Langtang Valley and Ganja-la Trek

You will arrive at the only international airport in Nepal- Tribhuvan International Airport. You can meet the representatives from The Great Adventure Treks outside the airport terminal. You will also transfer to your hotel in a private transport with our representatives. Then, you can check in your hotel. You will get all the relevant information about the hotel from our guide. The guide will also brief you about the Langtang Valley and Ganja La trek. The guide will also have other information and answer if you have any queries.

You will head out for a half day sightseeing tour of the capital city of Nepal- Kathmandu today. The sightseeing tour will begin after you have your breakfast in the morning. Kathmandu has a great repository of ancient cultural heritage preserved in the form of temples and religious monuments. You can see modern buildings as well as temples that date back to the medieval period in Kathmandu valley.

Pashupatinath Temple:

Pashupatinath Temple is the most widely visited temple in all of Nepal. This largest Hindu temple in the world lies on the banks of Bagmati river. The temple sees over a million Hindu devotees yearly. This temple has special ties to Lord Shiva. The temple is especially full on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. Pashupatinath temple is a two-storied temple. It also has various other temples surrounding it.

Boudhanath Stupa:

Boudhanath temple, established as a World Heritage Site in 1979 A.D, is also called as “Little Tibet”. It is a holy Buddhist site in Kathmandu. Made in the the 5th century C.E, tourists all around the world visit this monastery that has its characteristics Buddha’s eyes. All people who visit this place rotate the numerous prayer wheels in the precinct of this temple. People make several rounds of this monastery while they are here.

Kathmandu and Patan Durbar Squares:

Kathmandu Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square are known for their powerful Newari architectural styles. You can find the palaces of kings of Kathmandu and Patan in these squares. Krishna Mandir and Hanuman Dhoka are the most popular places in these squares. Krishna Mandir lies in Patan Durbar Square whereas Hanuman Dhoka is inside the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square. You can also visit the museums located in these Durbar Squares.

The bus ride from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi (1460 meters) is 7-8 hour long. You will also pass numerous uphills, downhills, rural towns and farm villages along the way to Syabrubesi. The bus takes you to the northern part of Nepal as the Langtang region lies to the northern border of Nepal near Tibet. You will reach Trisuli Bazar, a town with subtropical climate, on the way to Syabrubesi. You will leave Trishuli Bazaar behind before going to altitude regions on a bus. You can also notice a change in vegetation. Rice paddy fields, which are a hallmark of the low altitude regions, disappear. You will see plenty of maize and millet terraced fields. Correspondingly, you will also see a change in the weather,people and culture before you get to Dhunche (1,780m). Dhunche is a major town of Langtang area and Rasuwa district. It lies within the premises of Langtang National Park. A final descent of 1 – 2 hours from Dhunche will take you to overnight destination at Syabrubesi village (1460 meters).

Today is the beginning of the trekking journey of the Langtang valley and Ganja La Trek. As you trek past Syabrubesi, you will head out to your final destination of today- Lama Hotel. You will get to trails alongside two rivers. One of these trails is along Bhote Koshi River. The second of these is along Langtang Khola. As you walk, you will hike to Bamboo (1,960 m) as along rough, uneven trails. A gently sloping trail from Bamboo takes you to Rimche (2,400 m), where you will have lunch. After trekking for one hour from Rimche, you will get to your stop at Lama Hotel. There are very few places that have such wonderful beauty as Lama Hotel. Many animals like red pandas, monkeys, and bears are there in jungles along the way. If you are lucky, you will also be able to see them. You can also go out for a splash in the river nearby Lama Hotel. The trek from Syabrubesi to Lama Hotel (2420 meters) is 5-6 hours long.

Today, you will be walking through a gentle uphill shade of rhododendron and oaks forest. Then, you will get to a gorge. This gorge takes you along the torrent of the glacial river Trishuli upstream. You will get to Ghoda-Tabela after a trek of 3 hours from Lama Hotel. “Ghoda-Tabela”, which is a Nepali word, means Horse Stable in the literal sense. Ghoda-Tabela is set amidst pines, hemlocks and rhododendron forests. You will stop in Ghoda-Tabela for a while before continuing the trek to Langtang valley. As you do so, you will walk along a cool shade of the alpine wood.

After trekking for about one hour, you will leave the tree line behind as you get to some winding trail. There will also be a few ups and downs on your way to Langtang village. In Langtang village, you will spend your night. You can also have some wonderful glimpses of Langtang Himal peeping in the north on top of the great rock wall.

You will head towards Kyanjin Gompa in the morning today. As you walk along a gradual path for a short while, you will get to some winding up hills. You will trek for a few hours in these winding uphill paths. As you do so, you will also trek through prickly Burberry and high alpine shrubs and “mani-prayer wall” along the way.

The tradition of walking in a clockwise direction to pass these prayer walls is there. This is regarded as a positive way of respecting the local culture and religion of Tibetan Buddhism. The walk leads further towards the east. You will also see the valley opening up. This will be followed by a trek along the grassy meadows. As you do so, you will be blessed with views of snow-capped peaks in the distance. You need to ensure that you walk slowly and gently today. This is because you might have difficulty gaining some altitude before reaching Kyanjin Gompa (3870 meters). Kyanjin Gompa is a scenic charming spot. It offers great panoramic views of snow-capped peaks in all directions.

The closest peak to Kyanjin Gompa is Langtang Lirung (7,234m). You can also see its icefall there. The Kyanjin Gompa monastery lies atop of a ridge. This ridge is formed by rocks and boulders that make up a glacial moraine. Today’s trek is merely 3-4 hours long.

Today you can rest or explore the areas around Kyanjin Gompa. You also have the opportunity to visit the cheese factory. All travelers enjoy tasting the cheese here. You can also hike up the moraine around the Kyanjin Gompa. Breathtaking icefalls as well as gigantic glaciers of Langtang Lirung will greet you from the vantage point of the moraine. Hiking up to Kyanjin Ri (4,350 m) is the final activity you can be a part of. However, if you are tired due to previous days of hiking, this might be strenuous for you. Kyanjin Gompa is also the highest altitude you will reach in the Langtang Valley and Ganja La Trek. You can also stroll directly behind the village where you can get mesmerizing peaks of the Langtang peaks.

From Kyanjin Gompa, you will head out to Ganja-la pass (5121 meters) on a 6-hour trekking journey. As you traverse steeply from along a slightly winding path, you will reach the summit of the pass. There is a small glacier on the far side of the pass. From Ganja La, you will descend to a camp located nearby the second of the two small lakes on the west side of the glacier below. If time permits, you will trek further to a much better camping site at Keldang (4,270m).

You will head out for a steep descent from the glacier through moraines. The trail starts off steeply in the east as you face the hillsides of Dukpu Danda. After trekking for a few hours, you will reach a meadow. This pasture land at Keldang is an excellent campsite on the flat valley below the glacier.

6 hours of walk from Keldang will take you to Dukpu (4023 meters) today. Today’s trek will take you through many uphills and downhills alongside hills that have a few kharka (Pasture land). There is little water until the last kharka before Dukpu. You can notice the Kharka with a large boulder just below the trail. You can also see a smoke-blackened ‘rock shelter’ on its northern flank. There is a steep ascent to a little col just before it. After making a steep descent into the ridge, you will make a steep ascent to another little col. Eventually, you will reach a kharka that is just before Dukpu. The kharka or “pasture land” is a reasonable site for the camping with wooden waters and good views.

After trekking for twenty minutes from your camp in the Kharka, you will reach Dupku. As you head out further, you will come to a ridge. The walk up to this ridge is almost two hours long. This ridge, which lies at an altitude of 4054 meters, has a few chortens. From this ridge, you will make a long descent to Helambu. After an hour’s walk from the ridge, you will reach a small clearing. Trekking further, you will reach another narrow ridge crest. After a long diagonal descent on the western side of the ridge, you will pass wooden water on the way. Then you will make a steep descent to the campsite just above the Tarkeghyang village. The trek from Dukpu to Tarkeghyang (2560 meters) is 6-7 hours long.

After a lovely morning, you will head towards another important village of the area called Sermathang (2621 meters). You will walk on a gradual winding path, which offers excellent views of the surrounding landscapes. You will get splendid views of the landscape all the way to Sermathang (2621 meters). The trek to Sermanthang is 4-5 hours long. The trial makes a sweep around the wide valley end in between Parachin and a Sherpa village of Gangyul. The people of this village practice Drukpa Kagyu Buddhism. This is the same as the national religion of Bhutan.

The last day of the trek is more or less downhill all the way to Melamchi Pul Bazar. The trek passes through mid hills villages of Kakani and Thimbu before heading towards the subtropical region back to the rice paddy fields. After trekking for 3-4 hours, you will arrive at Melamchi Pul (840 meters). Melamchi is a busy bazaar. People from rural villages come here for buying essential goods as well as to catch a bus to Kathmandu city. After few hours of a tour of Melamchi and a lunch break here, you will head out to Kathmandu.

Our representatives from The Great Adventure Treks will drop you off at Tribhuvan International airport today for your departure back home. You will reach the airport on a private transport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. You will take the international flight back home. Before you leave for the airport, you need to secure the air ticket and other necessary travel documents. If you want to, The Great Adventure Treks & Expidition could also arrange another tour for you in Nepal.