Langtang Lirung Expedition
Langtang Lirung (7,227 m) is the highest mountain in the Langtang Himal and one of the hardest 7,000 m peaks in Nepal. I
Trip Overview
Langtang Lirung (7,227 m) is the highest mountain in the Langtang Himal and one of the hardest 7,000 m peaks in Nepal. It rises 3,300 m directly above Kyanjin Gompa in a single sweep of ice and hanging glacier, and it has an ascent record to match: first climbed in 1978 by a Japanese team, and successful since on only a handful of occasions, with a fatality rate that has kept most commercial operators away entirely.
We offer it to experienced alpinists and we describe it accurately. The route is graded TD- — sustained steep ice, mixed ground, and serac exposure on the lower and middle mountain that is managed by timing rather than avoided. It is the nearest 7,000 m peak to Kathmandu, seven days from an international arrivals hall, and it is by a wide margin the most serious thing in this catalogue below the 8,000 m peaks.
Trip Highlights
Summit Langtang Lirung (7,227 m): The highest peak in the Langtang Himal, climbed successfully only a handful of times since 1978.
A Grade TD- Route: Sustained steep ice and mixed ground, fixed entirely by our own Sherpa team.
Three Thousand Metres Above Kyanjin: The face rises in a single sweep from the valley floor — the most imposing view from any lodge in Nepal.
The Nearest 7,000 m Peak to Kathmandu: Base camp seven days after landing, with no domestic flight involved.
One Climbing Sherpa Per Client: One-to-one high-altitude support, with our team fixing the route from the bottom.
Itinerary
A 29-day expedition on Langtang Lirung (7,227 m), the highest peak in the Langtang Himal and one of the hardest 7,000 m routes in Nepal, with three camps, a rotation, rope fixed by our own team and three reserve days.
1Day 1Arrival in Nepal – Kathmandu (1,400 m)
Arrival in Nepal – Kathmandu (1,400 m)
You land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (1,400 m), where our representative meets you in the arrivals hall and drives you to your hotel in Thamel.
Rest is the only item on today's schedule. Thamel's gear shops are a few minutes' walk away and stock most of what a climber discovers they have left at home.
Your leader calls at the hotel in the evening to introduce themselves and confirm tomorrow's plan. Overnight in Kathmandu.
2Day 2Kathmandu (1,400 m) – Briefing, Permits and Equipment Check
Kathmandu (1,400 m) – Briefing, Permits and Equipment Check
Your leader runs the full briefing at the hotel: the twenty-nine day plan, the acclimatisation profile, the summit day, and the decisions that get made on the mountain and by whom.
Then the equipment check. Boots are tried with crampons on, harnesses fitted over the layers you will actually climb in, and anything unsuitable swapped for rental kit here rather than discovered at altitude.
Our office lodges the climbing permit, the Langtang National Park permit and the TIMS card, which need your passport and photographs. The afternoon is free. Overnight in Kathmandu.
3Day 3Kathmandu (1,400 m) – Ministry Briefing and Cargo Dispatch
Kathmandu (1,400 m) – Ministry Briefing and Cargo Dispatch
The formal side of an expedition. The team attends the briefing at the Department of Tourism with the liaison officer, where the royalty permit is issued, the regulations are read out and the waste-management deposit is registered.
Meanwhile the expedition cargo is weighed, sealed into barrels and dispatched to Syabrubesi, where porters and pack animals take it up the valley.
Langtang is the closest expedition to Kathmandu of any in this catalogue, and the logistics are correspondingly quick — cargo can be at the road head the same evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.
4Day 4Drive from Kathmandu (1,400 m) to Syabrubesi (1,460 m)
Drive from Kathmandu (1,400 m) to Syabrubesi (1,460 m)
North out of the Kathmandu valley over the rim at Kakani and down to the Trishuli, then up a hill road that climbs to Dhunche at 1,960 m — the district headquarters and the Langtang National Park entrance.
The road is rough, winding and spectacular, with the Ganesh Himal opening to the north-west and the Tibetan border a few kilometres east for much of the way.
Syabrubesi (1,460 m) sits at the confluence of the Bhote Koshi and the Langtang Khola. Around 7 to 8 hours, and the shortest road approach to any climbing region in Nepal. Overnight at Syabrubesi.
5Day 5Trek from Syabrubesi (1,460 m) to Lama Hotel (2,470 m)
Trek from Syabrubesi (1,460 m) to Lama Hotel (2,470 m)
East into the Langtang gorge, following the river upstream on a trail that crosses it several times on suspension bridges and climbs steadily through dense forest.
This is one of the best forests on any trekking route in Nepal — oak, maple and rhododendron, thick with moss and langur monkeys, and in spring loud with birds. Red panda live here, though almost nobody sees one.
Lama Hotel (2,470 m) is a handful of lodges in a clearing beside the river, hemmed in by the gorge and dark by four in the afternoon. Around 6 hours. Overnight at Lama Hotel.
6Day 6Trek from Lama Hotel (2,470 m) to Langtang Village (3,430 m)
Trek from Lama Hotel (2,470 m) to Langtang Village (3,430 m)
Up through the last of the forest to Ghoda Tabela, where the gorge opens and the valley becomes a broad glacial trough with Langtang Lirung filling the northern wall.
The walking is easier and the country turns Tamang — yak pasture, stone walls, mani stones and water-driven prayer wheels.
Langtang Village (3,430 m) was destroyed on 25 April 2015 when the earthquake brought a section of hillside and glacier down on it, killing most of the inhabitants and the visitors staying there. The village has been rebuilt on safer ground beside the debris field, and there is a memorial with the names on it. It is worth stopping at. Around 6 hours. Overnight at Langtang Village.
7Day 7Trek from Langtang Village (3,430 m) to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
Trek from Langtang Village (3,430 m) to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
A short and beautiful morning up the widening valley past mani walls, chortens and the largest prayer wheel in the region, with the glaciers of Langtang Lirung hanging above on the left.
Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) is the highest settlement in the valley — a small monastery, a cheese factory started with Swiss help in the 1950s, and a scatter of lodges under the mountain.
It is also the base for everything above: Kyanjin Ri, Tserko Ri, the Langshisha Kharka and all three of the climbing peaks in this valley are reached from here. Around 3 to 4 hours. Overnight at Kyanjin Gompa.
8Day 8Acclimatisation Day at Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) – Tserko Ri (4,984 m)
Acclimatisation Day at Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) – Tserko Ri (4,984 m)
Climb high, sleep low. The morning goes up Tserko Ri (4,984 m), a steep but non-technical four-hour ascent on a well-worn path directly above the village.
The height gained is the point — touching 5,000 m and sleeping 1,100 m lower is what makes the climbing possible. The view from the top runs the length of the valley: Langtang Lirung, Langshisha Ri, Dorje Lakpa and the Jugal Himal, with the Tibetan border ridges to the north.
Back down for a late lunch and rest. Your leader takes the first saturation readings this evening. Around 6 to 7 hours. Overnight at Kyanjin Gompa.
9Day 9Trek from Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) to Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
Trek from Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) to Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
North-west out of Kyanjin and up onto the moraine below the face — a short day in distance and a steep one, gaining 430 m in two to three hours on boulder ground.
Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m) is established today, and where it goes is the most deliberate decision of the expedition. Camp is sited clear of the serac and avalanche run-out from the hanging glaciers above, which costs some walking every day and is not negotiable.
Mess, kitchen, storage, communications and toilet tents alongside the sleeping tents. Home for the next fortnight, with three thousand metres of mountain directly overhead. Overnight at base camp.
10Day 10Puja Ceremony and Settling In at Base Camp (4,300 m)
Puja Ceremony and Settling In at Base Camp (4,300 m)
The puja is held this morning. A lama comes up from Kyanjin, a stone chorten is built, juniper is burned, and every piece of climbing equipment is stacked at the altar to be blessed.
The rest of the day is low effort: tents arranged, the mess routine established, radio schedules and the camp's evacuation plan explained.
Prayer flags go up over the camp. The face above cracks and releases at intervals through the day, which is both spectacular and a standing account of what the lower route involves. Overnight at base camp.
11Day 11Technical Assessment Day at Base Camp (4,300 m)
Technical Assessment Day at Base Camp (4,300 m)
The day that decides the team. On steep ice near camp each climber is put through two-tool movement, screw placement on vertical ground, jumaring on a loaded line over an edge, and abseiling from a hanging stance.
Your leader is looking at speed and economy rather than maximum grade. On a face where the safety margin is made of how fast the team clears the exposed ground, a climber who is strong but slow is a liability to everyone including the Sherpas.
Anyone the leader is not satisfied with is told today and does not go above Camp 1. Meanwhile the Sherpas begin fixing the lower face. Overnight at base camp.
12Day 12Acclimatisation Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
Acclimatisation Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
An acclimatisation walk up the moraine toward 4,800 m and back, on ground that asks nothing technical.
The morning is also a working reconnaissance. Your leader takes the team up to a viewpoint and goes through the face in daylight with binoculars: where the seracs sit, where their run-outs go, which sections are crossed and how fast, and where the fixed line will run.
The afternoon is rest and packing for the rotation. The satellite forecast arrives in the evening, and from now on the temperature matters as much as the sky. Overnight at base camp.
13Day 13Acclimatisation Rotation to Camp 1 (5,200 m)
Acclimatisation Rotation to Camp 1 (5,200 m)
Out of camp at one in the morning, because the lower face has to be crossed while it is frozen and the seracs above are least active.
The route climbs the broken glacier and then the exposed traverse beneath the hanging ice — moved through steadily, spaced out, and with nobody stopping for any reason — before the fixed line takes the team up onto the shelf above.
Camp 1 (5,200 m) stands clear of the hazard, and the relief of arriving there is something every climber on this mountain describes. Six to seven hours. Overnight at Camp 1.
14Day 14Descend from Camp 1 (5,200 m) to Base Camp (4,300 m)
Descend from Camp 1 (5,200 m) to Base Camp (4,300 m)
Another pre-dawn start, and back down through the exposed ground in the cold — the second of the small number of passages the rotation plan allows.
Down the fixed ropes and across the glacier to base camp in three to four hours, arriving before the sun is properly on the seracs.
The first rotation is complete and, more importantly, the team now knows exactly what the lower face involves. The Sherpas spend the following days fixing above Camp 1. Overnight at base camp.
15Day 15Rest Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
Rest Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
A genuine rest day. Eating past the point of appetite, four litres of fluid, an afternoon asleep and staying off the legs.
Equipment work fills the gaps: tools sharpened, crampons checked, harnesses inspected for wear after a day of jumaring on a loaded line.
The Sherpa team is on the face above, fixing toward Camp 2 through the sustained ice, and every one of those carries is another passage through the same exposed ground the climbers crossed. That asymmetry is worth stating plainly on this mountain. Overnight at base camp.
16Day 16Rest and Preparation Day at Base Camp (4,300 m)
Rest and Preparation Day at Base Camp (4,300 m)
The last day before the push, spent on the plan rather than the hill. Kit is split into what goes up and what stays, rope pairs are set, radios tested, and your leader briefs the five-day sequence stage by stage with timings for every exposed section.
The Sherpa team returns with the report that decides everything: how the ice is taking screws, how the seracs are behaving, and whether the ridge above Camp 2 is in condition.
The forecast arrives in the evening. A warm spell or recent snow means waiting, however clear the sky, and that is not a decision your leader will be argued out of. Overnight at base camp.
17Day 17Summit Push – Climb from Base Camp (4,300 m) to Camp 1 (5,200 m)
Summit Push – Climb from Base Camp (4,300 m) to Camp 1 (5,200 m)
Another one o'clock start and through the exposed ground faster than before — five hours or so for a crossing that took six or seven on the rotation, on a line the team now knows metre by metre.
That speed is not a matter of pride. Every minute less beneath the seracs is a real reduction in exposure, and it is the most concrete benefit acclimatisation brings on this particular mountain.
Camp 1 (5,200 m) by mid-morning, with the rest of the day to lie down, drink and eat. Overnight at Camp 1.
18Day 18Summit Push – Climb from Camp 1 (5,200 m) to Camp 2 (6,000 m)
Summit Push – Climb from Camp 1 (5,200 m) to Camp 2 (6,000 m)
The day the route becomes what it is known for. Above Camp 1 the face steepens into sustained ice and mixed ground at 50 to 65 degrees with short steeper steps, climbed on fixed line with two tools.
Six to eight hours of it, with no easy ground and nowhere flat to stop. This is the section that makes the peak TD- and the section on which most attempts have ended.
Camp 2 (6,000 m) is whatever platform the Sherpas have been able to cut. It is small, steep-sided and comfortless, and everyone stays clipped in. Overnight at Camp 2.
19Day 19Summit Push – Climb from Camp 2 (6,000 m) to High Camp (6,500 m)
Summit Push – Climb from Camp 2 (6,000 m) to High Camp (6,500 m)
A short day and a serious one — four to five hours of steep fixed ice to the shoulder, arriving by late morning so the team has the afternoon lying down.
High camp (6,500 m) is two or three tents on the smallest usable ground on the mountain, and it is the coldest and most exposed night of the expedition.
Dinner is early and minimal. Kit is laid out, rope pairs confirmed, and your leader gives a hard turnaround time that will not be renegotiated on the ridge. Overnight at high camp.
20Day 20Summit Langtang Lirung (7,227 m) and Descend to Camp 2 (6,000 m)
Summit Langtang Lirung (7,227 m) and Descend to Camp 2 (6,000 m)
Moving by midnight, because the upper ground has to be climbed and descended while it is frozen. Steep ice above camp leads within a couple of hours onto the summit ridge.
The ridge is narrow, corniced and exposed on both sides, taken one at a time with the Sherpas probing the crest, and it leads to a final face of steep snow and ice below the top.
The summit (7,227 m) looks north into Tibet with Shishapangma on the horizon, east along the Langtang valley to Langshisha Ri and the Jugal Himal, west to Ganesh Himal, and south over the middle hills to the Kathmandu valley — visible, and about eighty kilometres away.
The descent is a long sequence of abseils down the ridge and the face, and on a tired party it is the most demanding part of the expedition. Fourteen to eighteen hours. Overnight at Camp 2.
21Day 21Descend from Camp 2 (6,000 m) to Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
Descend from Camp 2 (6,000 m) to Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
The most important descent of the expedition. Down the fixed ropes past Camp 1, stripping the line as the team goes, and then the exposed traverse across the lower face.
Your leader will hold the team at Camp 1 rather than let it cross that ground in the afternoon. A summit that ends with an exhausted party under the seracs in the sun is not a completed climb.
Base camp (4,300 m) in the early morning after a cold start, with a hot meal and the first unbroken sleep in five days. Seven to nine hours in total. Overnight at base camp.
22Day 22First Reserve Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
First Reserve Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
The first of three reserve days, and on this mountain they exist as much to allow waiting as to allow a second attempt.
If the summit was missed, the team rests today and considers going back up tomorrow — provided the face is still in condition and the party has genuinely recovered. A second push through the serac ground is a decision your leader weighs very carefully.
If the summit went to plan, this is rest, and on Langtang Lirung a team that summited and got everybody down has done something almost nobody has. Overnight at base camp.
23Day 23Second Reserve Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
Second Reserve Day at Langtang Lirung Base Camp (4,300 m)
The second reserve day. Three of them exist because the conditions that make this face acceptable are specific and do not arrive to order.
If a second attempt is running, the team is at Camp 1 or Camp 2 tonight rather than here.
If the expedition is finished, today is when the camps above come down — the high camp, Camp 2 and Camp 1 are stripped by the Sherpa team, and every one of those clearing carries is another passage through the exposed ground, which is why we plan the strip rather than rush it. Overnight at base camp.
24Day 24Third Reserve Day and Break Camp at Base Camp (4,300 m)
Third Reserve Day and Break Camp at Base Camp (4,300 m)
The last reserve day and the end of the expedition's margin. If it is not needed for the climb, base camp comes down today.
The waste management is done properly: everything carried up from Syabrubesi goes back out, and the Department of Tourism deposit is refunded against it.
The chorten from the puja stays with its prayer flags. Below, the lights of Kyanjin come on at dusk — a village whose visitors have spent a week photographing this face without knowing anyone was on it. Overnight at base camp.
25Day 25Trek from Base Camp (4,300 m) to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
Trek from Base Camp (4,300 m) to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
Down the moraine to Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) in two to three hours — the shortest walk out from any expedition base camp in this catalogue.
Kyanjin has lodges, a stove, a menu and the cheese factory, and after a fortnight under the face all of it lands hard.
The evening is the end-of-expedition dinner with the leader, the climbing Sherpas, the cook crew and the porters, and the point at which the summit bonus and tips are given. Most of the crew live within a day's walk of here. Overnight at Kyanjin Gompa.
26Day 26Trek from Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) to Lama Hotel (2,470 m)
Trek from Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) to Lama Hotel (2,470 m)
Down the valley past Langtang Village and its memorial, with the debris field of the 2015 landslide beside the trail and the rebuilt village on the safer ground next to it.
Below Ghoda Tabela the valley narrows into the gorge again and the forest closes in — oak, maple and rhododendron, moss, langur monkeys and birds after a week above the treeline.
Lama Hotel (2,470 m) is dark by four in the afternoon and warm enough to sit outside, which after a glacier camp is worth noticing. Around 6 to 7 hours. Overnight at Lama Hotel.
27Day 27Trek from Lama Hotel (2,470 m) to Syabrubesi (1,460 m)
Trek from Lama Hotel (2,470 m) to Syabrubesi (1,460 m)
The last walking day, down the gorge beside the river through the best forest on the route, crossing and re-crossing on suspension bridges.
The air warms with every hundred metres and by the afternoon it is subtropical again — bamboo, terraces and villages after ten days of glacier and rock.
Syabrubesi (1,460 m) in the afternoon. A quiet evening in Syabrubesi at the end of a long expedition. Around 5 to 6 hours. Overnight at Syabrubesi.
28Day 28Drive from Syabrubesi (1,460 m) to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
Drive from Syabrubesi (1,460 m) to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
The rough hill road back over Dhunche and down to the Trishuli, then up over the valley rim at Kakani and into Kathmandu.
Seven to eight hours, and the first three of them are slow — the Syabrubesi road is one of the rougher ones in Nepal and it does not improve for being driven in the other direction.
Back in Kathmandu in the afternoon. A hot shower, a proper meal, and your summit certificate presented over dinner. Overnight in Kathmandu.
29Day 29Departure from Nepal
Departure from Nepal
The trip ends today. If your flight is a late one there is time for a last morning in Kathmandu — Boudhanath, Patan Durbar Square, or a slow breakfast on a roof terrace.
Our representative collects you from the hotel and drives you to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before departure.
If you are staying on in Nepal, we can arrange Chitwan, Pokhara, Lumbini or a Kathmandu valley tour. Safe travels — climbers who get up Langtang Lirung have done something almost nobody has, and Dorje Lakpa across the valley is usually the next conversation.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Jeep transport to Syabrubesi and back, Kathmandu hotel nights, teahouse and full expedition camp accommodation, three meals a day throughout, the Department of Tourism royalty, national park permit and TIMS, an expedition leader and liaison officer, one technical Sherpa per client, a cook crew, all group ice and rock equipment, progressive rope fixing, the rotation, emergency oxygen and satellite forecasts are included, while international flights, visa, alpinism-grade insurance, personal technical equipment, city meals, summit bonus and tips are not.
What's Included
Airport pickup and drop-off services in Kathmandu.
Private jeep transport from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi and back.
Three nights of accommodation in Kathmandu with breakfast.
Accommodation in local teahouses on the approach and the walk out.
Full expedition base camp at 4,300 m, sited clear of serac and avalanche run-out, with mess, kitchen, storage, communications and toilet tents, plus tented Camp 1 (5,200 m), Camp 2 (6,000 m) and high camp (6,500 m).
Three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) throughout the trip.
Department of Tourism Langtang Lirung climbing royalty and permit, Langtang National Park entry permit and the Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card.
Government-licensed expedition leader and a liaison officer, with all their equipment, wages and insurance.
One high-altitude climbing Sherpa per climber above base camp, selected for technical experience, with all equipment, wages, insurance and summit allowance.
Emergency supplementary oxygen with masks and regulators held at the high camps and base camp for medical use.
Group climbing equipment: fixed and main ropes, snow bars, ice screws, and anchors.
Garbage deposit and the Department of Tourism waste-management fee.
Group map, and a comprehensive first aid kit carried by the guide.
Full-time cook and kitchen crew at base camp for the duration of the expedition, with high-altitude food and fuel for the camps above.
A technical assessment day at base camp on steep ice, tool and screw work, fixed-rope movement and abseiling from hanging stances.
An acclimatisation rotation to Camp 1 with rest days at base camp before the summit push.
Progressive fixing of the glacier, the ice face and the summit ridge by our own Sherpa team, and stripping of the ropes on descent.
Daily satellite weather forecasts, base camp solar power and a Gamow hyperbaric bag.
A puja ceremony at base camp before the team goes onto the face.
Porter and pack-animal transport of all expedition equipment from Syabrubesi to base camp.
Summit certificate issued after a successful ascent.
All government taxes, permit fees, and service charges.
What's Excluded
International flight tickets to and from Nepal.
Nepal entry visa fees.
Travel insurance covering mountaineering to the height of this peak, including emergency helicopter evacuation and repatriation.
Personal climbing equipment — harness, crampons, ice axe, ascender, descender, helmet and carabiners (available to rent as an add-on).
Personal trekking equipment and clothing, including boots and a sleeping bag.
Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu.
Snacks, bottled water, hot showers, Wi-Fi, charging fees, and alcoholic or soft drinks.
Personal technical equipment — boots, harness, crampons, ice tools, belay device, ascender and screwgates.
Personal satellite communication devices and airtime.
Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls, and souvenirs.
Summit bonus for your climbing Sherpa, and tips for the expedition leader, base camp crew and porters.
Any additional accommodation, transport or expenses caused by weather, an attempt abandoned for serac or avalanche conditions, or a departure cancelled by us because the face is unsafe.
Route Map
Explore the terrain map showing the trek route.
Loading map...
Altitude Profile
Pricing
Transparent per-person pricing based on group size, covering the services listed in the itinerary with no hidden charges.
Best Time to Climb and the Hazard
April to May and October to early November, and the choice is a safety decision. Langtang Lirung's lower and middle route passes beneath hanging glaciers and serac ground, and the exposure is the defining feature of the mountain. Warm spells and fresh snow both make it worse.
Autumn is the stronger season, with colder, more stable conditions and better-consolidated ice. We run at most one departure a year, we site base camp clear of run-out, we move through the exposed sections in the cold hours only, and our leader will abandon the expedition rather than accept a warm afternoon on that ground. Cancellation is a normal outcome on this peak and we say so before taking a deposit.
Climb Difficulty & the Route
Graded TD-, the hardest route in this catalogue below the 8,000 m peaks. From base camp at 4,300 m the route climbs onto a broken glacier and up steepening ground to Camp 1 at around 5,200 m, crossing beneath serac ground on the way.
Above it comes the sustained part: ice and mixed ground at 50 to 65 degrees with short steeper steps, fixed on the way up, leading to Camp 2 (6,000 m) and a high camp at 6,500 m. Summit day follows a corniced ridge and a final face, twelve to eighteen hours with a long abseil descent. There is no easy ground anywhere above Camp 1 and nowhere to shelter.
The rope techniques used on the climb are explained step by step in our guide to fixed rope and jumar skills.
Experience Required
The strictest requirement in this catalogue outside the 8,000 m peaks. We ask for alpine experience at D or above, previous Himalayan climbing at 6,000 m or higher, and demonstrable competence on steep ice — Scottish winter grade V, or equivalent water and alpine ice. A background of trekking peaks does not qualify and neither does a single AD summit.
You also need to accept a leader's decision to walk away without argument. On a face with this hazard profile and no other team in the valley, a client who pushes for the summit is a danger to the Nepali staff carrying the loads. We discuss that at enquiry and we decline bookings on the strength of it.
Travel Insurance
Insurance written for alpinism to 7,500 m, including steep ice, graded mixed climbing and abseiling, is mandatory. General adventure travel cover is not acceptable and we reject it as a matter of course. A national alpine club policy or a specialist mountaineering insurer is the only realistic option.
Emergency helicopter evacuation and repatriation must be included with a high limit. Langtang's proximity to Kathmandu means a helicopter can reach base camp within an hour in clear weather, which is the single best thing about this mountain. Nothing above Camp 1 is reachable, and a rescue from the face would be a long technical operation by the climbing team.
Packing List & Personal Equipment
Rigid mountaineering boots rated for 7,000 m, technical crampons, a pair of steep-ice tools, a -35°C sleeping bag, an insulated mat, a heavy expedition down jacket and down trousers, a full shell, technical gloves in three weights, a helmet, category 4 glacier glasses, goggles and two headlamps with lithium batteries.
The Langtang gorge is wet and forested for two days on the approach, so proper waterproofs matter. We supply all fixed and main ropes, ice screws, snow stakes, rock protection and anchors, and our Sherpas fix the route progressively. Climbers bring their own tools, crampons, harness, belay device and screwgates — a requirement rather than a preference on this route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to common questions about the Langtang Lirung Expedition.
1How often has Langtang Lirung been climbed?
Very rarely. First ascent in 1978, and successful ascents since can be counted on two hands. Several attempts have ended in fatalities, which is why almost no commercial operator lists it. There is no trodden line, no established camps and no fixed rope from anyone else.
2Why do you offer it at all?
Because it is a fine mountain and because the small number of climbers capable of it deserve an operator who will talk about it honestly rather than pretend it does not exist. We run one departure a year at most, we staff it one to one, and we cancel readily.
3What is the main hazard?
Serac fall onto the lower and middle route from the hanging glaciers above. It cannot be avoided entirely on this line, only timed — we cross in the cold hours, never stop in the exposed sections, and abandon attempts after warm spells or fresh snow. It is the reason the mountain has the record it has.
4How does it compare with Ama Dablam or Cholatse?
Considerably harder and more committing. Ama Dablam is a TD- rock and ice route with fixed rope maintained by several teams; Langtang Lirung is TD- with serac exposure, no other team in the valley, 415 m more height and a route your own Sherpas fix from the bottom.
5What is the summit success rate?
Low, and we will not put a flattering number on it. Most attempts on this mountain do not summit and several have ended badly. Climbers book it for the objective and the rarity, and anyone whose priority is standing on a 7,000 m top should climb Himlung or Baruntse instead.
6Where is base camp?
At around 4,300 m above Kyanjin Gompa on ground sited clear of avalanche and serac run-out rather than in the most convenient spot. It is a full expedition base camp with mess, kitchen, storage and toilet tents and a cook crew, and it is two hours above the last lodge.
7Is supplementary oxygen used?
No. Langtang Lirung is within the range a fit acclimatised climber handles without it, and the difficulty here is technical rather than altitude-related. We carry emergency oxygen with masks and regulators at the high camps and base camp for medical use.
8How quickly could a rescue reach us?
At base camp, within an hour in clear weather — Langtang is closer to Kathmandu than any other climbing region and the helicopter operators know the valley well. Above Camp 1, not at all: an incident on the face means the team lowering a casualty over many hours before any aircraft is involved.
9Do you cancel departures?
Readily, and it is written into the booking. If conditions on the lower face are wrong, if the party that assembles is not strong enough, or if the season is loading badly, we do not go. On this mountain that judgement is the most valuable thing we sell.
10Can I see the route from Kyanjin Gompa?
All of it. The face rises 3,300 m directly above the village and the lodges look straight at it — you will spend the acclimatisation day looking at your own route through binoculars, which is unusual and, on this mountain, genuinely useful.
Gallery
Explore authentic moments, camps and summit views from the Langtang Lirung Expedition.
Trekking Guides & Articles
Langtang Lirung Expedition: The Complete Guide — The highest mountain in the Langtang Himal and one of the hardest 7,000 m peaks in Nepal — 3,300 m of ice and hanging glacier straight above Kyanjin Gompa.
Dorje Lakpa Expedition: The Complete Guide — The sharp triple-summited peak closing the southern side of the Langtang valley, visible from the ridges above Kathmandu and attempted a handful of times since 1981.
Fix Departure
This expedition runs every week on the selected day through the climbing season. Choose custom dates for one-off departures.
Showing fixed departures in Oct 2026
Guest Reviews
A world-class team
“Climbing Langtang Lirung Expedition had been on my list for years and it honestly exceeded everything I imagined. The camps were comfortable and well organised, which makes a huge difference on a long...
Chloe Dean
Get in Touch
Tell us the dates you have in mind and roughly what you want out of the trek — one of our guides will reply, usually within 24 hours.
Email Us
info@greencompasstreks.com
Call Us
+977 9864379436
Office
Lakeside, Pokhara, Nepal
Office Hours
Sunday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM