Overview
The Langtang and Gosaikunda trek with Chitwan National Park is a fourteen-day journey that pairs one of Nepal's most accessible Himalayan valleys with a lowland jungle safari. From the roadhead at Syabrubesi you climb through forest to Lama Hotel and up into the glacial Langtang Valley, reaching Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 metres and the viewpoint of Kyanjin Ri. You then cross the ridge to the sacred Gosaikunda lakes at 4,380 metres before descending to Dhunche and driving south to Chitwan National Park, where canoe trips, guided walks and a jeep safari finish the trip among rhinos, deer and birdlife. It is graded moderate to strenuous, walked on teahouse trails with comfortable lodges each night, and gives you mountains, culture and jungle in a single loop out of Kathmandu.
The itinerary
- Scenic 6 to 7 hour drive north through hills and river gorges
- Follow the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi valleys to Syabrubesi (1,550 m)
- Overnight at the roadhead, the trailhead for the Langtang Valley
- Cross the river and climb through oak and rhododendron forest
- Follow the Langtang Khola with chances of langur monkeys
- Overnight at Lama Hotel (2,480 m)
- Climb steadily as the forest thins and the valley opens
- First high peaks and yak pastures come into view
- Overnight at Langtang Village (3,430 m), rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake
- Short climb past mani walls and a cheese factory to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
- Time after lunch to explore the monastery and glacier viewpoints
- Big views of Langtang Lirung above the settlement
- Early climb to the Kyanjin Ri viewpoint, around 4,300 to 4,770 m
- Panorama of Langtang Lirung, Yala Peak and the valley glaciers
- Descend back to Kyanjin Gompa for the night
- Retrace the valley trail with fresh downhill views
- Long descent back through the forest belt
- Overnight at Lama Hotel
- Descend to the river, then climb to the ridge village of Thulo Syabru
- Tamang and Tibetan-influenced village at about 2,260 m
- Sunset views across terraced hillsides
- Steady climb through rhododendron and pine forest
- Gain height towards the Gosaikunda ridge
- Overnight at Cholangpati (3,650 m)
- Climb into open alpine terrain with wide Himalayan views
- Reach the sacred glacial lakes of Gosaikunda at 4,380 m
- Overnight beside the lake, a major pilgrimage site
- Sunrise over the sacred lakes, then a walk around the shoreline and shrines
- Descend from the lakes back below the treeline
- Views of Langtang and Ganesh Himal on the way down
- Overnight at Chandanbari, or Sing Gompa (3,330 m), known for its cheese
- Long forest descent towards the district headquarters
- Pass small settlements and farmland
- Overnight at Dhunche (1,960 m)
- Long 7 to 8 hour drive south out of the hills to the Terai lowlands
- Swap the mountains for subtropical jungle and warm air
- Check in near Chitwan National Park for the safari nights
- Dugout canoe trip on the Rapti River with crocodiles and waterbirds
- Guided jungle walk and a jeep safari for one-horned rhino and deer
- Tharu cultural programme in the village to end the day
- Morning wildlife activity or birdwatching before you leave
- Scenic drive back up to the capital along the Trishuli
- The journey ends on the road into Kathmandu
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Things to carry
- Layered clothing including a warm down jacket for Gosaikunda and lighter kit for Chitwan
- Broken-in trekking boots and warm socks
- A sleeping-bag liner, hat, gloves and a buff
- Sunglasses, sun hat, high-factor sunscreen, insect repellent and lip balm
- A refillable water bottle with purification, a daypack and a power bank
Good to know
Complete guide
Few trips out of Kathmandu give you as much variety as this one: a Himalayan valley, a string of sacred high-altitude lakes and a subtropical jungle, all in a fortnight. The Langtang region sits closest to the capital of any major trekking area, so you are on the trail within hours of leaving the city, and the Chitwan finish trades snow peaks for rhinos and riverbanks. Here is how the trip works and what to know.
What the Langtang and Gosaikunda trek with Chitwan covers
The route drives north to Syabrubesi, then climbs through Lama Hotel into the Langtang Valley to Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 metres, with a morning at the Kyanjin Ri viewpoint. It then crosses to the sacred Gosaikunda lakes at 4,380 metres, descends to Dhunche, and drives south to Chitwan National Park for a jungle-safari finish. If you want the mountain half on its own, the standalone Langtang Valley trek covers the valley and Kyanjin Gompa without the Gosaikunda crossing or the Chitwan extension.
How hard it is and how the altitude feels
This is a moderate to strenuous trek rather than a technical one, but the days are honest: steady forest climbs, a top night at 4,380 metres beside Gosaikunda, and a few long descents. The height is gained gradually, with the Langtang Valley acting as natural acclimatisation before the lakes, so serious altitude sickness is uncommon, though you will feel the thinner air on the ridge. Walk slowly, hydrate well, and treat any headache seriously. A few weeks of hill walking before you arrive makes the biggest difference.
Permits, guides and teahouses
You need the Langtang National Park entry permit. A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run, and we arrange all of this. Nights on the trek are spent in teahouses, family-run lodges with simple twin rooms and a warm dining room, so you carry only a daypack. Bring a sleeping-bag liner, a power bank and small cash for charging, Wi-Fi and hot showers, which get scarcer and pricier the higher you go.
The Chitwan jungle finish
After the descent to Dhunche the trip changes character completely. The drive south drops you into the warm Terai and Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for the one-horned rhino. A canoe trip, a guided jungle walk and a jeep safari give you the wildlife over a full day, with a Tharu cultural evening in the village. If you would rather build a longer stay in the lowlands around adventure activities, the Chitwan safari with bungee and canyoning tour pairs the same jungle with the thrills near the Bhote Koshi.
