Gosaikunda also spelt Gosainkunda and Gosain Kunda is an alpine freshwater lake in Nepal's Langtang National Park, located at an elevation of 4,380m (14,370 ft) in the Rasuwa District. There are about 108 lakes in the vicinity. The lake is the main water source for Trishuli River. It has some of the characteristics to become a first Himalayan trekking experience for the beginners. It is near to Kathmandu and trekking can be started the very next day. The whole trek can be spent within 5 days or can be combined with Langtang Valley Trek for a long trek. Basic accommodation is easily available. The trek path is well marked. The trek to Gosainkunda can be started from the district headquarters of Rasuwa - Dhunche or from the village of Syabru Besi or from Sundarijal in the Kathmandu valley.
Hindus regard this place as a religious site. The lake of Gosainkunda has been described in Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is believed to be created by Lord Shiva when he thrust his Trishul (holy Trident) into Mountain to extract water so that he could cool his stinging throat after he had swallowed poison. According to Hindu mythology, Gosainkunda is the abode of Hindu deities Shiva and Parbati.
The journey starts from the hotel Yak & Yeti, Kathmandu. It is about a whole day bus ride to Dhunche. It is better to start the journey as early as possible. Dhunche is a beautiful town & districts headquarter of the Himalayan district of Rasuwa situated at an elevation of 2,030m (6,660 ft). The evening can be spent strolling the town and eating delicious dishes.
Stay: Hotel or Guesthouses.
Trek starts from today. The trek from Dhunche to Chandabari is a steeply ascending trail. There are tea-houses between every hour range. It is possible to reach Chandanbari at around 6-7 hours of trekking. It is advisable to have breakfast at Dhunche and lunch at somewhere between the trek. Chandanbari or Sing-Gompa is a small village situated at around 3250m (10,663 ft). It is very much recommended to stay here for the night as altitude sickness is a real thing in the Himalayas and body needs to get adapted with decreasing oxygen level. Visit local Dairy, Gompas and majestic Himalayan views are the things that shouldn't be missed.
Stay: Guesthouse or tea-houses
The trek starts after good breakfast. The trail is similar to the day before - mostly uphill climb. On the way, there are spectacular scenes of mountains that lie near and around the trek path. The famous mountains like Langtang and Ganesh Himal are very close to the trail. There is numerous waterfall on the way. The next stop for the lunch is Lauribina. Lauribina is a small village situated at an altitude of around 3700m. Gosainkunda is about 3-4 hours trek from here. After 1 hour of steep ascending, the trail starts to be easy. The first one to see on the trail is Saraswati Kunda. Saraswati Kunda is a very small pond. The second one is Bhairabh Kunda. Bhairabh Kunda is quite larger than Saraswati Kunda and can be considered as a small lake. The last one of the three and trekking objective is the holy lake of Gosainkunda, situated at 4,380m (14,370 ft). The lake remains frozen in winter October to June.
Stay: Tea-houses
Visit the surrounding area and take some photographs in early sunrise. The path to Dhunche is very easy compared to climbing up so Dhunche can be reached after 5-6 hours of descending. Buy bus tickets for the next day. For the rest of the evening, visit the local community.
Stay: Hotel or Guesthouses.
Arrive Kathmandu in the evening. Relax at the Hotel Yak & Yeti.
Gosainkunda Trek is one of the best & short treks in the Nepal Himalayas. The trek can be done within 5 days. Due to this, it is highly recommended to the time-constrained travellers who are staying at the hotel Yak & Yeti. The prime location of Hotel Yak & Yeti is not only suitable for city tourist but also equally helpful for trekkers too. For more information on things that are needed for trekking in Nepal, please check our dedicate blog post on top 10 things needed for a mountain trek. Enjoy your stay at Hotel Yak & Yeti.