Gosaikunda Lake is a popular lake among trekkers and religious people. It rests at highlands of Langtang Region at an altitude of 4,380 meters. It lies in Rasuwa District to the north of Kathmandu Valley. This alpine freshwater lake has dozens of associated lakes including Bhairav Kunda and Saraswati Kunda.
Gosainkunda Lake is a sacred lake for both Hindus and Buddhists. In the month of August, thousands of Hindu and Buddhist devotees(mainly Hindus) go there to pay homage to Lord Shiva on the full moon day. They have a belief that all their sins and sorrows are washed away once they take a dip in Gosaikunda.
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Gosaikunda Trek
In your trek to Gosaikunda, you trek through a beautiful trail that passes through numerous small villages, streams and rhododendron forest. You also climb to high passes and march through ridges which offer you the astonishing views of Langtang, Ganesh, Himal Chuli, Dorje Lakpa and more. The trek to Gosaikunda is just full of amazing experience.
Mainly, Tamang people inhabit this part of Nepal. You can delve into the culture and traditions of the Tamang people and their lifestyle. This not only makes Gosainkunda an adventurous trek, but cultural trek as well.
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Gosaikunda Trek Highlights
- Explore Gosaikunda Lake and dozens of its associates
- Cross Laurebina Pass( 4654 m)
- Witness the amazing views of Langtang, Ganesh, Himal Chuli and more
- Stay in Tamang settlements and make friends
- Visit monasteries including Singh Gompa
- Discover the amazing region of Langtang National Park
- March through the habitat of Musk Deer and Red Panda
Gosaikunda Trek Cost
Gosaikunda Trek costs around $400 USD to $550 USD. This includes the cost of trekking permits, transportation, accommodation with full boards meals throughout the trek and many other costs as well.
The trek cost depends upon the number of days, trekking routes, and other factors like accommodation, trekking season, group size and so forth. The itinerary is customizable according to your needs and preferences.
Langtang Gosaikunda Trek Cost
You can also combine your Gosaikunda trek with Langtang Valley trek. This adds about 4-5 days and the cost also increases accordingly. The cost is usually between $ 650 USD to $ 1000 USD.
Trekkers usually trek to Langtang Valley and Kyanjin Gompa first. After the halfway return through the same route to Pairo, the trail to Gosaikunda starts. Langtang Gosaikunda trek offers trekkers with a chance to explore to numerous places.
You trek through alpine forests, grasslands, and high ridges. You live in Tamang Villages and experience their unique and Tibetan-influenced culture. You explore beautiful lakes, cross high passes and witness breathtaking peaks of Himalayas.
Cost Includes
Here is the list of major costs that incur during your Gosaikunda trek.
Permit fees
To trek to Gosaikunda, foreigners have to take a couple of permit. One is TIMS card – a compulsory permit card to trek to different parts of Nepal. This costs about Nrs. 1000 (US $10) if applied through a tour agency and Nrs. 2000 ( US $20) if you apply on your own.
Another is Langtang National Park Entry Permit. Foreigners have to pay $30 plus 13 % VAT to acquire Langtang National Park Permit.
Transportation cost
Our representative transfers you to and from the airport. Usually travellers have to spend between US $10 – US $20 as taxi fares for airport transfers.
Besides that, you have to travel to trailhead via a bus/jeep. Also, you will be returning via a bus/jeep from the end of your trail. If your starting and ending point of your trek is Dhunche, then it takes you about US $ 20 for the roundtrip. This includes meal costs as well.
If the trailhead/ending point of your trek is Sundarijal, then the cost decrease slightly.
The package includes all these incurred costs.
Accommodation in Kathmandu
You will stay in a star hotel during your stay in Kathmandu. The stay in Kathmandu is usually of two days. The accommodation includes breakfast as well. Accommodation cost is around $15-$30 each day.
Accommodation with full board meals
During your trek, you will stay in tea houses that have basic facilities. Accommodation and meal in teahouses cost about US $ 40 to $ 70. The cost is for 5-7 days stay. Rooms are basic with a bed, blanket and maybe a few required items. Meals usually consist of Dal, Bhat, lentil soup, vegetable curry and sauteed spinach.
Our guide looks after your accommodation with full board meals during the entire trek.
Guides and Porters Cost
A guide usually costs about US $20 – US $30 per day. Likewise, porters cost about US $15 – $20 per day. There is also extra $25 fee incurred for the guide’s and porter’s insurance. We look after all these costs as well.
Cost Excludes
Visa fee
It costs US$25 for 15 days visa in Nepal. If you want to spend more day here, then 30 days visa costs US$40 and 90 days visa costs you US$100.
International flight fare
Tour operators’ packages do not cover international flight fares. So, our package does not include the cost of your travel to/from your country.
Beverages
Our packages do not include the costs of drinks in your trek.
Meals in Kathmandu
Meals cost is usually between US$10-US$30 per day in Kathmandu. This includes both lunch and dinner.
Travel insurance
Our trek package does not cover your travel insurance. So, make sure that you buy an insurance policy that covers your medical and emergency rescue.
Some insurances do not include trekking at high altitudes. So, choose an insurance policy that covers hiking to at least 5,000 meters.
Tips for porters and guides
Porters and guides expect the tips from you. So, if you are happy with them, you can reward them with tips. But, tippings is from your pocket and our package does not include tippings.
Personal expenses
You will encounter many personal expenses during your journey. Expenses like phone bills, WiFi charges, battery charging costs, etc. incur at times. You are wholly responsible for the cost.
Gosaikunda Trek Itinerary
Our 9 days Gosaikunda Trek takes you through many small villages and forests. You pass through Tamang villages, visit monasteries and enjoy every bit of your exploration. The itinerary involves six walking days. You walk about 6 hours at an average per day.
| Day | Itinerary | Trek Hours |
| 01 | Fly to Kathmandu | |
| 02 | Drive from Kathmandu to Sundarijal(30 minutes) and trek to Chisapani(2300m/7546 ft) | 30 minutes drive+
4 hours trek |
| 03 | Chisapani(2300m/7546 ft) to Kutumsang(2,450m/8,038 ft) | 5-6 hours |
| 04 | Kutumsang(2,450m/8,038 ft to Ghopte(3,430m/11,253 ft) | 6-7 hours |
| 05 | Ghopte(3,430m/11,253 ft) to Gosaikunda(4,380m/14,370ft) | 6-7 hours |
| 06 | Explore Gosaikunda lake | |
| 07 | Gosaikunda(4,380m/14,370ft) to Dhunche(2,030m/6,660 ft) | 6-7 hours |
| 08 | Drive from Dhunche to Kathmandu(1400m/4593ft) | 6-7 hours drive |
| 09 | Fly back to your country |
Or, you can just reverse start from Dhunche to end your trek at Kathmandu.
For those who are tight on time schedule, Gosaikunda offers you a further short trek. The trek can be completed in as minimum as 5 days. You travel via a local bus/jeep to Dhunche. The next day, you trek to Cholangpati or Sing Gompa for the second-night stay. Then, another day’s walk takes you to Gosaikunda. Then you return to Dhunche on the fourth day and return back to Kathmandu by a local bus.
Gosaikunda trekking Season
Gosaikunda attracts thousands of trekkers yearly. Most of the trekkers trek to Gosaikunda in Autumn and Spring season. Autumn prevails from September to November. Likewise, March, April, and May are the months for Spring trekking.
Besides, Gosaikunda gets thousands of trekkers in August. Although monsoon is the off-season, thousands of Nepalese and Indian Hindu devotees visit Gosaikunda.
During this time, the days are usually rainy, trails are slippery and tea houses are packed. Climate is cold and leeches are another problem during this time. Despite all these drawbacks, devotees come to Gosaikunda. Slow and gradual old age people also trek to the lake to dive in the holy lake. They take a dip in the ice cold water, and men change their sacred thread called ‘Janai’.
Final Words
Gosainkunda Trek is a moderate trek with a fair gain in altitude each day. You do not have to spend on expensive permits, domestic flights or expensive gears. As this is a teahouse trek, you can trek to Gosaikunda with a single porter for a couple of trekkers. In every sense, Gosaikunda trek is a modest trek that trekkers can greatly enjoy.
If you are interested in Gosaikunda trek, you can contact us. We are a detail-oriented local tour company who strive to make your trek a success. Need help? Click here.
Want more information? Send us your query, and our experts will get back to you within 24 hrs.
Madhav started working as a porter in 2001 and then moved on to work as a trekking guide. After working in the trekking and tourism industry for eight years, he co-founded Mosaic Adventure in 2009.
Madhav has trekked to most of the trekking destinations in Nepal, including Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit Trek, Poon Hill Trek, Jomsom Muktinath Trek, Indigenous Peoples Trek, Langtang Valley Trek, Mardi Himal Trek, and all of the day hikes around Kathmandu.
He has also extensively traveled to other countries such as Australia, the USA, the UK, France, Hong Kong, Japan, China, the Philippines, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Thailand, Turkey, and India. Madhav is the one who answers most of your questions about trekking and tours and helps to plan your trip by giving a personal touch.
