Overview
Yala Peak is 5,520 metres above Kyanjin Gompa in the Langtang valley, and it is the gentlest way into climbing in Nepal: a snow slope walked in crampons on a rope, with no fixed line and — unusually — no climbing permit.
Yala is not on the NMA's permitted list, so there is no royalty. The Langtang National Park entry and a TIMS card are the whole of the paperwork.
The route
Two days up the Langtang Khola to Langtang village, rebuilt after the landslide that destroyed it in the 2015 earthquake, then on to Kyanjin Gompa at 3,870 m.
Two acclimatisation days follow — Kyanjin Ri at 4,770 m and Tserko Ri at 4,984 m — which do most of the work. Base camp is a single night at 4,800 m, and summit day is moraine then snow to a broad top.
Shishapangma, the only eight-thousander entirely within Tibet, stands on the northern skyline.
Why it suits a first climb
No flight, a trailhead reachable by road from Kathmandu, one night camping, two serious acclimatisation days built in before the mountain, and no permit cost. Very little can go expensively wrong.
What it costs
USD 1,100 to 2,000 — the cheapest 5,500-metre summit in the country, mostly because there is no climbing royalty and no domestic flight in the budget.
Day by day
The 12 days itinerary
Distances, walking times, altitudes and accommodation for every stage — stored as structured data, not written into the prose.
- Day 1
Kathmandu to Syabrubesi
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Syabrubesi (1,460 m)
- Walking
- 7 hours by road
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,460 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Syabrubesi
- Meals
- Dinner
- Day 2
Syabrubesi to Lama Hotel
Syabrubesi (1,460 m) → Lama Hotel (2,470 m)
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 1,460 m → 2,470 m
- Elevation
- +1010 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Lama Hotel
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- The Langtang Khola gorge
- Langur monkeys in the oak forest
- Day 3
Lama Hotel to Langtang village
Lama Hotel (2,470 m) → Langtang village (3,430 m)
- Distance
- 12 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 2,470 m → 3,430 m
- Elevation
- +960 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Langtang village
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The village was destroyed by a landslide triggered by the 2015 earthquake and rebuilt on new ground. The memorial above the trail lists the dead.
- Day 4
Langtang village to Kyanjin Gompa
Langtang village (3,430 m) → Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
- Distance
- 7 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 3,430 m → 3,870 m
- Elevation
- +440 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Kyanjin Gompa
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Kyanjin monastery
- The cheese factory
- Langtang Lirung
- Day 5
Kyanjin Gompa — acclimatisation on Kyanjin Ri
Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) → Kyanjin Ri (4,770 m) → Kyanjin Gompa
- Distance
- 7 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 3,870 m → 3,870 m
- Elevation
- +900 m / −900 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Kyanjin Gompa
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 6
Kyanjin Gompa — Tserko Ri
Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) → Tserko Ri (4,984 m) → Kyanjin Gompa
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 7 hours
- Altitude
- 3,870 m → 3,870 m
- Elevation
- +1114 m / −1114 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Kyanjin Gompa
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The second and more serious acclimatisation day. Anyone struggling here is not ready for the peak.
- Tserko Ri
- The Langtang glacier from above
- Day 7
Kyanjin Gompa to Yala base camp
Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) → base camp (4,800 m)
- Distance
- 7 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 3,870 m → 4,800 m
- Elevation
- +930 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Crampon and rope practice
- Day 8
Summit day, and back to Kyanjin Gompa
Base camp (4,800 m) → Yala Peak (5,520 m) → Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m)
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 9–11 hours
- Altitude
- 4,800 m → 3,870 m
- Elevation
- +720 m / −1650 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Kyanjin Gompa
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Moraine and then a straightforward snow slope, roped but rarely fixed, to a broad summit. Shishapangma — the only eight-thousander entirely inside Tibet — stands on the skyline to the north.
- Shishapangma across the border
- Langtang Lirung
- Dorje Lakpa
- Day 9
Kyanjin Gompa to Lama Hotel
Kyanjin Gompa (3,870 m) → Lama Hotel (2,470 m)
- Distance
- 19 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 3,870 m → 2,470 m
- Elevation
- −1400 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Lama Hotel
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 10
Lama Hotel to Syabrubesi
Lama Hotel (2,470 m) → Syabrubesi (1,460 m)
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 2,470 m → 1,460 m
- Elevation
- −1010 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Syabrubesi
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 11
Syabrubesi to Kathmandu
Syabrubesi (1,460 m) → Kathmandu (1,400 m)
- Walking
- 7 hours by road
- Altitude
- 1,460 m → 1,400 m
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 12
Contingency day
Reserved for weather
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,400 m
- Meals
- Breakfast
Route map
Where the trail goes
Route line, start and end points, and every overnight stop. Locations are shared entities — the same record powers the destination and itinerary pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true there is no climbing permit?
How technical is it?
Is it a good first climb?
What can you see from the top?
When should you go?
About the author
Maya Thapa
Senior trekking writer
Maya has walked more than 4,000 kilometres of Nepal's trail network, from the teahouse highways of the Khumbu to the restricted valleys along the Tibetan border. She writes the route guides and day-by-day itineraries, and returns to most trails every second season to re-check lodge availability, water points and trail reroutes after monsoon damage.
Writes about: Nepal trekking · High-altitude routes · Teahouse logistics
