Langtang Valley and Tamang Heritage Trek

INCLUDES

• Airport Transfers
• English speaking trekking guide
• Porters – each porter carries between 15 and 18kgs.
• Accommodation in lodges whilst on trek
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner in lodges with a hot drink at each meal (ordered from the menu)
• Jeep transport to and from the Langtang region
• National Park and Heritage Trail permit fees
• Staff food, insurance, accommodation and equipment

EXCLUDES

• Accommodation in Kathmandu – we provide options during booking or you can book your own. Click here for details
• Travel Insurance – to cover trekking only
• Personal expenses – extra hot or cold drinks, snacks, charging, hot showers, boiled water.
• Single room supplements
• Tips

Payments

A deposit of £100.00 is required on booking to secure your place and we ask that the remaining balance (trip price minus the deposit) is paid in full 6 weeks prior to your departure. When you book with us you’re given your own secure online account which you can access 24/7. Through this account you can edit your booking, add flight, health, insurance and dietary details and also make interim payments. We make payments as flexible as possible and you can choose, if you wish, to pay a bit off your trip fee whenever it suits you.

Local Benefits

This trek supports the Tamang Heritage Association because the route passes through their land and staying in their community lodges allows them to benefit from tourism revenue.

Langtang is situated north of Kathmandu and borders Tibet. The terrain is mountainous but not precipitous with forests, terraced hill slopes and valley paths leading to high pastures and eventually the moraine of the glaciers and peaks. It does not reach the same heights as the treks in the Khumbu valleys and therefore has far less of the altitude related issues.

The Tamang Heritage trail visits an area where the people who originally came from Tibet as horse traders settled in Nepal several hundred years ago. They have a distinct Tibetan identity with Tibetan and their own language with colourful dancing and interesting customs. The Tamang villages in Langtang were badly affected during the 2015 earthquake and this trek helps promote an income to the villagers.

Below are a couple of independent clips covering the area:

Tamang Heritage Trail from Bruce Lyman on Vimeo.

Langtang Valley Timelapse from lokofilms on Vimeo.

The overall distance is in the range of 95km. You do not need to be super-fit for the Langtang trek section however the Tamang Heritage Trail section does have some moderately challenging ascent sections. The entire trek has mostly 6 hours days of sustained walking with a light backpack – your main pack goes by porter. The effects of altitude will tax your body, though this trek is not overly high, plus the pace is slow and the rate of ascent very gradual.

The trek follows a well trodden path all the way through which can be rocky and uneven in parts and there is no need of any rock climbing or ‘mountaineering’ nor specialist equipment. Walking poles are useful though. Higher up, the open slopes and moraine may give you added reassurance with a pole, but again the path is quite easy to follow and of course you’ll be in the expert hands of your guide.

Accommodation varies between the more traditional Tamang Heritage Trail and the central valley section. The former is less westernised and more rural. This specific area was badly hit by the Nepal earthquake so you have a mixture of traditional lodges and in many places new builds, though of traditional style. The second section of the trek, up into the Langtang Valley is in comfortable and more established lodges. Accommodation in both sections are run by local families. Each lodge has a central communal area with a large stove that provides heat and a cosy atmosphere. The bedrooms are unheated and generally have two beds per room with mattresses, pillows and a blanket. You will need to bring a sleeping bag (3 season is normally enough) and we’d recommend a pillow case.

The lodges generally have showers and toilets with the first section being more basic and the latter powered by gas and with sit down flush toilets (some lodges do also have squat toilets). Food in the lodges is very good quality, a mixture of local Nepali food and in the Langtang western recipes. You will find a Nepal price guide here. There are also many shops selling all types of drinks and snacks, sweets and chocolate. You can also buy any gear that you may, or forget on the trail or in Kathmandu.

Normal trekking clothes and some warm layers for the evenings and a rain jacket are needed for this trek. You won’t need any specilist equipment or kit. Have a look at our Nepal Trekking Kit List page for information about what gear and clothing we recommend.

The basic idea of the kit needed is to keep you warm, dry, protected from the sun, able to move comfortably in the mountains and able to be comfortable in the evenings and night. The main points to cover are as follows:-

• Bags – Rucksack or duffle bag for a porter to carry plus a day pack to be carried by you. Dry bags inside to store clothes.
• Rain protection – Top and bottom waterproofs to keep off wind/rain, also an umbrella
• Layers – Shirts, trousers, shorts, T-shirts, jumpers and jackets, hat and gloves.
• Walking – Comfortable boots with a good sole and ankle support. Lighter footwear to change into in the evenings. Trekking poles
• Sleeping – 3 or 4 season is enough in the lodges where there are beds and mattresses and blankets
• Water – Water bottles should be hard plastic (Nalgene), not throwaway bottles. Water can be boiled or treated.
• Personal hygiene – wash kit, towel, small first aid kit
• Sun protection – sunglasses, sunhat
• Miscellaneous – head torch, camera, books, music, power bank and leads

Kathmandu has an area called Thamel which is full of hundreds of equipment shops, each one an emporium of new, used, quality and fake equipment all very reasonably priced for rental and buying. You can buy anything needed for any trek.