The Helambu Trek is easily accessible from Kathmandu, Nepal. This trek is ideal for those looking for a less crowded Himalayan experience without the challenges of high altitude. It offers stunning mountain views, a concise itinerary, and a rich cultural experience with insights into the Tamang and Hyolmo (Yolmo) communities. The trek also takes you through the beautiful Shivapuri and Langtang National Parks.
The Helambu trek is another famous trek route in the Langtang region of Nepal. It is a moderate, low-altitude trek situated north of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Trekking to Langtang Helambu is the ultimate for trekkers seeking a culturally rich and scenic mountain views trip experience without the strenuous demands of higher altitude treks like the Everest and Annapurna trekking regions.
During the trek, we’ll pass through Indigenous Tamang and Hyolmo (Helambu) villages, dense forest, and ancient Buddhist monasteries, and offer spectacular views of the Lantang Himalayas range, Ganesh Himal, and the Everest Himalayas range can be seen (from Chisopani and Tharepani) along this journey.
We take a bus or private transportation from Kathmandu to Sundarijal, which is the Helambu trek starting point, and a public shared bus or a private vehicle is accessible from Tarkyeghan or Sermathang (trek end place) for the return to Kathmandu. In this condition, the trek itinerary takes between five and seven days from Kathmandu. The maximum altitude gain is 3650 meters. Tharepati is an excellent viewpoint of the Helamu Trek.
The Helambu trek is one of the most popular walking trails among trekkers because it is easily accessible and close to Kathmandu, and no worries about domestic flight cancellations like the Lukla Everest trek, and it does not require a long vacation for this trip.
The best highlights of this adventure, you’ll trek in a peaceful environment through the indigenous villages of Tamang and Hyolmo- Helamu, the families are rich with their cultural heritage, similar to that of Tibetan. Fewer trekkers visit the Helambu trekking route, making it beautiful.
The maximum high altitude gain you 3650 during this trekking time, which is Tharepanti. The trek starts from 1315 meters, trek to Chisopani 2140, Kutumsango 2471 meters, and the trek ends at Tarkeghyang 2550 meters, with beautiful mountain views. This level of altitude walking is physically at no risk of altitude mountain sickness.
If you have a dream to cross high altitude passes, trek above the 5000 meters, and reach Everest base camp at 5364m in the future? This trek is the best for beginners and has 100% no risk of high altitude mountain sickness. Who has never been trekking, mountain hiking above 3000 meters? This trek is suitable, and you can maximize the enjoyment of the trip by exploring the local villages, rich culture, and seeing the best mountain views.
If you seeking the best mountain views of Nepal’s Himalayas within your short Nepal holiday plan? The Helambu trek is best for those categories of travelers because it does not require long trek itineraries, such as the Everest Base Camp Trek and the Langtang Circuit trek. A week's vacation will be enough for you to explore the historical places of Kathmandu and the easy Helambu trek in Nepal.
The 5-day Helambu trek offers you the best mountain views from Chisopani and Tharepanti (3650 m), spectacular views of Langtang Lirung, Ganesh Himal, Dorje Lakpa, Gauri Shanker (holy mountain), and the Everest panoramic Himalayas. The trek through Shivapuri and Langtang National Park (rich flora/fauna), the local Tamang and Hyolmo-Helambu villages, is another main attraction of this exploit.
Nepal, a Himalayan country, experiences four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The best times to undertake the Helambu trek are during the spring and autumn months. However, some trekkers choose to visit in winter for improved visibility.
This is considered the best time for the Helambu trek. The weather is pleasant with clear blue skies, allowing trekkers to enjoy vibrant spring flowers, meadows, and blooming rhododendrons that enhance the beauty of the Helambu trail.
Autumn is also an excellent time for trekking in Helambu. The weather is generally dry, providing clear visibility and stunning mountain views. Additionally, this season coincides with local celebrations, such as Dashain and Tihar-Diwali, adding to the vibrant culture experienced along the trek.
In winter, the weather can be cold, but visibility is often clear, offering breathtaking mountain views. Proper trekking gear is required, as snowfall occurs at higher elevations, particularly along the trail from Tharepati to Melamchigaon.
This period marks the rainy season in Nepal. The weather tends to be hot, and visibility is poor due to rain. The trekking trails can also become slippery, making summer an unsuitable time for trekking in the Helambu and Langtang regions.
The Helambu Trek is a fascinating and wonderful place to be, with less than a week of pleasant country walks leading you to high green hills and scenic ridges, offering awesome views of snowcapped peaks. The route also features stunning sunrises and sunsets at Chisapani hilltop, making it a must-visit destination for the Helambu Trek. Helambu Trek in the company of Nepal Spirit Adventure expert guides, who lead you to scenic viewpoints and traditional farm villages, providing full information about the local culture, customs, flora, and fauna of the trekking area.
Start this trek with a short, exciting drive towards the east suburb of Kathmandu Valley at Sundarijal, where our walk begins heading uphill towards Shivapuri National Park entrance located within a cool, serene forested area with views of cascading waterfalls. The walk leads to a climb passing farm villages of Burlang and Chepu Bhanjyang with views of Kathmandu Valley and then into the beautiful alpine forest to reach on top of a ridge at Chisapani Village with super views of sunrise and sunsets over Langtang-Ganesh and Jugal Himal as far as the Annapurna range.
As the walk progresses with ups and downhill trails reaching at lovely villages of Gulfubhanjyang and Kutumsang to Tharepati ridge with superb views and the highest point of the trip at 3,600m | 11,811ft, slowly our pleasant walk leads downhill to Melamchigaon entering Helambu area and then uphill to Tarkeghyang village the main village of Helambu, famous for delicious green apples and beautiful wood-craft, which are found around nice houses with intricate carved windows and doors including Tibetan design furniture.
Helambu is a country of sparsely populated Hyalmo tribe people, interwoven with Buddhist religions, with similar Sherpa and Tamang cultures. Visit the interesting old monastery of Ama Yangri situated on top of the village. After a fabulous time around the Helambu Trek with impressive culture and panorama of mountains, our walk ends at a lovely Shermathang village with a scenic drive back to Kathmandu.
Starting this fabulous Helambu trek with a morning drive east of Kathmandu Valley rim, reaching Sundarijal situated 15 k.m. away from Kathmandu city, from Sundarijal our route leads to an uphill climb through farm villages, a cascade of waterfalls, and reaching an entrance of Shivapuri National Park, from here through patch of forest and scattered farm field villages to reach at Chisapani located on a ridge north of Kathmandu valley rim high hills, where the air is cooler at a height of 2,300 meters with grand views of snowcapped peak ranges from Annapurna-Manaslu-Ganesh Himal, Lang tang Himal extend towards Jugal Himal range including views of Kathmandu valley, this spot offers stunning sunrise and sunset views as well.
Early morning, catching the stunning sunrise views over the chain of peaks, our walk leads downhill to a nice village of Patibhanjyang and then heads uphill towards Thodung danda and Gulphu-bhanjyang to reach our overnight stop at Kutumsang village, a lovely farm village with grand views of rolling green hills, valley, and snow-clad mountains. The 2nd day of the hike is quite long, and you will enjoy seeing the local towns and landscape.
From Kutumsang, a morning walk leads to a gradual climb into pristine woodland of tall pines-fir-magnolia and rhododendron trees reaching a wide-open green field after crossing a hilltop of Kyuola Bhanjyang at 3,280 m, and slowly a short climb leads atop Tahrepati at 3,650 m high with many simple lodges for overnight stay, offering tremendous views of beautiful landscapes and snow-capped peaks.
The morning walk leads to a steep descent into a forested area to reach a farm village of Melamchigaon, and then downhill to Melamchi Khola / river, crossing a bridge uphill to Tarkeghyang village with views of Ganesh, Langtang, and Jugal Himal range. Tarkeghyang, one of the charming villages of the Mid East Himaalaya, famous for woodwork and intricate carving with an orchard of delicious apples, is grown around this beautiful area of Helambu. Hyalmo tribes are the main inhabitants with a strong Buddhist religion similar to Sherpa and Tamang culture. At Tarkeghyang village for an overnight stop in the comfort of the nice homely lodge, with time for a walk around the oldest monastery in the area, full of impressive Buddhist culture.
Enjoying an overnight stop at Tarkeghyang village with its friendly locals of Hyalmo tribes, our last day walk leads on the pleasant path around unspoiled forested areas, with views of beautiful Helambu villages, walk continues passing shortened prayer Buddhist monuments, following the trail with superb views of rolling green hills reaching at Shermathang village for the drive back to Kathmandu, Sermathang another nice village of Hyalmo tribes with time to visit the old monastery. With the last day on the hills of Jugal Himal around the Helambu area, then taking an exciting drive which leads downhill to Melamche Bazaar a busy town, and then on a winding scenic road reaching warmer areas of Melamche Bazaar and finally back at Kathmandu, after an awesome time on Helambu Area trekking, after checking into respective hotels with afternoon free at leisure.
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The published departure date for the online tour/trek is guaranteed to go ahead as scheduled. If this date does not fit your plans, please feel free to email us to discuss an alternative departure date that works for you.
We're providing two-way bus transportation from Kathmandu to Sundarijal (hike start place) and Sermathang (the end of the trek) to Kathmandu by bus. This journey can be your best experience traveling with the local people of Nepal. We can organize private transportation as per your requirements.
We provide accommodation in tea houses (mountain lodges). A Tea House is a combination of a guest house, restaurant, and social hangout. The rooms have twin beds and little additional furniture, like small tables or chairs. Blankets are generally provided (we recommend that you carry your sleeping bags). Most bathrooms are common with squatting (Asian) toilets or of Western comfort with sitting toilets. Most of the lodges and teahouses have hot water for showers, but with an extra charge for using hot showers.
As per your booking Helambu Trek, full board meals are included (breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided). We provide food from these local lodges/tea houses as per the choices on the menu. Breakfast and dinner are provided at the same tea house/lodge, while lunch would be on the trail. Every Tea House serves the traditional Nepali meal Dal Bhat (rice and lentils), as well as a variety of different food items, such as rice, seasonal vegetables, noodles, potatoes, and soups. Some lodge serves western foods such as pizza, pasta, and French fries. Soft drinks, snacks, and beer are available in most of the Tea house restaurants. A variety of cereals, bread, and egg dishes are generally available for breakfast.
During the Helambu trek, safe drinking water is very important while we are on the trek. We recommend that one should drink at least 3-4 liters of water a day (this helps from dehydration and altitude problems, AMS). As long as possible, we recommend you buy sealed packs of mineral water and can buy from every local shop and lodge. Remember! River, spring, and tap water are free, but we do not recommend you drink it directly, even water looks very clean, you can not drink it without adding water purification pills or filters, then it will be suitable to drink. You can also buy boiled water from every lodge. Boiled water and sealed packaged water cost 1-2$ dollars per liter, and its cost also depends on where we are above the sea level. So, you need to prepare and pack the extra cost for all the table drinks.