Langtang Valley Trek

No flights

No part of this trek can be cancelled because of cloud. The Everest itineraries depend on a nineteen-seat aircraft landing on a sloping runway at Lukla, whereas this trek starts with a bus. If you have twelve days rather than sixteen and cannot risk losing three of them to weather, this is the main reason to choose Langtang.

The road

Kathmandu to Dhunche is about 120 km and takes seven hours, because the road climbs from 1,400 m to 1,960 m over a ridge at 2,400 m, with many hairpin bends. The drive is spectacular, but it does mean seven hours in a vehicle at each end of the trek, which is the trade-off for a trailhead this close to the capital.

The monsoon

The Trishuli road is cut into steep, wet hillside and is damaged by the monsoon every year. Between June and September the drive takes longer, sometimes much longer, and may involve walking around a landslide and changing vehicles. We do not run this trek in the monsoon, mainly because of this road.

Leaving early

Walking out from Kyanjin to Syabrubesi takes two to three days, and from there you travel by road. Helicopters land at Kyanjin Gompa and Langtang village and reach Kathmandu in about forty minutes. Because the valley is so close to the city, this is the shortest rescue flight of any trek in our catalogue.

Your guide

A government-licensed guide with wilderness first aid training leads every departure, and there is one porter for every two trekkers. From 11 trekkers a second guide joins the group, so nobody is left alone at the back. Our guides come from the hill regions where they lead treks.

Porters and luggage

Each porter carries a maximum of 20 kg, which is your duffel and one other. This is below the 25 kg limit set by the trekking association and well below the loads you will see on the trail. If your bag is over the limit, the load is split rather than added to. Porters carry luggage, not daypacks: you keep your water, camera, jacket and snacks for the day with you.

Staff pay and insurance

Salary, insurance, food and accommodation for every guide and porter are included in the price you pay, and are not collected on the trail. Every guide and porter is insured for altitude and helicopter evacuation on the same terms we require of you. Porters in this industry have often carried too much, in unsuitable footwear, for very low pay. We include fair pay in the package price so that this does not happen on our treks.

Tipping

Tipping is customary but not compulsory, and it never replaces wages. For this trip, $100 to $150 per traveller for the whole team is usual, given together on the last evening rather than daily. Your guide will not ask for a tip, and would prefer that you do not hand it over in front of the group.

Why your visit matters

On 25 April 2015 an avalanche from Langtang Lirung buried Langtang village and killed over three hundred people. The valley was left with almost no economy and no buildings from which to rebuild one. The surviving Tamang families rebuilt it lodge by lodge over about five years, funded by income from trekking. This is not a reason to visit out of sympathy, as the trek is worthwhile in its own right. It is a reason to spend your money in the valley rather than bringing supplies in and out.

The memorial

The old village site lies under the debris field you cross before reaching the new village, and is marked by a memorial stone and mani walls carved with the names of the dead. Some of your porters and guides may have lost family members there. Pass quietly, do not photograph people at the memorial, and if your guide does not raise the subject, do not raise it yourself.

Drinking water

A trekker who relies on bottled water uses around twenty-five plastic bottles on this trip, all of which are carried up a seven-hour road and must be carried back down. Boiled water costs a dollar or two a litre at every lodge, and there are safe drinking water stations at Thulo Syabru and Langtang village. Bring purification as a backup rather than as your main supply.

The cheese factory

The yak cheese factory at Kyanjin Gompa was set up in 1955 with Swiss help and rebuilt after the earthquake, again with Swiss help. It provides employment in the highest village in the valley, the cheese is very good, and buying a slab is the most direct way to support the local economy on this trek.

How to book

Write to us, or send a message on WhatsApp, and tell us your approximate dates. You will receive a reply from someone who has done this trip, not a form. Nothing is payable at that stage, and there is no obligation until you pay a deposit.

Deposit

A deposit of thirty per cent holds your dates, and the balance is paid when you arrive in Kathmandu, in cash or by card. At the same time we ask for a copy of your passport, your insurance certificate and any dietary or medical information.

Payment

You can pay by bank transfer, or by card through a secure link. Card payments carry the bank's fee of about 4 per cent, which we show you before you pay. The balance in Kathmandu can be paid in US dollars, pounds, euros or Nepali rupees.

Cancellation

If you cancel more than 30 days before departure, your deposit can be transferred to any other date or trip we run, with no time limit. Within 30 days the deposit is retained, because the permits, flights and crew have been booked by then. If we cancel for any reason other than weather, you receive a full refund.

Private and group departures

Both cost the same for a group of five or more. A private departure runs on your dates at your pace and can be arranged for one person. A group departure runs on the dates in the table above. Most travellers book privately, at no extra cost.

Late bookings

A week's notice is enough, and we have organised this trek with two days' notice. Nothing on this trek depends on a flight seat or a government permit office, so Langtang is a good option when another plan has fallen through.