Lantang, Gosainkunda and Helambu Trek

A representative from our company will meet and greet you at the airport as soon as you land in Kathmandu. We will see to it that your travel requirements are met once you are in our care. Given that there are no planned activities for the day, we will assist you in checking into your chosen hotel. You have the option of taking a stroll around the neighborhood or relaxing in each of your rooms.

Visit to cultural and religious sites of Swayambhunath, called the monkey Temple, Pashupatinath, one of the largest temples in Nepal and Bouddhanath, the large stupa are in our itinerary today. 

Pashupatinath Temple:   One of the oldest Hindu temples, Pashupatinath Temple, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, also known as the "Lord of All Beings." Lord Shiva is the embodiment of the universe's destructive aspect. The Pashupatinath complex is traversed by the revered Bagmati river. For those who pass away on the banks of the river, cremation rites are performed by the majority of Hindus in the Kathmandu Valley.

Swayambhunath Stupa:  The Swayambhunath stupa is one of the most revered buddhist stupas in Nepal. It is thought to have materialized when, in ancient times, the Bodhisattva Manjushri carved a canyon at Chhobhar using his flaming sword to drain the waters of the huge lake that was Kathmandu.

Bouddhanath Stupa: Lord Buddha's four pairs of eyes are positioned in the four cardinal directions atop the 2500-year-old Buddhist stupa in the Valley, which was erected in the fifth century. This stupa keeps a constant watch over people and their actions. Buddhist pilgrims from Tibet may be seen spinning prayer wheels as they round the stupa.

 You can also walk around Thamel and Asons around the vicinity of your hotel selling handicraft items and locally made trinkets and clothes. Ason, the oldest market in Kathmandu also lies a few hundred meters from your hotel. You can shop for spices, tea, brass statues, and decorative jars in this market.

Waking up early and grabbing breakfast we drive northwards from Kathmandu to Syaprebesi through a road. We take the Trishuli Highway which snakes the Trishuli river. Many villages and towns are crossed en route. We grab lunch at Trishuli Bazaar, a famous town in the region. After crossing the bazaar, we reach a checkpoint. The road becomes narrow as we ascend the offroad track. Then we reach the Army check post at Dunche where we get the entry permit for the Langtang National Park. From here we travel to Syaprebesi. We explore the town of Syaprebesi and stay over for the night.

After we wake up in Syaprebesi, we grab breakfast and officially begin our trek. Crossing a bridge, we can take either the trekking trail or the main road. The short trekking trail is quite risky as the stone falls and landslides are quite common here thus we take the main road as it's much safer. Walking along the road we see numerous waterfalls decking the road. We see hydropower construction going on in the region and take the trekking trail from where the main road stops.  After crossing through a scenic waterfall we reach Dovan via Pairo. Here the routes to Thulo Syapru, which leads to Gosain Kunda and Lantang separate. We take the route to Lantang. After walking for some time we reach Bamboo a riverside village, where we take lunch for the day. Along the route, we can see cliffsides with large honey bee hives.   Walking through forest trails we ascend to a suspension bridge and going up and down we reach Rimche. Around Rimche are lots of Langur monkeys around. Walking further along a similar trail we reach Lama Hotel. The accommodations in Lama Hotel are very basic as it lies within the core Lantang Conservation area. 

From Lama Hotel, we grab an early breakfast and ascend forest trails and walk beside the Langtang River. The trail initially today is also similar to the trail we took yesterday Along the route is the River View Tea Shop, which lies next to the river between two ridges. Grabbing tea and refreshments we move ahead. Ascending further, the closed tree line opens up to a shrubby area where most vegetation is low. Further, we reach Ghoda Tabela where we see amazing views of Langtang I and Langtang II along with Ganchenpo ahead. We grab lunch here at the village and reach Thyangsyap where the view of the Langtang valley is very picturesque. If we weren’t hungry at Ghoda Tabela we can grab lunch at Thangsyap instead. We also see Changbu Peak. After walking further we cross a small village called Sherpa Danda and reach Langtang Village. A memorial commemorating the lives lost during the avalanche caused by the 2015 Nepal Earthquake is found here. If we choose to stay overnight at Mundu instead, we need to walk further for around half an hour and climb another 150m altitude. Yak cans be seen grazing in the village of Mundu. You can spend the rest of the day exploring Mundu or Langtang Village. We stay overnight here. 

Getting up early, we are greeted by the mountains in the central Himalayass. We begin after breakfast, walking through the valley and following the Lantang River. A teahouse is seen en route where we can stop by for Sea Buckthorn juice during the season where it functions. Nearby is also a large boulder upon which Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated. Rumors of his footprint are seen here also. We cross the village and see numerous Yak and goats. We cross a suspension bridge and walk to reach Kyanjin Gumpa. Numerous mani wheels driven by water flow can be seen along the route making it very picturesque. Two stupas are also seen as we climb bigger.  An amazing view of the Langtang Lirung glacier is seen from the route right after crossing the suspension bridge. This glacier is where many rookie peak climbers train for their mountain adventures. A small hydropower station is also featured on the trail.  At Kyanjin gumba we grab lunch, visit a small bakery and a factory selling real Yak Cheese freshly made. We can also visit the Kyanjin Monastery and take a short walk to see the glacier in its full glory. Tibetan influence and ancestry are apparent in this region. We stay overnight at Kyanjin Gumba. 

Today we have two options for our trek, either to Kyangjin Ri or to Cherko Ri. Kyangjin Ri is slightly shorter however views from Cherko Ri are much better. We grab a very early breakfast  and begin our  ascend.

Option 1: Kyangjin Ri

As we ascend to Kyangjin Ri, we get views of Ganjala Peak, Ganjala Pass, Lantang Peaks and Yala Pass. We also see the Cherko Ri. Towards our back lie the amazing Himalaya when walking. At the top of Kyangjin Ri, we see amazing 360 degree views of the Himalayas that surround us. After taking our fill of the amazing scenery, we return back to our lodge for lunch and explore the monastery and the village. 

There are two Kyanjin Ri peaks, the lower Kyanjin Ri lies only at 4200m while the upper goes upto 4600m. The Kyanjin Ri peaks make for amazing short burst hikes that do not take all day. 

Option 2: Cherko Ri

Moving towards Cherko Ri, we take packed lunch and go to see the spot the footprint of Guru Rinpoche can be found. We cross a river and climb steeply along the trail as we see amazing backgrounds of Lantang Peak, Ganjala Peak, Ganchenpo Peak, Nayakhang Peak, and Lantang Valley. When we reach the top, we see the best 360 views of the Himalayas including Sisapangba, which lies in Tibet, and Langsisa, Dorje Lakpa which lies in Nepal. We take our packed lunch amid the wonderful views and can even feed birds that are perching on top of the hill. Descending is quite difficult as the trail becomes slippery in winter. Climbing Cherko Ri is almost impossible during the winter. Most describe the final ascent and initial descent of Cherko Ri as being the most difficult due to the ice and altitude. 

We return back to Kyangjin Gumba for the night. 

Waking up early and grabbing breakfast, we begin our descent to Lama Hotel. We take the same route to descend. Sometimes Yaks can be seen butting heads on the route which makes for an exciting experience.  The downward trail will be relatively easier as we see valleys ahead. As we get back to Lama Hotel we explore the nearby areas and spend our night here.  The trek today is very long and you might feel very tired today after descending more than 1200m with almost 23 km of walking. Be careful along slippery rockfall areas and be sure to give way to yaks and mules traversing the trekking route. Even though today is long, it is completely doable and we can have an amazing rest at Lama Hotel as the next day we reach the bustling town of Syaprubesi. 

We begin going the same way down from Lama Hotel until we reach the point where we saw the trails to Gosainkunda and Lantang separate passing by Rimche and Bamboo.. From here, we take the route to Gosainkunda.  You will reach the tiny village of Thulo Syabru after one last climb through terraced fields and farmhouses. You can spend the rest of your time exploring a nearby monastery and a small helipad. Thulo Syapru means "big Syapru," which refers to how high the village is from Syaprubesi, which is the village at the bottom.

You can pray and look around the nearby monastery first thing in the morning. After you eat breakfast, you'll start walking to Sing Gompa. As you walk through Upper Syabru, you will follow a winding path and slowly gain height. On the far west side, you will have a great view of the Langtang and other nearby mountain ranges. Tamang people live in the villages along the path, so it has its own culture and way of life.

Along the way, you will have a beautiful view of the town of Dhunche down below. Many treks to Gosainkunda begin in Dhunche. You can get to Sing Gompa by walking along a nice path, where you will see a few cheese factories. We will be staying overnight at Sing Gompa.  The Sing Gompa is also a small monastery that we can explore. 

Leaving the woods behind, today's hike to Gosaikunda Lake will take you along high peaks with breathtaking panoramas. Shortly after breakfast, we'll go off down the rough path that leads to the high meadow of Laurebinayak, where you'll find a handful of cabins. After making it over the short slope, you will see Gosaikunda Lake for the first time. The lake's breathtaking panorama will greet you as you approach Gosaikunda. This hike is exceptional since it takes you to a breathtaking lake in a grassy landscape. Many pilgrims can be seen traversing to the Gosainkunda lake during monsoon as it is considered the holy time. 

Enjoy taking wonderful pictures at Gosainkunda before retiring in your bed for the night. 

After traversing one of the highest passes on the route (Laurebina Pass), you will descend to Ghopte in the early morning. You'll descend steeply to Phedi while taking in the breathtaking panorama of Manaslu and the surrounding mountains. As you make your way into the Helambu area, you'll cross a few smaller lakes and cottages. Be sure to take in the stunning scenery of the Tadi Khola Valley to the south.

The path is steep and winding, littered with stones, and presents a high risk of injury. There are also beautiful, flourishing meadows along the path. The trail passes through a thick woodland before emerging onto a wide valley.

After a long journey on foot, we finally arrived in Ghopte.

On the thirteenth day of walking if we start walking towards Melamchi Gaun which is a sherpa settlement. The trail starts through a forest trail for around two hours. After two hours, we reach Thadepati where we get an amazing view of the mountain range. We can grab some tea here and enjoy the scenery. We then move and after some more walking, we reach Melamchu Gaun. Gaun means village and this village also has a monastery worth exploring.  Melamchi is named the Melamchi River where one of the largest water distribution systems in Nepal is being constructed. 

We grab dinner and get to bed. 

We wake up early and after breakfast and head towards our destination of Tarke Ghyang. The trail descends rapidly. We then pass through a number of Chortens. After crossing the Chortens we reach Thimbu. From here we continue the path passing through a meadow and cross a river. After the crossing, the trail climbs steeply to Nukote where we stop for lunch. Continuing further We continue our climb to Tarke Gyang. This village is also known as Helambu and the Gyolmo people inhabit this place. This is the largest village on the route and is worth exploring. After our exploration, we grab dinner and settle in for the day. 

Have breakfast, and then set off on a ramble into the woods to kick off your journey. Before reaching the Gangyul Sherpa settlement, you will encounter a number of streams and waterfalls. You may take it easy today because much of your route will be downhill and the trail is not too difficult. Along the way, you may also see some tiny stupas. The settlement of Sermathang can be reached after following the path through some very stunning scenery, including rolling hills covered in lush flora.

Seramthang, too, is a beautiful town that you should visit. You'll be able to pass the afternoon exploring the area's monasteries and traditional homes until it's time for dinner.

On our final day of hiking, we get up bright and early. The trails continue down from Sermanthang, first to Dubhachaur at 1500 meters, and then again down to Melamchi at 830 meters, where it meets the road. All modes of transportation, including buses, can be found in this village, making it convenient for visitors to travel to nearby Panchkhal through the Kodari route. We can take a bus to Kathmandu from there.

After finishing the journey through the Langtang Region, it's time to bid Nepal farewell. Three hours before to your scheduled international flight to your next destination, you will be taken to the international airport. We sincerely hope that our travels in the Everest Himalaya have left you with lifelong memories. You can extend your stay in Nepal if you'd want to visit all of the fascinating places the country has to offer. We sincerely hope you will appreciate the time we had together and recommend us to your friends and family for their trip to Nepal to go trekking.