HELAMBU TREK (3-5 DAYS)
Trek in the Southern Langtang National Park
Maximum elevation 2740m
Difficulty: Gentle
Culture :- Sherpa & Tamang
Accommodation -: Tea house/ Lodge Homestay
Start /End point :- Kathmandu, Thimbu Melamchi Bazaar.
Season: March to May and September to November
This is a good introduction to trekking in Nepal for those who don't have much time, typically being a gentle 3 night / 4 day trip. The trek visits the southern part of the Langtang National Park, an area of outstanding beauty. You will enjoy views of the mountains of Langtang Lirung, Dorje Lakpa, Jugal Himal and many other peaks, and see the traditional life of the villages in the harmony of their serene natural surroundings. There are rolling green hills and valleys as the walk leads past Buddhist monasteries and into the alpine forests with spectacular scenery and wild flowers. Melamchi Ghau is the main village of the Helambu area, where the people are from the indigenous Hyolmo group, similar in culture to the Sherpa Tamang ethnic group.
ITINERARY
Day 01 Drive from Kathmandu to Kakani 1990m via Melamchipul by private jeep and trek to Sermathang at 2593m (2-3 hrs)
Day 02 Trek to Tarkegyang at 2740m (4-5 hrs)
Day 03 Trek to Melamchi Gaon at 2535m (4-5 hrs)
Day 04 Trek to Thimbu at 1580m (4 hrs) and then drive to Kathmandu (4 hrs)
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1- Kathmandu to Sermanthang (2,590m)
Early in the morning, your guide will collect you from your hotel in our private vehicle and we drive drive from Kathmandu for about 5 hours to Kakani via Melamchi Pul. You will see your first views of the Langtang mountain range during the drive. On arrival at Kakani (1,1996m) we take lunch before starting our trek with a gentle ascent through the pine tree forests, reaching Sermathang village after about 3 hours. The village is at the top of a ridge with beautiful views along valleys on both sides. After finding our rooms at a teahouse where we will stay for the night, we can visit the monastery and take a tour of the village before dinner.
Day 2 - Sermanthang to Tarkegyang (2,740m)
After breakfast in our teahouse we start along a level trail passing a Mani wall and Chortens and passing through the forest. After about 2 hours we reach Ganjawal Village, which has a spectacular monastery we can visit. We will take lunch at a teahouse in the village and then continue our trek for a further 2 hours through the rhododendrons forests until reaching the large Sherpa village of Tarkegyang and the lodge where we spend the night. We can again visit another splendid monastery.
Day 3 - Tarkegyang to Melamchi Gaon (2530 m)
In the morning after breakfast, we descend steeply for 2 hours until we reach the river of Melamchi Khola, crossing a suspension bridge and passing a huge chorten. Then we climb steeply again for a further 2 hours through the rhododendron forest, passing many more chortens until reaching the Melamchi Gaon, a prosperous Sherpa village. We will have lunch break in the village and then take a guided tour of the 8th century Buddhist monastery. Overnight in lodge.
Day 4 - Melamchi Gaon to Thimbu (1580 m) and back to Kathmandu
This is the last day of our trek – after breakfast we follow the trail steeply down through the forest and across the Melamchi Khola via another suspension bridge. We then continue upstream until reaching Thimbu village, the end of our trek. It takes about 4 hours to reach Thimbu where we will have lunch with views of the snowcapped Langtang mountains including Jugal Himal before our private vehicle comes to pick us up. The first section of road till Melamchipul is a bumpy ride but after this point it continues smoothly until reaching Dhulikhel and then returning to your hotel in Kathmandu, a 4 hour journey.