Langtang & Gosainkund Lakes

11 Reviews

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  Anonymous
  Written on November 7, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  This is a wonderful trek that delivers all that is promised and more.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Standing at the top of the Laurebena pass knowing we had achieved our goal was probably the most inspirational moment. The views were spectacular in every direction.However we had thoroughly enjoyed our days in Kyanjin Gompa where the views again were 360 degrees of mountain peaks. We chose the low level walk towards the Tibetan border with wonderful views of the mountains bordering Tibet. On a cultural note the little monastery there was a lovely special place covered in paintings and decorations.What did you think of your group leader?Gum is an excellent guide. He is very good at engaging all group members and facilitated our enjoyment of the trip immensly. He demonstrated a high level of skill in emergencies. We were very impressed.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?It is a moderately strenuous trek so you should be prepared physically and mentally to ensure enjoyment of this part of the world. It is remote and less populated than some other treks in Nepal and you have to be prepared for very small lodge bedrooms and lack of bathroom facilities. Baby wipes and alcohol gel are essential as there is rarely any running water for handwashing.We were never cold as we took plenty of thermals and had good sleepng bags. We also felt well fed as there was plenty of high carbohydrate foods in the lodges. However we were pleased to have a stock of chocolate in our rucksacs. One thing we did, which we had not thought to do on other treks, was to order a chapati and omelette for breakfast in addition to our usual porridge.  We then made this into an egg sandwich for mid morning break. Regular fuel seemed the way to go. Is there anything else you would like to add?We had a fabulous time and would not have missed any of it but the days walking always seemed longer than described in the trip notes - especially the last three days.Day 14 was described in the trip notes as " a short walk brings you to the road where we pick up our transport".... this was 4 hours at a brisk pace. Perhaps I am getting soft in my old age but I do like to look around and take a few photos. 
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  Anonymous
  Written on May 6, 2013

  4.0 - Good

  A fantastic trek through changing ever scenery.   Snow capped moutains, beautiful lakes, river valleys with waterfalls and rhodedendrons in full flower, together with many  birds and animals; so much to look at. We had a great leader in Sukman who made sure we all  had a really enjoyable trip.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?So many! The unspoilt beauty of the area. The absolute silence in the mountains. As always, the friendly, smiling local people for whom nothing is too much trouble and whose lives seem so hard in comparison to our own. I felt both amazed and humbled.What did you think of your group leader?Sukman was marvellous. He was professional, always friendly and cheerful,  highly organised and I felt that nothing was too much trouble for him.  He was both proud and knowledgable about his country and was happy to share infomation and to answer questions.  He made sure that he was aware how each member of the trek was feeling, and, if additional help and support was required (as in my case) it was arranged.  Both he and the guide Pemba helped me considerably for which I am very grateful. We had a good team looking after us who all worked hard to ensure we  had a great trip.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The lodges are basic but quite adequate.  Take wet wipes. antibac gel, but most things like snacks and toilet rolls are obtainable. Make sure that you are fit - the days can be longIs there anything else you would like to add?It was a wonderfuk trek in a truly beautiful part of the world,  a great bunch of people and a superb leader. If you get the chance - go for it!!
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on May 6, 2013

  4.0 - Good

  A fantastic trek through changing ever scenery.   Snow capped moutains, beautiful lakes, river valleys with waterfalls and rhodedendrons in full flower, together with many  birds and animals; so much to look at. We had a great leader in Sukman who made sure we all  had a really enjoyable trip.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?So many! The unspoilt beauty of the area. The absolute silence in the mountains. As always, the friendly, smiling local people for whom nothing is too much trouble and whose lives seem so hard in comparison to our own. I felt both amazed and humbled.What did you think of your group leader?Sukman was marvellous. He was professional, always friendly and cheerful,  highly organised and I felt that nothing was too much trouble for him.  He was both proud and knowledgable about his country and was happy to share infomation and to answer questions.  He made sure that he was aware how each member of the trek was feeling, and, if additional help and support was required (as in my case) it was arranged.  Both he and the guide Pemba helped me considerably for which I am very grateful. We had a good team looking after us who all worked hard to ensure we  had a great trip.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The lodges are basic but quite adequate.  Take wet wipes. antibac gel, but most things like snacks and toilet rolls are obtainable. Make sure that you are fit - the days can be longIs there anything else you would like to add?It was a wonderfuk trek in a truly beautiful part of the world,  a great bunch of people and a superb leader. If you get the chance - go for it!!
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on April 30, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  Great trip to a remote area of Nepal.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The Laurebina La was pretty damn good, as were the stunning rhododendron forests in full flower,but we also did the Golden Triangle extension in India, (BIG thanks to Natalie Shelton @ Exodus who arranged this!) and saw some special sights there too. How do you compare?What did you think of your group leader?We first met Sukman when he was sirdar on our first trip to Nepal in 2007. He earned the nickname "Superman" on that trip, and he still deserves it now he is a leader. Great guy, really involved and caring about all the trekkers. Lal, (sirdar) & Demba, now a world famous red panda spotter, and Bvimh (assistant guides) were part of a really good team too. These guys made it happen for us, so many thanks.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Be aware that there are some pretty steep ups and downs on this trip-usually on the same day. The "C" days seem much more frequent than the "B" days, especially if you have some poor weather as we did. Take it slow and easy and it's all manageable though. Trekking poles are helpful. As is Everest beer! The big positive is that you visit some beautiful parts of Nepal that are not on the main tourist circuit, and see some stunning scenery. It's worth the shattered knee joints. Is there anything else you would like to add?We had a great 2 weeks in Nepal with a diverse group of fellow travellers-in our experience the norm on Exodus trips. Loved it. If at all possible, and you fly to Kathmandu via Delhi, think about the Golden Triangle extension in India-completely different journey, different sights, different culture and splendid food! Still trying to decide if Nepali or Indian roads are the most scary! The Taj Mahal is all you have possible imagined. (Only 2 more of the Modern 7 Wonders of the World left to see now)
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on April 30, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  Great trip to a remote area of Nepal.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The Laurebina La was pretty damn good, as were the stunning rhododendron forests in full flower,but we also did the Golden Triangle extension in India, (BIG thanks to Natalie Shelton @ Exodus who arranged this!) and saw some special sights there too. How do you compare?What did you think of your group leader?We first met Sukman when he was sirdar on our first trip to Nepal in 2007. He earned the nickname "Superman" on that trip, and he still deserves it now he is a leader. Great guy, really involved and caring about all the trekkers. Lal, (sirdar) & Demba, now a world famous red panda spotter, and Bvimh (assistant guides) were part of a really good team too. These guys made it happen for us, so many thanks.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Be aware that there are some pretty steep ups and downs on this trip-usually on the same day. The "C" days seem much more frequent than the "B" days, especially if you have some poor weather as we did. Take it slow and easy and it's all manageable though. Trekking poles are helpful. As is Everest beer! The big positive is that you visit some beautiful parts of Nepal that are not on the main tourist circuit, and see some stunning scenery. It's worth the shattered knee joints. Is there anything else you would like to add?We had a great 2 weeks in Nepal with a diverse group of fellow travellers-in our experience the norm on Exodus trips. Loved it. If at all possible, and you fly to Kathmandu via Delhi, think about the Golden Triangle extension in India-completely different journey, different sights, different culture and splendid food! Still trying to decide if Nepali or Indian roads are the most scary! The Taj Mahal is all you have possible imagined. (Only 2 more of the Modern 7 Wonders of the World left to see now)
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on April 27, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  We had a brilliant trip. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Langtang valley is simply beautiful. The scenery we passed through (every day seemed a different terrain, it was all so varied) more than made up for the basic lodges (very basic, some, but we knew it was remote & weren't expecting luxury). Huge excitement: we saw a red panda! Luckily just about everyone saw it, otherwise we would have wondered about hallucination at altitude.... Rhododendrons in full cry. We had a really good set of people to walk with too: very interesting company.What did you think of your group leader?It was all very well organised (we've come to expect that from Exodus, especially in Nepal) and we had a great trip leader, Sukman.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The trek is rated B/C: however, a few found it  harder work than they had expected. Looking at the trip-notes, it could appear that the trip is basically a B grade with an optional mountain ascent which would account for the C element. That was by no means the hardest day! We gained and/or lost at least 1000m virtually every day, sometimes at altitude, sometimes not, which was pretty hard work (= Snowdon every day?). As long as you are fit and have good knees, you'll survive!Is there anything else you would like to add?A great trip with surprisingly few Westerners around. Thoroughly recommended.
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on April 27, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  We had a brilliant trip. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Langtang valley is simply beautiful. The scenery we passed through (every day seemed a different terrain, it was all so varied) more than made up for the basic lodges (very basic, some, but we knew it was remote & weren't expecting luxury). Huge excitement: we saw a red panda! Luckily just about everyone saw it, otherwise we would have wondered about hallucination at altitude.... Rhododendrons in full cry. We had a really good set of people to walk with too: very interesting company.What did you think of your group leader?It was all very well organised (we've come to expect that from Exodus, especially in Nepal) and we had a great trip leader, Sukman.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The trek is rated B/C: however, a few found it  harder work than they had expected. Looking at the trip-notes, it could appear that the trip is basically a B grade with an optional mountain ascent which would account for the C element. That was by no means the hardest day! We gained and/or lost at least 1000m virtually every day, sometimes at altitude, sometimes not, which was pretty hard work (= Snowdon every day?). As long as you are fit and have good knees, you'll survive!Is there anything else you would like to add?A great trip with surprisingly few Westerners around. Thoroughly recommended.
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  Anonymous
  Written on April 17, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  A fantastic trip with wonderful guide, asssitant guide and porters- very hard work physicallyWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip?getting nearly to the end of Langtang valley -a superb day walking with amazing views all around , eagles above and the river alongside usWhat did you think of your group leader?superbDo you have any advice for potential travellers?An Exodus category of 'moderate' requires you to have a significant level of basic cardio vascular fitness, and smokers would be well advised to quit well before attempting this kind of high altitude walking -Mkae sure your hand luggage tag is stamped each time you go through security -if not when you arrive at the plane you will be sent back [miles] to get it stampedIs there anything else you would like to add?we  booked as  agroup yet ended up in separate seats on the all the flights -I think Exodus could eiother have pre-booked our seats or suggested we do this oursellves -my assumption was that a groupo trip would atuomatically be offered seast togtherWe were also not sent any individual electronic tickets and were refused entry to Kathmandu airport without these-fortunately one person had printed out something that satisfied the soldier on the gate , but could have been a problem
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on April 17, 2013

  5.0 - Excellent

  A fantastic trip with wonderful guide, asssitant guide and porters- very hard work physicallyWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip?getting nearly to the end of Langtang valley -a superb day walking with amazing views all around , eagles above and the river alongside usWhat did you think of your group leader?superbDo you have any advice for potential travellers?An Exodus category of 'moderate' requires you to have a significant level of basic cardio vascular fitness, and smokers would be well advised to quit well before attempting this kind of high altitude walking -Mkae sure your hand luggage tag is stamped each time you go through security -if not when you arrive at the plane you will be sent back [miles] to get it stampedIs there anything else you would like to add?we  booked as  agroup yet ended up in separate seats on the all the flights -I think Exodus could eiother have pre-booked our seats or suggested we do this oursellves -my assumption was that a groupo trip would atuomatically be offered seast togtherWe were also not sent any individual electronic tickets and were refused entry to Kathmandu airport without these-fortunately one person had printed out something that satisfied the soldier on the gate , but could have been a problem
• 

  Anonymous
  Written on November 15, 2012

  4.0 - Good

  Fantastic scenery, a great local team but very basic lodges. Most days are about 8 hrs including generous stops.  There are no particularly long or difficult days except the optional ascent of Tchergo Ri which, at almost 5000 mtrs, is quite a challenge in terms of acclimatisation on day 4.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Sunset at Gosaikunda has to be seen to be believed. The lake turns an amazing golden colour.What did you think of your group leader?ExcellentDo you have any advice for potential travellers?It was very cold at night at the higher lodges.  Take a good 4 season bag.Is there anything else you would like to add?Lodges are not up to the standard we found in the Everest area 5 yrs ago. Be prepared for no lighting in the bedrooms, no running water in the morning (all frozen) and a sleepless night if you get a room near the toilet.