Langtang trek

May 02, 2017

Langtang trek

Road to Syabrubesi

Day 1: Katmandu to Syabrubesi

Since we departed late from Katmandu (September 2006) we were forced to take a private vehicle (NRs 12,000) to Syabrubesi. There are numerous check posts on the road to Syabrubesi. Stopped at a rainbow trout fish farm that lies approximately 30 minutes before Syabrubesi. Fried fish is charged per kilo, and not per plate.

We reached Syabrubesi by 7:30 PM. Syabrubesi (1460 M) is a launch pad for numerous treks in the area. Beside a Tatopani (Natural hot water spring) there is precious little at Syabrubesi. Beyond Syabrubesi, the road to leads to china. There is a steady stream of trucks bringing in Chinese goods.

Day 2: Syabrubesi to Rimche (Via Khanjim)

The trek starts from the northern end of Syabrubesi town. Permit has to be registered before starting the trek. Cross the suspension bridge and the trek begins. We started from Syabrubesi by 7:30. Our first destination was Khanjim. The trail ascends for most of the time until Khanjim. At 10:30 we were sipping tea at Khanjim Village. Expect leech bites until Khanjim. Resumed trekking from Khanjim Village at 11:30. Most people stop for the night at Llama hotel (Sherpa Gaun) but we stopped Ganesh View lodge at Rimche (2450 M). Reached hotel Ganesh View at Rimche by 4:00PM. The spectacular views of Ganesh Mountain that are normally visible from the guest house were obscured by the heavy clouds.

Bitten by leeches

Beyond Syabrubesi electricity comes from solar panels. Some guest houses have solar hot water heaters. It is possible to charge mobiles/cameras but be prepared to shell out money for charging these electronic gadgets. Spare a thought for the porters who carry these huge solar panels on their backs. Everything, including the tea we drink, has been carried by human porters to these villages. Walking barefoot and with a plastic cover as a raincoat, even the most experienced trekker feels humbled in their presence. With a strap around their forehead these Himalayan porters carry super-human loads. They are the unsung heroes that keep the tea-house treks ticking.

Day 3: Rimche to Langtang Village

It had rained all night. By morning there was a pause in the rains and I could see a bit of the blue sky. It was still looking ominous. Resumed our trek by 07:20. Stopped for tea at ‘Riverside Hotel’ at Gumnachok(2770 M). Soon it started to rain heavily and the roads became slushy. The strong winds and cold rain was making trekking very uncomfortable. My umbrella served me well as a wind break. September is the tail end of the monsoon and is best to avoid the trek during the monsoon months. Since there are fewer tourists during monsoon season, the trek is much more pristine and accommodation readily available.

The rubble pit was once Langtang Village

Reached Khoda Tabela(3048M) by 11:00. After a warm meal of Wai-Wai noodles, we started walking again. Our legs were magically drawn to the tea house at Thangshap (3200M) even though it was not part of our itinerary. The bliss of drinking a cup of warm tea after walking in the damp cold rain for a few hours is beyond words! By 14:45 we had reached Langtang village (3800M). We stopped at the family run Panorama Guest gust house for the night. Husband and wife team were running the lodge by themselves. We were the first guests at Panorama Guest gust house.

Panorama Guest House

Langtang village had suffered maximum causalities during the earthquake of 2015. All along the route we had seen damaged houses, but nothing quite prepared us for the scale of the destruction at Langtang. Langtang Village lies in the shadow of 7246 Mtr high Langtang Lerung peak. On the day of the earthquake, most people were gathered in the village for a celebration. The earthquake triggered an avalanche on the Langtang peak. Snow that had accumulated on the mountains over centuries came tumbling down. The avalanche was so massive that that it was preceded by a huge shock wave. Nothing stood in the way of the shockwave and avalanche. The shock wave was so powerful that it flattened trees for kilometers on the opposite side of the mountain that was untouched by landslide. Langtang lay buried in 1-2 meters of snow. There were very few survivors. Today the old village of Langtang ceases to exist. Once where the village stood resembles the rocky bank of a river. Poles and prayer flags mark the spot where houses and hotels stood. An entire village wiped out without a trace. Very humbling experience. Aftershocks continue well into 2016. The last tremor was felt 3 days before we arrived.

Our hosts from Panorama Guest House where witnesses to the earthquake and landslide. The loud sound that preceded the avalanche is still very vivid in their memory. They managed to flee with their lives; most were not so lucky. They have poured all their savings into making this new guesthouse. There is hardly any support from the state and tourism is the lifeblood of these remote villages. I wish them the best.

Sacred items kept in Kjangjin Goemba Village

The primary schools in Langtang and Kyangjin have been destroyed. All kids have been shifted to boarding schools in Katmandu. The Goemba (Nygmapa tradition), like all other buildings, was obliterated in the avalanche. Padmasambhava was the main deity in the Goemba. People managed to excavate through the rocks and collect some of the sacred religious objects from the Goemba. These holy objects are now kept at Kyangjin.

Day 4: Langtang Village to Kyangjin Goemba Village

Panorama guest house is situated before the avalanche area. We crossed the avalanche area and came into the new Langtang Village. Reconstruction activity was in full swing to have it ready in time for the tourist season. Helicopters bringing construction material could be seen flying into Kyangjin. These helicopter flights are paid for by the NGO’s. Looking at the poor quality re-construction, I wonder if the lessons from the earthquake have been learnt.

Cutting fodder for yaks

Passed by Mundu village (3442 M). This village, like all the villages beyond Langtang, was also totally destroyed by the earthquake. Reconstruction was in full swing to have it ready before the winter tourist season. Spotted a man sitting in his backyard and chopping up a huge pile of mountain grass. He told me that it was fodder for the Yaks. The mountains grass is chopped up and dried for winter. In summer the Yaks are moved to graze at higher altitudes. As the winter sets in, the yaks are slowly taken to lower pastures. If the yaks are left at lower altitudes in summer, they would eat all the available fodder and the animals would starve in winter. Someone constantly has to travel with the yaks to ensure that it is not attacked by wild animals. It’s a tough life for the Yak herders. As Buddhists, the villagers people do not kill Yaks. The meat from the yak that has dies of natural causes can be consumed. Due to the extreme cold, chickens are not reared in these villages either. Most of the meat available in the hotels of Kyangjin and Langtang comes from Katmandu!! The helicopter pilot bringing in relief material carries the meat with him if there is spare capacity in the helicopter.

Guest house at Kyangjin Goemba village

We reached at Kyangjin Goemba Village (3800M) by 1100 Hrs. We were staying at the Yak hotel run by our guides’ parents. Here too reconstruction was in progress. All the buildings have been haphazardly built with narrow passageways between the houses. A recipe for disaster.

After lunch we went to the Kyangjin Goemba. The centuries old goemba (Nygmapa) has been damaged and it’s unsafe to enter the Goemba. The icons have been moved out for safekeeping at a house in Kyangjin . Construction of the new Goemba was in progress and work was expected to be completed in a few months’ time. After lunch walked up to the chortens up on the mountains overlooking the village. From this high vantage point there are beautiful views of the village. We could see a huge trail of stones (probably from an old avalanche) beyond the village; and that’s where we headed to. We walked down a steep, dangerous path probably used only by animals. From there it was an easy walk to the rocky stones beside the river. Picked up some amazing stones from the river. Mesmerising views. On the way back we used the walking trail back to the village.

Day 5: Kyangjin Goemba Village (Langtang glacier) to Langtang Goemba

Seebuckthorn plant

Started the trek to Langtang Lerung Glacier and Khyimsung glacier by 7:30 in the morning. The trail starts beyond the old goemba. After a step ascent the trail plateaus to a wide area with forests of seabuckthorn plants. The walking trails are barely visible and trekking through the brambles becomes tough. The juice of this seabuckthorn is available in most guest houses and is considered highly nutritional. It’s not advisable to go very close to the glaciers. The occasional sound of thunder is the noise from the cracking of Langtang Lerung glacier. Watching these two majestic glaciers definitely makes the trek worthwhile. After seeing the glacier we were back at Yak guesthouse by 10:40.

Khyimsung glacier

The holy items salvaged from the goembas of Langtang and Kyangjin are stored together at a safe place in Kyangjin. These are not normally opened for tourists. Since my guide hailed from Kyangjin, I requested if I could see these sacred objects. His father took me to the house where it was being temporarily kept. The landlord of the house happily escorted me up the prayer room. With his permission I lit a yak butter lamp and took a few pictures. In a few months the construction of the new Kjangjin goemba will be complete and these sacred items will be shifted to their permanent dwelling.

Cheese factory

At Kyangjin village boasts of being the home of the oldest cheese making center in Nepal. They produce only Yak cheese. This is a government run institution and the cheese prices are fixed by the government! The factory closes for winter and we were there on the last working day of the year. The cheese maker is very friendly and he patiently explained the process of making cheese. Do not forget to buy some delicious cheese from their adjacent storage room. Cheese making euns in the family. The present cheese maker has inherited his job after his father retired.

Porters carry impossible loads

It takes 2.5 days for the porters to do the round trip from Syabrubesi to Kyangjin. They walk up in 1.5 days and decent in a day. Porters are paid for the weight they carry with them. For bringing 50Kg to Kyangjin they get paid NRs 5000. This is why a bottle of water that costs Nrs 25 at Subrabesi costs Nrs 300 at Kyangjin.

There are numerous trails beyond Kyangjing, but that’s an adventure for another time. It was time to go back. Had lunch and started walking by 1220. Reached Panorama Guest house by 1400.

Sherpa Soup

To get water, people run long flexible pipes from the mountain streams to their houses. The sun was still up in the sky and it was reasonably warm. I took a refreshing bath in the ice cold water running down these pipes. It was time for another bowl of Sherpa soup. Sherpa soup had turned out to be our staple food on this trek. The soup is made out of wheat and whatever vegetables are available in the kitchen.

Day 6: Langtang Goemba to Rimche

Prayer stones on the road

Started walking at 0730. Stopped for a cup of tea at Riverside Lodge (Gumnachok). Reached Rimche by 1200. It is possible to walk from Langtang Goemba village to Syabrubesi in a day and that’s what I will recommend.

Day 7: Rimche to Syabrubesi via Bamboo lodge

Crossing landslide area

It had rained heaving during the night. The plan was to take the trail through Bamboo lodge as this was shorter. Our guide assured us that the trek will be safe; a few other guides advised us against it. We started the trek by 0730. Soon we reached an area where the path was completely covered by ‘fresh’ landslide. We were the first people to get there as there were no footprints on the landslide!! I managed to safety get across soft unsteady soil. Down below was a raging river with a lot of boulders. Falling in the river can have only one outcome. My friend slipped and fell as the soil beneath his feet gave way. Luckily he managed to stand up and cross the landslide. We got away unharmed, but we were very disappointed with our guide for choosing this unsafe route.

Wounded soldier

Enroute is a suspension bridge that is unsafe even by rigorous Nepali engineering standards. Only 1 person at a time can safety use the bridge! One of the supports of the bridge has come loose and the suspension bridge is twisted and warped. A prayer before stepping on the bridge helps.

Stopped at ‘Tibet Guest house’ at Bamboo Lodge (1790 M). By friend was having a rather bad day. He fell down again; this time into some poison ivy. Patched him up with Band-Aid and Cetirizine. The road follows the raging stream for quite a while. Had a bath in the ice cold river water and picked up some more lovely stones. Reached Syabrubesi by 1330. The trail through Bamboo lodge is shorter and more picturesque that the trail through Khanjim, but do make sure that the trail is safe.

Day 8: Syabrubesi to Katmandu

Took the ‘Deluxe Bus’ (Nrs 650) from Syabrubesi by 0730. The ‘Special Deluxe Bus’ costs Nrs 2000. We reached Katmandu by 1630, even though it normally reaches Katmandu by 1400. We are back in civilization. Drinking freshly brewed coffee with croissants. I would rather be at Kjangjin.