Gosaikunda Lake Pilgrimage Trek - 8 Days

If you are willing to go on a hike with all the religious and adventure values, Gosaikunda Trek is one of the stunning expeditions in Rasuwa, District of Nepal. This place is also known as the heart of Langtang National Park. Many called it Surya Kunda Trek which is at an elevation of 14,370 ft (4,380 m). You can explore around 108 lakes on the way to Gosaikunda Trek in different places along the way. Among these Gosaikunda, Saraswatikunda, and Bhairabkunda are major ones. Gosaikunda also known as the home of Lord Shiva holds religious values too. Tamang community has also its cultural values. All the people of different castes reside here together following each other's culture and traditions.

Karnali River, one of Nepal's longest rivers, also flows from the Gosaikunda Lake. Having clean and clear water at Gosaikunda many believe in having a bath in the holy water exploring different small villages and valleys, meeting people of local culture residing among them, and exploring their lifestyles. We can experience mostly the Bhramins, Newar, and Tamang cultures.

Langtang National Park being the heart of Gosaikunda Trek, we can see and explore different flora and fauna. We can also enjoy the eye-catching view of different Himalayas ranges, high dense green forests, and hills with rhododendrons, pines, and mapples. On the way, we can also see the beautiful view of sunrise and sunset from Lauribinayak.

Highlights of Gosaikunda Lake Pilgrimage Trek

• Reaching the height of 4315m exploring Gosaikunda.
• Going through the Pine, Rhododendron, and Maple forests.
• Visiting Tibetan Gompas, temples, and monasteries.
• Sunset and Sunrise view of the Himalayas passing Lauribinayak La Pass.
• Visiting 108 lakes varying from small, medium to largest.
• Panoramic views of different Himalayas peaks and ranges.
• Exploring Bhramins, Tamang, Sherpas, and Newars culture.

Recommended Gears for the Trek

A Gosaikunda Trek is a wonderful journey as long as one is prepared well with a proper packing list. So preparing one's packing list before the trek comes in quite handy. 

The necessary packing list for the trek is mentioned under the following points:

Clothing:

• Pair of Thermal Base Layer
• One Fleece Jacket/ Pull-over hoodie
• One Down Jacket
• Full Body Set Raincoat
• Two pairs of Trekking pants
• Water proof Jacket and Pants
• Hiking T-shirts
• Warm Cap and Gloves

Footwear:

• Trekking boots
• Easy shoes or sandals
• Synthetic socks
• Snow gaiters/crampons

Accessories:

• UV protection Sunglasses
• Moisturizer and Sunscreen
• Lights for emergency

Personal Accessories:

• Water Bottle
• High protein snacks while trekking
• Personal hygiene products(Toiletries, medications, wash towel, wet tissues)
• Towels
• Head Lamp
• Micro fleece buff
• Day bag pack with rain cover
• Trekking poles
• Sleeping Bags
• Sleeping Bag liner

First Aid:

• Personal Medication
• Basic first aid Kit

Documents:

• Passport and Permits Paper
• Travel Insurance

Extras: (Optional)

• Camera 
• Powerbank

Whenever you are planning to hike to Gosaikunda, don’t forget to equip yourself with some snacks, and relevant gear for yourself.

Trek difficulty of the Gosaikunda Lake Pilgrimage Trek

If you wish to go on a trek that is easy but want many things to explore then, you can put Gosaikunda in your bucklelists. The trip to Gosaikunda is not so difficult and have flat trails at most of the places walking in the bank of the rivers. Also, the trials are almost fixed by making a concrete route so the trekkers won't face any issues by rain, or slippery trails. You can enjoy the climbs with ups and downs hills walking with the rocky route and the windblowing slow wind through the forest. The smell and view of rhododendrons will make you lost in their beauty. You have to walk approximately 117 km in the total distance starting from an elevation of 2,000m to landing on 4,380m.

Both, the inexperienced and experienced one can complete this trek easily having good health and stamina. You have to roughly walk for around 6-to-7 hours a day on this trail. After getting at a high altitude you may feel some change in altitude so you must acclimate your body to the higher altitude during the climb.

Best Seasons to go to Gosaikunda

If you are thinking of hiking to Gosaikunda Lake Spring Season and Autumn Season can be the best. During this time, we can experience the pros that it provides to the trekkers. 

Spring Season:

Spring Season is the best time for Gosaikunda hiking as it starts from late February to Early June. This season provides a warm temperature with balanced weather where we can enjoy every corner of the Himalayas peaks and clear skies. In this season, we can see a vibrantly blooming view of Rhododendron forests which is the national flower of Nepal that offers you the best stunning scenery along the way. We can also experience temperatures around 18 degrees Celcius to 30 degrees Celcius in the daytime and 6 degrees Celcius to 18 degrees Celcius at night. In this time, when most of the hikers prefer to visit Gosaikunda. In late May, you may experience some rain so, before starting be prepared fully.

Autumn Season:

Autumn Season is also the best time for Gosaikunda hiking as it starts from early September to late December. This season provides a moderate temperature with balanced weather where we can enjoy clear skies and mountain peaks. It is the perfect time when we can have the best view of lush and vibrant landscapes with excellent visibility where we can enjoy everything we can around the way. The temperature is moderate at the date time and at night we may experience some cold.

People and Lifestyle of Gosaikunda Region

The journey to Gosaikunda offers you the best cultural and traditional experiences where you can spot different caste people on the way. These locals people will warmly welcome you and gives you the best hospitality in all the possible ways. You will be able to know the valuable insights, practices, and beliefs of the people regarding their religious traditions and culture. We can see Tamang people a lot more in the Gosaikunda regions than other caste people. You can also visit recently made and some ancient monasteries where you can have some meditation and take a break to watch the lifestyle of monks. 

On the trail to Gosaikunda, you will go through several villages, each with its history and way of life. The Tamanags and Sherpas that live there have Tibetan cultural influences, and their villages reflect this. You will also learn and know about the traditions and cultures of a people who have gone without modern conveniences for generations.

Heritage and Beliefs of the Gosaikunda Region

Here, in Gosaikunda we can see mostly Hindus and Buddhists where the Gosaikunda Lake has numerous secrets and legends according to their religions. 

According to Hindus, here it is believed that the place where Lake formed is the exact place which was made by Lord Shiva with his "Tirshul". Also, Hindu mythology calls this body of water Samundra Manthan, or Ocean Churning. Janai Purnima and Gangadashara are celebrated here by Hindus. The day of Janai Purnima it is believed that this is the day when we must need to bath our bodies in the lake to wash away our sins and on the day of Gangadashara, it is believed that the Lord Ganga has been sitting on the bottom ground level of the lake. Dushera is when ten sins are destroyed. Ten physical, mental, and verbal sins are removed by same-day virtual deeds.

According to Buddhists, they also have their value in this lake. All the Buddhists mostly Tamang visit here to pray for their dead loved ones' afterlife well-being. On the same day as Janai Purnima, Jhankhris goes there to chant and perform there by singing a song.

Flora and Fauna found around Gosaikunda

Seeing these recent trends, we can see a larger number of visitors are seen to be attracted to Gosaikunda from all over the world. The stunning views of the Manaslu Range, Langtang Lirung, and Ganesh Himal await you as you trek through a region as varied as its name. Passing through the wooden bridges, canyons, suspension bridges, and high wallpasses exploring the scenery of peaks and forests.

The trails leading to Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda may now be expected to pass through the lush forests of Langtang National Park, providing an opportunity to view innumerable rare flora and fauna. Through the Bhote Koshi and Langtang Khola gorge up to the next fenced forests of oak and maple, an abundance of wildlife is scattered in the vicinity-Deer, Grey Langurs, wild boar, Himalayan black bear, the rare red panda along with snow leopard shall coexist on the landscape with domesticated animals like yaks, cows, and mules.

Why Gosaikunda Lake Pilgrimage Trek?

Gosaikunda Trek is the complete package of budget-friendly, free, and flexible trek. Being one of the most well-known hiking routes, it offers you stunning views of forests, lakes, and meadows along the way which you can see and explore. It is the most worthwhile trek having a guide-free trail and also having a permit to go solo. Being both inexperienced and experienced one can enjoy this hike enjoying a glimpse of sunrise and sunsets. It provides you with an unforgettable adventure and thrilling vibes filled with cultural richness and natural beauty that you won't forget soon.