NEPAL: Langtang Valley
Post-Earthquake Rebuild
$134,281 RAISED
Background
Langtang Valley, nestled in the Nepalese Himalayas bordering Tibet, is home to 4,500 Tamang and Tibetan people.
In April of 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake triggered an avalanche that completely buried Langtang Village. The largest settlement in the valley and its people disappeared instantly under a frozen sea of boulders and ice.
The village suffered an estimated 310 deaths, including 176 Langtang residents, 80 foreigners, and 10 army personnel. More than 100 bodies were never recovered. Other tragedies were felt throughout the valley because of the resulting pressure blast and landslides.
The despair that was witnessed one year later by Trek Relief Founder Candice Young was the reason why Trek Relief was created in the first place - to bring in aid through donations, fundraising volunteers, and helping to revive tourism with compassionate and adventurous trekkers.
In 2017, Trek Relief started removing rubble from a crumbled school at the trailhead, and after meeting with the school principal and village leaders, eventually adopted it to rebuild. Working with a local architect, the School Committee, and the community, our trekkers have donated and helped raise money for the reconstruction of the $50,000 Komin Shyamey Wangphel Secondary School. With their contributions, we created jobs for men and women in the community, purchased construction materials, and built out a 5-classroom building with earthquake-safe standards.
Our voluntrekkers have heard the incredible survival stories of those that we’ve worked and stayed with on the trail. In addition to being near the epicenter of the 2015 earthquake, the Langtang Valley trek is famous for its hidden beauty and is the perfect introduction to Himalayan trekking.
Past Trips
Langtang × School Handover Ceremony Trek
Nov 27 - Dec 8, 2021
On September 24, 2021, Nepal lifted its quarantine requirement for vaccinated individuals.
For the first time since COVID put a pause on our trips, we are inviting travelers who can be flexible in challenging situations to apply to join us on a COVID-conscious trip.
The goals of this trip are to:
Provide financial relief by creating jobs and providing income to the people of the country, many of whom have suffered incredibly severe financial hardships during the pandemic. To be helpful in the most welcome way, we have allocated into our budget generous wages.
Hold our much-anticipated School Handover Ceremony with our partners and the community. This will be a celebration of our most remarkable accomplishment yet: the completion of the Komin Shyamey Wangphel Secondary School. This is the finished product of 81 Trek Relief voluntrekkers over the course of 13 trips into Langtang Valley.
Meet with and support our nonprofit partners at The Small World, for whom we gifted $25,728 to provide medical and food relief during this past year.
We are tremendously appreciative of all of the fundraising effort, sweat, and years it took our donors and local partners alike to make this school rebuild possible. With the country easing requirements for quarantine, we feel that now is finally the time to consciously return to Nepal and see our mission to completion.
General Itinerary
Nov 27: Arrive at Kathmandu
Nov 28: Trek Relief "self-quarantine" programming
Nov 29: Trek Relief "self-quarantine" programming
Nov 30: Transport to Syabrubesi (6,660 ft), School handover Ceremony & volunteer
Dec 1: Trek to Lama Hotel (8,399 ft)
Dec 2: Trek to Langtang Village (11,155 ft)
Dec 3: Trek to Kyanjin Gompa (12,467 ft)
Dec 4: Optional challenge: dayhike to Cherukuri Ri (16,352 ft)
Dec 5: Trek to Riverside (11,125 ft)
Dec 6: Trek to Syabrubesi (7,808 ft)
Dec 7: Transport to Kathmandu; take PCR-19 COVID test, farewell dinner
Dec 8: Depart Kathmandu
our 12-DAY program
$1,200 TRIP COST
+ $800 TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION
= $2,000 MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION
Your contribution covers:
Tax-deductible donation
Volunteer work and financial gift to the community
Food and accommodations within trip dates
Premier trail services, such as professional guides and porters, Langtang National Park fee + TIMS trekking permit, and equipment rental of a sleeping bag, liner, & down jacket
Precautionary COVID safety measures, such as private jeep transport to/from the trailhead, (1) COVID-19 PCR test in Nepal, and (4) Rapid COVID-19 tests in Nepal
Your contribution does not cover:
Airfare to/from Kathmandu (KTM)
Nepal Visa On Arrival
Travel/health insurance that includes coverage for COVID-19 and related health issues
Deadlines
Fill out our application by October 30th, 2021
Raise or donate the minimum contribution of $2,000 by November 13th, 2021
requirements
Because of the nature of the times, our ideal voluntrekkers should have an incredibly open mindset about how this trip will turn out, and:
Must be flexible and understanding that the trip may not go as planned.
Must honor our process of restarting our programs responsibly by abiding by our COVID Travel Policy.
Must be prepared to cover any unexpected emergency medical and transportation costs, and the possibility of being in Nepal for more or less time than planned.
Understands that having high expectations or adopting unsupportive behaviors could be detrimental to the overall experience of the group, and may result in being asked to leave our program without a refund.
Refer to our Trip Change & Cancellation Policy.