Tamang Heritage Trail and Langtang Valley Trek - 16 Days

Adorned with the exquisite architectural marvels of the medieval period, Kathmandu alone flaunts 7 UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites. From the Iconic stupa of Swayambhunath to the awe-inspiring delicate carvings on the Patan Durbar Square, every site has something unique and grand to offer.

Pashupatinath Temple is sacred among the Hindus and Buddhists while sprawling collections of inscriptions and Sculptures make it an outstanding piece for every beauty-lover. Not to miss, the massive mandala of Boudhanath Stupa offers it a grandeur and charm and make it an epitome of unique spherical architecture.

In these sites, you will capture some life-long memorable moments in the photograph and by the end of the day, your guide will help you arrive at your hotel. Have a good night sleep.

Along the scenic route from Kathmandu to Syabrubensi, you will be captivated by the lush sceneries and Himalayan styled houses with the flat roofs. The road is windy, and, at places, bumps may assist you to bang your head on the inner roof of the vehicle. In the middle of nowhere, Chilime Hydropower Project site peeks on you, while the peaks of Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and Langtang be at a constant gaze for some moments. As you move higher, the settlements grow sparse while the authentic villages come close. From Trishuli, the river of Trishuli follows your way until arriving at Syabrubensi.

You will have two options to choose from the local bus and private vehicle. For sure, a local bus is a cheap option, but the seats and condition (filthy) of the bus is beyond expectation. On the other hand, Private vehicle, although quite expensive, renders a comfortable aura to enjoy the vivid sceneries around.

Our guide will arrange your stay in one of the hotels for overnight.

At the crack of dawn, you will get your backpack ready and hit the trail. Traversing a number of waterfalls, you will climb to the viewpoint to witness gigantic snowy pinnacles- Ganesh Himal, the Gosaikunda Range, and Langtang Peak. Buddhist Chortens and Mani walls add another dimension to the surreal landscapes. After descending for about 45 mins, typical Tamang village of Goljung come into view and subsequently, the trail leads to another beautiful village Gatlang, dominated by Tamangs.

Gatlang flaunts a century-old Tamang Monastery and the secret Lake, Parvati Kunda, which has a mythical origin. It is believed that the lake was discovered far back in the past while the King of Gatlang was searching for his missing hunting dog. What’s more, women regard this lake as having spiritual power (power of fertility).

For the night, you will stay in one of the lodges.

Early in the morning, you leave Gatlang and descend along a lovely Bamdang Khola (river) to make an appearance at Thangbuchet. Twisting north to Chilime via Chilime Khola, a glamorous outlook of Langtang range and Ganesh Himal come into view. After about 2 hours of scenic walk, a suspension bridge opens up the steep ascend (450 m), which takes about 1 and a half hour. From there, the trail is relatively easier to climb until Tatopani.

Tatopani (hot water) by its name is the natural hot spring, which is believed to have healing capacity since ages. Dive into this divine water and become blessed with its spiritual power.

With a gusto of conquering the steep ascend to Nagthali (3300 m), you will pass through an incredible rhododendron forest adhering to the side of the mountains, the vines, and the moss-covered trees. An occasional glimpse of Grey Langurs is rumored there, so chances are that you may encounter at least one of them hanging on the tree. Before hitting up on the steep trail arrives Brimdang, and as you walk along the ridges, the views of Ganesh Himal to the west and Langtang range on the east grow better and better until arriving at the Nagthali (high plateau with an open grassland), which opens up the amazing views of mountain panorama: Langtang Lirung, Kerung, Ganesh Himal and Shishapangma.

Nagthali hill is a perfect spot for meditation and contemplation, especially for the monks. The trail leads you down to Thuman via a water-driven prayer wheel. Just before arriving at Thuman lies a check-post for TIMS cards. As you reach there, houses with delicate carvings on the window and door fabricate the place with charm. There is a beautiful monastery to spend your time in at the end of the day.

Rest well in your hotel for the next day venture.

The trail from Thuman to Briddhim goes through Lingling. Dropping by the nice path lined up with chortens and prayer flags for about 25 mins, you arrive at a junction, where you turn left for lingling-the other flank takes you to Syabrubesi. The trail onwards is steep and snaky. After about 25 mins of rigorous climb appears a teashop at the Pelko View Point. Take a rest for a while because, until Briddhim, the climb is relentless with no stop-over.

Check out for the signs at the junctions and follow the one that leads to upper Briddhim. The path enters the forests of pine and rhododendron and then drops to a bridge before arriving at your destination. Within a couple of distance from the Briddhim lies a monastery (2200 m) adorned with a multitude of vibrant images of Buddha including some of the weird ones. This place is amazing to spend your time in.

Our guide will arrange a hotel room for you.

As usual, you leave early in the morning and hit off for the delightful trail ahead. Following the winding trail that meanders around the stone walls and pylons by the side takes you to a well-maintained path that arrives at a junction (saturated with monkeys), showing two ways: one leads to Syabrubesi via Wangel while the other leads to Khanjim and Langtang. Heading towards Syabrubesi via a woodland along Wangel, you climb up a steep section to Wangel, where you turn left down to a concrete bridge near a waterfall. Within a couple of hours’ slogs, you will arrive at Syabrubesi for the overnight stay.

There is a TIMS Checkpost and a Cyber Café. If you need one, do visit there.

After a good night sleep in the rustic and quaint setting of Syabru, you make your way ahead to Lama Hotel via Rimche. As you leave from the village, the trail crosses Chopche Khola and then descend to join the trail that goes parallel to Langtang Khola. From here, you will go through a tranquil woodland of hustling oaks and bustling bamboos until arriving at Rimche.

By then, narrow valleys take you to some of the vantage points, which opens up the incredible vistas of some of the pinnacles. After some climb, you make an appearance at Changdam (aka the Lama Hotel), where you stay for the overnight.

Following the semitropical vegetated trees, you will see tantalizing views of Langtang Lirung, and the gushing river down the canyon adds another dimension to this exotic setting. With the altitude, vegetations grow sparse while the views sprout more enticing. Buddhist communities become more evident with the chortens and Mani walls along the way.

All of a sudden, the beauty is dulled by a steep climb to Thyangshyap (3,140 m). Then on, crossing a suspension bridge opens up the village Chyamki (3,230 m). Shortly after passing through a series of switchbacks, Langtang village unbolts with a few beautiful Tibetan Styled houses. You may go for a side-trip to Naya Kang & Waterfall viewpoint.

For the night, you stay in this village.

Passing through a line of mani walls, you make a descent from the last one to a small ravine and then ascent to Mundu. The trek is gentle, but do not rush in along the steep ascents to properly acclimatize. Several guest houses and hotels stand by the side of the trail and the view of Gangchenpo get clearer as the sun heads towards the south.  Subsequently, in the middle of nowhere rises Urking Kanggari from the south.

As you walk, a white chorten marks the arrival of trekkers to the vast moraine ridges that come down from Langtang Lirung range. A river crossing takes you along an arid setting of ridges and after about 45 mins steep ascent, the view of Kyangin Gompa (3,830 m) is revealed.

Kyangin Gompa (monastery) is the largest one in the Langtang valley. Don’t expect a massive structure of the Gompa, but the setting is picturesque. The tradition of the Gompa is followed from Guru Rinpoche. Inside the monastery lies dozens of paintings of the donors and Buddha in different poses (mudra). The prayer wheels and prayer flags polish the overall scene.

Explore the tradition of the Buddhists in the Gompa and wander around the monastery to reward yourself with a pleasant and tranquil atmosphere. You may go for a side trip to Lirung lake, which takes somewhere between 1-2 hours. The icy walls of Langtang Lirung, Changbu, Kinshung and many other renders an astonishing outlook taking you towards a hidden lake, sitting quietly with an inspirational note.

You may also scale up to Kyanjin Ri (4-5 hrs), bedecked with prayer flags in the pristine setting of rushing winds. The trail zigzags between the rocky bands and meanders along the prayer flags. The top of Kyanjin Ri (4,330 m) is often snow-hatted. From here, the sight of Langtang Lirung with countless icy ramparts is fabulous.

Alternatively, you may hike up Tsergo Ri (4,984 m), which takes about 6-8 hrs. Panoramic views of mountains circumscribing the skyline appear mesmerizing. While it is a perfect vantage point to witness snowy giants, the trail is equally dangerous and difficult to climb during snow falls. Get prepared properly before leaving for this trail.

We recommend the former trail.

From the Kyanjim, the trail is almost descending. It takes about 2 hours to descend to Langtang while another 2 hours to arrive at Ghoretabela. Following a few sheer ups and downs, you make up to Lama Hotel at the end of the day.

You will come down to Syabrubesi via the same trail you meandered through in the early days.

As you reach Syabrubesi, have a good night sleep.

Syabrubesi to Kathmandu has two routes: one via Galchi while the other via Kakani. Both routes are picturesque. The trail along Galchi is better and takes around 7 hrs to reach Kathmandu. On the other hand, despite a bumpy section at some points through Kakani, the road offers the incredible views of Ganesh Himal on the way, but takes around 9 hours to arrive at Kathmandu.

You may extend your stay and try other adventures in Nepal.

But, for now, it is time to say goodbye to all the amazing people, mountains and cultures until next time you revisit Nepal. We look forward to traveling with you.