How difficult is the Gosaikunda trek?

Gosaikunda is a moderate to challenging trek. You walk 4 to 8 hours a day on forest trails, stone steps and open ridges, and the second day is a long climb. No technical skills are needed, but good fitness is. The main difficulty is altitude, because the lake sits at 4,380 m and this short version climbs to it quickly.

Do I need a permit and a guide for Gosaikunda?

Yes. Gosaikunda lies in Langtang National Park, so you need the park entry permit, and the Langtang region, including the Gosaikunda trek, is on the Nepal Tourism Board list where a licensed guide and an agency-issued TIMS card are compulsory. We arrange the permit and the card and provide the licensed guide; permits are checked near Dhunche.

When is the best time to visit Gosaikunda?

March to May and September to November are the best months, with stable weather and clearer views. In August, at Janai Purnima, pilgrims fill the trail and lodges during the monsoon. In winter the lake freezes and snow can make the upper trail difficult or impassable, so we suggest it only for experienced, well-equipped groups.

Why is Gosaikunda sacred?

Hindu tradition holds that Shiva created Gosaikunda by striking the ground with his trident to find water after swallowing poison during the churning of the ocean. The lake draws Hindu pilgrims, especially at Janai Purnima, and the lake area was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2007. Walk quietly around the shrines and keep the water clean.

How high is Gosaikunda, and will I get altitude sickness?

Gosaikunda sits at 4,380 m (14,370 ft). Anyone can get altitude sickness at that height, and a fast itinerary raises the risk. Walk slowly, drink plenty and tell your guide about any headache, nausea, dizziness or unusual tiredness. If symptoms appear, your guide will stop the climb and take you down, which is the treatment that works.

What is the difference between the short Gosaikunda trek and the Gosaikunda Helambu trek?

The short trek goes from Dhunche to the lake and back the same way in five days. The Gosaikunda and Helambu Trek continues from the lake over the 4,610 m Laurebina La and down through the Hyolmo villages of Helambu to Melamchi, over ten days with an acclimatisation day at the lake. Choose it if you want a high pass and village culture as well as the lake.

What is the road to Dhunche like?

The drive from Kathmandu to Dhunche takes 6 to 7 hours, north along the Trishuli valley and up into the Langtang foothills. It is a long, winding mountain road, and monsoon rain can bring landslides that slow or block it. We use experienced drivers and plan departures for the drier seasons.

Short Gosaikunda Trek - 5 Days | Itinerary & Costing

01The sacred lake at a quicker pace

Overview

This short 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. Compared with our seven-day Gosaikunda Lake Trek it drops the night at Laurebina and the rest day at the lake, so it gains height faster. It suits fit walkers with limited days who have been at altitude before.

4,380 m at Gosaikunda LakeMax altitude

Moderate to challenging, fast ascentDifficulty

March to May and September to NovemberBest season

4 to 8 hours a dayWalking

02Day by day

The itinerary

Starts inKathmandu

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
Afternoon 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
Afternoon 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

Ends inKathmandu

04Packing

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

05Questions

Good to know

Five days is enough to reach Gosaikunda from Dhunche and return, but it leaves no spare day at the lake and gains height quickly. It suits fit walkers who have been above 3,500 m before. If this is your first high trek, the seven-day version, with a night at Laurebina and a rest day at the lake, is the safer choice.

06Deep dive

Complete guide

Gosaikunda is a sacred lake at 4,380 m (14,370 ft) in Langtang National Park, north of Kathmandu, and this short 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 short 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 our longer Gosaikunda treks

We run three versions of this trip. Our Gosaikunda Lake Trek takes seven days on the same Dhunche approach, with a night at Laurebina before the lake and a full day at Gosaikunda to rest, walk towards the Laurebina La and let your body adjust. The Gosaikunda and Helambu Trek continues over the Laurebina La at 4,610 m and down through Hyolmo villages to Melamchi over ten days. This short version keeps the forest and the lake, drops the extra days and turns round at Gosaikunda. Choose it if your time is limited and you have been at altitude before; choose the seven-day trek if this is your first time above 4,000 m.

Altitude: the honest trade-off of a shorter 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. The seven-day version adds a night at Laurebina and a rest day at the lake to follow that advice; the short version has neither, so the night at Gosaikunda is the one to watch.

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 the short 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, and the Langtang region, including the Gosaikunda trek, is on the Nepal Tourism Board list of areas where you must walk with a licensed guide and carry an agency-issued TIMS card. We arrange both and send a licensed guide with every group; 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.