TREK ITINERARY
LANGTANG – 3 October 2010

THE Langtang is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Himalayas. It is not as well-known as some of the more famous regions but that has its advantages.

The holiday will start with two nights in Kathmandu. You will be met at the airport and shown around some of the beautiful sights. We will spend a day in Thamel, the tourist district, changing money, buying trekking gear (much cheaper here), acquiring trekking permits and linking up with our team of porters and guides.

Our own transport will take us up to Syabrubensi on the first day of the trek. This will take most of the day and we will overnight here in a good lodge. Next day is a big one as the first decent lodgings are at Lama Hotel. This is a steady climb through wonderful woodlands. The next day is a little easier to Gora Tabela where we get our first look at the big peaks. From here on the going is really quite easy over two days to Langtang and then Kyanjin Gomba. We will spend two nights there, enabling a day walk out to Langshisha Karka. We will then walk out to a nearby glacier next morning before returning down the easy trail to Langtang. Aft er descending through the forests to Lama Hotel we will start climbing again, this time to Thulo Syabru. This is another of our harder days, through woods and then terraced farmlands. We will take two nights at Thulo Syabru to enable us to wash a few clothes and generally catch up with ourselves.

Leaving Thulo Syabru it’s a very steep climb up to Sin Gomba. Don’t worry; we will go very slowly with lots of rest stops and cups of tea. The views are stupendously good. From Sin Gomba it’s uphill again to Laurebina Yak. High on a ridge the views back across the Langtang range are stunning. It is another steep climb up to Gosainkund at first but the trail is sensational as it clings to the mountainside above the tranquil lakes nestled in the alpine valleys. The village of Gosainkund is a very holy place which attracts thousands of pilgrims in the summer.

The following morning we have the option to climb up to the pass at 4,600 metres (a 300-metre climb) before returning, gently, back to Laurebina Yak. This trek is wonderful in reverse as you descend through the forests of oak and hemlock quite eff ortlessly. The following day is another gentle descent to Sin Gomba where the lodge is so good you will defi nitely be glad of another night there. The descent to Dunche will be quite hard as it gets hotter and dustier the further down you go. We will overnight at Dunche and arrange transport from there back to Kathmandu.

For the stronger trekkers there is the option of continuing over the pass to the Helambu region. It takes an extra day and the going is fairly uphill and down dale but, if you like wooded trails, the forests here are magical. Last season the guys ahead of us saw a rare red panda in the trees overhead. Lucky them!

We will take three days to recuperate in Kathmandu with the usual mix of sightseeing – old bazaars, ancient pagodas, holy sites – and/or shopping – trekking gear, funky clothing, painting, sculpture, jewellery, weaving... the list is endless and the prices surprisingly low. If all has gone well on the trek and we have a spare day left, I will take you out to Nagarkot, Changu Narayan and Bhaktapur.

The cost for this trip will be $2450 for 22 days. This will include almost everything you can think of – transfers, bus trips, taxis, hotels and lodges, personal porters (properly registered, paid and insured), ALL meals and snacks, entrance fees, trekking permits and registration. You only need money for alcohol (yes, you can have a drink here and there) and perhaps a generous tip for your porter. Be warned though. The temptations for shoppers in Nepal are legendary. Major credit cards are OK for big purchases like carpets.

Do get in touch with me at teresadb@hotmail.com if this sounds like your sort of trek. We only like to take ten people and we have some bookings already. This is a lovely, clear time of year to trek in Nepal. Quite warm in the lower reaches and not too cold up the top.
YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Here is the proposed itinerary. Remember, we may need to adapt to weather or conditions on the ground at the time so it is not ‘written in stone’.

3 October (Sunday)	Arrive Kathmandu. You will be met at the airport, evening stroll, to Boudanath for a get-to-know-each-other dinner.
4 October	Big day in Thamel for permits, banking, gear shopping and, if time permits, a little sightseeing.
5 October	Bus or jeep up to Syabrubensi. Very scenic, stop as we like for pit-stops or photos. Lunch in Dunche. Overnight Syabrubensi.
6 October	A long, hard day to Lama Hotel. There are options if we find this too hard. Steep uphill at times but in the forest shade.
7 October	Uphill again but a shorter day. Forests and then our first glimpse of the big peaks. Overnight at Gora Tabela at nearly 3,000 m.
8 October	A much easier day now to Langtang village. A beautiful old village cradled in a huge Ushaped valley, lots of flowers.
9 October	Another fairly easy day, but feeling the altitude a bit now. Fairly level trail into Kyanjin Gomba, surrounded by big peaks – snow and ice abound (probably not in the village).
10 October	Staying in KG tonight to enable a day-walk up the valley to Langshisha Kharka at around 4,000 m. (optional).
11 October	Morning walk (1 hour) up to the glacier then pack up and return to Langtang Village. Easy walking gently downhill.

12 October	Downhill again to Lama Hotel. Great scenery and easy going.
13 October	Possibly Thulo Syabru but we can stop sooner if necessary. It’s downhill first and then a stiff climb through farmlands. TS has a good lodge, a few shops and internet facilities.
14 October	Thulo Syabru again. A chance to do a bit of washing, have a rest and generally catch up with ourselves a bit. (2250 m)
15 October	Onwards and upwards, quite steep at first, overnight at Sin Gomba after magical forests of rhododendron and pine.
16 October	Uphill, again, but slowly now to Laurebina Yak. Forests of oak and hemlock. Lunch on a stunning ridge. Views from Laurebina Yak in the evening will astound.
17 October	Big climb for an hour. After a rest the walk into Gosainkund is easier and so-o-o-o beautiful. Little lakes connected by waterfalls. Tranquil lakes refl ecting the mountains. The village itself is a holy place of pilgrimage for Hindus and Buddhists.
18 October	This morning we can climb 300 m up to the pass (or not) and then head back down to Laurebina Yak. The scenery is much more enjoyable when walking fairly effortlessly downhill.
19 October	Back to Sin Gomba through the wonderful forest. No problem staying at this super lodge again.

20 October	Steep descent to Dunche. Could be tough in places and becoming warmer all the way down. Overnight in this bustling market town.
21 October	Transport back to Kathmandu. This will take most of the day but the scenery is great and we can stop as we like.
22 October	Kathmandu again. A chance to recover, shop and sightsee.
23 October	Kathmandu again. We will probably make a day trip out to Nagarkot, walk down to Changu Narayan and then Bhaktapur unless we have used up this day due to earlier delays.
24 October	GO HOME! Some people might stay on and visit Chitwan for a few days and I can help with these arrangements. A return flight of October 30 would be appropriate or perhaps November 1 if you also wanted to visit Pokhara for a couple of nights. Of course this would cost extra – around $100 per day.

 

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• You need not take all your luggage on trek, safe storage in Kathmandu.
• I will check your gear and make sure you are not under or over-equipped.
• You will receive a thorough pre-trek briefi ng.
• If you can’t get flights for the exact dates we can accommodate you.

 

Don’t be put off if some of these days sound daunting. Some quite ‘senior types’ have done this trek – slowly.

 

YOU CAN DO THIS!
Cheers,

 

Teresa
teresadb@hotmail.com