Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek – 27 Days

Trip Facts

Overview

Kanchenjunga (8585 m.), is the third highest mountain in the world. Your journey to this remote area begins with a flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar in the east of Nepal, followed by a drive to Basantapur (2220 m,) from where you head north to the villages of Chauki (2700 m), Gorja Gaon (2000 m), Amjilasa (2490 m), Ghunsa (3340 m), Khambachen (4040 m) and Lhonak (4790 m) to Pangpema (5140 m.) which also serves as the Base Camp for expeditions attempting the North Face of Kanchenjunga and the culmination of the first part of the trek. Kanchenjunga is open for foreigners to explore only since 1988. Nothing can be bought along the way. Supplies at the trailhead are likely to be limited. Only organised and escorted groups can make to Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek. The best trekking seasons are March-April and October- November. There is a flight to Taplejung from Kathmandu and Biratnager but it has to be booked early.

Itinerary

On this day we will have our representative from Nepal GoGo treks to pick you up from Tribhuwan International airport and transfer you to hotel of Kathmandu.

Have breakfast and we will go for Kathmandu sightseeing .We will visit monkey temple , bouddhanath , Kathmandu durbar square and have lunch in between that .Then walk through Thamel street and Ason and then back to hotel and have dinner.

We will wake up early and take a flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar. Upon reaching Biratnagar we will roam around and overnight at Biratnagar hotel.

On this day we will take a first flight to Suketar from Biratnagar.Overnight at Suketar.

We will start our day with a downhill walk to Mitlung. The trails throughout the lower sections of the Kanchenjunga region pass through fertile valleys with beautiful pastures and small villages. We then cross Hangdewa River and walk alongside the raging Tamor River. As we gradually head in a northerly direction the trail steepens after a few hours before a final descent of 350 meters on a muddy trail to Mitlung.

We will trek towards the village of Sinwa and them we will continue trekking downhill until we reach Tawa. At Tawa, we ascend to some heights and cross the suspension bridge at Thiwa. We will pass beautiful rural landscape along the way and reach Chirwa, a beautiful Limbu village with few lodges, tea shops.

The trek from Chirwa to Sukathum passes through varied landscapes such as cardamom fields and dense forests. We will trek uphill for some time then descend to the lush green fields below and continue trekking along the Tamor River passing through a dense forest. It’s both uphill and downhill trek until crossing the Ghunsa River after which we reach Sukathum and spend the night there.

We will start our trek from Sukathum to Amjilosa which is very challenging. After crossing the suspension bridge outside Sukathum we will enter a dense forest, ascend the steep trail, descend and cross the river again. We will also climb a gorge from the bottom and pass by Solima village and descend again to the level of the river.

We will start trekking from the riverbank, pass through a densely forest of bamboo, fir and rhododendrons eventually reaching a small stone house by the river. We then climb uphill crossing a few small bridges along the way. Here, we get to enjoy the company of stunning waterfalls that originate from the mountains. After yet another short uphill walk, we reach the Tibetan settlement to Gyabla.

We will descend down the river and notice the valley as it slowly opens up before reaching Phale, a Tibetan refugee settlement where it is possible to purchase handicrafts and homemade rugs from locals. After purchasing a few souvenirs, we will travel through conifer and pine forest and reach the Sherpa village of Ghunsa where we spend the night.

We will take a short hike towards the Laspsan La monastery through the lush green forest. Come back to Ghunsa by afternoon and relax.

From Ghunsa we will trek further north along the river bank which presents us with magnificent mountain scenery. We will pass through meadows full with beautiful wildflowers, rhododendron and pine forests and cross a bridge at Rampuk Kharka passing the waterfall and cross the tricky section of the landslide. Further exploring and tackling the tricky mountain trail we finally arrive at Kambachen and spend the night.

We will take another day for acclimatisation at Kambachen which is reserved to accommodate participants in high altitude and also to observe if anybody in the group has any symptoms of altitude sickness. The overall idea for this day is to relax- take a bath and/or explore the Nuphchu Khola Valley area.

Today will be another challenging day for us. We trek through rocky fields and large boulders on the hillside along the riverbank and arrive at a waterfall. We then cross a bridge to Ramtang monastery and come across a landslide section which we must pass through at a steady pace before descending to the river and finally arriving at Lhonak.

We will trek along the Kanchenjunga Glacier to spend a night at Pangpema, Kanchenjunga base camp on the north side. We should be careful around the rockier sections as they are prone to landslides. Walking for some time we will reach to Pangpema /Kanchanjunga base camp.

We will retrace our path to Lhonak and continue down the valley to Ramtang Monastery. The return journey offers a different perspective of the mountains Kanchenjunga, Taple Shikhar, Gimmigela, and Mera Peak among others. Due to the descending nature of this trek we will reach Kambachen by evening.

We will descend to Ghunsa from Kambachen which means that we will get to enjoy the beautiful forests along with a backdrop of impressive mountain scenery. Overnight at Ghunsa

Its a steep trek upward from Ghunsa to Sele-Le. Upon reaching Sele Le we will climb through a dense forest of moss, rhododendron and juniper. Lunch will be served in an appropriate place with the availability of water.

We do an uphill trek and enjoy the mesmerizing south side view of Jannu Himal and Makalu (the world’s 6th highest mountain). Today is a strenuous trekking day as we will cross several passes- Sinion La, Mirgin La and Sinelapche Bhanjyang. We then make a steep descend to Cheram and spend the night there.

We will ascend past the snout of the Yalung Glacier and walk alongside the Simbuwa Khola, pass through Lapsang village and reach Ramche. We will walk further up the valley or ascend a ridge for a tremendous view of blue sheeps. We then follow the stream before climbing on the moraine top until confronted by Kanchenjunga’s southern face. We will walk further ahead for a glimpse of the Jannu Himal. We can even consider continuing to Oktang Monastery and descend to Cheran.

As we descend to Tortong we will first encounter two trails. One trail is the one that we will take while descending down from Sele Le. However, we ignore this route and descend further down to the trail alongside the Simbuwa Khola. We will enjoy the lush rhododendron forest along the way.

While descending from Tortong to Yamphudin we will pass through Lasiya Bhanjyang which involves walking up through trees and area of landslides. The terrain changes after every monsoon but by the middle of October it should be stable with a route through. Walking further down we reach the village of Yamphudin, a village inhabited by Sherpas, Limbus and Rais.

We will descend from Yamphudin, cross the bridge at Samekham and continue following the Kabeli Khola. We will pass through Mamankhe which houses the Limbu Museum and Cultural Center. We then cross the bridge over Khaksewa Khola and ascend through the cardamom forest, pass by a few villages and descend further down to Yangpang.

Instead of going back to Taplejung we will descend down to Thorpu. While descending to Thorpu we will pass through some really beautiful terraced villages, where the people are very interested to see us. We will spend the night in Thorpu and enjoy the hospitality of the villagers.

We are most likely to drive from Thorpu to Birtamod which is a lively Terai town in Eastern Nepal. Along the way we will notice the climate getting warmer with a landscape that is different from the mountains and the hills. The town boasts a number of good accommodation facilities therefore we will spend the night in Birtamod.

The drive to Bhadrapur from Birtamod is only of short distance. We will fly back to Kathmandu from Bhadrapur Airport. Upon arriving in Kathmandu you can take a rest and relax throughout the day in your hotel or you can shop around the tourist area of Thamel. Overnight at Kathmandu hotel.

Your journey comes to an end today. Our representatives will drop you safely to Tribuwan international airport to fly back home.

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