Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trek

Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning to begin your city tour of Kathmandu. You will visit the Boudhanath temple, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Pashupatinath, a Hindu pilgrimage site, and possibly view cremation ceremonies along the banks of the Bagmati River. Continue drive to Patan Durbar Square to observe ancient Nepalese architecture and end your tour after lunch.

Then, you will visit the Patan museum. Overnight in hotel

After early breakfast you will drive to Trishuli accompanied with your guide and porter(s), (4 hours) and from Trishuli it’s a steady drive of about another 5 hours up to Dunche (1966m) and it’s 110 km in distance. Dunche is our overnight spot for today. From here we have excellent views of the high peaks. The most notable sights are Gheng (6581m), and Langtang Lirung (7246m) to the north and Ganesh peak (7460m) to the west.

This is the first day of trekking, which traverses fir tree and rhododendron forests towards a ridge (2300m). From here we get a panoramic view all the way from Ganesh Himal in the west to Naya Kanga in the east and the Tibetan snowy summits. The trail drops steeply down towards the Bhote Khosi River towards Syabru, which is a busy village with its houses laid out in single file down the hillside. Sherpas and Tamangs farm this area.

The trail descends along the ridge on Syabru’s main street, then drops to the Ghopche Khola at (2050m). At the foot of a stone staircase the trail crosses the stream on a steel bridge and then climb across a ridge to a bhatti at U Kyang (2040m). The route then descends on a steep, slippery path to the foot of a huge landside at (1810m), where a trail junction is marked with signs directing you either to Langtang or back to Syabrubesi. After a short rest you climb back along the southern bank of the Langtang Khola, turn east and follow the trail to Lama Hotel.

The day starts with a gentle climb, but it soon becomes steeper, climbing through a forest of hemlocks, oaks, maples and rhododendrons high above the Langtang Khola. The trail crosses a stream on a log bridge, then climbs to Ghora Tabela. After that we ascend gradually as the valley becomes a wide Ushaped glacial valley. We follow the trail past yak pastures, mani stones and scattered Tamang villages. The trail descends into a valley to cross a stream and climbs past several water- driven mils and prayer wheels to the large settlement of Langtang. This village is the head quarter for Langtang National Park.

The trail winds through the village and climbs onto ridge dominated by a large square chorten and a long row of mani walls. It then climbs gradually pass the small village of Mundu to Sindum. Another hour of walking will bring you to the yak pastures of Yamphu (3640m). After crossing the Laja Khola on a cement bridge, we climb a moraine to a viewpoint where you can finally see Kyanjin Gompa and the dramatic icefall flowing from Langtang Lirung and Kinshung (Changbu). We weave through some rock and climb toward the Gompa, then make a short descent to ridge Kyanjin Gompa which lies in an elongated amphitheatre surrounded by high, snowcapped peaks.

Today is a day to rest and 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 (4350meters) which is the highest point of this trek, directly behind the village, for a breath-taking panorama of the Langtang peaks. Overnight at guesthouse

Rejoin the trail to Lama Hotel. Overnight stay at guesthouse

The trail gently descends the valley crossing the Langtang Khola and then goes steeply up to Thulo Syabru. You will contour round the head of the valley and Thulo Syabru will come into view perched atop a ridge. You will drop down to cross a bridge and then climb up through terraced fields and farm houses to reach this pretty village. From this village you can enjoy the amazing views of Ganesh Himal (7110meters), Langtang Himal and its ranges. Overnight at guesthouse

The trail follows steeply up with the glimpse of Langtang Himal,Ganesh Himal, Tibetan mountains and passes through oak, Hemlock, firs forests.

With a steep ascent all the way to Gosainkunda, we follow a rugged trail with dramatic views to the Manaslu range, Ganesh Himal range, Tibetan peaks and Langtang Lirung. On a clear day, we can see even the Annapurna range rising up behind and Lirung to the north. We pass a few huts in the high pasture, cross a small ridge and have your first views of the holy lake of Gosaikunda. There are about a dozen lakes in the Gosainkunda Basin, the main three are Saraswatikunda, Bhairabkunda and Gosainkunda. According to legend Gosainkunda was created by Shiva when he pierced a glacier with his trident to obtain water to quench his thirst after having swallowed a poison that threatened to destroy the world. Overnight at guesthouse

Today it is a long and difficult day as we cross the Laurebina Pass into the Helambu Valley. Whilst the pass is not technically difficult, snow can make the walking more challenging. Ice can also form on the trail, making it slippery underfoot.

Your route up to the pass is clearly marked with cairns and if time permits you could climb a small hillock nearby for good views. The trail now descends, at times passing through forest and at others ascending bare ridges with ravines falling away below. At Phedi, there is a stone engraving in memory of those who lost their lives when a Thai airliner crashed in 1992 further down the steep hillside. At the end of this tough day you will finally reach at Ghopte.

A hard climb leads to the ridgeline of Tharepati. Afterwards we steeply descend through rhododendron forest. In spring the area is covered with a mass of flowers, dotted with red, white and pink. Melamchigaon is a picturesque Sherpa village and you will surely have long chats with its warm and welcoming villagers.

The early part of the trek descends until you cross the stream named as Melamchi. Now you trek gently up to Tarkeghyang passing through Sherpa settlements. The ridge walk offers nice views of the Melamchi valley. Tarkeghyang is a beautiful Sherpa village enriched with one of the oldest and biggest buddhist monasteries. Tarkeghyang, also known as Helambu, is named after the Helmu caste. The Sherpa people living here originally belong to Helmu caste.

We continue along the hillside, with open views in all directions with the southern foothills of Nepal. The trail starts now to descend into the valley.

From here we drive back to Kathmandu for about an hour.