Langtang Valley Trek

Langtang Valley Trek was once a part of the Langtang National Park. Otherwise known as the Tamang Heritage Trail, this trek allows you to venture deep into the Tamang hinterland. In this trek, you travel through verdant Tamang villages to immerse yourself in the local indigenous Tamang culture.

The Tamangs trace their roots back to ancient Mongolia and originally made their way into lowlands of Nepal to trade horses. The Tamangs are considered to be one of the oldest tribes of Nepal and the Langtang valley is considered to be one of their first settlements.

Even though Langtang valley can be reached by a day’s drive from Kathmandu, this area is still relatively unknown to the majority of travellers because the major trekking destinations of Annapurna, Kanchenjunga and Everest pull in the majority of the crowd.

Langtang Valley Trekking Trail

The starting point of this trek is at Syabru Besi. The trail then ascends up the Langtang valley from just 1,470m at Syabru Besi to 3,870m at Kyanjin Gompa in just a matter of two days.

There is plenty of time to acclimatize, however, as the trail takes you through Khangjim (2235m), Sherpagaun (2563m), Lama Hotel (2340m), Ghodatabela (3030m), Langtang Village (3430m) to finally ending in Kyanjin Gompa.

You can find a few coffee houses in Kyanjin Gompa that boast of proper Italian coffee machines flown in by helicopter. This ancient monastery preserves age old buddhist traditions of the local Tamang people as well as the local Sherpas.

You can venture off the main trail into a secret path that leads you to Parvati Kunda, a hidden lake, whose waters apparently hold powers of fertility. The trail then passes through the pristine landscape of Langtang National Park. You may get a chance to spot then endangered Red Panda or a Himalayan Black Bear in these parts if you are observant. Once you cross the forests, yak pastures and yak-cheese factories are a common site.

The trail then passes through the pristine landscape of Langtang National Park. You may get a chance to spot then endangered Red Panda or a Himalayan Black Bear in these parts if you are observant. Once you cross the forests, yak pastures and yak-cheese factories are a common site.

During the ascent, the landscape changes from lush subtropical forest, large bamboo groves to high alpine pastures which then gradually change to glacier and mountain peaks on the Tibet border.  The view from the top are of Manaslu Massif, Ganesh, Langtang and Jugal Himal (Mountain) with the Langtang Mountain dominating majority of this region.

The Langtang Valley trek is relatively short and fairly easy, even with a  climb up to the crown jewel at Tserko Ri (5,000m). Tserko Ri offers you a 360 degree view of the whole Langtang valley and if you are lucky, you may even have a chance to spot the ever elusive Snow Leopard.

The Langtang valley was completely destroyed during the 2015 mega-earthquake. The locals have remained resilient, however, and have already built tea shops and lodges.

This trek is all about culture and heritage. The trail runs through quaint villages off the main trekking routes so this you can gain an experience of the ancient lifestyle that is still being preserved.

If you love travelling the off-beaten path then this trek is for you. Ancient Tibetan culture permeate every inch of this expedition. This trail is called the Tamang Heritage Trail for a reason.