Langtang Trek Day 5 Kyanjin Gompa to Kyanjin Ri and back to Lama Hotel

 

Click here to read about day 4 of the trek.

This was the best day of the trek for mountain views.  My guide and I hiked up to Kyanjin Ri for some amazing panorama vistas of the mountains.  We could even see an 8,000er (Shishapangma 8,027m) in China (Tibet).  After our summit, we hiked down to Lama Hotel.  Without further ado, here is Kyanjin Ri.

Kyanjin Ri

I woke up at 5:00 to a beautiful starry night sky.  I threw on a few layers of warm cloths and my guide and I were on the trail by 5:30. Though it was still dark outside the mountains glowed.  They were highlighted in the darkness.  The trail head to Kyanjin Ri is a few minutes from the hotel.  It was extremely easy to find.

After hiking 20 minutes we were half way to the first sightseeing point and the views were incredible.  I was so giddy, I kept stopping every couple of minutes to take pictures.  We made it to the first view point at 7:00.  I could see Naya Kanga, Urking Kanggari, Kangjala Himal, Ponggen Dopku, Dshabu Ri, Gangchenpo, Langshisa Ri Tserko Ri Langtang 2, Langtang Lirung, Changbu, Kinshung, and Langtang Lirung Glacier.

 

The view point has a bench, mani wall and prayer flags.  The bench faces Yubra Himal, which limits your view of the mountains to Langtang Lirung, Changbu, and Kinshung.  If you do not sit on the bench and walk around a little, you can see it all.

From the view point we ascended another hour to Kyanjin Ri.  The trail led us on top of a narrow mountain ridge with steep slopes on our left and right.  A light amount of snow covered the ground and began to melt, which made the trail slippery and dangerous.

Kyanjin Ri summit

We arrived at the summit just before 8:00.  I stood there smiling my heart out while the mountains spun around me.  I felt like rain man counting cards in a casino.  The sky was starting to be come thick with haze, and a few clouds had formed, so I decided I should take a few pictures.

We could see Langtang Lirung, Changbu, Langtang Lirung Glacier, Kinshung, Yubra, Tserko Peak, Yala Peak Tserko Ri, Langshisa Ri, Pemthang Karpo Ri, Shishapangma (26,289 ft), Dshabu, Ponggen Dopku, Kangjala Himal, Urking Kanggari, Naya Kanga, and many others.

I just stood there looking at the cairns and mountains and prayer flags.  It was so unbelievable I had to think about it for a time.  I understand why monks go to the mountains to meditate.  The atmosphere is clean and real.  It is just you and the mountains.

I took a few more pictures then headed back down.  I didn’t want to leave, but the clouds were starting to become thick and the views were becoming less viewable.

It took about an hour to make it back to the hotel.  We would have made it back sooner, but somebody peed in the center trail, so I had to walk around it, which proved more difficult on the steep terrain.  I also slipped in the snow melt or what I thought was snow melt a few times.

Trekking to Lama Hotel

We paid our bill and checked out of the hotel.  By 10:00 we were at the edge of the hotel looking back at what we were leaving behind.  Also, at the edge of Kanjin Gompa was Aku.  Aku is a young Nepali woman who operates a travel blog.

We walked the rest of the way to Lama Hotel together.  The trail down was surprisingly long, but it went by fast.  We passed through some of the most beautiful forests in Nepal.  These forests are almost as amazing as the mountains.  It was a real treat to go on this trek.

The forests were primarily oak and had a lot of ferns and moss growing on their trunks.  It was extremely beautiful and peaceful.  We again passed waterfalls cascading from the summits of clouds and cliffs.  We decided to take the direct route through the forest instead of crossing the bridges.  It was a good choice because it saved us a lot of time, we got to stay in the forest, and there were no horse trains to contend with.

Walking through the forest is like walking through peace.  It was like being eternally satisfied.

We came to a clearing where the river met us with its humming waves.  Birds danced over the river catching insects and chirping. The trail coaxed us along and eventually we were back in the forest.  We passed a small village and soon afterward we were back in Lama Hotel.

Click here to read about day 6 and the end of our journey.