Langtang Valley Trek

Langtang is the closest major trekking valley to Kathmandu. The bus north through Rasuwa district takes about seven hours, and yet the place feels far removed from the Khumbu or Annapurna machine. Fewer trekkers come here. That is most of its appeal. The valley is quieter and, in its own understated way, culturally richer than its modest reputation suggests, and you get a full Himalayan walk without the queues.

In April 2015 an earthquake triggered an avalanche and ice collapse that buried much of Langtang Village. Nearly 200 people died, among them villagers, trekkers, and guides. The Tamang communities of the valley have rebuilt in the years since, and walking here now is one practical way to support that work. The new Langtang Village carries itself with a quiet dignity. Many of the teahouse owners are survivors, or the children of people who did not survive.

Tamang culture runs through the whole valley. These are Buddhist people with strong Tibetan roots, and you pass old gompa monasteries, prayer wheels, lines of prayer flags strung across ridges, and yaks grazing the summer pastures. The hospitality is real, and it usually arrives as a glass of butter tea or a wedge of fresh yak cheese.

Kyanjin Gompa (3,870m) is the highest permanent settlement in the valley. A working cheese factory there makes the Langtang yak cheese you'll see sold across Nepal. Above the village hangs the glacier of Langtang Lirung (7,227m), which calves ice with a regular, distant thunder. Climb to Kyanjin Ri (4,984m) and the view opens up to take in Langtang Lirung, Dorje Lakpa, Gangchenpo, Yala Peak, and the valley running back toward Kathmandu. For a trek you can reach this easily, the payoff is large.