GOSAINKUNDA LAKE TREK

GOSAINKUNDA LAKE TREK

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OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Gosainkunda, the name itself spells out the meaning; Gosain refers to Monk and Kunda refers to lake. Hindu mythology identifies Gosainkunda as the abode of Hindu deities-Lord Shiva and Gauri. Myth says the lake was created by Lord Shiva by thrusting his Trishul into a mountain to extract water so as to settle down his stinging throat after he had swallowed poison. The origin of Gosainkunda is also referred by the Hindu scriptures Bhagavata Puran and Vishnu Puran and the epics Ramayan and Mahabharata. Anyone, who takes a dip into the ice-cold water of Gosainkunda, is believed to be free of sins, even of previous lives. They are also believed to be healed of diseases they have been suffering from. The lake remains frozen during winter season whereas it melts and sips down during summer to form Trishuli.

Gosainkunda trek route is the third most popular walks of Nepal. Allocating one week of time would be a justice for this trek route. Gosainkunda is spaced inside Langtang National Park. The trekking begins once you take your Entry Permit of Langtang National Park from Kathmandu. The Entry Permit Fee for Langtang National Park is about 1,000 rupees. If you wish to start your trek from Sundarijal area, you need to take an additional Entry Permit of Shivapuri National Park. Generally, trekkers begin their trek from Dhunche, the capital of Rasuwa District. Dhunche is 6-7 hours drive away from the capital town Kathmandu Gosainkunda is 21 km away from Dhunche. Some trekkers who are strong enough both physically and mentally reach Gosainkunda in just a day but generally trekkers prefer two days of climb to reach there. Trekkers might take the night stay at Sing Gompa or places nearby. 

The expedition to Gosaikunda is not just limited to walks. You get to learn a lot of things. You get to enjoy the fresh cheese of the local area. You will have no regret about this trek, once you are introduced to the hospitality and warm-welcoming of the local people. You get top class food and accommodations anywhere you wish to stay throughout the trek. Majority of the trail is through the forests and narrow passes. Exquisite springs, ever flowing rivers and rivulets and eye-catching mountain peaks will make you realize that you made a wonderful decision by planning the trek. Trekkers encounter a variety of species of plants and animals on the way. Gosainkunda Lake itself is an alpine fresh water oligotrophic lake that has allowed a large number of aquatic species to live in. Typical Himalayan floras such as deciduous oak and maple and evergreens like Pine, along with many types of rhododendron can be found on the way. Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan Tahr and Red Pandas also live in Langtang National Park. You may encounter them if you’re lucky enough to gather a life-long reminiscence. You will also encounter some peculiar kind of trees having their leaves on their barks. Most of the tourists are found to be amazed by such features and it is one of the things that they recall about this trek route. Enjoying the greenery of mother-nature and scenic beauty of mountain ranges like Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Manaslu etc. your steep approach finally comes to halt when you witness the heart-warming beauty of Gosainkunda Lake escorted by panorama of mountain ranges. There are more than 100 lakes in the area, you can obviously visit most of them, but only if you have a lot of time. After spending some time around the lake, having some photographs taken and maybe after a dip in the lake, trekkers walk back down to their destination. The descending trail follows Ghopte, Tarepati, Chisapani, Sundarijal and finally an hour drive to Kathmandu. Descending down the path is not as easy as it seems. This needs some patience and physical ability as well.

Trekking to Gosaikunda can be done at any part of the year but be wise enough to avoid rainy weather. It is during the festival of Janai Purnima, the number of visitors reach to peak and creates a lot of difficulties out there. It is difficult to manage accommodations. Even if you get one, it may cost you far expensive. So, better manage everything before your trek if you want to have one during such time. Unlike in many other trek routes, a lot of amateurs tend to trek to Gosainkunda as it isn’t far from Kathmandu valley. Quite often, they seem to underestimate the route. Many of them are found to have suffered from Acute Mountain Sickness (Altitude Sickness) while trekking through this route. So, better get some medical consultation before trekking and carry necessary medicines and equipment.

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ITINERARY

  • Day 01: Airport pickup and hotel transfer

    Our Representative will be waiting for you at the airport and welcome you in our typical Nepali culture. You will be quickly arriving at the hotel afterward where you can expect luxurious accommodation. There will be a welcome dinner tonight and afterward a proper sleep which is much needed after the long trip from home.
  • Day 02: Rest and Tour Day at Kathmandu

    Today we will discuss our trekking and make necessary preparations and we take a quick city tour of Kathmandu as well. After all the briefings regarding the trek and acquiring necessary permits, we will arrange a short trip to a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city such as Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambunath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and so on. A quick stroll in the streets of Kathmandu and last minute gear shopping is a perfect thing to do in the evening.
  • Day 03: Drive from Kathmandu to Dunche Bazaar (1,966m) – 6 Hours

    We take early breakfast at the hotel and catch up with a coach for 6 hours of acomfortable ride to Dunche Bazaar. The ride is going to be scenic as we drive through the twists and turns of the highway. We make a few stops on the way for lunch and tea breaks. We reach Dunche Bazaar in the afternoon. However, we do not rush to start our trek, rather stay in the bazaar overnight and explore places nearby.
  • Day 04: Trek from Dhunche to Sing Gompa (3,330m) – 5 Hours

    We start strolling through woods that have a considerable staircase. Hiking up for around 3 hours, we reached the Deurali tea shop. Stopping by the tea shop for a cup of tea is something everyone does in this trail. We continue passing through woods of oak, hemlock and firs until we reach Sing Gompa. Sing Gompa is a pleasant little shop on the way, with a bunch of inns and a DDC manufacturing plant where you can purchase cheese. From Sing Gompa, we can see Langtang Mountain extending, including Ganesh Himal. There is also a Tibetan Monastery here which is quite popular. We stay overnight in Sing Gompa and prepared for our trek to Gosainkunda Lakes for the next day.
  • Day 05: Trek from Sing Gompa to Gosainkunda (4,380m) – 6 Hours

    Today we started our trek early in the morning. We will be gaining a lot of altitude today, so the trek is going to be demanding. We will hike up the trail steadily until we finally reach the dreamland of Gosainkunda lakes. We start hiking through the backwoods of Oak, Hemlock and Firs. Then we walk rise to the Lauribina la slope (3,920m) station where the best perspective of Gosainkunda lakes(4,460m), Himal Chuli (7,893m), Manaslu (8,156m), Ganesh Himal (7,406m), and numerous other little snow secured mountains are hanging tight to see us. Sometimes, even the Annapurna range can be spotted from here. We climb furthermore via a few frigid lakes. Finally, we reach the top of Gosainkunda and the view around is stunning. This place also feels spiritual as it has got religious touch and significance to it.
  • Day 06: Trek from Gosainkunda Lakes to Ghopte bhir (3,440m) – 7 Hours

    The trail heads to the northern side of Gosainkunda Lake. As we cross moraine, and more small lakes, we reach Laurebina La (4,610m). After that, the trail descends to a National Park Post at Bhera Goth and Phedi. The route drops and climbs through scrub bamboo to Dupichaur and finally descends to Ghopte. We stayed overnight in Ghopte bhir in a guest house.
  • Day 07: Trek from Ghopte bhir to Tharepati hilltop (3,640m) – 4 Hours

    As we descend from Ghopte vir, the trail makes several ascends and descends across moraines. The trail then makes a final ascent to Tharepati observing the fine scenery along the path. We reached the Tharepati hilltop quite early in the afternoon. Therefore, we hike to the viewpoint to explore the whole Helambu village as well as the famous border Himalayas including Xisapangma. We stayed overnight on the Tharepati hilltop.
  • Day 08: Trek from Tharepati hilltop to Gul Bhanjyang (2,140m) – 6 Hours

    The trail from Tharepati to Gul Bhanjyang initiates with a route through forests to Magen Goth. Then, the trail descends through fir and rhododendron forest observing the view of beautiful and glittering peaks on its way to Khutumsang (2,450m). Finally, the trail descends to the delightful hill village Gul Bhanjyang. We stayed overnight in Gul Bhanjyang.
  • Day 09: Trek from Gul Bhanjyang to Chisopani (2,134m) – 6 Hours

    After just a few days of trekking our trip is almost over. Today is the second last day. We proceed with the forested edge moving to Thodang Betini (2,260m) and to Chipling (2,170m). The trail then makes a very steep descent to Pati Bhanjyang (1,860m). From Pati Bhanjyang, the trail continues to Chisopani where we can see the mountain ranges in a spectacular fashion. We stayed overnight in Chisopani.
  • Day 10: Trek to Sundarijal and Drive back to Kathmandu – 5 Hours

    On the last day of our trek, we walked for a very short period of time to reach Sundarijal from Chisopani. The trail from Chisopani hill station to Sundarijal goes through the forest of oak and rhododendron. We also encountered an Army check post on the way. The check post is set up to check the Shivapuri National Park entry permit. We see spectacular views of Kathmandu valley while descending on the trail. We finally reach Sundarijal from where an hour of drive will take us into the Kathmandu valley.
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COST

TRIP INFO

TREK OVERVIEW

  • Trek Duration : 10Days
  • Difficulty : Moderate
  • Highest Elevation : 4,380 m (Gosainkunda Lakes)
  • Accommodation : Teahouses(Lodges)/Tented Camps
  • Transportation : Overland
  • Group Size            : 4-16 pax
  • Best Season        : Spring (March-May) and Autumn (Sept.-Nov.))
  • Walk Duration : 5 hours Daily (Average)
  • Trek Cost :

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

  • Explore Langtang Himalayas with Ganesh Himal Families.
  • Enjoy the pristine view from Lauribina La hill station
  • Walk through colorful Rhododendron forest
  • Visit the sacred lake of Gosainkunda
  • Experience the culture and lifestyle of Sherpa people.
  • Discover mesmerizing view of Kathmandu valley from different hilltops during the trek
  • Adventurous road trip from Kathmandu to Dhunche.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

WHAT IS EXCLUDED

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MAP

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EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

RECOMMENDED TREKKING GEARS

Trekking without any necessary gear can be very harmful and won’t be easy. No one wants to get hurt in a remote and distant area where there’s no proper health care. So to make your trekking safer and as well as trouble-free, we have enlisted some of the necessary gears that you need to acknowledge before heading for trekking is the highlands.

NECESSARY TREKKING GEARS

Here are some of the trekking gears which will be there to assist us while climbing any kind of mountain trails weather be steep or narrow. These trekking gears are extremely useful and are handy so make sure you have it in your checking list.

PERSONAL ITEMS CLOTHING

It’s very necessary to wear the outfit according to the situation and place. So here are some of the essential clothing gears required for trekking.

PERSONAL HYGIENE

It’s very essential to take your own health and hygiene from the new weather condition. So here are some of the apparatus that might be needed while the trekking period.

TECHNICAL MATERIALS

To capture moments, to withdraw money, and to trek in a very efficient manner here are some technical gears that should be packed.

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