Trek and tour

1. Way out in the east of Nepal a wall of rock and ice rises up over eight and half kilometres into
the sky. This is Kanchenjunga and at 8,586m it’s the third highest mountain on Earth. The hike to
the basecamp of this daunting peak is one of the most exciting treks in Nepal. Over a couple of
weeks you pass through pretty farming villages with terraced hillsides, through sub-tropical river
valleys and misty, old-growth coniferous forests, and then across Alpine tundra until you come
face to face with the glaciers and fluted peaks of the Kanchenjunga massif.
This is a scenically wild trek, but it’s also culturally diverse. You will find yourself settling down in
pretty villages to drink tea with a heady mix of Limbu, Rais, Sherpa and Gurung peoples.
The distance from Kathmandu and the unrelenting up and down terrain mean that very few
people trek out here, although it is becoming more popular. Between October and November
and March to April very basic herders’ teahouses and village homestays are available along most
of the route. At other times most tend to be closed and you will need to be fully self-sufficient
with camping gear and food.
Kanchenjunga Trekking Highlights
Off the beaten track
As a trekking destination Kanchenjunga is little known and the number of visitors tiny compared
to the numbers who pace the Everest and Annapurna trails. It’s this peace and quiet that is
perhaps its biggest draw.
Mountain vistas
Whether you choose to head to Kanchenjunga North or South basecamp, when you tilt your
head back to stare up in awe at the sheer rock and ice wall rising thousands of metres above
you, one thing is for certain. This is one of the best mountain vistas in the Himalayas.
Pristine forests
The Kanchenjunga region is a botanist’s dream. In spring the slopes are ablaze with the purples
of budding rhododendrons and at any time of year the steamy valley floors are a tangled web of
tropical forest plants. This is one of the few places in Nepal where you might find the elusive
Himalayan blue poppy. And the old forests beyond the last villages are soaked in mist,

2. mysterious and utterly beautiful. They’re some of the most pristine forests in the Himalayas.
Local life
The lower slopes of eastern Nepal’s mountains are densely populated. The hills are a tapestry of
terraced fields and the villages are made up of blue and white wooden houses with walls and
timber balconies covered in maize drying in the sun. With tourists so few and far between, the
people will welcome you into their houses and teashops and sit you down to talk.
Wildlife
With this trek covering such a diverse range of habitats, climates and altitudes you’ll see plenty
of wildlife – or at least, clues to their existence. The forests are filled with pheasants, the scree
slopes clatter with the hooves of blue sheep and the occasional snow leopard slips like a shadow
over the high passes. Lower down, where the air is hot and humid, the forest sings to the sound
of insects, colourful birds and crashing langur monkeys.
Exploration
Any trek in the Kanchenjunga region is something of an adventure, but for something really
challenging try the epic high altitude, three to four-week-long trail that links both north and
south base camps via the Mirgin La (4,663m) or the even wilder Lapsang La (5,160m). You’ll
need to be well equipped and totally self-sufficient. Not enough of a rush? In recent years a few
groups have launched expedition-style treks that link Kanchenjunga North with Makalu via the
5,160m Sumba Lumba pass. It takes four weeks and a lot of determination.
Top Treks In Kanchenjunga
1. Kanchenjunga North
There are two main Kanchenjunga treks and the three-week trek to the Kanchenjunga North
basecamp is the longest, hardest and by far the most spectacular. The trail drops down into
forested valleys and climbs again over ever higher and steeper hills. In the earlier stages it’s a

3. rural village to village affair with lots of cultural interaction, but eventually the path clears the
last village, crosses the tree line and wends its way across Alpine pastures to the basecamp at
Pang Pema (5,140m), which is set among fields of scree at the foot of the soaring north face of
Kanchenjunga. From the basecamp an exhilarating day walk can be made up to the summit of
Drohmo Ri (5,915m). The views are as good as you’ll get without venturing into the realms of
mountaineering, but the risk of altitude sickness is high.
The one drawback with the trail is that once you’ve made it to basecamp there’s nothing more
to do but spin round and return the way you came.
Kanchenjunga North
Difficulty: Hard. Lots of steep up and down.
Trek Duration: 18 days
Max Altitude: 5,140m
Accommodation: Camping is best; some very basic herders’ lodges.
Start/End point: Taplejung
2. Kanchenjunga South
The shorter, and slightly lower of the two trails takes you straight to the belly of the mountain
and the south basecamp at Oktang. In many ways this is a similar walk to the northern
basecamp – lots of diverse scenery, interesting villages and ever-changing vegetation. Although
you don’t go as high on this walk (maximum altitude is 4,800m), there is a huge amount of very
steep up and down, which makes it exhausting. The route gives you a day or so less in the high
mountains than the northern route, but the scenery, with giant peaks reflected in frozen lakes
and shimmering glaciers all around is mesmerising. Again, at basecamp, most people retrace the
same route back down again.
Kanchenjunga South
Difficulty: Hard. Lots of steep up and down.
Trek Duration: 14 days
Max Altitude: 4,800m

4. Accommodation: Camping best; some very basic herders’ lodges.
Start/End point: Taplejung
3. Kanchenjunga North to Kanchenjunga South
A round trip taking in both north and south basecamps is possible. You won’t have to retrace
your steps and you’ll have around five days in the high mountains sleeping well above 4,000m. It
involves crossing either the Mirgin La (4,663m) or the Lapsang La (5,160m). Neither route should
be taken lightly; snow is common late into the trekking seasons.
Kanchenjunga North to Kanchenjunga South
Difficulty: Strenuous. Lots of steep up and down and several nights camping at high altitude far
from any facilities.
Trek Duration: 24 days
Max Altitude: 5,160m
Accommodation: Camping best; some very basic herders’ lodges.
Start/End point: Taplejung
Kanchenjunga Trekking Information
TIMS card required. Kanchenjunga trekking permit US $10 per person per seven days;
Kanchenjunga Conservation fee Rs 3000. Permits only issued to groups of at least two people on
an organised trekking tour.
Best between October to mid-November and March to April. Between late November and late
February the air is clear and it’s possible to trek, but it’s very cold at high altitude and all
accommodation beyond the last villages will probably be closed.
It’s commonly said that Kanchenjunga is an organised, camping-only trek, but this isn’t
completely true. Almost all villages along the route have very simple accommodation available
(normally a room in a private house). Beyond the last villages there are a few basic teahouses
with dorm-style rooms, but these close during the colder months.
In all cases accommodation is aimed more at porters and herders than trekkers, but you’ll

5. certainly be welcome to stay. It would however be silly to base everything on the hope of
finding a bed for the night so, for the moment at least, it’s sensible to come on an organised
camping trek. Bring porters from Kathmandu as there aren’t many available near trailheads.
To get to and from Taplejung, fly or take a very long bus ride from Kathmandu to either
Biratnagar or the border city of Bhadrapur. Both have frequent transport links to the tea
producing town of Ilam, and from there less frequent transport to Taplejung. Allow a full 24
hours to travel to the trailhead from Kathmandu using a combination of plane and bus/private
vehicle. There’s also an airstrip at Suketar, but at the time of research it was closed for
renovations.

6. certainly be welcome to stay. It would however be silly to base everything on the hope of
finding a bed for the night so, for the moment at least, it’s sensible to come on an organised
camping trek. Bring porters from Kathmandu as there aren’t many available near trailheads.
To get to and from Taplejung, fly or take a very long bus ride from Kathmandu to either
Biratnagar or the border city of Bhadrapur. Both have frequent transport links to the tea
producing town of Ilam, and from there less frequent transport to Taplejung. Allow a full 24
hours to travel to the trailhead from Kathmandu using a combination of plane and bus/private
vehicle. There’s also an airstrip at Suketar, but at the time of research it was closed for
renovations.