Kanchenjungha Trek - 25 Days

Our Representative will be waiting for you at the airport and welcome you to our typical Nepali culture. You will be quickly arriving at the hotel afterward where you can expect luxurious accommodation. There will be a welcome dinner tonight and afterward a proper sleep which is much needed after the long trip from home.

Today we will discuss our trekking and make necessary preparations and we take a quick city tour of Kathmandu as well. After all the briefings regarding the trek and acquainting necessary permits, we will arrange a short trip to a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city such as Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambunath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and so on. A quick stroll in the streets of Kathmandu and last-minute gear shopping is a perfect thing to do in the evening.

Today again you will be going to the same airport you landed 2 days ago, from where we will take a domestic flight to Bhadrapur airport in Jhapa. If you get the left-hand side seat in the aircraft, you will enjoy the panoramic view of the mountain range of Central and Eastern Nepal. After we land in Bhadrapur, we take a jeep or a bus and drive to Phidim where we stay in a local guest house.

As we continue the drive from Phidim towards the north, we leave behind the plains of Terai and climb higher and higher into the green hills. We drive through beautiful hills of Illam and during the drive itself, you will see amazing sceneries of green hills and tea cultivation. Ilam is also well known as the queen of hills. At the end of the day, we reach Suketar which will be the starting point of our trek. So, we take a proper rest tonight at Suketar.

Different trails lead to Chirwa from Suketar. We will walk via Mitlung which will initially be a downhill walkway. We will trek along small settlement villages and scenic pastures. During our walk today, we will cross two rivers: Hundewa Khola and the Tamur River. Following the east bank of Tamur River, we will continue our trek and after reaching Mitlung we will take a short break. Then our trail will be uphill, following the riverbanks of Chirwa Khola. Eventually, we will reach Chirwa and stay overnight in the village.

8 hours of walk is going to be a long day therefore we must start early. We take our breakfast early and head northwards from the village. Following the ups and downs along the eastward bank of the Tamur River, we will reach a Chhetri village in Tapethok, 1320m. This is Kanchenjunga National Park checkpoint. After showing permits here we continue our trek. As we go higher, we begin encountering Tibetan people on the way. At the end of the day, we reach Amjilosa which is a Tibetan settlement and we will be welcomed by the warm hospitality of Sherpa and Tibetan people. Proper rest tonight is prominent after a tiring day.

After a demanding walk yesterday, we don’t push ourselves much today. A relatively shorter walk will be good enough to take us to Gyabla where we will spend our night. The trail we walk today is far from human settlements so we don’t encounter any villages. However, there is always something to cherish- wildlife, in today’s case. We will hike through dense forest, most of which will have Bamboo, Rhododendrons, and Brown Oaks.

Although we will climb about 800 meters of altitude today, the beginning will be a steep descent into a gorge. Then after walking through the forests of Rhododendrons and firs and following the riverbank we trek to beautiful Yak pastures in Foley. Here we will cross the 3,000m threshold altitude. After having lunch at Pholey we continue our trek. We reach Ghunsa Khola and after crossing the bridge over the river we will enter the village where we stay overnight.

Yesterday we crossed 3,000m altitude and tomorrow we will cross the 4,000m threshold, which is why we take a rest day at Ghunsa. With the increase in altitude, our body tends to get much tired due to the availability of less oxygen. However, rest day does not mean we would just sit and do nothing. Today, we will hike up in the surrounding hills and get used to the higher altitudes.

After a proper rest day, we are good to go higher. We need to be extra alert because we might encounter landslides on the trail. This area is prone to landslides. We trek northwards from Ghunsa through some spectacular terrain. We will get some extra treat of sight today as we get an exquisite view of the north face of Mt. Jannu (7,710m) and a glimpse of the Jannu Glacier as well. Finally, we arrive at Kambachen, which is a temporary settlement and has small lodges (teahouses).

Today’s trek is going to be a long walk. But we will not see any settlements today also as there are no villages or houses on the trial. After a few hours of hiking, we will reach Ramtang from where the Kanchenjunga glacier starts. There is also a beautiful monastery in this place and the views here are simply amazing. As we move forward, we cross over the Lhonak glacier. The junction of Lhonak and Kanchenjunga glacier is a treat to watch. After a while, we will arrive at the small settlement at Lhonak and spend our night there

Today we will be visiting the North base camp of Mt. Kanchenjunga and it is going to be one of the best days of the trip. The north base camp is locally called as Pangpema. We climb only 300 meters of altitude but it will take us about 6hrs, so it is going to be a steep hike. We will steadily climb through the trail. We need to be careful because few places in the trail are prone to landslide. Finally crossing all the rocky sections, we arrive at the flat grassy plain basin of Kanchenjunga North base camp and the view we get is worth the hike we just finished. We stay there overnight.

Our trip would be incomplete if we don’t spend at least a day exploring the nearby ridges in the Kanchenjunga base camp area. While exploring the area we will behold exquisite views of Mt. Jannu, the North face of Kanchenjunga, and the Chang Himal. The fact that this area is less visited and less crowded makes it pretty serene and the atmosphere tranquil. We will also witness an amusing vista of the glaciers. It is also possible that we might meet some climbers who attempt the Peak Climbing. From the base camp, it takes 4 days of a hike to reach the peak of Mt. Kanchenjunga.

After a beautiful day of exploring the base camp area, we head southwards to reach Ghunsa. Since most of our trials would be downhill, we can cover much more distance today. On the way back, we will be recalling all our memories and once again witnessing the beauty of the place, this time with a different perspective.

From Ghunsa, we leave behind the trail to Gyabla and pick the eastward trail following to Sele Le and beyond. Like many other sections in the trial, this section is also isolated from human settlements. The dense forest of Rhododendron and Juniper is what we are going to encounter today. As depicted by other travelers, we might be seeing snow leopards in this section of our trial. Hence, we need to be more careful and stick together all the time. We stay overnight at Sele Le.

Today we will be covering quite a long distance and also hiking through different passes like Sinon La Pass, Mirgin La Pass, and Sinelapcha La Pass. We will see the astounding panorama of the white-painted mountains. We will also be trailing today along the Sikkim border. Today we will join our trek to the Kanchenjunga south treks where weather conditions are not always favorable. So, we have to be mentally prepared about the challenges. But also with pain comes gain-in this case the serenity of the Himalayas.

Today is the last day of climbing on the trek. From tomorrow we will be descending back. After hiking for about 7 hours we will finally reach the south Base Camp of the Mt. Kanchenjunga. The beautiful glimpse of snowy mountains and ridges will heal all your pains and sorrows. The amazing viewpoint of Kanchenjunga allows you to behold stunning views of Mt. Rothang and Kabru on the Nepal-Sikkim border. After walking through a series of ablation valleys, we finally reach the Oktang Base Camp- the local name of Kanchenjunga South Base Camp. To have a different perspective view of Mt. Kanchenjunga today, after having viewed it from the Northern side also is going to be a soothing feeling. The highlights of today’s trek are the views of Kokthan, Rathong, and Kabru as well. We also descend to Sheram today and stay overnight there.

Beginning the day with splendid views of towering peaks Kabru and Rathong, we trek downhill. Descending feels pretty much easier and quicker and we cover a lot of distance today. Most of the views on the way comprise of the snow-capped Himalayas and Rhododendron forests. Following the easy trail along the Simbua Khola, we finally arrive at Troangden and stay there overnight.

Today’s trial comprising of difficult sections is going to be a tough hike. The landslide-prone sections, 600m climb to Lamite pass (3500m) make the trek more demanding. So we must be alert at all times. Similar to the previous days, we will be walking through Pines and Rhododendron forests but they might be scarcely seen from tomorrow. We again walk another pass at Dhupi Bhanjyang. After there our trial will follow cultivable fields where corn and barley are grown. Finally, we reach Yamphudin-a mixed community of Sherpas, Limbus, Rais, and Gurungs. We stay there overnight.

Early in the morning we have our breakfast at Yamphudin and start walking downhill southwards. We pass through villages of Chhetri and Brahmins. As we we’re traveling remote trails for the past few days, seeing settlements of people makes us feel lively. Ascending and Descending along the splendid trail, we will trek to Khebang and stay there overnight.

Leaving behind the trails of the Himalayas we are now walking along the high hills of the region. Today we drop almost 1,000metres of altitude in about 6 kilometers of distance. We will have our lunch at Dobhan. After resting for a few minutes in the beautiful village we head towards Khandembe.

After continuous trekking of about 7 hours every day, we now cut short our trek 4 hours today as it is going to be the last day of our trek (not our trip). All the memories that we recall today will make us feel to just continue walking more days and explore the place more. Today we explore the last glimpse of Kanchenjunga Range. After a relatively short day of walking, we reach Tharpu village and stay there overnight.

Our Trek ends and we now travel by road and air. We take a bus to travel to Bhadrapur airport about 190 kilometres away. The road that twists and turns make our traveling time much longer compared to the distance we cover. After reaching Bhadrpaur we stay in a hotel and prepare for the flight tomorrow. Strolling in the streets of Bhadrapur can be quite refreshing.

The last day of the trip will take you off from the eastern plains and land you into the central hills of the country. The view you get from the aircraft itself is also, something that is pretty enough to recall when you get back home. After landing in Kathmandu, we check back into our hotel and get a pretty comfortable rest. You will be inside a luxurious hotel room after so many days, So Enjoy.

Today is the last day of your trip to Nepal. our clerk will drop you to International Airport and say goodbye till the next trip. Wish you have a pleasant flight back home. see you next time.