Travel from Langtang Valley to holy Gosaikunda Glacial Lake and then back to Kathmandu through beautiful trails
A great adventure on scenic ridges of Langtang Valley and the holy Gosaikunda lake
Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda Trek on an adventure through Central Langtang Himal. This mountain range can be seen from Kathmandu on a clear day towards the north. It is the closest peak to the capital city of Kathmandu at an aerial distance of approximately 35 Km. However, the journey on foot lasts more than a week. The Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda trekking area are protected by Langtang National Park. This is a beautiful region filled with rich flora and fauna.
The first mountainous parks around the Nepal Himalayas were established in mid-1976 AD. This region is home to the elusive Red Panda. We can often spot other wildlife away from the main trekking trail within the dense vegetation of the mountain.
Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda Trekking feature beautiful and scenic areas of Langtang Himal. The first part of our journey takes us to the beautiful Langtang Valley located at Kyanjin Gompa. It is a beautiful settlement with many lodges for trekkers, along with an exciting location.
At Kyanjin Gompa and Langtang Valley, we have a day for acclimatization. Here, we also take scenic hikes to various viewpoints. Then we climb up to Kyanjin-Ri. Tserko-Ri also offers a beautiful panoramic view of the entire Langtang Himal range. We can see as far as Jugal Himal, along with some peaks of Tibets across the border.
After an enjoyable experience at Kyanjin Gompa, we walk towards higher Gosaikunda. It is also one of the holiest pilgrimage sites across the whole Himalayan range. In this region, several festivals are held annually. During these festivals, lots of Hindu people visit Gosaikunda lake for special baths. It's a cool place to be because it's surrounded by high mountains and cliffs, and it feels really sacred.
From Gosaikunda, our journey continues. We climb and cross over Gosaikunda Pass or East Laurabinaya-La. The highest peak of our trek is at an altitude of 4,609 m. This point of our journey faces the grand views of surrounding mountain peaks. After a break to enjoy the views, we slowly head down towards the Helambu region. At Kutumsang and Gul-Bhanjyang villages, our journey continues. After our final climb, we get to the top of Chisapani ridge. It is above the northeast part of Kathmandu Valley. It is a great place for exciting views of sunrise and sunset over the chain of Himalayan peaks.
From Chisapani, we take a descent towards Kathmandu Valley's eastern rim at Sundarijal. It is a small farm town. After this, we go on a quick drive that takes us back to Kathmandu. This is the end of our adventure, at Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda Trekking.