The
Langtang Valley is located only 19 miles North of Kathmandu
and yet it has changed little since the opening of Nepal
to the world. The area is strongly influenced by its proximity
to the border of Tibet. The valley is dominated by Langtang
Lirung (7246m / 23,730ft), the highest peak in the area.
This is a superb introduction to trekking, among some
of the most beautiful scenery in the whole of Nepal. And
for the climber, Yala Peak (5500m / 18,045ft) and Naya
Kanga (5846m / 19,180ft) offer a wonderful introduction
to mountaineering in the Himalaya.
From Kathmandu we have a 7 hour drive to the trailhead.
Initially we trek through dense forest of oak, birch and
pine before the valley opens out into alpine meadows.
In the spring these high meadows are carpeted with a rich
variety of alpine flowers, gentians, violets, edelweiss
and primulas are just a few. The forests are also in full
bloom with rare tree orchids to be found and the colourful
rhododendron (Nepal's national flower).
Beyond Langtang village is the summer settlement of Kyangjin
(3817m) with its small monastery and cheese factory. Our
camp here is in a superb setting dominated by the fluted
northwest face of Cangchempo, while Kyangjin Ri at 4708m,
provides a spectacular viewpoint. From Kyangjin we move
further up the valley to Yala, a small yersa [summer hamlet]
at 4641m. Using this as our base we walk to the top of
Tsergo Ri 5066m / 16,592ft the highest point on a broad
flat plateau. The views from here are spectacular, a 360
degree panorama of snow capped Himal including Langtang
Lirung, Pemthang Ri, Langshisha Ri, Dorje Lakpa, and Ganchempo,
Tilman's fluted peak.
We set up two camps in superb locations in the upper
Langtang valley. The trekking is not difficult and there
are many interesting possibilities for day walks from
our base camps.
Descending from the upper Langtang Valley our route back
to Kathmandu will be either:
A - Return the way we came to complete a 10 days trek,
B - Trek on through Gosainkund and Helambu for a total
of 17 days.
The second option takes us first to
the sacred lakes of Gosainkund and over the Laurebina
pass (4610m / 15,100ft) to the high ridges of Helambu.
Providing a glimpse of different cultures and more superb
panoramic views, from the Annapurna and Manaslu in the
west, across to Mt. Everest in the east.
