Visit the beautiful Langtang National Park and experience a combination of wonderful mountain views, remote valleys, high-altitude glacial lakes, and diverse vegetation. Peaks prominent in this trek are Mt. Ganesh Himal (7,406 m), Mt. Himal Chuli (7,893 m), and Mt. Manaslu (8,156 m).
Traveling north along the Trishuli River outside Kathmandu, we pass Trisuli Bazaar and Dhunche to reach Syabrubesi. Syabrubesi, a Sherpa village located at the edge of Langtang National Park, is the beginning of our trek. We turn east into Langtang Valley, cross-crossing rivers, and forests along serpentine paths. In Chandanbari, you can see glamorous views of Mt. Ganesh Himal and Mt. Langtang II. Along the trek, we will visit Kyanjin Gumba and sample the local yak cheese. We even pass through Nubamatang, nestled in a hidden valley, on our way up to the glaciers in Gosainkunda Basin.
The basin contains numerous lakes but the three prominent ones are Saraswati Kunda, Bhairab Kunda, and Gosainkunda. On our way back we cross Laurebina Pass at 4,610 m and continue south leaving Langtang behind us before entering the valley of Helambu. In biodiversity, this region is well-known for preserving the red panda, an endangered species. Besides, the mountainous region is home to snow leopard, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, wild boar, and blue sheep among other species of wildlife. Flora like rhododendron, pine, and oak are found in abundance in this region.
In mythology, Lord Shiva took in a poison that threatened to destroy the world, and to drink away the effects of the poison, he dug out Lake Gosainkunda. Every year on Janai Purnima, the full moon day in August, thousands of people go dip in this holy lake.
The Langtang Valley trek is an ideal one for a great trekking experience in a short time in the Himalayas. The valley is close to Kathmandu, yet it is far enough to be near the highlands of Tibet amid a rustic landscape. This route is one of the most popular trekking regions, where visitors and trekkers explore the areas of Langtang National Park part from spectacular views of Ganja-La Peak, Mt. Langtang, and Langsisa, this trek will take you right into the glacial basin of Lake Gosainkunda and on your way back, via the popular Helambu Valley.
Beginning from Langtang Village, you trek into Langtang Valley and continue on to Kyanjin Gumba at an altitude of 3,740 meters. Kyanjin Gumba, a settlement barely larger than a hamlet, houses a cheese factory, a monastery, and a few houses. You then pass through Nubamatang, often known as a gateway to Tibet before traveling through Syabru and Sing Gompa until you reach a high plateau where Lake Gosainkunda is located. The journey continues south from the Laurena Pass at 4,610 meters, before coming into Helambu Valley and to Gul Bhanjyang.
There are more than one possible routes that you can choose to take. Although Langtang Valley is accessible from Dhunche, a mere one day's drive from Kathmandu, the upper regions of Langtang can be reached in four days on foot. Once you are above Langtang Village, you can visit the high valleys of Langshisa, Tsero, and Yala peak. While these villages of upper Langtang are inhabited by people of Tibetan descent, Dhunche and southern areas are home to The Tamang.
