Arrival
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Arrive Kathmandu. Transfer to your choice of hotel. Rest and relax.
Kanchenjunga Highlands Expedition
A longer remote eastern Nepal itinerary around the Kanchenjunga high valleys.
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Route mini map
Route overview
The trek begins at Taplejung which is a 45 minute flight from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, followed by a jeep to Birtamod and then to Taplejung. The broad itinerary for the whole trek is below, and we visit the north base camp first. This walk around Mount Kanchenjunga visits both the North and South Base Camps. The route begins by approaching the North side of Kanchenjunga where you will have great views of Tent Peak, Nepal Peak, Cross Peak before the bulk of Kanchenjunga itself becomes visible. From Pangpema on the north side the trek returns to Ghunsa and then crosses Mirgin La pass over to the south side of Kanchenjunga. Once over this pass, you follow the route through Ramche and Oktang where there are impressive views of the South West face of Kanchenjunga. Kanchenjunga Conservation Area is in the far east of Nepal near the border with Sikkim. A flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar is about 45 minutes.
Why travellers choose this trip
A longer eastern Nepal trek using the Taplejung and Ghunsa corridor to build a more remote Kanchenjunga mountain journey.
- Travel through Taplejung and Ghunsa - Extend the Kanchenjunga approach into a fuller mountain journey - Keep the trip focused on remote eastern Himalaya terrain
Route stages
Rest Day
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Rest day and trek briefing day plus enjoy the vibrant city (we can organise a tour for you if requested either pre or post trek).
Kathmandu – Bradrapur - Taplejung
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Fly from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur followed by a drive to Taplejung. This is a long day, but the drive is enjoyable, with plenty to look at as we journey through the lower regions and communities of the Himalaya in the far east of Nepal.
Taplejung - Sekathum (Sukethum)
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
We continue our journey by road to reach our trek start point of Serkathum (on some maps Sukethum). We can then relax in the afternoon and prepare for the trek starting the following day.
Sekathum – Amjilossa
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Our first days trek is an enjoyable journey, initially downhill before a gradual ascent that sees us undulate along the terrain whilst crisscrossing the Ghunsa river over several bridges before reaching the village of Amjilossa. Our destination is a quaint village, with welcoming locals and set in an idyllic forested environment with panoramic views. This is a great day to settle into our new daily routine of peaceful walking.
Amjilossa – Gybala
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Today, in terms of terrain, is not indifferent to the previous day as we continue our journey towards Kanchenjunga. On leaving Amjilossa, there is a short ascent through oak, bamboo and rhododendron forests offering a great view of the south western side of Kanchenjunga. The route makes numerous steep climbs and short descents and passes a beautiful large waterfall before the final steep climb up to Gybala.
Gybala - Ghunsa
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
From Gybala, the trail carries on to the village of Kyapra and then climbs easily up the right bank of the river. The trail crosses a large meadow past a few villages and ascends a gentle hill before descending across the river into the beautiful village of Ghunsa. This Tibetan village has several lodges, gompas and shops where you can buy a few souvenirs.
Ghunsa acclimatisation day and walk to the view point
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Today we will have a rest and acclimatisation day. The village is nestled in a deep valley surrounded by towering peaks including Kanchenjunga, Kumbhakarna, Jannu, and many others. There are a number of walking routes for us to choose from allowing us to gain some altitude and enjoy the rugged terrain, deep valleys, glacial lakes, and pristine forests that surround the village. It offers up some dramatic scenery, which we can enjoy before returning to Ghunsa to relax in the afternoon.
Ghunsa to Khambachen
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
The route climbs gradually along the south bank of the Ghunsa Khola, through beautiful rhododendron and pine forests, passing many mani walls, colourful prayer flags and chortens along the way. The trail climbs steeply up scree slopes to reach the Tibetan settlement of Khambachen, providing wonderful views of the huge north face of Janu.
Khambachen - acclimatise with a trek to Janu View Point (Kumbhakarna Base Camp)
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Khambachen is the perfect place to again take some time to relax and acclimatise. During our rest day we can ascend to almost 4600m to the Janu View point and enjoy great views of Janu Himal (Kumbhakarna) at 7710m, the Janu glacier and several other peaks. The valley views, wildlife alongside the peaks makes for a great few hours walk. Janu viewpoint is also known as Phaktalung, which is a holy place for the Limbu people. There is a huge stone and a small temple there which thousands of pilgrims visit during the full moon festival in August.
Khambachen - Lhonak
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
From Khambachen the trail climbs up through exposed rocky fields to the village of Ramtang and then crosses North West of the Kanchenjunga Glacier and past large stone huts to the village of Lhonak. From Lhonak there are impressive views of the Himalayas, including Wedge Peak (6750m), Mera Peak (6344m), Nepal Peak (6910m) and Twins (7351m).
Lhonak – Pangpema (Kanchenjunga north side base camp)
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
An early start for the trek to the Kanchenjunga north side base camp at Pangpema (5143m). This is a real high point of the trek not just in altitude but also for majestic views of Tent Peak, Nepal Peak, Cross Peak, the Twins and the impressive Kanchenjunga! We’ll enjoy the area and stay overnight.
Pangpema - half day hike and then drop back to Lhonak
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
We’ll take some more time to trek around this stunning region and absorb all of the mighty peaks and atmosphere. This circular hike takes around 4hrs, before a 3hr descent back to Lhonak.
Lhonak – Khambachen
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Following back along the same path for around 4 hours.
Khambachen - Ghunsa
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Following back along the same path for around 4 hours.
Ghunsa – High Camp
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
From Ghunsa, the trail climbs steeply 500m to the high camp, for an overnight stay in preparation for the trek to Mirgin La Pass.
High Camp – Mirgin La Pass 4663m – Tseram
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
This is another impressive day with views of the Himalayas. Our route crosses five passes – first Tamo La (3900m), an unnamed pass (4115m), Mirgin La (4663m), Sinion La (4660m) and another unnamed pass at 4724m. From this last pass there is a steep descent of 1000m to the small settlement of Tseram, high above the Simbua Khola.
Tseram – Ramche
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
The walk from Tseram to Ramche is extremely scenic and is one of the best sections of the Kanchenjunga Circuit trek. The route passes the nose of the glacier into a valley, offering magnificent scenery and views of all the peaks to the east along the India-Nepal border, such as Koktang (6147m), Rathong (6679m) and many more above 7000m. It then follows along a lake, meadow and stone houses to reach Ramche, for an overnight stay.
Day trek to Oktang (Kanchenjunga South Base Camp)
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
Leave early in the morning and follow the ablation valley to Oktang for a view of the south face of the magnificent Kanchenjunga and the climbing route to the summit, first climbed in 1953. From Oktang, the views of the surrounding Himalayas are incredible; the whole cirque is above 7500m. Many people rush this day but we like to take our time to asborb and enjoy this magical place. After spending some time in Oktang, we trek back to Ramche to rest for the evening.
Ramche – Tortong
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
The trail descends steeply through until we drop down enough altitude to again enter stunning rhododendron forests that lead to Torontan. We then climb up through mossy forest to reach the pass at Lamite Bhanjyang. From here, there are fantastic views of Kanchenjunga and Jannu. We drop further to Tortong for our overnight stay.
Tortong – Yamphudin
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
The trek descends over 900 metres today, beginning with a steep descent to Imja Khola, and then crosses along the Dubi Pass. From here there is a further but more gradual descent for a couple of hours until reaching the village of Yamphudin. This village is home to Sherpas, Rais, Limbus, and Gurungs.
Yamphudin – Mamanke
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
From Yamphudin, the trail descends steeply to the Kabeli Khola River and crosses a log bridge before reaching the village of Mamanke, where we will stay overnight.
Drive from Mamanke - Kanyam
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
From Mamanke we return to the road and travel by vehicle to Kanyam. This is an 8 hour journey and we have time to stop and take in the views. It is interesting to see this region as we pass by every day life in the Himalayan foothills. We’ll overnight in a local lodge.
Drive to Bhadrapur, fly to Kathmandu
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
We depart circa 6am to reach Bhadrapur mid afternoon before an early evening flight back to Kathmandu, where you will stay in your hotel of choice.
Rest day in Kathmandu - explore the city or possible onward travel
Kathmandu to Unknown finish
After an evening arrival on day 24 you can spend the day exploring on a Kathmandu City Tour . It is possible to fly out this day too, however the trek relies on an internal flight, which can at times be delayed. It is best, if possible to allow at least one extra day in Kathmandu at the end to accommodate delays.
Onward travel
Kathmandu to Kathmandu
Fly home on an am or pm flight.
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Mountain Ranges
2
Sikkim and Eastern Himalaya Peaks
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