The Road to Langtang - a few hints

The road trip from Kathmandu to Langtang Valley can be quite an experience. Driving on the edge of the abyss, on a narrow, stony gravel road carved out of a soft soil hillside – and then meeting a truck coming in the opposite direction! There’s also landslides to watch out for. And you can’t even be sure to have a proper seat on the bus for the 8-10 hours drive! But it’s a road, nevertheless, and usually it will get you to your destination.

The road to Langtang is in good condition until you reach Trishuli Bazar (~540 meters), which is usually where the bus-drivers stop for breakfast/lunch at 10-11 o’clock. From there it’s up, up, up the road until Dunche (~2000 meters, district headquarters and where you need to pay your park entrance fee). You either get off there or continue a couple of hours further down the road until you get to Syabru Besi, the starting point of the Langtang Valley trek.

6 Hints for the mountain road trip to Langtang Valley:

• On paper, it’s easy: Get on one of the two busses leaving Kathmandu’s New Bus Park every morning, at about 6.30 and 7 o’clock. And 8-10 hours later, start trekking up the Langtang Valley. Tickets cost about 3$!
• The bus tends to get really crowded. So get to the bus station early and consider booking your ticket one day in advance, if possible.
• There’s not always enough seats. The last passengers to arrive may have to sit on the roof of the bus! Especially when driving down the road from Langtang. Don’t worry if it happens, just hang on up there!
• Road conditions can be even worse after the monsoon. Especially September and October. Landslides tend to occur at a point before Dunche, and you may simply have to get off your bus and walk through the landslide. This will delay you a couple of hours.
• Hiring a jeep to drive you up the road from Kathmandu is also an option. It will be more comfortable and a bit faster. Perhaps also a bit safer.
• And finally, you can skip the road altogether, either by walking in from Kathmandu (4-5 days, you’ll need a map) or by chartering a helicopter (20 minutes!, 1500$ for a 5-seater one way).

But if you do decide to take the bus to Langtang, and that's what most visitors do, the good news is that you'll have a great story to tell friends at home. If they believe you!

Ease your pain
Three quick suggestions to relieve you from the fatigue of a cramped and long bus trip:

• Strike up conversations with other bus passengers - and make it as deep as possible.
• Bring your iPod.
• And get some motion sickness tablets or try the wrist strap with acupressure motion-aid.