Kanchenjunga Trek

Here we begin! The Kanchenjunga trip will start with a short panoramic flight to Bhadrapur. Bhadrapur is a multicultural city in Eastern Nepal. During the 45 minutes of the flight, you will get to enjoy impressive displays of Mt Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and other peaks. Some of the world’s greatest mountains will not be too far.

Your aircraft will slowly find the runway of Bhadrapur Airport for a smooth landing. Upon arrival at Bhadrapur and getting your things together, you’ll join a 4-hour drive to Phidim. The drive will take you through the beautiful plains of the area. After being in motion for most of the day, you’ll reach Phidim to rest and refresh. If time allows, you will explore Phidim bazaar in the evening. You can meet and interact with the lovely locals of the town while exploring it.

Today we’ll leave the hotel early in the morning and take a shuttle to drive to Taplejung. Taking the quickest way via Mechi Highway, we’ll drive past many remote villages and tropical forests, which provide great scenery along the road.

With the highway famous for its picturesque vista, you can see lush green hills and rapid streams, offering a gorgeous view. After arriving at Taplejung, we’ll begin the trek through steep hills that walk past streams and mountain ridges.

We’ll pass many remote villages along the way and travel through the farms before heading down to the Tamur River. The trail ascends from the other end, so the last few hours of the trek will be a bit tiring. But once we reach the village, you can relax yourselves at the lodge. 

The trek from Sinuwa begins with a gentle walk on flat terrain, passing by a swift stream and along the steep ridges. After walking through some remote settlements and rice fields, we’ll descend the Tamur River. The trail from the other end ascends upstream, making the way out of the village.

In a little while, we’ll arrive at the beautiful village of Sniuwa, where many trekkers stop to have lunch. After leaving the village, the trail runs through a landslide-prone area before sloping downhill to Thiwakhila.

It’ll then cross a wooden bridge and follow the contour of the terrain that heads to Chiruwa. We’ll continue trekking along the bank of the Tamur River for about an hour or so before it finally turns to Tapethok. 

After some well-deserved rest & breakfast, we’ll begin our journey to Amjilosa. It starts with a quick ascent up the hill and a gentle walk to Sakethum. We’ll have lunch at the village to fuel up and finally make our way to Amjilosa. The trek will take about 6 hours, with trails weaving through Jaubari. 

There’s only one teashop here where trekkers can relax and have snacks. We’ll arrive at Amjilosa in the late evening, so we won’t have much time to explore the village. 

The trek from Amjilosa to Gyabla is a 4-hour walk, which may not seem like a lot, but it is quite difficult. The trails on this section are bumpy, with many narrow, steep lanes. Before reaching the village, we’ll follow the trail through bamboo and oak forests.

When you arrive at Gyabla, you’ll unfold many secrets and the region's spectacular beauty. You’ll find the main village hidden by the ridge to the west of a lodge, where we’ll spend the night. 

The trek to Ghunsa begins with a gentle walk through the forest full of rhododendron, pine, and oak. From here, the trail passes a Tibetan village called Phaley, which was initially a refugee camp. It’s now the main settlement in the northern part of Kanchenjunga. There are many lodges and teahouses in Ghunsa, providing accommodation to trekkers. 

We’ll spend a day acclimatizing at Ghunsa to avoid altitude sickness. To make the most of our time, we’ll hike to the viewpoint west of the village at 4,000 meters. It’s a five-hour walk to the altitude with mostly steep and challenging terrains. The whole idea is to trek high and sleep low to

You can see Sele Pass and Pang Pema as we go along the journey. The view from the hilltop is even more gorgeous and breathtaking. You can watch the beautiful Kanchenjunga mountain and the Khunsa River Valley. After spending quality time at the standpoint, we’ll descend the trail and come right back to Ghunsa. 

The walk will now direct towards Khambachen, starting with a walk to a river. From the river, you will gradually walk upwards, enjoying waterfall views. You may also meet the local yak herders along the walk. Ahead, the path will reach the banks of Ghunsa. You will cross the river to enter a pine and rhododendron forest.

Likewise, you will have a gradual uphill hike to Rambuk Kharkas. There you can enjoy great landscape views. From there, you will move ahead to cross a small landslide of glaciers. In this way, the trek will keep on, and mountains will also appear in the backdrop. Descending slowly through bushes of juniper, you will reach Khambachen.

From the campsite of Khambachen, you will walk on a trail that runs just over a river. You will enjoy walking by the side of the river for an hour. Then, going further east, the route will descend to the river. And from the banks, you will take a course upwards to rocky boulders. En route, you will also cross the terminal moraine of Kanchenjunga Glacier.

After some more walking on the terminal moraine, you will reach Ramtang Kharkha and Kanchenjunga Glacier. Overlooking Mera Peak, Wedge Peak, and others, you will get to Lohank for the night.

Today, you will not leave Lhonak. But you will hike up to Pang-Pema, Kanchenjunga North Base Camp. It will be an important day of the Kanchenjunga Trek as you reach the northern base camp of Kanchenjunga. The day will start with a gradual climb over the hill. You will see Nepal Peak, Givegela Chuli, Kirat Chuli, and Taple Shikhar.

The path will get steeper and rockier as you reach the boulder site. In a bit, you will walk through grassy slopes to a glacier path of the base camp area. If lucky, you will also find herds of blue sheep grazing around. The whole vicinity will be a treat to your eyes and heart. Enjoy mountain sights from the base camp to the fullest, and you will head back to Lhonak’s camp.

We’ll have a strong start on the trail after the time at base camp. So after finishing breakfast, we quickly descend the trail through rough and rocky terrain. The route follows a gentle slope down the hill to Lhonak and makes strides to Ramtang monastery

As we walk the trail to Kambachen, you can enjoy the marvelous view of Kanchenjunga, Sobi, Ghabur, and Phale. After walking the trail for 5-6 hours, we’ll finally arrive at this beautiful village in the north of Ghunsa. 

From Khambachen, we’ll retrace the steps back to Phaley. The trek is mostly downhill and takes just about 6 hours. The trail paves its way through lush green pine forests and cascading waterfalls, which provide a spectacular view. There are not many human settlements on the trail, so we may not have regular breaks. However, we will get to relish the incredible beauty of high hills and mountain slopes while hiking on the trail. 

After breakfast, we’ll continue walking down the trail to Amjilosa. Leaving the village behind, we’ll pass numerous streams and tributaries before arriving at the village. The trail will have us walk through conifer and birch forests, which provide a beautiful setting. The trail passes Gyabla village and runs along the hills to reach Amjilosa, where we’ll spend the night. 

The day starts with a warm breakfast followed by a short and easy walk down to Tapethok. We’ll make our way through the remote villages of Sakethum and Phembu, which is a four-hour walk. After halfway through, we’ll stop at Phembu to have our lunch and continue the journey. The trek from here is downward sloping, with most of them walking through lush green forests. 

We’ll start our trek to Sinuwa after a hearty breakfast. First, we’ll follow the trail along the Tamur River, which heads to Chiruwa. After reaching the village, we’ll walk down the trail to the river and cross the wooden bridge. The trek continues along to Thiwakhola, leading to the relics and blocks. After passing the course, we’ll descend the valley that goes all the way to Sinuwa. 

Waking up to the beautiful morning of Kanchenjunga, you can appreciate the beauty of Kanchenjunga until we pack our bags and get ready for the trek. We’ll begin the hike with an easy walk along the downstream that heads to the Tamur River. Passing the rice fields and terrace farms, we’ll approach the rural settlement. Soon, the trail descends the steep ridge and runs through green hills before arriving at Taplejung.

With a morning drive, you will reach Bhadrapur, the place from where the journey in Eastern Nepal started. You will enjoy scenic drive from Illam to Bhadrapur. 

You will go to Bhadrapur Airport to join a flight to Kathmandu. Joining the flight, you will fly back to Kathmandu, overlooking the Himalayas. Reaching Kathmandu safely, you will get back to your hotels. This is how the Kanchenjunga Trek will conclude.