Langtang Trek in November and December: Road Status, Cold and Short Days

Last updated 2 October 2026. This is a planning post, not a trip report. As at 1 October the road to the Langtang trailhead was closed, and I have no reopening date. Everything below about November and December describes what the trek is like if and when the road opens, and I say clearly where I am guessing and where I am quoting a source.

The short answer: I cannot tell you today whether Langtang will be reachable in November or December, and I will not sell it until it is. If the road opens, the valley is dry and clear in November and cold in December, the days are short, and the Gosaikunda lakes are frozen. My advice for a winter start is to choose the trek by the road position in the last week before you fly, and to keep a different trek in mind. The detail follows.

Will Langtang be open in November or December 2026?

I do not know. The facts as at 2 October, with dates:

• The Rasuwa and Trishuli road has been closed since the flood of 26 August. As at 1 October it still did not reach Syabrubesi, where the Langtang trek starts, and Syabrubesi itself was devastated (Onlinekhabar, 1 October).
• A temporary track has opened on the Galchhi to Betrawati section, and Bailey bridge work began at Betrawati with the foundations complete on both sides (Onlinekhabar, 1 and 2 October). No completion date was given.
• The Kathmandu Post (1 October) reported that a team was heading to Syaphrubesi to install a 73 m Bailey bridge over the Phalaku river and a 76 m one over the Bhotekoshi, after which the bazaar "will regain road connectivity".
• On 22 September the Department of Roads said it aimed to reach Syabrubesi by Dashain (Onlinekhabar, 22 September). Dashain runs 11 to 25 October 2026 (Kathmandu Post, 28 September). I have seen no report that confirms that target will be met.

A bridge repaired at Betrawati is not the same as a road to Syabrubesi, and a road to Syabrubesi is not the same as lodges open above it. The position is on our Langtang status page, which I update as news comes in, and in Trekking Nepal in November 2026 and Trekking Nepal in December 2026. My advice in those posts stands: if you are choosing between Langtang and another trek, choose the other one unless the road has reopened by the time you read this.

How cold is Langtang in November and December?

I have no weather-station reading for the trail above Syabrubesi. These are the nearest published figures, with their limits stated. Dhunche (1,982 m) is the nearest station, but it is lower than most of the trek. Manang Airport (3,401 m) is near the altitude of Langtang village but sits in a different valley, in the dry rain shadow north of the Annapurna range, so it will be drier than Langtang. Treat the second row as an order of magnitude only. Both are monthly averages from Wikipedia's climate boxes.

Dhunche's rainfall averages 26.1 mm in November, 25.7 mm in December and 43.2 mm in January. Manang Airport's is 1.1 mm in November, 3.8 mm in December and 6.0 mm in January. Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 m is nearly 500 m higher than Manang Airport, so expect colder nights than the second row. This is why I would only go in the winter with a proper sleeping bag and down jacket, and with a guide who watches the weather each morning.

How many hours of daylight do you have?

Short. In Kathmandu the sun rises at 6:35 and sets at 17:09 on 1 December and rises at 6:48 and sets at 17:14 on 21 December (sunrise-sunset.org, as used in our December post). That is about 10 hours 30 minutes of daylight in December. Langtang is a narrow valley with high walls, so the sun will reach the trail later and leave it earlier than those numbers suggest, but I have no measured figure for that.

It matters for our itinerary. Day 6, from Kyanjin Gompa back to Lama Hotel, is 21 km and 7 to 8 hours of walking. In summer that is comfortable. In December it leaves a small margin, and we would plan an early start from Kyanjin and keep a spare day in hand. That is my planning view, not a rule.

What does the 8-day itinerary look like?

This is our live plan. The distances and times are those printed on the itinerary.

The rest day is also your spare day in winter. If the weather is poor at Kyanjin, you have a day in hand before the long walk down.

Are the lodges open in winter?

I do not know. I have no published list of which lodges at Lama Hotel, Langtang village and Kyanjin Gompa stay open in November and December, and after the August flood I have not been able to check any of them. I will not guess. If the road opens, we would ask the lodges before we confirm your dates, and I would tell you the answer before you pay a balance. For the lodge-by-lodge picture in a normal season, see the Langtang teahouse guide.

Can you add Gosaikunda in winter?

No, and I would not try. Wikipedia says Gosaikunda lake sits at 4,380 m and stays frozen for about six months, October to June, with the Laurebina La pass at 4,610 m on its outskirts. That means a winter crossing is a snow and ice crossing, and it is not one I would sell. Our 13-day Langtang Gosainkunda trek is a trek for another season, and it needs the same road.

What if the road is shut when you are due to fly?

We confirm the road 48 hours before departure. If it is shut, we find you an alternative route or starting point and tell you before you travel. For Langtang that realistically means two options. You can reschedule, free with at least 72 hours' notice to any date within one year. Or you can switch to a trek from Pokhara: Poon Hill is the one I recommend for a first winter trek (see Poon Hill in December and January), and Annapurna Base Camp works for prepared trekkers who accept a cold night at 4,130 m. We do not list fixed December departures, so contact us for dates.

What does it cost?

The 8-day trek is from US$365 Budget, US$650 Standard and US$1,000 Luxury per person for one traveller, and less per person for larger groups. On Budget you carry your own bag and meals are not included. On Standard you have all meals and one porter for every two trekkers, so a solo Standard trekker has no porter and the guide carries up to 10 kg. On Luxury you have a dedicated porter and all meals with fruit and nuts. Kathmandu hotels are not included on any trek tier. The 10 per cent deposit holds your dates and the balance goes in Kathmandu. A card payment of the balance carries a 3.5 per cent charge. The deposit is non-refundable. If we cannot run the trip, we refund what you paid less taxes, bank and card charges and money already spent on permits or flights. Insurance must be bought at home. The Langtang National Park fee is NPR 3,000 plus 13 per cent VAT, and the TIMS card is NPR 2,000. We arrange both.

Who should not trek Langtang in winter?

Anyone who needs a fixed start date, anyone without warm winter gear, and anyone who is nervous about cold nights above 3,400 m. It is not a first winter trek, and the road position makes it a poor choice for anyone with a tight holiday. If you are flexible and want to wait for the road, that is a good reason to message me now and I will tell you the position on the day. The October version of this trek is in Langtang in October, and the autumn colour in Langtang in autumn.

Tell me your dates on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300, or email [email protected].

Notes and sources

Road position: Onlinekhabar 22 September, 1 October and 2 October 2026; Kathmandu Post 28 September and 1 October 2026 (roads-reopen-travel-gets-easier); our own posts on Langtang and on November and December 2026. Dashain dates: Kathmandu Post 28 September 2026. Climate: Wikipedia climate boxes for Dhunche (ANU and JICA) and Manang Airport (Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, 1991 to 2020). Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org figures for Kathmandu as used in our December 2026 post. Gosaikunda and Laurebina La: Wikipedia, Gosaikunda. Itinerary and prices: our live 8-day Langtang itinerary. Fees: our permit fee file.

About The Everest Holiday

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Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation Himalayan guide. TAAN Member #1586.