GOSAINKUNDA & HELAMBU TREK - 16 Days

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu (1300m/4265ft):
Arrival in Kathmandu greeted by Basanta Adventure representative and transferred to Hotel which is usually a walking distance to any good restaurants and shops. We will be given a short briefing on hotel facilities and safety as well as a short introduction to the area.  Next day there will be a comprehensive trip briefing. O/N in Hotel at Kathmandu (BB)

Day 02: Sightseeing of World Heritage sites:
After breakfast, trek briefing will take place around 9 am. All aspects of gear and conditions are discussed to make sure you are fully prepared for the trip, introduce guide and any last-minute questions would be answered. We then visit Boudhanath, also known as little Tibet. Then we visit Pasupatinath one of the revered holy temple of the Hindus, this temple is also known for its cremation ceremonies that take place next to the holy river Bagmati. O/N in Hotel at Kathmandu (BB)

Day 03: Drive to Syabrubesi. Trek begins (1,420m/4,658ft), 8 – 9 hrs drive:
This morning we'll drive on a northern highway that twists and climbs over mountain ridges to the Trisuli valley for lunch and on to Syabru village for the overnight. The journey will take 8-9 hours through picturesque landscapes, mountain scenery and local villages. From Syabru we'll have magnificent views of Mt. Ganesh Himal, Manaslu and Mt Kerung of Tibet. We'll relax tonight at a local teahouse. O/N in Lodge at Syabrubesi

Day 04: Trek to Lama Hotel: (2340m/7,675ft), 5 – 6 hrs:
After breakfast we start to walk own our pace and the trail ascends for around two hours through the forest followed by a climb of about an hour to reach Bamboo village (1,850m/6,068ft) where we'll stop for lunch. This forested path with well stabilized trails and following the upstream and can be seen birds life around the bushes. Bee hives hanging on a cliff are another attraction for the visitors. From here we'll again steeply climb through the bamboo forest to reach the Lama Hotel where we'll rest and overnight at a local teahouse. O/N at Guest House in Lama Hotel

Day 05: Trek to Mundu (3543m/11,621ft) via Langtang village, 6 – 7 hrs:
We continue ascending from Lama Hotel and enjoy the mountain landscape with abundant waterfalls. As we reach the green meadows of Ghoda Tabela, we begin to see the white peaks of the Langtang range. Our trail continues to climb up the widening valley, passing a few temporary settlements used by herders. We pass a Buddhist monastery before reaching the Langtang village which was affected by the April 2015 earthquake. We continue on our trail to Mundu. O/N at Lodge in Mundu (EP)

Day 06: Trek Mundu to Kyangjin Gompa (3,870m/12,697ft), 4 – 5 hrs:
After breakfast, we will start our journey to Kyangjin Gompa, a principal monastery of the region. We pass by water mills, prayer wheels, chorten, with sacred mounds of rocks with inscriptions carved on them.  We also pass by the largest Mani wall in Nepal, made from stone with prayers written on them. After the short trek, we spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Buddhist shrine in Kyangjin Gompa and surrounding areas with the amazing views of the mountains. O/N at Lodge in Kyangjin Gompa (EP)

Day 07: Acclimatization- Explore Tserko Ri (5000m/16,404ft), 7 – 8 hrs:
We spend the whole day exploring Tserko Ri which will also help us acclimatize to the high altitude. We begin early in the morning. The trail passes through yak pastures before ascending to Tserko Ri. The sunrise view from the top of Tserko Ri is extraordinary. We get back to Kyangjin Gompa by late afternoon and explore the beautiful monastery while enjoying views of the Himalayas, glaciers, birds and yaks. Our guide will organize a prayer and offer Lungta (Prayer flag) for good health and happiness for all the members.  O/N at Lodge in Kyanjin Gompa

Note: Offer Lungta or prayers flag (printed prayers for the peace and good health/happiness) together with our Guide. Offering prayer flag in high passes and sacred sites is believed to bring good fortune and long life in Buddhist culture.

Day 08: Trek back to Lama Hotel: (2340m/7,675ft), 6 – 7 hrs:
This morning we'll retrace our steps somewhat as we head back from the Gompa. We have an easy downhill and pleasant walk through the rhododendron forest to Lama Hotel where we'll rest for the night before continuing our journey tomorrow for the Thulo Syabru village. O/N at Lodge in Lama Hotel (EP)

Day 09: Trek to Thulo Syabru: (1,900m/6,232ft), 5 – 6 hrs:
Today our trail leads again through bamboo & rhododendron forest where we may see the local wild boar as well as other animal and birdlife on the route to Thulo Syabru. En route we'll have marvelous views of Mt Ganesh Himal, so close it seems like it's beside us. Firstly easy downhill follows the river bank but last part steeply uphill for couple of hours to get to the village. O/N at Lodge in Thulo Syabru (EP)

Day 10: Trek to Sing Gompa (3584m/11756ft), 3 – 4 hrs trek:
From Syabru the trail takes a steep climb to Dursagang and then through the forests of hemlock and oak passing an old chorten to the top of the ridge at Foprang Danda and then to Chadan Bari which is at an elevation of 3330m, this place’s main attraction is Sing Gompa. This place is commonly known as Sing Gompa than Chadan Bari. O/N at Lodge (EP)

Day 11: Trek to Gosaikunda (4381m/14370ft), 5 – 6 hrs trek:
Climbing steeply from Sing Gompa at several points the trail crossing behind the ridges moves in deep forests to Chalang Pati, walk from here will enter us to the protected areas of Gosaikunda. The other point where we trek on the way to Gosainkunda is Laurebina Yak. We continue to ascend to the ridge and then climb to Saraswati Kund and Bhairav Kund continues climbing gently and then drop about 20m to reach to the lake Gosaikunda. O/N at Lodge (EP)

Day 12: Trek to Tharepati (3600m/11808ft): 6 – 7 hrs trek:
Leaving Gosaikunda the trail moves to Gopte, passing three more small lakes, we reach to Laurebina La, then to Phedi, from where the route drops to a stream and crosses the head of the valley, descending to Dupi Chaur, with all these ups and downs we make a final ascent to Tharepati, a windy ridge. O/N at Lodge (EP)

Day 13: Trek to Tarkyagang: (2,600m/8,528ft), 5 – 6 hrs trek:
This morning we begin our trek with a steep descent down a ravine where the vegetation changes first to large firs then to oak and rhododendron forest. Crossing over a stream via a suspension bridge, we follow the trail as it makes a short final climb to reach the prosperous Sherpa village of Melamchi gaun. The trail continues its descent to the Melamchi Khola (river). After crossing the bridge the trail begins to climb up the other side of the valley towards Tarkyagang. It's a long climb to this picturesque village, situated on a shelf high above the river. It's the largest village in Helambu and the main destination for trekkers traveling in this region as well as a good place to take a rest and enjoy the views and overnight stop. O/N at Lodge (EP).

Day 14: Trek to Sermanthang (2,690m/8,823ft), 4 – 5 hrs trek:
We left the big village of Tarkyagang the trail makes a sweep around the head of the wide valley between Parachin and the pretty village of Gangjwal at around 2500m. The trail then drops down from the edge of the ridge and continues at around the same altitude along the side of the ridge crossing over a number of streams and waterfalls. Finally we pass a Gompa before reaching the large village of Sermanthang for our overnight stop. This will be your last night with your trekking crew except trekking Guide. Trekking crew will organize a farewell ceremony, Nepali song and dance, staff members will be allowed to drink to join the party. You may want to try local drink called “Rakshi”, please be aware; it does not taste good and is very strong. O/N at Lodge (EP).

Day 15: Trek to Melamchi then drive to Kathmandu, 5 – 6 hrs trek:
After breakfast we'll follow the trail along the ridge all the way down to Melamchi. After passing a large Gompa at the southern end of the village the trail undulates along the west side of the ridge, passing numerous chortens before dropping down to Kakani. From here the trail descends again to the small village of Dubochaur and continues to descend even more steeply across the ridge to the junction of the Indrawati and Melamchi rivers. We'll cross the suspension bridge over the Melamchi River to reach at Melamchi Bazaar for our lunch. From here, we take a bus, along the Helambu highway which is not well settled and back to Kathmandu where we'll return to this evening. Arriving in Kathmandu we'll check in to our hotel with the remainder of the evening and night at leisure. O/N Hotel in Kathmandu (BB).

Day 16: Holiday extension or transfer to airport for final departure:
Today holiday extension for another tour or we will transfer to the airport for final departure. Tour concludes.