Langtang Region

The region Kathmandu forgets it has

Langtang begins seven hours' drive north of Kathmandu and reaches a glacial valley head at 3,870 m with a 7,227 m peak standing over it. No flight, no internal connection to miss, and a fraction of the traffic of the two famous regions.

It is the obvious answer for anyone with eight to ten days who does not want to gamble a Lukla flight, and it is chronically under-booked relative to how good it is.

What there is to walk here

The three can be combined. Valley plus Gosaikunda over the Laurebina La is the classic two-week version and is a considerably better trip than either half alone.

A region that was rebuilt, and what that means for choosing it

The 2015 earthquake hit this valley harder than any other trekking region in Nepal. Reconstruction was substantially locally driven and substantially funded by trekking, which produces an unusual situation for a visitor: the industry here is not an overlay on the local economy, it is most of it.

Practically, that shapes three things. Lodge stock is newer than elsewhere, because most of it postdates the earthquake. Ownership is more local, because outside operators did not move in during the years the valley was closed. And the region is noticeably less busy than its quality warrants, because it spent several seasons off the map and has never fully returned to the itineraries that dropped it.

That last point is the reason to come. You are getting Everest-grade valley scenery at Annapurna-grade prices with a fraction of either region's traffic.

Three ways in

The third is the forgotten option and the best one if you have the days — it starts an hour from Kathmandu, needs no long drive at all, and joins the region from the south over the Gosaikunda lakes.

How demanding the region is

Gentler than Everest and gentler than the Annapurna Circuit. Nothing here requires a pass crossing unless you choose one, sleeping altitudes stay below 4,000 m on the main valley route, and the trails are forest paths rather than engineered staircases.

What the region does offer is a genuine 5,000 m day walk from a comfortable base, which is rare — most places make you sleep high to get high. That combination of low sleeping altitude and high day ceiling is what makes Langtang unusually forgiving for a first Himalayan trip.

Permits and costs

A Langtang National Park entry permit and a TIMS card, both issued in Kathmandu. Unlike Manaslu or Mustang there is no restricted-area permit, no agency requirement and no minimum party size, which makes this one of the cheapest regions in Nepal to get into.

On-trail costs sit well below the Khumbu because the supply line from the roadhead is short — a few days of portering rather than a week from an airstrip.

Season

October and November are the clearest and the most reliable. Spring is warmer and turns the lower forest belt over to rhododendron, at the cost of cloudier afternoons on the summits. Winter is startlingly sharp and very cold, with the higher lodges thinning out and the Laurebina La often snowbound.

The monsoon is out, and specifically because of the access road rather than the walking — landslides between Trishuli and Syabrubesi close it for days at a time.

Where to go next

• Kathmandu Valley — Seven UNESCO Monument Zones within an hour of each other
• Gosaikunda — A cluster of sacred alpine lakes at 4,380 m that tens of thousands of pilgrims walk to each August
• Manaslu Region — A restricted region in Gorkha built around the eighth-highest mountain on earth, with a single long gorge leading to a 5,106 m pass and a sacred side valley branching off it

Related activities: Trekking in Nepal, Village Homestays in Nepal, Photography Tours in Nepal.

Or see every trip we run: all trekking and tour packages.