The Gosainkunda Lake is one among the many important pilgrimage spots in the Nepal Himalaya. According to Hindu mythology, this high altitude lake was created by Lord Shiva by piercing a glacier with his trident in order to acquire water to quench his thirst after he had consumed poison. It is believed that that the water of the lake flows out via a subterranean conduit to emerge at Khumbeshwor pond that is situated adjacent to the five-storey Shiva temple in Patan, one of the three sister cities of the Kathmandu Valley, more than 60 km away. During the full-moon festival each August known as Janai Purnima, thousands of religious souls and shamans throng to Gosainkunda Lake to worship and bathe as they believe that their sins will be washed away by so doing.

The trek to Gosainkunda can either be undertaken via the shorter route from Dhunche or combined with the Langtang Valley Trek. Shorter though the former route may be, it is a rather steep and difficult climb and much riskier as there isn’t much option of getting oneself acclimatized to the rising gradients. So the best way to trek to Gosainkunda is to visit Langtang first, have a day’s rest at Kyanjingompa, return to Thulo Syabru and then trek to the holy lake. The mountain views are also much better on this route. From Thulo Syabru, we begin a steep climb to Singompa and cross over via the Laurebina La pass (4,610) to the Helambu region of the Langtang Valley where Gosainkunda and other smaller lakes are located. After having had our fill of the holy lake, we initially descend to Gopte, ascend again to Therapati before making our final descent to Sundarijal via Gulbhanjang and Chisopani. From Sundarijal, we have the option of hiking or driving back to Kathmandu.

- Luxury Trek - Classic Everest Trek - Renjo-Gokyo-Cho Trek - Gokyo-Cho Trek - Renjo La-Cho Trek - Khumbi Ila Circuit Trek - Nar Phu Trek - Ghorepani (Poon Hill) Trek - Annapurna Circuit Trek - Annapurna Circuit (Jomsom) Trek - Annapurna Sanctuary Trek   - Langtang Valley Trek - Gosainkunda Pilgrimage Trail - Rasuwa Trek (Tamang Heritage)   - Around Dhaulagiri - Manaslu Trek - Makalu Base Camp Trek - Kanchenjunga Base Camp (North/South) Trek - Upper Mustang - Upper Dolpo