Langtang Valley Trek in April

The whole route walks well. Bare trail from Syabrubesi to Kyanjin Gompa, fast forest sections, and an upper valley that is open rather than banked with snow. The trek is graded easy and April is the month that grading feels accurate.

Tserko Ri is the day that makes an April trek. From Kyanjin Gompa it is a long steady climb of roughly a thousand metres to the 4,985m marker, and on a clear April morning it gives Langtang Lirung, Langtang Ri and the peaks along the Tibetan border in one turn. Most people take four to five hours up. Start before six.

The 25th of April is the anniversary of the earthquake, and there are usually observances at Langtang village and at the memorial. Groups walking through that week may encounter them. It is a normal part of the valley's year rather than something to plan around, and it is worth knowing about in advance.

April is the busiest month in Langtang and that still leaves it far quieter than the Annapurna or Everest routes in the same weeks. Kyanjin Gompa lodges can fill on the busiest nights, and booking ahead is sensible rather than essential.

Everything is open and fully staffed. The yak cheese factory at Kyanjin Gompa, which has been running since the Swiss set it up in the 1950s, is worth twenty minutes and sells the only cheese you will find above 3,000m in Nepal.

The road is at its driest and its busiest. Vehicles need arranging a few days ahead in April, and the eight-hour drive remains the least pleasant part of this trek in every month. Permits are checked at Dhunche.