Tour Code: HH/NEP/TRK 09
Duration: 10 Nights / 11 Days
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Features: |
Kathmandu, Trekking, Pokhara and Chitwan. |
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Transportation: |
One-way by flight and surface. |
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Tribes: |
Mostly Lamas and Tibetan villages with Monastries, Chortens and caves. |
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Warning: |
Trekking at high altitude. Chances of altitude sickness. |
The Langtang Trek is to the north of the valley of Kathmandu. It is a narrow
valley that lies just south of the Tibet border and is sandwiched between the main
Himalayan ranges to the north and slightly lower range of snowy peaks to the south.
Langtang Lirung (7246 m) dominates the valley to the north; Gang Chhenpo (6388 m)
and Naya Kangri (5846 m) lie to the south; and Dorji Lakpa (6966m) protects the
east end of the valley. The area was designated Nepal’s first Himalayan National
Park in 1971 and use of firewood is strictly prohibited.
People :
This high and isolated region is inhabited by Tamangs whose religious practices,
language and dress are much more similar to those of Tibetans than to the traditions
of their cousins in the middle hills. A visit to Langtang offers an opportunity
to explore villages, to climb small peaks and to visit glaciers at comfortably low
elevations.
Flora and Fauna :
Langtang Valley is covered in flowers during the summer and is therefore a good
summer trek, though there are hoards of leeches in the lower part of the valley.
Anyone whose primary objective is to see the flora of Nepal, there is not enough
in flower to make it worthwhile to take the field until mid march. From then till
the end of June most of the trees and shrubs of the temperate zone come into flower.
Without doubt, the spring shrub flora is one of the most attractive features of
Nepal. By the end of March, the shrubberies around the villages resound to the call
of the cuckoos, and the shrubs of the evergreen oak forests begin to flower. A little
later the shrubs come to flower in the conifer forests that cover many of the Himalayan
slopes. The full beauty of the Himalayas is not experienced until one has seen the
Rhododendrons in their masses flowering beneath hemlock and fir. Rhododendron Arboreum
and Rhododendron Barbatum and ubiquitous and many other forest species can also
be seen such as Rhododendron Falconeri, Rhododendron Hodgsonii, Rhododendron Grande
and Magnolia Campbellii. The forest floor is carpeted with mauve primulas and there
are strange looking Arisaema species. There are also Ranunculus brotherusii, Thalictrum
reniforme, Clematis connata, Hypericum elodeoides, Geranium nakaoanum and donianum,
Impatiens sulcata, Desmodium elegans, Hedysarum campylocarpon, Rubus paniculatus,
Cotoneaster affinis, Rhodiola bupleuroides etc. just to name a few. Other alpine
flowers that can be seen but flower later during the monsoon are the species of
Acontium, Codonopsis, Cremanthodium, Cyananthus, Leontopodium and Saxifraga.
In order to really experience the wild flowers in their profusion, one must endure
the monsoon rains or trek to the remote rain shadow areas of the west during summer.
There are however, some species that bloom during many times of the year such as
the sky-blue gentians of the dry sub alpine and alpine regions, the lavendar primulas
or primroses of moist areas. The varieties of epiphytic orchids that adorn the wet
forests also flowers at various times of the year.
Trees :
The larch of the Langtang area and western Nepal is unusual among conifers in that
it is deciduous. When this species display its yellow colours in autumn, it will
not be mistaken for anything else.
Birds:
Watch for hawks or buzzards, medium sized raptors with broad wings and rounded tails
often fanned. Though there are only three species to look for, their highly variable
plumage makes identification difficult. These birds are highly visible during winter
and are likely to be seen in pairs mostly below 3000m.
A much smaller but very distinctive bird seen on the open ground is the Hoopoe,
which has an orange plumage and black wings and broad white stripes. This species
also features a retractable crest that flares when it alights and a long slender
deserved bill that is used for probing the ground. In order to identify the birds
of the forests, you will need a keen eye and some tenacity. The ability to recognize
birds by their calls will greatly facilitate identification in this habitat. This
becomes especially advantageous when dealing with species that for the most part
remain hidden when they call or are nocturnal. Particular examples are the usually
drab – colored cuckoos that call most often in spring and summer, the plump green
– fruit eating barbets and at nightfall the various owls and owlets and the nightjars,
which are similar to the North American Nighthawks. The laughing thrushes are another
group of birds that usually betray their presence with characteristic calls before
they are spotted. These diverse animated birds are more easily seen as they often
congregate in large, raucous foraging parties. Related to these species are the
black – capped sibias, gregarious bronze and black birds typical of the oak forests
with a persistent ringing call. Look also for the red billed and yellow-billed magpies
as they follow each other through the trees with long trailing white tipped tails.
Legend:
According to legend, a lama following a runaway Yak discovered the valley. Hence,
the name "Lang" - Tibetan for Yak and ‘Teng’ (more correctly Dhang) means to follow.
Yaks still live in the valley but they now share it with trekkers.
