Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek

As you land at the airport and complete your immigration procedures, you will be greeted by one of our representatives and driven to the hotel booked for you. You can rest and relax at the hotel and step out for sightseeing in the evening.

This day has been allocated for you to rest and get over the jetlag. In the afternoon, we will conduct the trek briefing and you may go around the city for personal shopping and sightseeing. Meanwhile, we will make all the documents ready and obtain the necessary permits for the trek.

After early morning breakfast, we will take a domestic flight to Bhadrapur. Then we will meet with our crew and drive to Illam, a beautiful city in the Eastern region of Nepal. We will spend our night in a cozy hotel in Illam.

After spending the wonderful morning in Illam Bazaar, we will further drive to Taplejung which will take us about 6/7 hours. 

Our trek starts from Taplejung through the lush green forests in the mid-hilly region passing through several villages with local culture and eye-catching lifestyle. The terraced farms, rice fields, cardamom farms make the villages picturesque. We continue our trek on the trail that follows the Tamor River until we reach Mitlung, our stop for the day.

The trek on this day is demanding as we will need to walk on rough and rocky paths, sometimes passing over the debris of landslides. We will cross Tamang villages of Sinwa, Tawa, and Porke. The trail then descends towards Thiwa Khola, taking us up and downhill until we reach the Chirwa village at 1270 m. Chirwa is a small settlement with houses made from bamboo with few shops.

Trekking through the villages of Taplethok, Tamewa, and Lelep, we move alongside Tamor River and descend towards Simbu Khola, which emerges from the Yalung Glacier. We then trek through steep and narrow Ghunsa Khola valley to finally arrive in Sukathum. Overnight in Sukathum.

On this day of the trek, we climb the steep and narrow uphill to the Tibetan village, Amjilossa. The trail takes us through numerous bridges over the Ghunsa River letting us enjoy the marvelous views of the surrounding landscapes until we reach the Amjilossa.

We will trek for about 5 hours on this day. The trail passes through dense forests of Rhododendron, Oak, Bamboo, and deodars. We will be able to view glimpses of the south-western face of Mt Kanchenjunga. Walking on a steep uphill, followed by short descents we reach a huge and eye-catching waterfall before we climb steeply to reach Gyabla.

On our route from Gyabla towards Ghunsa, we will pass the Kyapra village then take an easy climb along the riverbank. We will then come across a large meadow which is mesmerizingly beautiful. After walking past a few more villages, we will descend and cross the river to reach the beautiful Ghunsa Village which has few shops, lodges, and small settlements.

We slowly start gaining significant altitude, so we walk slowly with enough rest. The trail on this day takes us along the south bank of Ghunsa Khola climbing up to the dense forests of Rhododendron slowly dominated by pine and oaks. Being resided by Tibetans, we will encounter numerous Mani Walls and Chhortens as well as Prayer flags throughout the journey. The latter part of the climb is on a steep slope leading to the Tibetan settlements of Khambachen. The next will be spent here for acclimatization where we will go around the village to view some of the majestic sceneries of the surrounding Himalayas.

The trail that leads from Khambachen to Lhonak is an exciting one. The initial parts of the trail os climb up through the rocky path to Ramtang village. Then, we cross the North West section of the Kanchenjunga Glacier with small settlements to reach Lhonak village. Lhonak village is an excellent viewpoint offering breathtaking views of Mera Peak, Wedge Peak, Nepal Peak, and many more.

This day is a remarkable day of this trip as we will be trekking up to the North Side Base Camp of Kanchenjunga. Upon reaching the Base Camp, Pangpema, we can enjoy the majestic views of Tent Peak, Nepal Peak, the Twins peak, and the massive Kanchenjunga itself. 

We retrace our path back to Ghunsa and rest overnight.

From Ghunsa, we climb a 500 m long steep uphill to reach the high camp at 4100 m.

The trek from High Camp to Tseram demands a high level of fitness as it takes us through numerous passes, most significant being the Sele La Pass (4480 m), Sinion La Pass (4660 m) and Mirgin La pass at 4663 meters. Then we descend steeply to reach the small settlement just above the Simba Khola, Tseram, our stop for the night.

Traversing the moraines of the Yalung Glacier, we head towards Ramche. We will walk past several lakes and meadows where blue sheep are seen grazing making the scenery worth watching. We can also enjoy the views of all peaks towards the east along the Nepal-India Border including Koktang (6147 m), Rathong (6679 m), and many other 7000 m peaks.  Ramche houses small monasteries where we will offer our prayers in the evening.

The trek to the south side Base Camp of Kanchenjunga follows a rocky path along the glacial moraines. This base camp was used during the first summit of Kanchenjunga in 1953. The base camp offers unforgettable vistas of Kanchenjunga, Jannu Himal, and several other peaks. After some time of exploration, we will return back to Ramche to rest overnight. 

We start descending steeply through the Rhododendron and Pine forests until we reach Toronton. Then, we climb uphill to reach the pass at Lamite Bhanjyang where we will rest overnight. This pass also offers beautiful glimpses of Kanchenjunga and Jannu Himal.

We will descend steeply on this day. Passing several villages and crossing dense forests we descend to Imja River. We then cross the Dubi pass and further descend until we reach the Yamphudin Village. Yamphudin is a community resided by diverse ethnic groups like Sherpas, Gurungs, Rais, and Limbus.

The trail on this day takes us down the forests, traversing high waterfalls and walking through valleys to Kabeli Khola across the overhead bridge. Then, we walk past small settlements to reach Khebang where we will rest overnight.

We continue our trek from Khebang village to Khanidingbe while enjoying the stunning views of Kanchenjunga and Jannu Himal in the background. Crossing dense forests and several waterfalls, we reach Khanidingbe to rest overnight.

From Khanidingbe, we will take a private jeep and drive to Birtamod, a city in the eastern Terai of Nepal. 

After the rest at a cozy hotel in Birtamod, we will wake up for a heavy breakfast at the hotel. We will then drive to the airport to catch a flight back to Kathmandu.

After the long strenuous trek to the base of the third highest mountain in the world, we will now bid farewell to each other as we depart our ways to head to our homes. One of our representatives will drop you off at the airport 3 hours prior to your scheduled departure.