A first-hand guide to taking on the Langtang Valley Trek unguided— day-by-day breakdown, costs, permits, and tips for solo trekking Nepal’s most underrated route.

The Langtang Valley Trek wasn’t even on our radar when we arrived in Nepal, fresh-faced and eager to see what the next six weeks had in store for us. Thankfully, it turned out to be a happy little accident — especially after a series of unhappier little accidents.

I was a few days deep into the Manaslu Circuit, an adventure I had dreamed of for years, when a surprise cyclone shut down the trail and forced us to evacuate. Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit, and more — all off the table due to the unseasonal storms. Climate change is real, y’all. By the end of the ordeal, it felt amazing to simply be alive. We spent a few days in Pokhara recovering, followed by a wildly random detour to track tigers in Bardiya National Park. However, as much as we tried to resist the call of the mountains, our reunion with them would be inevitable. But what to do?

We’d already dropped close to a thousand dollars on our disastrous Manaslu attempt. Our visas were running short, and we needed something doable, affordable, and close to Kathmandu. Those limitations led us to the Langtang Valley Trek. It appeared to be beautiful, but admittedly, felt like a bit of a letdown after we had big (like 8,000 meter tall) aspirations for our Nepal trekking to-do list. In short, Langtang Valley felt like a consolation prize.

And boy, was I wrong to think of it that way.

Stunning mountain views, authentic Tibetan-influenced villages, barely any crowds, and the freedom of doing the whole thing completely unguided. No rushing, no strict itinerary, no guide pulling you past the viewpoint you wanted to linger at. Just us, the trail, and a surprising number of apple pies. Langtang was a phenomenal trek with a great mix of everything we wanted from Nepal. Just like the summit of Tserko Ri blanketed in a crisp layer of snow, the Langtang Valley trek was the icing on our Nepali cake.

Here’s everything you need to know before taking on the Langtang Valley trek solo.

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Table of Contents

• Is The Langtang Valley Trek Worth It?
• Langtang Valley Trek: Solo vs. Guided
• Before You Go… How To Prepare
• Day by Day Itinerary of the Langtang Valley Trek
• Budget Breakdown of Langtang Trek
• What I Would Have Done Differently in Hindsight
• Expedited Langtang Valley Trek Itinerary
• Closing Thoughts on the Langtang Valley Trek
• More on Nepal
• Buy Me A Beer!

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Is The Langtang Valley Trek Worth It?

Before we set off from Kathmandu, we were equal parts excited and regretful that perhaps, we had settled. the Langtang Valley Trek initially felt like nothing more than a backup plan to a backup plan to a backup plan. Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit, and the Manaslu Circuit are typically the top three choices for a trekker coming to Nepal. All of those have views of 8,000 meter peaks with name recognition, that justify flying halfway across the world. Langtang Valley does not have that.

What it does have is arguably a better all-round trekking experience if you know what you’re looking for.

Unlike EBC and Manaslu, the trailhead is incredibly accessible from Kathmandu. After our several 20-hour bus rides across the country, the seven-hour journey to Syabru Besi felt… suspiciously short. No internal flights, no treacherous off-roading, or nauseating curves along narrow cliffs. By Nepal’s standards, getting there is smooth sailing.

Next, the crowds. Perhaps we got lucky, or timed it well towards the end of the season, but we encountered very few trekkers along the way. One of our biggest concerns about doing the trek solo was how we would guarantee accommodation without a guide to call ahead for us. Turned out to be a total non-issue. In fact, most teahouses were offering us free rooms as long as we ate meals there. And of course, the overall experience was much better without the heavy crowds that Everest, Annapurna, and more recently, Manaslu attract.

I also loved the pacing and structure of the trek. Although we technically spent 10 days between leaving and arriving back in Kathmandu, it did not feel that way at all. The nine days of trekking were the longest consecutive days I’d done, but compared to say, the shorter but extremely isolated and remote 8-day Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru, it felt almost luxurious. Sleeping indoors every night, home-cooked meals and hot drinks always available, heck, we even did laundry during our extended stint in Kyanjin Gompa. Some of the teahouses have wi-fi and most have electricity. It felt like overkill bringing all my portable chargers and countless survival snacks as if we were going to have to fight snow leopards to be able to eat each night.

Sure, that might not appeal to someone looking for a truly off-the-grid experience, but to be honest, there aren’t many of those left in Nepal anyway. Odds are, no matter what trek you’ll be doing, you’ll be sleeping at a teahouse. The Langtang Valley is a trek accessible to all levels of hikers. And hey, if you truly want to Bear Grylls it, just like, don’t charge your phone or something. The trek can be customizable, and our itinerary could be squeezed into as little as five days, or stretched out even longer to explore more corners of the Langtang Valley.

It is also incredibly affordable, not to mention the breathtaking views every step of the way. But anyway, I’ll go into more detail about all of this later.

Long story short, yes, I believe the Langtang Valley Trek is worth it. If you care more about the trekking experience and having fun along the way, rather than the name-brand recognition attached to big hitters like EBC, I strongly urge you to consider the Langtang Valley Trek.

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Langtang Valley Trek: Solo or Guided?

As a solo traveler who enjoys the freedom of doing whatever they want, whenever they want, being able to take on this trek unguided was a huge selling point. We needed guides for the Manaslu Circuit, and after we had to call it quits there, our guides stayed with us for the Ghorepani Poon Hill and Mardi Himal Base Camp treks. While I enjoyed having them around, it did often feel like we were on their schedule and their priorities, which was to reach camp as quickly as possible. They preferred to power-walk past the viewpoints — which, to be fair, they’d likely seen dozens of times already — leaving us hardly any time to enjoy the views. We were always ahead of schedule, often spending the entire afternoon at camp doing nothing.

Wouldn’t it be great to linger a little longer after lunch, and actually let the dhal bat settle? Or maybe have a cup of masala chai at a nice viewpoint and soak in some sunshine? Perhaps lurk in the bushes in an area where a red panda might have been seen just minutes before? More on that later.

Although it would be more of a challenge without a guide and porter, we decided it was worth it to make our own decisions on where to eat, stop for photos, stop for chai, and sleep. With the abundance of teahouses along the Langtang Valley, we could easily listen to our bodies and stop where we felt like it or continue going rather than stick to a strict itinerary.

With the trail being well-marked and straightforward to navigate, and strips of teahouses roughly every hour along the route, the Langtang Valley Trek is very doable without a guide.

The number of teahouses and small villages along the way make for a perfect do-it-yourself itinerary. Feeling too tired to walk the recommended 20 kilometers on a given day? Just stop whenever you feel like it. Same goes for if your legs are feeling unstoppable. I loved the freedom of doing the Langtang Valley Trek solo. Like I said, the experience trumps the other treks I did in Nepal, even if the views and landscapes might not be as iconic as those of EBC.

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Before You Go…

You’ll need a few things before you start trekking:

• Rental Gear – Kathmandu and Pokhara both have a plethora of options for renting and buying outdoors gear. I rented a sleeping bag, trekking poles, crampons, and purchased a down jacket and some baselayers. The sleeping bag costs 100-150 rupees per day, while the trekking poles and crampons were about $2 for the entire trip. Syabru Besi and Kyanjin Gompa also might have crampons available.
• Langtang National Park Entry — NPR 3,000, paid at the Dhunche checkpoint on the bus ride in
• SIM Card or eSIM – Don’t expect to find signal on the Langtang Valley trek. Some teahouses will have wi-fi, but for the most part, expect to digitally detox for the duration of the trip. Regardless, it’s smart to have a SIM card or eSIM while traveling around Nepal. I use Saily eSIM to keep me connected. Feel free to use my code “eli5” to get 10% off your Nepal eSIM.
• Offline Map – I used Maps.Me. Although the trail was well-marked, having a backup in case we veered off the trail was a good idea. Maps.Me is free to use and I’ve been relying it since my early days of backpacking.

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Langtang Valley Trek: Day-by-Day Itinerary

Langtang Valley Trek Day One: Kathmandu to Syabru Besi

Start: Kathmandu

End: Syabru Besi

Travel Time: 7 hours

Rise and shine, it is time for your next adventure! Hope you packed up the night before because today warrants an early start. The buses and minivans leave from the Machapokhara Chowk in Kathmandu. Look for a variation of the spelling Syabru Besi, pay your 1,000 rupee fare, and do your best to get comfortable for the next 7 or 8 hours.

The driver will make stops for breakfast and lunch along the way. We had breakfast at 8 AM then an hour later, we made our stop for lunch. Oh well, I gave up trying to make sense of Nepal logic by this point of our two months here. About an hour before reaching Syabru Besi, you’ll reach the Dhunche checkpoint. Here, you will pay your 3,000 rupee national park entry fee. It is a one-time fee, no matter how much time you end up staying in the park.

This stretch of the drive is when the scenery really starts to show off. Snow-capped summits peek out in the distance, while dramatic rice terraces steal the show in the foreground. Once you arrive in Syabru Besi, it will be a short walk to your guesthouse. The vast majority will be no more than a 5-minute stroll away. Some of the people on our bus opted to take advantage of the remaining few hours of daylight and took to the trails straight away. For those short on time, this could be a good way to condense the itinerary a little more, but we were here to soak in every second.

Our stay at the Hotel Garden Inn gave us excellent views of the river and valleys. At $8 a night, it was a dang good deal. After the long bus ride, we warmed up our legs by hiking to the Buddha atop the hill, and then sipped on a coffee at a surprisingly adorable cafe with a cat. We chowed down on dinner and then called it a night, hoping to get as much rest as possible before the true test began.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day 2: Syabru Besi to Rimche/Lama Hotel

Start: Syabru Besi

End: Rimche

Distance: 18 kilometers

Elevation: +950 meters

Rise and shine! Today is the first official day of trekking! We set off around 8 AM after an early breakfast. A tourist police checkpoint is en route to the trailhead, but somehow we missed it, not realizing we had to check in. This didn’t end up being a problem, and we were able to do it upon returning.

We crossed a short suspension bridge, walked through a small village, and the Langtang Valley trek was officially underway. A local woman directed us to the left side of the river, rather than crossing another suspension bridge to a semi-paved road. There was a sign discouraging trekkers, as the road was incomplete and there was landslide risk. However, we saw plenty of trekkers and guided groups taking this flatter, less tricky route. I enjoyed hiking on the left side as it was a little more adventurous. You’ll also pass small strips of teahouses that are mostly abandoned, likely due to the construction of the new road.

Eventually, we crossed another suspension bridge to reunite with the road and hiked along it until the dam. Here is where the challenge begins. It was mostly gentle, sloping trail up until this point. Now, it gets steep, and we struggle as we adjusted to carrying our heavy packs uphill. The elevation gain was relentless, but so were we. We took a quick breather in Domen, a little outpost alongside the river about two hours in, before grinding it out past Pairo, and eventually stopping for lunch at Bamboo.

I went a little too hard with the dhal bat refills and had no willpower to continue after lunch. There was a highly energetic cat zooming around, so we spent quite a long time here as I tried to digest. Today was a thousand meters of elevation gain, although I’d estimate that it is actually closer to 1,500 if you take into account all the ups and downs. Bamboo was about halfway, so we still had a ways to go. The second half of the day was more of the same. Lots of hiking through forests, occasionally enjoying views of the river and valley when the woods open up. Keep an eye out for wildlife, like the elusive red panda, which we narrowly missed.

Typically, people go all the way to Lama Hotel on day one, but we stopped about half an hour short in a smaller strip of teahouses called Rimche. Contrary to what we heard about Lama Hotel, the views here were stunning. The teahouse was cute, and if we stopped right then, we could take advantage of the free solar-powered hot shower that the teahouse staff offered to sweeten the deal. Already, we were reaping the benefits of trekking at our own pace. Long lunch breaks, scenic stops for chai, and calling it a day when we felt like it? This was exactly how we enjoyed our hiking days.

We enjoyed a local variant of Momo for dinner, made friends with some Belgian hikers that would be daily fixtures of our trekking days, and strummed away at a cool, local three-stringed instrument. The room was cold, but we were able to keep cozy. Not too shabby for $5 each a night.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day 3: Lama Hotel to Gumpa/Langtang

Start: Rimche

End: Gumpa

Distance: 20 kilometers

Elevation: 1000 meters

Today was going to be a long day, and we had some ground to make up. We left Rimche at around 7 AM, walked down to Lama Hotel, patted ourselves on the back because Rimche was indeed much more scenic, and took our first break of the day at Riverview. The biting morning air was amplified by the thunderous river, but we were starting to get our first glimpses of snow-capped peaks.

Shortly after leaving Riverview, I reunited with a fellow Filipino trekker and his guide, both in awe as they had just encountered a red panda. They showed me pictures, pointed me in the direction that it went, and with that went all intention of making up ground. After six empty-handed safari days at Bardiya National Park before we finally spotted a tiger, I was a zen master when it came to patience by now. We probably spent close to an hour waiting with bated breath, but alas, the red panda was nowhere to be seen. Our consolation prize was a strange ferret looking thing with yellow streaks of fur. It was cool, but when your expectations suddenly skyrocket to the rare red panda, everything else is a bit disappointing, hey?

Anyway, back to the trek, which was really getting good by now! The snowy summits crept closer and closer, or technically, we were the ones doing the creeping. I was creeping extra slowly because I did not want to give up hope on a red panda sighting, especially as we were leaving the forests behind. Upon reaching Ghodatabela, our bodies and spirits were completely exposed to the elements. I split a plate of chow mein with my girlfriend, learning my lesson about portion control.

It worked, as I was much less of a slug for the second half of the trek! We checked in with the park rangers upon leaving Ghodatabela before continuing the grind. We powered through Thangshyap, the next major strip of teahouses, before reaching Gumba. Our intended destination today was Langtang, a larger village with a couple of cafes and bakeries that we heard rave reviews about.

However, our quick breather at Gumba proved devastating to those plans. A persuasive Tamang woman approached us, offering us a free room, free wifi, and a hot shower. It was only 2 PM and we had plenty of time and energy to make it to Langtang, but the deal was too good to pass up. At least, for me. My girlfriend might have started to get annoyed by the daily sledgehammer I took to our itinerary.

Gumba was only an hour short of Langtang. Besides, the bakery would be much more appealing after a little bit of hiking. With the whole mandatory breakfast at the teahouse thing, we would not have had room for apple pie immediately after scarfing down breakfast! I’m out here playing chess, I tell ya.

We improvised a Thanksgiving dinner — dhal bhat probably wasn’t a pilgrim staple — before taking advantage of a divine hot shower, perhaps the best on the trail!

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Langtang Valley Trek Day Four: Gumba to Kyanjin Gompa

Start: Gumba

End: Kyanjin Gompa

Distance: 8 kilometers

Elevation: +600 meters

After back-to-back brutally long trekking days, today will be much appreciated. Kyanjin Gompa was only about three hours of trekking away, a full five hours less than we were used to! What does one even do with that much time out in the mountains? Apparently, sip on a hazelnut latte and scarf down an apple pie and coconut cookies. The Himalayan Bakery at Langtang did not disappoint.

The stretch from Langtang to Kyanjin Gompa is the most beautiful, so far. The mountains continue to grow larger as you approach, but the Tibetan and Tamang culture start to steal the show. Prayer wheels, long stretches of stone shrines, and the occasional stupa add to the dramatic scenery. This combination of culture and scenery is what truly makes Nepal shine above other countries with similar landscapes. Three hours stretched to four or five as the photo breaks simply kept coming.

Kyanjin Gompa appeared out of nowhere. We climbed over a ridge, and then bam, an entire town suddenly appears.

The persuasive saleslady from the previous teahouse had given us “medicine” to take to a teahouse called the Himalayan Hilton in Kyanjin Gompa. It was just a sachet of electrolytes, but her little ploy succeeded in getting us through the door. Another offer of free accommodation, wifi, and hot showers sealed the deal, and I was staying at my first ever Hilton.

With such a short day so far, we opted to visit a nearby lake for sunset. It was a short thirty minute walk away, but wow, for something that flies really under the radar, this was absolutely gorgeous. Welcome to Kyanjin Gompa, I guess. We were in the thick of it now, snow-capped summits in every direction and days away from civilization. Plenty of yaks, though. Life is good.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day Five: Kyanjin Ri Summit

Start: Kyanjin Gompa

End: Kyanjin Ri

Distance:

Elevation: +900 meters

On the itinerary for today was Kyanjin Gompa. For most hikes, you would want to avoid the middle of the day when the sun is at its strongest. We were in the Himalayas, though, and it was cold. Since we wanted as much sun as possible, we filled the early morning with laundry and a general freshening up. After all, we actually had to sleep in this room again tonight! Stinking up the room would have consequences.

Having Kyanjin Gompa as a base is so nice. Since we were staying here for a few days, we could leave the vast majority of our gear at the teahouse. After hanging up our clothes to dry on the terrace, the Dorje Bakery was calling our name. Another hot coffee and apple pie in the Himalayas, please.

Now, on to Kyanjin Ri. From Kyanjin Gompa, follow one of the many zig-zagging trails going up the mountain. The trail literally starts from town, and there is no easing into this one. Keep your head down, blast your motivational music, and put one foot in front of the other. After about an hour, you will find yourself at Kyanjin Ri lower viewpoint, situated at around 4,300 meters above sea level. For some people, this is more than good enough. Most of the other folks hiking at this time called it quits here, but we decided to keep going.

Summiting Kyanjin Ri

The stretch from lower viewpoint to Kyanjin Ri’s summit is a doozy. You’ll be hiking along a ridge, completely exposed to the elements with nowhere to seek shelter. Stretches of slippery sand and loose gravel make the steep bits even more challenging. On the bright side, it will only take about an hour before you reach the summit. I was quite surprised when it showed up, thinking we still had a long way to go.

Although it claims to be a 4,700 meter summit, our altitude app indicated to us that — like most dudes on Tinder — it was lying about its height. I mean, I won’t complain about not having to climb another 150 meters or so. Here was good enough, well, much better than good enough.

The views are spectacular, showcasing a full panorama of the 7,000 meter high behemoths that surrounded us. You can see everything from up here, and if it wasn’t so dang windy, we probably could’ve stayed here for much longer.

Instead, we hiked back down towards the lower viewpoint, where we stayed until the sun began to set. Everything was blanketed in gold, taking the majesty of this region to a whole new level. Go see for yourself.

I also gave the pizza at the Himalayan Hilton a try tonight, and wow, it was so much better than I expected. The Belgian dudes regaled us with tales of their mushroom-fueled adventures along the trek, and that is a wrap on another day on the Langtang Valley trek.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day Six

• Rest Day in Kyanjin Gompa

After four long days of trekking and gaining a buttload of altitude, a rest day is much-needed. With the nearly 5,000-meter summit of Tserko Ri looming near, today was the calm before the storm. For those with more flexible itineraries, I highly recommend taking a day to rest and leisurely wander around Kyanjin Gompa. Here’s how we spent our rest day here.

Of course, how could we not kick things off with coffee and a pastry? Dorje was our go-to, but there are actually multiple bakeries and cafes in Kyanjin Gompa. One even has an espresso machine that was helicoptered in. At the end of the season, they helicopter it out again, so I happily took advantage as one of the machine’s last customers for the year. I also had a yak cheese burger, as in a burger with yak cheese, not a cheeseburger made of yak meat.

Speaking of yak cheese, Kyanjin Gompa has a famous yak cheese factory. We stopped by a few times, and it was closed, but we were persistent, even contacting the number on the door. It didn’t work, but eventually a local passerby caught wind of our yak cheese dreams and just found the guy and pulled him to the factory himself. We bought a lot of yak cheese and I got my new favorite t-shirt, plastered with the slogan Yak Power.

Afterwards, we scoped out the Tserko Ri trailhead, and from there, we saw some icy lakes in the distance. It was located in the valley beneath Kyanjin Gompa and across the river. Our curiosity got the better of us and we gave it a go. It was not nearly as close to town as it looked, but boy was it worth it.

We were the only ones here, and this was not something that I had seen on any blog or YouTube video, so it was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon. It’s near the treeline on the opposite side of the valley from Kyanjin Gompa, near what appeared to be a radio tower or man-made outpost. It was easy to spend hours wandering around this area, and I had an excellent time skidding blocks of ice across the frozen lakes. Here is the general location on Google Maps.

Honestly, not much of a rest day, but absolutely a chill respite in between the relentless climb to Kyanjin Ri and the upcoming challenge of Tserko Ri. Chirkhuri? Tsergo Ri. They spell it so many different ways, and if I’m going to get all the SEO bases covered, I might as well spam alternative spellings.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day Seven: Tserko Ri Summit

Start: Kyanjin Gompa

End: Tserko Ri

Distance: 9 kilometers

Elevation: + 1100 meters

Up and at it. Breakfast at 6 AM. Bundle up for the 10°F weather. Grind it out in the freezing darkness.

The start was not pleasant. Actually, very little of the journey up to Tserko Ri could be called pleasant. Today is tough, but for adventurous trekkers looking for something a little spicier, Tserko Ri and its many terrains are perfect. It’s an easy and flat trail as you depart town. About 45 minutes in, the climb begins and you’ll be faced with steady switchbacks for the next hour. Eventually, you’ll find yourself on the ridge, which aligned with the sun finally peeking out above the mountains. The added warmth and visibility was very much welcomed and it was smooth sailing until the snow.

Depending on the season, you might not hit snow until very late in the trail, or perhaps, not even at all! But, for us, it was already December and the snow came up pretty quick. There were tricky stretches of ice and uneven rocks until we hit the boulder field. From there, it was all ice and uneven rocks. It becomes more technical here, but take it slow and you’ll be fine. I was happy to have both crampons and trekking poles for this home stretch of the Tserko Ri Summit.

Summiting Tserko Ri

The boulder field will take about half an hour, then a brutal climb on loose dirt begins. It is a short stretch — maybe only ten minutes — but it is frustrating. You’ll slide down half a step for every step you take, if you’re lucky. It is very easy to slip and lose your footing here. Take it slow. At the top, we strapped on our crampons as we were now in a field of snow and ice that was several meters deep. Fortunately, a trail of footsteps was already stomped into the snow for us and we just followed.

It was slow going as the hikers were kind of limited to a single file line in this stretch. Every time I tried to pass, I would immediately fall waist-deep into the fresh snow, so I opted to play it safe and just leisurely walk along behind some of the older trekkers. We were going to make it up one way or another, plus it gave me more time to soak in the views. By now, the scenery was nothing short of otherworldly.

I was worried that the views up until now were fairly similar to Kyanjin Ri, but once you get close enough to Tserko Ri’s summit, a whole ‘nother mountain range reveals itself. The views are on another level entirely.

We stayed there for about half an hour, eating yak cheese and taking photos before deciding it was too cold and descending back down the mountain, which took around two hours 2 1/2 maybe. Then of course we treated ourselves to our favorite bakery, Dorje Cafe, having coffee and a pastry before going back and having dinner at the Himalayan Hilton and recovering from the challenging trek.

Tomorrow, we would say goodbye to Kyanjin Gompa and begin the journey back towards Kathmandu.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day Eight: Kyanjin Gompa to Lama Hotel

Start: Kyanjin Gompa

End: Lama Hotel

Distance: 24 kilometers

Elevation: -1300 meters

The long descent begins. We started with a coffee and apple pie in Langtang (obviously), stopped at Chyamki for sea buckthorn juice, and spent a solid hour walking slowly along the river scanning the trees for red pandas. Still nothing. I am choosing to believe they were there and simply too fast for me.

We reached Lama Hotel around 5 PM. Today was a long day, but the trail is easier on the way down and the views don’t get old. Good dinner, good sleep.

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Langtang Valley Trek Day Nine: Goin’ Home

Start: Lama Hotel

End: Syabru Besi

Distance: 20 kilometers

Elevation: -1000 meters

Another long and seemingly endless day awaits. We departed from Lama Hotel a little after 9 AM and slowly made our way back to Bamboo. The energetic cat was a little more lethargic today, but so were we. Regardless, it was a nice reunion and a convenient stop for lunch. Still no red pandas today, though. No matter how hard I tried willing it into existence, it just didn’t happen for me. I’ll be back someday.

The rest of the way was fairly uneventful as we retraced our steps back to Syabru Besi. This time around, we took the easier trail along the road rather than the trickier riverside trail. That’s really all I remember from day nine. The scenery paled in comparison to what we had just conquered. Our legs were beat. What more can I say?!

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Day 10: Return Journey to Kathmandu

We took the earliest minibus back to Kathmandu. Although it wasn’t too necessary in the offseason, we booked our bus tickets upon returning to Syabru Besi the day before. The price was the same as we paid to get here, 1,000 rupees, and the journey back was practically identical, even stopping at the same place for lunch. In the garden of that restaurant, a group of Tamang women were singing and dancing to a musician playing the three-stringed instrument I had encountered earlier on the trail. The scene made for a nice farewell to the mountains and the mountain people of Nepal.

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How Much Did The Langtang Valley Trek Cost?

This entire journey cost us about $200 each or around 30,000 Nepali Rupees. That’s like $20 a day to be in the flippin’ Himalayas. Simply unbeatable value. Here’s the budget breakdown of our Langtang Valley Trek.

• Bus: NPR 1,000 each way (NPR 2,000 total)
• National Park entry: NPR 3,000
• Accommodation: NPR 500–1,500 per night (often free in off-season if you eat at the guesthouse)
  • We only paid for five nights on the trail, with one free night in Gumpa and four free nights in Kyanjin Gompa.
• Meals: NPR 600–800 for mains, NPR 200–500 for pastries, snacks, coffees, and teas
  • Dhal bat comes with free refills of the rice and curries, so it’s the best value if you are starving
• Rental Gear: About $15 total for the sleeping bag, crampons, and trekking poles.

There were quite a few splurges on our end, otherwise a daily budget of $20–25 is pretty comfortable. The biggest threat to that budget was the yak cheese and baked goods situation. I am not built to resist temptation. Besides, if someone be baking apple pie from scratch at 4,000 meters above sea level deserves to be compensated.

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What I Would Have Done Differently in Hindsight

• Laundry: Leave unnecessary clothes behind at your Kathmandu guesthouse. You’ll have sun-drying time at Kyanjin Gompa and won’t need as much as you think. Between that and the surprisingly abundant hot showers, I was not nearly as stinky as I expected to be at the end.
• Pack weight: My bag was ~15kg and that was too heavy. Aim for 10kg or less if possible — the first two days are long and the climb is real. I personally would have left the sleeping bag behind since the teahouses always had plenty of extra blankets.
• Crampons: Essential for Tserko Ri in late season but can be rented in Kyanjin Gompa for the same price as in Kathmandu. Thankfully, we had lighter microspikes, but it would have been a bummer to carry heavy gear for a week and realize that we didn’t have to do it at all.
• Red panda watching: Walk slowly along the river between Rimche and Lama Hotel. Early morning is your best chance. They are one of the rarest wildlife sightings in the world. I saw zero, while the other Filipino trekker saw one. By my extrapolation, statistically, one out of every two Filipinos will see a red panda.
• Sea buckthorn juice: Try it at Gumba or Chyamki. It’s tart, warming, and exactly what you want after a long day on the trail. I would have budgeted more rupees towards this.
• Yak cheese: I also should have budgeted a lot more rupees towards this. Buy more than you think you need at the Kyanjin Gompa factory. You will eat it faster than expected.
• Altitude: Take it steady on summit days. Though it may seem small, the 300 meters of difference between Kyanjin Ri and Tserko Ri is significant. Altitude be hitting harder and harder the higher up you go. If you feel rough, give yourself a rest day.

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Expedited Langtang Valley Trek Itinerary

• Day One: Bus to Syabru Besi, trek 2 hours to Pairo Guesthouse
• Day Two: Trek to Mundu or Sindhum
• Day Three: Trek to Kyanjin Gompa, Afternoon trek to Kyanjin Ri
• Day Four: Trek up Tserko Ri, Afternoon hike back to Langtang or lower
• Day Five: Hike back to Syabru Besi, bus to Kathmandu at 2 PM.

Mix and match it however you please. The beauty of doing it unguided is that you can pretty much make up any itinerary that you want. Go at whatever pace feels right and enjoy the ride.

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Closing Thoughts on the Langtang Valley Trek

From fallback plan to winner winner chicken dinner. The Langtang Valley trek was the highlight of our time in Nepal, which was unexpected, to say the least. Our expectations were low, but dang, it blew us away. In nine days we summited two peaks above 4,600 meters, ate an embarrassing amount of apple pie, got free accommodation more often than not, spent about $200 all-in, and rarely ran into other hikers.

If you’re coming to Nepal and you have 10 days, no trekking permit budget, and no desire to be herded along the same route as everyone else, then the Langtang Valley is the trek for you.

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