Langtang National Park

Langtang National Park (LNP) established in 1976 to conserve unique flora and fauna of the region is situated in north of Central Nepal covering Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk districts. The first Himalayan National Park of Nepal is located between the latitudes 28º - 28 º20' N and longitudes 85º15' - 86º E, covering an area of 1,710sq.km. The altitude variation of the park ranges from 790m – on the Bhotekoshi river basin, to the peak of Langtang Lirung (7,225m). 

Location of LNP in Nepal's map (left) and LNP boundary covering parts of three different districts  (right); Photo: Madan K. Suwal

The park is rich in biodiversity with extreme variation in climatic conditions from Tropical to Alpine. According to Malla et.al. 1976 the park harbors 17 different vegetation types. Though this data seems quite outdated because every year several species gets explored and added to national list by various scientific researches, Malla et.al 1976 pointed out 911 species of vascular plants which seems quite a high figure in a small area of 1710 square kilometer. Similarly a research done by the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) showed that there are 345 species of birds,, 46 species of mammals, 30 species of fish and some 11 species of herpeto-fauna living inside the park territory. Some notable fauna includes mammals like Snow leopard, Musk deer, Clouded leopard etc. along with National bird – the Impeyan pheasant.

Langtang-Kyangjing Valley: A landscape of LNP at an altitude of 3700m with a view of  Himalayas on North-East aspect: Photo by Bishnu Timilsina using awesome H50 Sony camera on 20th October, 2009.

The park is also characterized by the wetlands of international importance – the Ramsar Site.  The Gosaikund lake series comprising 13 major lakes and some 108 smaller ones were included in ramsar site list in September, 2007. 

Please have a look on photo posted right below: this is Gosaikund Lake situated at an altitude of 4380m from mean sea level. The trail seen on left side of lake is route to a pass – the Lauribina La (also called Gosikunda pass) with altitude around 4640m. Settlements on one corner are hotels and lodges. There are no any permanent human settlements around Gosaikunda but we can see many herders’s shed if we visit the site on season.

The Holy Gosaikund Lake, 4380 m; Photo was taken from Deurali ~ 4600m on 12th July, 2008.

Beside scientific importance, the lake series are equally significant in terms of cultural and religious perspective. Every year during the full moon of July (in August some year) Buddhist and Hindu people from around the world visits the lake, take religious bath and worships in a common temple. 

KhadaNanda Acharya, a Masters' (Botany) student from Tribhuvan University taking a holy bath in Gosaikund Lake; 24th August, 2010.

The principal lake of the series i.e. Gosaikund is considered to be the lake of Lord Shiva (the destroyer according to the Hindu Myth; whereas Bishnu is Protector and Bramha is Creator). Photo given below is a snap of pilgrimage visiting Gosaikund Lake:

A glimpse of Pilgrimage to Holy Gosaikunda Lake; 24th August, 2010.

Dedication

Though I have started my high altitude journey with Annapurna Sanctuary route to Annapurna Base Camp in 2007 I consider trip to Langtang National Park (LNP) Rasuwa as my first research visit. I’ve visited “The Land of Tamang - Rasuwa” in 2008 for the first time as a researcher in Expedition Langtang’08. Obviously as a field researcher and linguistic facilitator I had many responsibilities in one hand and a golden opportunity to understand mountain diversity in another. I got to experience many aspects of Mountains (Himalayas) and its inhabitants during that expedition. In this sense I was in a win-n-win condition getting chance to sharpen my research skills and understanding in one of the calmest places of world – The Himalayas. So I would like to dedicate my first post ever to Expedition Langtang’08 – a pioneer research project to pave my way towards research field.

This was a collaborative team of students with two Nepali from Tribhuvan University Nepal and six British studying at University of Edinburgh Scotland, U.K.  This was the TEAM:

From left Russell Galt, Stephen Woroniecki, Corrinne Boddy, Me, Ritesh Thapa (back), Elaine Anderson and Alice Thomson

 Research was conducted on eight different villages from LNP and its adjoining areas to understand the indigenous communities’ attitudes and perception about LNP and its conservation strategies. To compare people’s perceptions and expectations with park authorities understanding and management strategies was one of the major objectives. Please visit www.expeditionlangtang.com for more details regarding the project and the team.