Highland Asia

Kanchanjunga Trek

25 Days 24 Nights Trip CodeNTT22

Overview

Nepal opened the Kanchenjunga area to trekkers in 1988, though people have trekked in the area in connection with mountaineering expeditions since the turn of the century. Kanchenjunga is a long way from Kathmandu, and the nearest roads and airports are a long way from the mountain. You can trek either to the north or south Kanchenjunga base camp, but it takes luck, determination and a lot of time to visit both sides of the peak. The northern side is particularly remote; it takes almost two weeks of walking to get to the base camp at Pang Pema. Kanchenjunga is on the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, so a circuit of the mountain is politically impossible. Kanchenjunga “the mountain of jewels”, the third tallest peak (8586m) in the world and possibly one of the least unexplored remote region of eastern Nepal and certainly one of its most beautiful. Breathtaking views of the vast Himalayan range from the majority of the routes trails. Walking in pleasant villages, through rhododendron forest in the lower valley then in the high regions, glorious mountains views of Everest, Makalu and the Kanchanjunga massif will make the trip memorable and abundant wildlife such as musk deer, blue sheep and yak grazing in the high altitude always astonish us.

Outline Itinerary

Day 01~Flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar and drive to Hiley
Day 02~Trek from Hiley to Shidua
Day 03~Trek from Dhuda to Door Pani
Day 04~Trek through rhododendron, some villages and a summer pasture along with mountain views to Gupha Pokhari.
Day 05~A few ups and downs with Mount Jannu and Mount Kanchenjunga in the backdrop brings us to Nesum.
Day 06~Trek through paddy fields to Taplejung-the central hub of the region.
Day 07~Following Tamur River valley, we arrive at our camp near a pleasant bazaar of Chirwa.
Day 08~Cross rivers a few times and climb a ridge and arrive at our camp at Sakathum.
Day 09~Follow the trail up-river and a steep descent brings to Amjilass for camping.
Day 10~Trek from Amjilassa to Kyapar, a real climb of the trip.
Day 11~Trek from Kyapar to Ghunsa through rhododendron forests.
Day 12~Trek from Ghunsa to Khambachan with views of Mount Jannu.
Day 13~An additional day at Khambachan
Day 14~Trek to the edge of Kanchenjung Glacier and cross Lhonak Glacier.
Day 15~Day Trip To Pangpema and enjoy the views of Mount Kanchenjunga.
Day 16~Trek from Khambachan to Cross Lapsanga La and Mirign La
Day 17~Rest at High Camp.
Day 18~Trek from High Camp to Ramche.
Day 19~A day trip to the Yalung glacier for a magnificent view of Kanchenjunga South Face and descend to Tseram.
Day 20~We steadily descend through forests of rhododendron to Torontan .
Day 21~Trek from Torantan to Yamphudin-a mixed community of Sherpa, Rai and Gurung ethincis.
Day 22 ~We descend from Yamphudin to the Kabel Khola and climb to Ponphe.
Day 23~Trek from Ponphe to Pha Khola
Day 24~We descend today to the airport of Taplejung for our overnight stay.
Day 25~We fly this morning back to Kathmandu via Biratnagar after a well-remembered trek .

Itinerary

Day 01 Flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar and drive to Hiley

We take a 45 min. flight to Biratnagar, an industrial city in the lowlands of Eastern Nepal and you will be welcomed by our guide and other crew at the airport. We drive to Hille, a Tibetan settlement at 6,070 ft. where we pitch our first camp.

Day 02 Trek from Hiley to Dhuda

We already start to trek. We take the trail to Buranse Danda, towards the Tamur River along a ridge. At the top of this ridge we arrive at Shidua (7,450ft.) where we camp for the night.

Day 03 Trek from Dhuda to Door Pani

We are trekking through a forest today to Chitre. We have opportunities to see wildlife along the way. The views of Mt. Makalu (27,825ft.) and Chamlang (24,000 ft.) are today's highlights. We continue through rhododendron forests to the hamlet of Door Pani (9,120 ft.) for overnight camp.

Day 04 Trek from Door Pani to Gupa Pokhari

After a gentle climb through more rhododendron forests to a mountain ridge, we drop down to the village of Tongise Phedi and continue to Chanki, an area used for summer pasture. We continue through grassy fields with Mt. Makalu in constant view. Soon the Kanchenjunga range appears and we come to Mongol Bharai pass, lined with mani stones. We descend to a lake, Gupa Pokhari, for our camp.

Day 05 Trek from Gupa Pokhari to Nesum

Today we cross a pass at 9,922 ft. and descend through a dense forest towards Gurja Gaon and continue to descend to Nesum (5,297 ft.) with Mt. Jannu and Mt. Kanchenjunga behind us. We camp in Nesum.

Day 06 Trek from Nesum to Taplejung

Today we visit the central hub of this region, Taplejung. We descend to Doban through paddy fields and start the trek up the Tamur River, to Taplejung.

Day 07 Trek from Taplejung to Chirwa

Continuing up the Timur River in a valley populated by the Limbu peoples, the descendants of the Kirati warriors who ruled Nepal at the dawn of Nepalese history, we camp near Chirwa, a pleasant bazaar with a few tea houses and shops.

Day 08 Trek from Chirwa to Sakathum

We continue up the Tamur past Tapethok and cross the Simbuwa Khola, a river formed by the Yalung Glacier. We climb over another ridge to join the Ghunsa Khola valley and camp by the banks of the river at Sakathum.

Day 09 Trek from Sakathum to Amjilassa

We follow a steep and narrow trail up-river. From the high spots there are wonderful views of the Ghunsa Khola below. The path descends steeply and we arrive at the mountain-side village of Amjilassa for our overnight stay.

Day 10 Trek from Amjilassa to Kyapar

We shall be doing some real climbing during the next 5 days! We climb to Kyapar perched in the middle of terraced hills about 1000 ft up, steep climbs from the Ghunsa Khola.

Day 11 Trek from Kyapar to Ghunsa

We descend from Kyapar and make an easy climb up the right bank of the Ghunsa Khola. After the village of Phere, we enter rhododendron forests and climb a gentle hill before descending back down to the Ghunsa Khola and crossing a wooden bridge to the village of Ghunsa.

Day 12 Trek from Ghunsa to Khambachan

Today we glimpse the Jannu Glacier. Later on we get a view of Mt. Jannu (25,289 ft). We descend the mountain-side to our camp at Khambachan.

Day 13 An additional day at Khambachan

We have to climb over 8,000 ft. in the last 4 days. We deserve a rest today to collect our thoughts on how wild and wonderful everything has been so far.

Day 14 Trek from Khambachan to Lhonak

Well rested, we shall now start a stint of real climbing. We trek to the edge of Kanchenjunga Glacier and cross over to the Lhonak Glacier. We arrive at our campsite at Lhonak, from where we can see Mera Peak (20,208 ft.)

Day 15 Day Trip To Pangpema

We shall have excellent views of the towering peak of Kanchenjunga today.

Day 16 Trek from Khambachan to Cross Lapsanga La and Mirign La

We select to cross either of the 2 passes today depending on the weather conditions: Lapsang La, the higher pass at 17,000 ft., and Mirgin La the lower pass at 15,000ft.

Day 17 Trek to High Camp

We shall again rest today to recover from the efforts of the previous days.

Day 18 Trek from High Camp to Ramche

We descend to the Simbuwa Khola valley and camp at Ramche.

Day 19 Trek from Ramche to Tserma

We take a day trip to the Yalung glacier for a magnificent view of the Kanchenjunga south face from a chorten at about 15,000 ft. We descend later to Tseram for the night.

Day 20 Trek from Tserma to Torantan

We are starting to descend from today. We steadily descend through forests of rhododendron to Torontan at 9,800 ft.

Day 21 Trek from Torantan to Yamphudin

We descend today to Yamphudin (5,360 ft. ) Yamphudin is a mixed community of Sherpas, Limbus, Rais and Gurungs and is the first real village since Ghunsa.

Day 22 Trek from Yamphudin to Ponphe

We descend from Yamphudin to the Kabel Khola and climb to Ponphe (5,500 ft. ) for our camp.

Day 23 Trek from Ponphe to Pha Khola

From Ponphe we climb to a ridge at 5,700 ft. We descend through as series of side valleys past Phun village to Kesawa (6,120 ft.). The trail continues to ascend to a Gurung settlement at Bhanjyang (6,640ft.) From here the trail traverses a ridge and descends to the Limbu village of Khunjari (5,250 ft. ). We camp below on the banks of Pha Khola.

Day 24 Trek from Pha Khola to Taplejung

We descend today to the airport of Taplejung for our overnight stay.

Day 25 Flight from Taplejung to Kathmandu

We fly this morning back to Kathmandu via Biratnagar after a well-remembered trek .

Trip Info

Cost Includes

All Permits
Flight to Biratnagar and return from Taplejung
All camping gears, kitchen gears and supplies
3 meals a day
English speaking Trekking Guide
Porters, Sherpas and Pack animals
Trekking crew insurAll Permits
Flight to Biratnagar and return from Taplejung
All camping gears, kitchen gears and supplies
3 meals a day
English speaking Trekking Guide
Porters, Sherpas and Pack animals
Trekking crew insurance

Cost Does Not Include

Drinks, tip and expenses of personal nature
Extra expenses due to nature and unforeseen events
Travel Insurance

A Challenging Trek

Kanchenjunga trekking is a challenging Trek. The trek demands excellent physical fitness level, previous high altitude trekking experience, mental preparedness and determination. The trip includes tough travel conditions and some steep climbing and may require use of ropes and crampons on boot at the pass. Trails may be ill-defined and the pass becomes impassable when snows up. The trip demands 6 to 8 hours of walking.
This trip involves very high altitude that can pose serious risk to an unprepared traveler. You are recommended to begin preparation several months ahead of the trip. We advise you to do some jogging, cycling, swimming or aerobics that helps build stamina in your body as well as increases your confidence level and of course minimizes the chances of getting acute mountain sickness. We have to avoid dehydrating and so we advise you to consume 3-4 liters of water daily and also liquid food in meals. Not sure if it has any medical grounds, but our Sherpa guides recommends garlic soup to treat the effects of the altitude. If you have any heart, lungs or blood diseases, please, do consult with your physician before you sign up for this trip.

Besides the altitude, we have to be prepared for the harsh weather. While days are warm and sunny, temperatures during the morning, evening and nights can be very cold often below freezing point. We need protection against the strong ultraviolet rays as well as dry winds.

The trail has very limited facilities and so we need to go with well supplied team of Sherpa crews with call camping gears and foods.

Camping accommodation

As mentioned above, this trip provides very limited facilities on the way and so its advisable to take a fully supported camping trek. A good number of support staff (Guide, Cook, Cook Helpers, Sherpa and Porters) are hired for camping and meals arrangement. A caravan of porters or pack animals will be used to transport camping and kitchen gears and food supplies and fuels, being transported all the way from Kathmandu all along. We try to use local produces as far as possible, though.

On a camping trek, there will be a cook and kitchen aides to prepare your meals and a Sherpa Sirdar to set up and breakdown your camps. A number of porters or pack animals will be hired to transport the gears and supplies from trail head till the finish point. For your personal gears and clothing, we will provide one porter for each two trekkers with limitation of 15 kg/33 pounds of pack per porter, in compliance with the standards set by International Porters Progress Group (http://ippg.net/) and we strongly stand on porters rights and discourage any forms of exploitation.

A typical trekking day

Each morning after packing our bags and having a good breakfast, we set off on the day's walk. All we need to carry is a small day pack containing water bottle, camera, sun cream, hat, rain jacket and warm jumper, just in case. The porters will carry the rest of our gear for us.
After walking for 3-4 hours we stop for lunch at around midday. The afternoon's walk is generally shorter and we usually arrive at our destination in time for afternoon tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the village, doing a bit of washing or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days we will arrive at our destination by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free.
After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and reliving the day's adventures, before heading off to bed for a well-earned sleep.

Hotels in Kathmandu, pre-trip and post trip ad ons

We can book accommodation for you in Kathmandu and also prior heading to trail head, you can spend a few days in Kathmandu, touring the temples, monasteries, Malla Palaces etc. After the trip completes, you can extend your trip to Chitwan National Park for 3 days and Pokhara 2 days.
Note on Itinerary
Although we will do our very best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed; it is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.

Booking and Cancellation

When you are sure you are traveling, please don't delay in booking. The internal flights are the key factor in determining whether your trip can be realized or not. A deposit of US$200 is requested along with complete trip application form and passport copies.
Balance payment is due 60 days prior to your departure. Depending on the number of applicants, we may set an early payment date. Credit card payment attracts additional fee.

Cancellation fee

90 days prior departure: Administrative fee US$ 50 per person.
60-89 day's prior departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
45 days to 59 days prior departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
30 days to 44 days prior departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
Less than 30 days: 100%

Nepal Visa

You can obtain Nepal visa beforehand from any Nepali embassies or consulates abroad or wait until you arrive at Kathmandu airport or any other port of entry to Nepal. You will need to complete visa application form and attach a passport size photograph. Visa fee costs US$ 25 for 15 days and $45 for 30 days multiple entry.

Highland Asia Travel

We are an active adventure travel company, based in Minneapolis, USA with destination management offices in Kathmandu, Thimphu and Lhasa. We are BBB acredited business and an active member of American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). We have set the standard for adventure travel and have a strong reputation for excellence that we do everything we can to maintain. Our managers and guides have more than 15 years of experience in organizing and leading adventure trips in the highlands of Asia. For us travel is not just a business, but a way of life.

Travel Protection Plan

While we plan and do our best to make your trip smooth and seamless, there may be chances of unforeseen events and conditions such as illness, accident, inclement weather, and flight cancellation or missed connection or loss of baggage etc. that may cause interruption or delay or total cancellation of your trip putting your hard earned travel investment in jeopardy. It’s also possible that you may need medical assistance, emergency evacuation or medical transportation when you get ill or involve in an accident when you are traveling in remote areas. Highland Asia’s Tour cost does not cover any of these expenses or losses and so we strongly recommend you that you should protect yourself and your travel investment against those unfavorable conditions.