Helambu Trek

On our last trip to Nepal we had less time than we would have liked for a Himalayan trek, certainly not enough to get high into the Everest region, so we decided to head to do a Helambu trek for 7 days . The Helambu region lies north of Kathmandu, with our trailhead just an hour’s car ride out of the city. The first morning’s trek ascends almost 1000 meters through a national park to a ridge at 2500m that gave us the first views of the high Himalayan peaks to the north.

We were trekking at the very start of the season in late Febuary so we were flirting with the last of the winter weather. Spring can also be cloudy at times so we were hoping to be lucky and get some clear views. But any threat of cold or clouds was more than offset by being almost alone along the trails and in the teahouses. Even though Helambu is close to Kathmandu it feels far removed and generally doesn’t attract the kinds of crowds one can find along the Everest or Annapurna trekking routes. From the second day until the last we hardly saw any other trekkers.

There are several indigenous ethnic groups living in the Helambu region, including the very colorful Tamangs and Chetris. On our second day we descended from Chispani to Pati Bhanjyang, a pleasant little Chetri village. On the ascent back up the valley wall we were passed by groups of children in school uniforms running down the trail to their classes in the village. As we crested the ridge above Gul Byangjyang we suddenly had a 180 degree, crystal-clear view of the Himalyan peaks from Langtang to the western edge of the Everest region! This was our postcard shot of the trek.

By the time we reached Gul Byangjyang that evening we were exhausted. The village children were playing in the street outside our teahouse and were delighted to dance around us like bunch of eager puppies as we filmed them. The night sky was absolutely clear and after dinner we stepped into the cold night air to see the most brilliant blanket of stars.

The trek up to Therapati on the third day was the most challenging, especially as we crested the ridge at 3500 meters and found the trail covered in snow and ice. From Therapati you can gaze over to the Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda, where we knew the mountain passes at over 5000 m were still difficult to pass at this time of year and the high mountain lakes were still frozen. We were as high as you’d want to go at this time of year. From Therapati we made a difficult descent down an icy trail, only managing to reach our teahouse high above the Melanche Kola river very late in the day. By this time we knew that we would be unable to finish our trek in the time we had allotted and so we revamped our itinerary, spent a last night in a beautifully situated and well-equipped lodge at Tharke Gyang, then made our way down to Melanche Kola river again where our 4WD met us for the return trip to Kathmandu.

Helambu is usually described as a relatively low-altitude, easy trek and yet it offers plenty of challenge, with repeated long, steep ascents and descents each day. After 7 days in Helambu we had a lots of memories of spectacular views. warm-hearted people and mountain trails that offered all the challenge we could ask for.