Ganesh Himal

Ganesh Himal is the snow range north-west of Kathmandu that closes the Trisuli Gandaki valley on its west side, with Yangra (Ganesh I) at 7,422 m as its highest peak. Beneath it, the Ruby Valley is the easiest way to see the villages and forests that surround it. The classic seven-day Ruby Valley trek drives from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi, the Langtang trailhead, walks over Bahun Danda to the Tamang village of Gatlang, climbs through forest to the camp at Somdang (about 3,270 m), crosses Pangsang Pass at about 3,850 m to Tipling, drops to Chalish, and returns by road through Dhading Besi. It is a moderate trek with homestay lodging, no restricted-area permit and a high point lower than Gosaikunda, so it suits fit first-timers. The Langtang National Park entry permit applies, and the best months are late September to early December and March to May.

Overview of the Ganesh Himal region

Ganesh Himal is a subrange of the Himalaya in north-central Nepal, between the Trisuli Gandaki valley to the east, which separates it from Langtang Himal, and the Budhi Gandaki and Shyar Khola valleys to the west, which separate it from Sringi Himal and Mansiri Himal. Four of its summits are above 7,000 m: Yangra (Ganesh I, 7,422 m, first climbed in 1955), Ganesh II (7,118 m, 1981), Pabil (Ganesh IV, 7,104 m, 1978) and Salasungo (Ganesh III, 7,043 m, 1979). Wikipedia counts three more above 7,000 m and fourteen above 6,000 m, and notes that peak names and heights vary between sources.

The treks lie on the southern and eastern slopes, in the districts of Dhading, Gorkha, Rasuwa and Nuwakot, between Langtang National Park and the Manaslu Conservation Area. The people are mainly Tamang, Gurung and Ghale, with Dalit communities, and the villages keep their own festivals, stone houses and mani walls.

The Ruby Valley trek

The route is a loop in effect, not a circuit: you start in the Bhote Koshi valley at Syabrubesi and finish in the Dhading valley at Chalish, and the two ends are joined only by road. Day by day, the plan goes from Syabrubesi to Gatlang (4 to 6 hours), Gatlang to Somdang (6 to 7 hours), Somdang over Pangsang Pass to Tipling (7 to 8 hours, the hardest day) and Tipling to Chalish (3 to 5 hours), with a rest day around Chalish for the Tatopani hot spring and the village of Sertung. See the Ruby Valley day plan for the details.

Operators stretch the plan. One adds an acclimatisation day at Somdang, another walks on from Chalish to Jharlang and Darkha (about 850 m) before the drive. A longer circuit goes from Chalish to Hindung and then to Ganesh Himal Base Camp; teahouses exist as far as Hindung, but the base camp has no hotel facilities, so that extension is a camping or expedition-style trip and is outside this plan.

Gatlang, Somdang and Pangsang Pass

Gatlang, at about 2,240 to 2,340 m, is a Tamang village of stone and timber houses with a well-known kunda (pilgrim lake) nearby, and the route there crosses Bahun Danda, a ridge with a hamlet by the same name. Above it, the trail climbs through forest to Khurpu Bhanjyang (3,719 m on OpenStreetMap) and on to Somdang at about 3,270 m, a hamlet with guesthouses. Pangsang Pass is mapped at 3,863 m, in line with the 3,850 m operators give, and the views along the ridge take in Ganesh Himal. From the pass the trail drops about 1,800 m to Tipling in a day.

Best time to trek, month by month

Operators recommend mid-September to mid-December, with a second window in spring. The monsoon (June to August) makes the forest trails slippery and leech-prone and the roads at both ends unreliable. The pass itself is rarely snowbound in the good seasons, but Somdang is above 3,200 m and nights are cold from late October.

• March to May: rhododendron flowers in the forest, warm days, afternoon clouds.
• September: lush after the monsoon, with some trail mud.
• October and November: the clearest views and steady weather.
• December: cold nights at Somdang; check conditions on the pass.

Permits and rules

The Ruby Valley is not a restricted area. Operators list the Langtang National Park entry permit, which the Nepal Tourism Board fee page puts at NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals, children under ten free. A TIMS card is listed by some operators. Entry permits are arranged by your agency or bought in Kathmandu.

Getting there and away

Kathmandu to Syabrubesi is about 170 km, 6 to 9 hours by bus or jeep on a narrow mountain road via Trisuli Bazaar. At the end of the trek, Chalish to Kathmandu takes about 8 hours by road, reaching Dhading Besi first. Operators quote a private jeep from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi at about USD 150 and a jeep from Dhading to Kathmandu at about USD 200; buses are far cheaper but slower.

Lodging, food and costs

Lodging is in homestays and basic guesthouses run by local families, with dal bhat and local produce. The lodge standard is simpler than on the Annapurna or Everest trails, so bring a sleeping bag and book ahead in the busy autumn weeks. Costs follow the generic Nepal teahouse ranges quoted on this site's route page, where the permit fee is sourced to the Nepal Tourism Board; no other prices are given in this guide because the sources do not name them.

Altitude and safety

The high point is Pangsang Pass at about 3,850 m, and the highest night is Somdang at about 3,270 m, so altitude sickness is unlikely to be severe but is possible for someone who flies in and starts the same day. Walk slowly on the Somdang day, drink water and watch for headache or nausea. The Somdang to Tipling day is long, 7 to 8 hours and about 15 km on the mapped route, with about 1,800 m of descent from the pass that is hard on the knees; poles help.

Culture and nature

The villages are Tamang, Gurung and Ghale, and you will see prayer flags, mani walls and small gompas. Operators send walkers past Parvati Kunda, a pilgrim lake, between Gatlang and Somdang. The forest on that stretch is pine and rhododendron, and the upper pastures belong to herders. Chalish and Tipling are farming villages whose terraces grow millet, maize and rice.

Responsible trekking

Homestays only work if guests spend locally, so eat where you sleep, carry your own plastic bottles out or use a filter, and ask before taking photos of people. Keep to the path through terraces, and leave gates as you find them.

Combining with other treks

Syabrubesi is also the start of the Langtang Valley and the Tamang Heritage Trail, which shares the walk to Gatlang. Trekkers with extra days can add a Langtang stage before or after the Ruby Valley; the two regions are separate permit zones, so check with your agency before you combine them.

What to pack

The Ruby Valley is a homestay trek, so you carry a daypack and your porter or the lodge carries the rest. Bring broken-in boots, rain gear, a warm layer and gloves for Somdang, a sleeping bag (homestays supply blankets, but nights are cold), sun protection, poles for the long descent from the pass, a headlamp and a water filter. Pack snacks for the Somdang to Tipling day, since there are no shops on the pass.

Fitness and training

Moderate does not mean easy: the Somdang to Tipling day is 7 to 8 hours and about 15 km, with a climb to the pass and a long knee-jarring descent. Prepare with several back-to-back long walks carrying a daypack, stair or hill repeats and a few downhill-heavy hikes, since the descent is what finds weak knees. Most walkers in good shape manage the plan without difficulty.

Money and logistics

Pay your agency in Kathmandu before you leave, and carry a modest amount of cash in rupees for tea, snacks, homestay bills and tips; there are no reliable cash machines on the trail. Buy the Langtang National Park permit through the agency or in Kathmandu. Mobile signal comes and goes between villages. Leave an itinerary with someone at home and ask the guide which villages have a phone.

Combining with a Langtang extension

Because Syabrubesi is the start of the Langtang Valley trek, many people add a few days there. The two regions have separate permit rules and some road sections overlap, so the safest way to combine them is with an agency that plans the whole trip. A shorter alternative is the Tamang Heritage Trail, which shares the first walk to Gatlang.

Kathmandu before and after

Spend a day in Kathmandu before the trek to sort permits and gear, and keep the day after the drive back free, because the long road from Chalish can arrive after dark. Kathmandu has trekking shops where you can rent poles, sleeping bags and down jackets.

How the operators' itineraries differ

Four operators publish this trek and they do not agree on every stage. Nepal Alternative Treks runs seven days: Syabrubesi, Gatlang, Somdang, Tipling, Chalish, a Sertung and Tatopani day, and the drive out. Himalaya Trip also takes seven days but overnights at Laptung (rather than Tipling) after the pass, walks Chalish onwards to Borang and Dundure and then drives from Dhading Besi. Peregrine Treks and Mount Mania add rest days and run 9 to 10 days, with Chalish to Jharlang and Darkha before the road. Altitudes are quoted with differences of 50 to 100 m, for example Somdang at 3,271, 3,320 or 3,335 m and the pass at 3,800 or 3,850 m. This plan follows the seven-day structure of the first source, because it fits most schedules and is the one that two other operators broadly match.

Is the Ruby Valley right for you?

Choose it if you want a quiet, cultural trek with homestay lodging, modest altitude and little trail traffic, and you can handle one long day over a pass. It is a better first trek than the high circuits, but it is not a first walk in the hills: be ready for 5 to 8 hours of walking on several days, basic rooms and very simple food. If you want big mountain views every day, Langtang or Annapurna deliver more; the Ruby Valley is about villages, forest and quiet.

Health, food and water

Homestay food is simple: dal bhat, vegetables, eggs, tea and noodles, with seconds of rice and lentils. Drink only boiled, filtered or treated water, avoid salads and raw fruit, wash your hands and carry hand gel. Wet days bring leeches in the lower forest in the monsoon; salt and insect repellent help. A first-aid kit with blister care, rehydration salts, anti-diarrhoea tablets and any prescription medicine is enough for a trek of this length, and your guide should carry a larger kit.