Ganesh Himal – Ruby Valley Trek
Also known as Ruby Valley Trek.
Ganesh Himal – Ruby Valley Trek is a moderate 7-10-day homestay/teahouse trek in the Langtang region of Nepal, reaching 3,842 m. It starts at Syabrubesi and ends at Darkha Phedi / Dhading Besi (road-head).
Key facts
- Region
- Langtang (Rasuwa, Dhading)
- Duration
- 7-10 days, 5-7 hours walking per day
- Distance
- 68 km
- Maximum altitude
- 3,842 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate — Altitude is modest (Pangsang La ~3842-3850m) but the route is remote and little-trekked: lodging is basic homestays or camping, food choice is minimal, trails are unsigned and sometimes indistinct, and the pass day is a long 7-8 hours. Logistics and self-sufficiency, not altitude, set the grade.
- Trek type
- Homestay/Teahouse, point-to-point route
- Best season
- Autumn (Oct-Nov) and Spring (Mar-May)
- Guide
- Not mandatory
- Restricted area
- No
- Budget cost
- NPR 28,000–40,000
- Comfortable cost
- NPR 40,000–60,000
- Guided cost
- NPR 90,000–170,000
- Getting there
- Kathmandu (Machhapokhari) → Syabrubesi (local bus 7-10h / shared jeep 6-7h, Pasang Lhamu Highway) → trek over Pangsang La → Darkha Phedi/Khahare (local jeep 2-3h to Dhading Besi, rough track) → Dhading Besi → Kathmandu (local bus 3-4h). Trek is often run in reverse from Dhading Besi.
- Altitude sickness
- Low-to-moderate — only the Pangsang La day exceeds 3500m and nights at Somdang (~3270m) follow gradual gains.
Weather
Pangsang La can hold snow Dec-Feb but the route is generally open outside deep winter. Monsoon makes the Dhading-side jeep tracks impassable and trails leech-ridden. Spring brings large rhododendron forests into bloom around Somdang and Chalish; autumn gives the clearest Ganesh Himal, Manaslu and Langtang views.
Permits
- Langtang National Park entry — NPR 3,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Nepal Tourism Board Kathmandu or Dhunche checkpost
- TIMS card — NPR 2,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Through a registered trekking agency
Itinerary
- Day 1: Kathmandu to Syabrubesi, 0 h, 1,460 m — Trishuli valley drive, Ganesh Himal previews
- Day 2: Syabrubesi to Gatlang, 5-6 h, 2,238 m — Climb via Rongga Bhanjyang, Goljung valley, traditional stone-built Tamang village, Parvati Kund
- Day 3: Gatlang to Somdang, 5-6 h, 3,270 m — Rhododendron and pine forest, Khurpudanda pass area, waterfall near Somdang, old zinc/ruby mine workings that give the valley its name
- Day 4: Somdang to Tipling, 7-8 h, 2,078 m — Cross Pangsang La 3842m — sweeping panorama of Ganesh Himal, Manaslu and Langtang ranges; long descent to Tipling, a Tamang/Ghale village with both gompas and churches
- Day 5: Tipling to Chalish (via Shertung), 3-5 h, 1,875 m — Shertung ('place of gold') village, mixed Tamang-Gurung-Dalit communities, cultural programs, waterfalls
- Day 6: Chalish to Borang, 3-4 h, 1,700 m — Terraced fields, subtropical valley scenery above the Ankhu Khola
- Day 7: Borang to Darkha Phedi / Dhading Besi, 3-4 h, 700 m — Descend to the road-head at Darkha Phedi/Khahare through farmland
- Day 8: Dhading Besi to Kathmandu, 0 h, 1,400 m — Drive out via Malekhu and the Prithvi Highway