Langtang & Helambu · Nepal
The short version
Langtang National Park begins about 30 km north of Kathmandu and was the first Himalayan national park in Nepal, gazetted in 1976. Access is by road: roughly 117 km to Syabrubesi at 1,460 m, which takes six to seven hours on a rough and frequently landslide-affected highway. From there the classic walk follows the Langtang Khola through bamboo and oak to Lama Hotel, then up to Langtang village and Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 m, usually in three days, with Tserko Ri at 4,984 m as the acclimatisation climb. The 2015 earthquake triggered an avalanche that destroyed Langtang village entirely and killed most of its residents; the settlement has been rebuilt on a safer terrace and the lodges are newer than anywhere else in Nepal. A second route climbs from Dhunche to the Gosaikunda lakes at 4,380 m, a Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage site crowded each August at Janai Purnima.
Twelve months, rated honestly. We would rather lose a booking than sell you a month that does not work.
The closest big Himalayan valley to Kathmandu, and the one that rebuilt itself
From, per person
$850$990
$85/day
Yes. The trail was fully reopened by 2016 and Langtang village has been rebuilt on a terrace clear of the avalanche path. Lodges along the route are among the newest in Nepal because most were constructed after 2016. Geological surveys were carried out before reconstruction, and the valley now handles tens of thousands of trekkers a year.
Six to seven hours for 117 km on a public bus or shared jeep, sometimes longer in the rain. The last two hours are unpaved and exposed. Leave Kathmandu by 7 am so you arrive in daylight. A private jeep costs more but cuts an hour and avoids the standing-room bus over the Trishuli section.
Langtang valley is better for mountain scenery and lodges; Gosaikunda is better for altitude, solitude and cultural interest. Langtang runs seven to eight days and reaches 3,870 m with Tserko Ri as a bonus. Gosaikunda adds four days and crosses Laurebina La at 4,610 m. Combining both takes about twelve days.
A Langtang National Park entry permit at NPR 3,000, roughly USD 23, and a TIMS card at NPR 2,000, roughly USD 15. Neither is a restricted-area permit, so there is no minimum group size, but a licensed guide is required for foreign trekkers under current national park rules. Both are issued in Kathmandu.
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