Gosainkund/Laurebina in December??

[Landfall38]

Hi all

I've searched for answers to my questions (below) in Trekinfo but cannot find any specific. Please excuse if this has already been answered....

We are returning for an 8th trek December (2008), and are considering a different trek. We have 14 days (for the trek portion, excluding travel to/from trailhead). We are wondering about Langtang/Gosainkund/Helambu.

Our questions::confused:

1. Likelihood of Gosainkund and especially Laurebina Pass being snowed-in/impassable in mid December?

(Of course, in Nepal, this can happen even in Oct, as we have seen on the Thorung La in October.) I just viewed some amazing you-tube movies of Gosainkund and Laurebina and was a little taken aback by the amount of snow and the wilderness setting of the pass.

2. In best of times, can one do the Gosainkund<-->Helambu route without camping (i.e., lodges)? If yes, would they be open in December?

3. Access to Dunche looks to be real fun. Any recent (2007-2008) updates on the road? Can regular cars make it or must they be 4WD/AWD? How many hours Kathmandu-->Dunche by bus or by hired car?

4. Chances of seeing a yeti up high?:)

Our current alternatives are to (i) return to Jiri-Namche route (loved it in 1998) or (ii) Annapurna on Pokhara side and possibly -- snow permitting -- the Sanctuary (we've always seemed to rush the last bit of AC so perhaps wandering around Gandrung/Chomrong/Landrung etc region would be good.

FYI: We are not as big on high alpine as we are on villages, the middle hills etc (back home here in BC, we spend lots of time up in snowy alpine areas especially Whistler....). Not to say we have not enjoyed Thorung La (3 times) but it was never the highlight of the AC, etc.

Of course, as always, we welcome the opinions of trekinfo's experienced contributors.

Landfall38

[Suginami]

I went by 4 by 4 and it took most of a day. I arrived to do some birding and trekked off the next day. I don:t know if you would have enough time to start straight out for Bharku but maybe.

The snow on that pass is bad and birders go to that area a great deal but December is too much. There is a bit of a cave somewhere. Look up some Langtang birding reports as many of them cover that section as birders want to see Gould`d Shortwing

[Sharon]

Yes, it takes much of the day. Lunch break is at Trisuli. If you are interested in the Villages why not do a camping trek in Ganesh Himal. Instead of going into Langtang you start up the hill behind Sybaru bensi and it is a beautiful area with great villages. I spent 14 days and never saw another foreigner. There is an itinerary in a discussion called Rolwaling in the trek info. Escher was looking for info on some different treks. Camping is very affordable It may run in the range of 100 us a day for the two of you but it is an amazing experience.307

[Oli]

I crossed the pass mid season spring last year and there was quite a lot of snow, I don't know about mid December, you may be lucky or perhaps not. Besides the pass the other stretch of trail that may be tricky in bad conditions is between Lauribina Phedi and Tharapati, its a steep shaded hillside and prone to avalanches from above.

It is teahouse trekable all the way between Helambu and Langtang, some of the lodges aren't quite up the the Annapurna standards but they are quite good enough. I dont think the road is so bad, but others would disagree. If you can manage to get a ride in a 4x4 then go for it.

You are unlikely to see a Yeti on this trek, but I've seen more wildlife in Langtang than anywhere else in Nepal (I've not been to Chitwan). If you are very lucky you might see a red panda, look out for them in the bamboo.

I'd suggest going up Langtang first then up to Gosainkhund, if the pass is OK then you can cross over to Helambu, or if its closed then take a few days on the Tamang Village Trail before back to Kathmandu by road.

[Landfall38]

I'd suggest going up Langtang first then up to Gosainkhund, if the pass is OK then you can cross over to Helambu, or if its closed then take a few days on the Tamang Village Trail before back to Kathmandu by road.

Thanks Oli. Do you think it is more likely to have snow in December compared to Gokyo, Cho La etc? (Our two December trips to Khumbu have been "relatively" snowless.)

What/Where is the Tamang Village Trail?

[Oli]

I'd estimate snow to be somewhere between "not much" and "lots", sorry I can't be more accurate than that. :confused:

The Tamang Heritage Trek is a new trail, developed by the Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP), above and west of Syabru Besi through the villages around Gatlang and Chilime. Definitely worth checking out ;)

[Landfall38]

Thanks again Oli.
I've now checked out the Tamang Heritage Trail -- very very tempting. I see a great combination of the Tamang trail, Langtang, Gosainkund then Helambu -- making a trek of the length of the full AC. (One could tent the Temang then switch to lodges for remainder.)

We are re-considering going to Langtang-Gosainkund-Helambu in December -- Gosainund/Laurebina are definitely high alpine and likely cold and possibly snowy. I think these plus Temang would be great to do in Fall/Spring (of course, Tamang could be done in December).

Jiri is the current December 2008 leader....

[Oli]

One could tent the Temang then switch to lodges for remainder.

I've not been (yet) up there myself, but I would expect that you don't really need to camp for the Tamang Trail. Its an area with numerous villages and not exactly wild and remote, they are trying to regenerate the local economy and surely that is best done by teahouses rather than bringing in camping groups. Perhaps the lodges are not yet well developed and may be closer to bhattis and the "family stay" sort of hospitality - but that would be a good thing. Go now and see the area in all its rustic beauty before they start building loads of fancy new lodges with en-suite bathrooms.

(This December I'm trekking Jiri-Gokyo-Lukla, maybe we'll meet up on the trail somewhere.)

[njadhikari]

hi there
u can do trekking in Gosainkund/Laurebina in December, 95% is fine , i have done many time. so no worry about the snow.
bye
NJ

[Sharon]

I'll try and find my map that I used for the gamesh Himal and give you the Village names. They are up behind Sybaru Bensi. There are some very intriging looking buildings.

[Oli]

The Tamang Heritage Trail is on recent editions of the Langtang/Helambu maps. My maps of the area, dated 2001, have the villages and trails marked, but when browsing the maps in Thamel last year I noticed the 2006(?) revision had ungraded the trail markings to indicate it is an 'official trek' rather than just a 'local path'. Villages on the trail (clockwise from Syabru Besi) - Goljung, Godam, Gatlang, Chilime, Tatopani, Brimdang, Thuman, Lingling, Briddhim. I have no knowledge of the extent and distribution of lodges. Googling give back links to numerous agencies offering treks in the area with some info and clues embedded in their blurbs.

By the way - the Tamang have their own language, of course they understand "Namaste" but the local greeting is "la-sso" ;)

[Landfall38]

All very tempting! I will do a little more research so have not crossed this off yet for December. However, I had enough of ice-toilets (you know, where you first need to break through 2-3 cm of ice to create/find the toilet's hole before you go...) etc on trek to Gokyo in December 2005 -- hence it seems to me our preference is to go high (relatively, in Laurebina's case) in a warmer month.

So Oli, we might cross paths above Jiri this December. Clearly, you'd be passing me. (I'll be the grey-bearded/red-headed guy with his wife ahead urging me on... ah, the joys of getting older.):o

[Oli]

So Oli, we might cross paths above Jiri this December. Clearly, you'd be passing me.
I'm a bit of a dawdler, late starts and short days are my thing. You are more likely to find me lazing around in a lodge than doing any overtaking on the trail :)
(I'll be the grey-bearded/red-headed guy with his wife ahead urging me on... ah, the joys of getting older.):o
Click here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mostuncool/92347298/in/set-72057594055400094/) for a mugshot of me and my trekking buddy. (a few years ago but we've not aged much. Dont ask about the nicknames, you had to have been there)