Overview
This Gosaikunda trek takes you from Dhunche, the road head on the edge of Langtang National Park, up through forest to the sacred lake at 4,380 m and back in five days. You drive from Kathmandu to Dhunche and walk to Deurali the same afternoon, climb past Chandanbari to Cholang Pati, then reach Gosaikunda on the third day for a night beside the lake. Coming down, you sleep at Chandanbari, also called Sing Gompa after its small monastery, then walk out to Dhunche for the drive home. There is no rest day at the lake, so it gains height fast. It suits fit walkers who have been at altitude before. If you want more time to adjust, we can add a night at Laurebina or a rest day at the lake.
The itinerary
- Drive of 6 to 7 hours north from Kathmandu along the Trishuli valley into the Langtang foothills
- Permit check at the Langtang National Park post near Dhunche, 2,030 m
- Then a walk of around 4 hours up through forest to Deurali
- Overnight in a simple lodge at Deurali
- Long climbing day through Dhimsa and the forest to Chandanbari (Sing Gompa)
- Continue above Chandanbari to Cholang Pati, a small lodge stop on the ridge
- First wide mountain views open up on clear days as the forest thins
- Walk slowly and drink plenty; this is the day the altitude starts to count
- Steady climb past Laurebina with the trail opening onto bare ridges
- Walk above Saraswati Kunda and Bhairav Kunda to Gosaikunda itself
- On arrival, time at leisure around the shrines and shoreline; keep warm and take it easy
- Overnight in a lodge by the lake at 4,380 m, the highest night of the trek
- Sunrise over the lake and the peaks around it if the sky is clear
- Retrace the trail down past Laurebina and Cholang Pati
- Descend to Chandanbari (Sing Gompa) at 3,330 m and its small monastery
- A welcome drop in altitude before the last night
- Downhill walk through forest back to Dhunche
- Lunch in Dhunche before the drive
- Drive of 6 to 7 hours back down the Trishuli valley
- Drop-off at your hotel in Kathmandu
What the price covers
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Things to carry
- Warm down jacket and a sleeping bag rated for below-freezing nights at the lake
- Broken-in trekking boots with ankle support
- Thermal base layers, warm hat and gloves
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen for the high, exposed trail
Good to know
Complete guide
Gosaikunda is a sacred lake at 4,380 m (14,370 ft) in Langtang National Park, north of Kathmandu, and this Gosaikunda trek reaches it in five days from the road head at Dhunche. It is the quickest way we offer to the lake, and the trade-off is that you climb faster.
What the Gosaikunda trek covers
You drive from Kathmandu to Dhunche, 6 to 7 hours up the Trishuli valley, and walk the same afternoon to Deurali in the forest above town. Day two is the long climb: past Dhimsa to Chandanbari, also called Sing Gompa after its small monastery, and on to the lodges at Cholang Pati. On day three you climb past Laurebina and along the trail above Saraswati Kunda and Bhairav Kunda to Gosaikunda itself, and spend the night by the lake. Day four brings you back down to Chandanbari at 3,330 m, and on day five you walk out to Dhunche for the drive home.
Hindu tradition holds that Shiva made the lake by striking the ground with his trident to find water, and pilgrims make the walk in large numbers at Janai Purnima in August. The lake area was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2007.
How it differs from the Gosaikunda and Helambu trek
We run two Gosaikunda trips from Dhunche. The Gosaikunda and Helambu Trek continues over the Laurebina La at 4,610 m and down through Hyolmo villages to Melamchi over nine days. This trek keeps the forest and the lake and turns round at Gosaikunda. Choose it if your time is limited and you have been at altitude before. If this is your first time above 4,000 m, ask us to add a night at Laurebina or a rest day at the lake.
Altitude: the honest trade-off of a five-day trip
This itinerary gains height fast. You go from the forest at Deurali to the ridge at Cholang Pati in one day and up to 4,380 m the next, with no rest day at the lake. Medical guidance advises that above 3,000 m you raise your sleeping height by no more than 500 m a day and plan an extra day for every additional 1,000 m. This trip has neither a night at Laurebina nor a rest day at the lake, so the night at Gosaikunda is the one to watch. We can add either if you ask when you enquire.
Headache with nausea, dizziness or unusual tiredness are the early signs of acute mountain sickness. If they appear, your guide will keep you at Cholang Pati or take you down to Chandanbari rather than on to the lake, because going down is the treatment that works. That is why this trek suits people who have slept above 3,500 m before without trouble, and why travel insurance covering trekking to this height and helicopter evacuation is strongly recommended. We do not sell insurance.
How hard the walking is and when to go
This is a moderate to challenging trek. Days run 4 to 8 hours on forest trail, stone steps and open ridge, with the second day the longest and steepest. You do not need technical skills, but you should be comfortable walking uphill for most of a day. Spring, March to May, and autumn, September to November, are the best seasons, with clearer skies and stable trails. The lake freezes in winter and snow can close the upper trail, while the summer monsoon brings cloud, rain and landslide risk on the road to Dhunche.
Permits, guides and getting to Dhunche
Gosaikunda lies in Langtang National Park, so foreign visitors need the park entry permit. A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run, and we arrange the permit; your permits are checked at the park post near Dhunche. The trailhead is reached by road, so there is no domestic flight involved. Your Nepal visa and international flight are your own arrangements; once you land in Kathmandu, we take care of transport, lodges, permits and your guide. Not sure whether five or seven days suits you? Tell us your dates and your altitude experience and we will say honestly.
