Langtang Valley Trek Map

Three treks share one sheet here, which is what makes this Langtang Valley trek map worth having open while you plan. The Langtang valley runs along the top, the Gosaikunda lakes sit in the middle, and Helambu fills the south, so the routes that link them are all on the same page rather than spread across three maps. It is a Himalayan Map House sheet at 1:125,000, zoomable down to individual teahouses: pinch or scroll to read village names, trail junctions and spot heights, and open it full screen when you want the whole valley at once.

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What This Map Covers

Three trekking routes share this sheet, which is unusual and useful, because they connect. The Langtang valley runs north east from Syabrubesi to Kyanjin Gompa. The Gosainkunda lakes sit south of it, reached from Thulo Syabru or Dhunche. Helambu runs south again, from Tharepati down to Sermathang and out to Kathmandu. Walk all three in sequence and you never leave this one sheet.

It is drawn at 1:125,000 and marks Langtang National Park, the Gaurishankar Conservation Area to the east, and the Tibet border along the top. The whole area sits about 120 km north of Kathmandu, which is why it is the closest serious trekking region to the city.

Langtang Trek Itinerary and Route, Day by Day

The standard Langtang Valley trek itinerary is eight days from Kathmandu, with six of those walking. This is the Langtang trekking route in full, from the Syabrubesi roadhead to Kyanjin Gompa and back. Heights below are where you sleep, not the high point of the day, because the sleeping altitude is what governs acclimatisation. Full dates and prices are on the Langtang Valley Trek page.

Day	Stage	Sleeping altitude	Hours
1	Kathmandu to Syabrubesi by road	1,460 m / 4,790 ft	7 to 8
2	Syabrubesi to Sherpa Gaun	2,563 m / 8,409 ft	7
3	Sherpa Gaun to Langtang village	3,430 m / 11,253 ft	8
4	Langtang village to Kyanjin Gompa	3,870 m / 12,697 ft	3
5	Kyanjin Gompa, climb Tserko Ri and back	3,870 m / 12,697 ft	8 to 9
6	Kyanjin Gompa to Lama Hotel	2,470 m / 8,104 ft	6 to 7
7	Lama Hotel to Syabrubesi	1,460 m / 4,790 ft	6 to 7
8	Syabrubesi to Kathmandu by road	1,400 m / 4,593 ft	7 to 9

The Langtang trek route follows the Langtang Khola the whole way, so once you are above Thulo Syabru there is nothing to navigate. Many itineraries stop at Lama Hotel on day two instead of Sherpa Gaun. Both are drawn on the map, on opposite sides of the Langtang Khola, and they rejoin above Ghoda Tabela. Sherpa Gaun sleeps about 90 m higher, which is the only real difference. A seven day version drops the Tserko Ri day, and a shorter five or six day version turns round at Langtang village without reaching Kyanjin Gompa.

Langtang Trek Distance: How Far Is the Walk?

The Langtang Valley trek distance is about 70 km of walking. It is roughly 35 km of trail from Syabrubesi to Kyanjin Gompa, normally three walking days, and you return by the same valley. Adding the Tserko Ri morning puts the total nearer 80 km.

Leg	Distance	Notes
Kathmandu to Syabrubesi, by road	About 120 km	7 to 8 hours by bus, about 6 by jeep
Syabrubesi to Kyanjin Gompa, on foot	About 35 km	Three walking days, 2,410 m of ascent
Kyanjin Gompa back to Syabrubesi	About 35 km	Two walking days downhill
Tserko Ri and back from Kyanjin Gompa	About 10 km	A morning, 1,114 m up and back down

The road figure matters more than people expect. Syabrubesi is only 120 km from Kathmandu but the drive takes most of a day, and landslide repairs during and after the monsoon can add hours to that.

Langtang Trek Altitude, Settlement by Settlement

The highest night is Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 m. Langtang village itself sits at 3,430 m, which is the Langtang altitude most itineraries quote, and the Langtang Valley altitude range runs from 1,460 m at the trailhead to 4,984 m at the top of Tserko Ri. The highest point you stand on is Tserko Ri at 4,984 m, climbed from Kyanjin Gompa and descended the same morning, so you never sleep that high.

Place	Altitude	On the route
Syabrubesi	1,460 m / 4,790 ft	Trailhead
Lama Hotel	2,470 m / 8,104 ft	First night on the standard variant
Sherpa Gaun	2,563 m / 8,409 ft	First night on the upper variant
Thulo Syabru	2,330 m / 7,644 ft	Junction for Gosainkunda
Langtang village	3,430 m / 11,253 ft	Rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake
Kyanjin Gompa	3,870 m / 12,697 ft	Highest night of the trek
Kyanjin Ri	4,773 m / 15,659 ft	Shorter viewpoint above Kyanjin
Tserko Ri	4,984 m / 16,352 ft	Highest point of the trek
Shin Gompa, or Chandanbari	3,330 m / 10,925 ft	On the Gosainkunda route
Gosainkunda lake	4,380 m / 14,370 ft	Sacred lake, Gosainkunda route
Lauribina La	4,610 m / 15,125 ft	Pass linking Gosainkunda to Helambu
Tharepati	3,650 m / 11,975 ft	Top of the Helambu route
Dhunche	1,300 m / 4,265 ft	Road head and permit checkpost

Gosaikunda Altitude and the Lauribina La Route

Gosaikunda sits at 4,380 m, a sacred lake that draws Hindu pilgrims in their thousands each August for Janai Purnima. The Gosaikunda altitude is the reason it needs a night at Shin Gompa on the way up. Spelled Gosainkunda on some maps, including parts of this one, it is the same lake. Trekkers reach it in two ways on this sheet: from Dhunche through Shin Gompa, or from Thulo Syabru, which is the usual link if you are coming down from Langtang.

Above the lakes the Gosaikunda trail crosses the Lauribina La at 4,610 m and drops into Helambu. That crossing is the highest point on the route and the one day that genuinely needs settled weather, because the descent on the far side is long and there is nothing in between. The Gosainkunda Lake Trek page sets out the full itinerary.

Helambu Trek Map, Route and Itinerary

The Helambu trek map is the southern third of this sheet, and Helambu is the only one of the three routes that starts within sight of Kathmandu. The usual Helambu trek itinerary goes Sundarijal to Chisapani at 2,300 m, Chisapani to Kutumsang at 2,446 m, then Kutumsang to Tharepati at 3,650 m, before turning down through Tarke Ghyang at 2,560 m and Sermathang at 2,610 m.

The Chisapani to Kutumsang stretch is the one people ask about, because the map shows the trail weaving between the ridge and the road more than once. It stays high on the ridge for most of the day. Dates and prices are on the Helambu Trek page.

Where the Map Earns Its Keep

Three places. The first is Thulo Syabru, where the Langtang valley trail and the Gosainkunda trail separate. Getting that junction wrong costs a day, and the two paths look similar on the ground.

The second is the one place the Langtang Valley trek route genuinely splits: the stretch above Syabrubesi where the Sherpa Gaun and Lama Hotel paths run on opposite banks of the Langtang Khola. They rejoin, so neither is wrong, but they are a steep valley apart and the bridges between them are few.

The third is Langtang village. The 2015 earthquake buried the old settlement under a landslide and the rebuilt village sits on different ground. Older maps and older trip reports do not match what is there now, so check the sheet rather than a photograph.

Permits and Checkposts Marked on the Route

Two permits, both arranged in Kathmandu before you leave. The Langtang National Park entry permit costs NPR 3,000 plus 13% VAT for foreign nationals, NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals and nothing for children under ten. A TIMS card costs NPR 2,000, or NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals. Together they come to about USD 40.

Both are checked at Dhunche on the drive in, which the map marks, so neither can be sorted out on the trail. Our Langtang permit guide covers the paperwork, and the Langtang trek cost breakdown sets out what the rest of the trip runs to.

Getting to the Trailhead

Syabrubesi is the trailhead for Langtang and for the Tamang Heritage Trail, and it is about 120 km north of Kathmandu. Buses leave early and take seven to eight hours; a private jeep does it in about six. There is no airstrip, which is one reason Langtang costs less than Everest or Annapurna: no mountain flight to pay for or miss. More on the village itself in our guide to Syabrubesi.

Carrying the Map Offline

Phone coverage reaches Syabrubesi and comes and goes further up the valley, and lodges charge for both charging and wifi. Download the area to an offline mapping app before you leave Kathmandu, and carry the paper sheet as the version that always works. Himalayan Map House sells the laminated original, which is worth the weight on a route where the Gosainkunda and Helambu options are decided mid-trek rather than at home.

Frequently Asked Questions