Prior to the arrival some 300 years ago of Tibetan migrants, Langtang was considered "Hidden Valley", a place of refuge. Located near the Tibetan border due north of Kathmandu, it is Nepal’s most accessible high trekking route. With its close proximity and moderately high elevation, Langtang offers the highlands of Nepal to those who don’t have an extended vacation. Your Langtang trek begins in Dhunche and ascends a forested valley adorned with Spanish moss and delicate orchids. Rising out of the forest, you enter the open upper valley. The trail follows the glacier-fed Langtang river on a high, hut gentle valley floor. The crest of the Himalaya dominates the skyline to the north, culminating in Langtang Lirung the highest peak in the region. The highest year-round settlement in the valley is Langtang village, a community of Tibetan-speaking farmers and herders. Here, and at Kyanjing, cow-yak crossbreeds provide milk for the local cheese factories.