a comfortable vehicle. We will be dropped off at the TIA by the representatives and bid us farewell at the departure terminal marking an end to our beautiful journey.
An elevated point of 5416m. You will be mountain climbing in the main on well established trails. Come and join a Great adventure trip.
The permits required for the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek are the TIMS Card and Langtang National Park Permit. The trekkers can apply for the permit through the website of the immigration office Nepal and collect after their arrival in Nepal, if they are trekking independently.
The cost of the Permits for the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek is around 5000 NPR per trekker including the National Park Permit and the TIMS Card. The trekkers, if they are Nepali citizens then they are not required to obtain the permits. The permits of the travelers participating with the Mountain Ram Adventures will be collected by the representatives and its cost are included in the package of the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek.
Trekkers are required to carry additional funds for their journey to the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek even if participating with the company, as the trekkers will be liable to cover for their personal expenses and are requested to carry a certain amount of emergency funds for their journey. Trekkers will be required to carry funds in NPR for their trek as most of the tea houses along the trail only accept NPR for payments.
There are no ATMs and Money exchanges along the trail of the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek so, trekkers are requested to withdraw or exchange their currency while they are in Kathmandu. The trekkers can request for the assistance of the team members if required for the transaction.
The trekkers are requested to carry cash for their journey instead of depending on the online payment portals as in the Himalayas the internet connection spikes a lot and is considerably slow making it an unreliable source of payment. Most of the tea houses only accept cash as payment, so carrying cash is a better option.
The threat of Avalanches is less to none if trekking during the Spring or Autumn Season. However, during the Winter or Summer/ Monsoon season the possibility of Avalanches is quite high due to the extreme weather conditions of the Higher Himalayan Region. So, we request the trekkers participating in the trek during the off season to be alert at all times as the conditions of the Himalayas can change in an instant.
The trekkers will be trekking to an elevation of 5033 M(Tserko Ri) during the Langtang Gosainkunda Trek at which the elevation can be a problem for the trekkers. However, as per the presented itinerary the chances of trekkers getting sick due to the elevation is considerably low. The trekkers will not be gaining more than 500 M in elevation per day in the high region, making it easier for the trekkers to acclimatize with the Himalayan elevations. If the trekkers due to elevation or any physical strains are unable to continue their trek then they will be transferred to a hospital in Kathmandu by a Helicopter.
The best time to participate in the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek is during the Autumn and Spring season which covers the month from September to November and March to May respectively. The trekking conditions are favorable and trekkers will be able to enjoy the uninterrupted views of the Himalayas.
The Guides assigned to the trekker for the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek will be experienced and can communicate with their team members in English. The guides assigned for the trek are well versed with the Langtang Region and will ensure the journey of the trekkers will be smooth and comfortable. The team will be carrying a first aid kit for the journey as well and during any instances at which the trekkers are unable to trek further, the guides will firstly assess the situation of the trekker and try to mitigate their problem to the best of their ability. If the Trekkers' health gets further worse then they will be transferred to a hospital in Kathmandu via helicopter.
During the peak season popular trekking regions like Langtang Valley can get crowded with trekkers from all around the world. So trekkers are recommended to book for accommodation and services well before their date of travel. The peak season includes the Autumn and Spring Season as the weather conditions are perfect for trekking. The Spring season may be an ideal time for trekkers trying to avoid trekking crowds, as trekking in the spring season is as pleasant as the Autumn season but is significantly less crowded.
The trekkers can purchase the gears for the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek from the vendors of Thamel area, Kathmandu at an affordable rate. The trekkers can purchase the gears or even rent them after their arrival in Kathmandu, before the beginning of the trek.
The trekkers will be able to fill up their water bottles and flasks from the tea houses scattered through the trail. The trekkers are recommended to not drink the water directly from the source and either filter it or boil it beforehand.
Choosing Ram's Company to go first on a combined Langtang-Gosainkund-Helambu-Trek and then to Annapurna Base Camp via Poon Hill was a really good choice. His Guide Pawan was really experienced, took good care of us and also, was a good friend! I liked Annapurna Base Camp better than Langtang and Gosainkund, but I think this was for the weather, because it was better there...anyway, if you have more time, go to Langtang and Gosainkund, if you have less time go to Annapurna. If you wanna experience it more local and raw, I would advise Langtang, even though views are better in ABC ;) Thanks Ram, for this awesome trekking, I will come back !
Posted Date : 2013-10-06 03:42:54