Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek - 21 Days

Before your Kanchenjunga trek begins, we’ll spend another day in Kathmandu to explore its many architectural and cultural wonders. We’ll visit the Hindu temples at Pashupatinath, as well as the Buddhist stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath—which are actually considered sacred to both religions. As we explore the city, you’ll have the chance to try plenty of local food and to peruse the handmade curios which are widely available in the city’s artisanal souvenir shops. You’ll also get to meet your trekking guide today, and you’ll learn about what you can expect on your upcoming adventure in the mountains. This evening, you’ll return to your hotel to spend a second night here in Kathmandu.

Today starts with a short flight to Bhadrapur, which is known across Nepal for its lovely tea farms. When we land, we’ll pile into our private car to make the long day’s ride to Taplejung. While you can expect to spend anywhere from seven to nine hours on the road today, this is an exciting cross-country trip with beautiful scenery around every bend. As our route climbs into the Himalayan foothills amidst green fields planted with tea, we’ll wind our way into Taplejung and spend the night in the best available hotel or guesthouse.

While some travelers start hiking directly from Taplejung, we’ll opt for another day’s drive in order to avoid the dusty conditions along this first stretch of the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek. Along the way, we’ll stop in Tapethok or another small village to enjoy a tasty local lunch within sight of the Himalayan mountains, which are drawing closer now with every mile. From here, it’s just a few more hours to Sekathum, where we’ll check into our guesthouse and get ready to start our Kanchenjunga trek in the morning.

Your trek in Nepal officially begins today! Our trail leads across grass-covered hillsides in the Ghunsa Valley, crossing back and forth over the Ghunsa Khola River on a series of hanging bridges before climbing steeply into the Himalayan foothills. As we pass through dense stands of bamboo and rhododendron, we’ll catch the occasional glimpse of the high mountains of the Kanchenjunga Himal—as well as a particularly scenic waterfall. Our destination today is the village of Amjilosa, which clings to a green hill surrounded by terraced fields and forested slopes. We’ll pick the best available teahouse for tonight’s accommodations.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, we’ll start our next bit of the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek. This is a day of green oak forests and shimmering waterfalls, and we’ll pass by the occasional herder’s settlement as we climb into the mountains. After a few hours, we’ll come across an especially stunning waterfall which marks the beginning of a steep ascent to the village of Gyabla. As we come around a ridgeline, the full extent of this little mountain community will come into view. From your guesthouse here in Gyabla, you’ll be able to look out across the wooded slopes of a scenic Himalayan valley.

While this is another short section of the trail, today’s trek is full of eye-catching scenery. We’ll start by crossing a wide alpine meadow before descending into a river valley to pass fields of potatoes and maize. The locals in this part of Nepal make their living by farming and rearing yaks. We’ll stop for lunch in the little Tibetan village of Phole, where you can also find some authentic handmade souvenirs. We’re getting into real mountain territory now, and soon we’ll reach the village of Ghunsa. Sitting in the shadow of towering Himalayan crags, Ghunsa is considered the largest community on the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek.

We’re beginning to reach serious altitudes now, so we’ll take it slow and steady as we set out from Ghunsa and climb higher into the Kanchenjunga Himal. Our path today ascends through juniper forests and along the slopes of denuded hillsides. We’ll also need to carefully cross a short section of trail which is prone to the occasional landslide; your guide will assess the situation before leading you forward to Khambachen. This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful stops on our Kanchenjunga trek, thanks to its traditionally built homes, low walls made of stone, and spectacular mountain scenery. We’ll spend the next two nights of our trek here.

When you’re trekking in Nepal, it’s important to give your body the time it needs to adjust to the ever-increasing elevation of the Himalayas. Today, we’ll follow one of the simplest rules of trekking: climb high and sleep low. This is the best way to help your body acclimatize to altitude—and by hiking up to the ridgeline north of Khambachen, we’ll earn some additional elevation before descending to the village to spend a second night. We’ll also earn some spectacular views of the Kanchenjunga Himal, including the summits of Jannu, Phole, and Khabur. This is one of the very best viewpoints on the entire Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek.

Our Kanchenjunga trek continues today along rubble-strewn hillsides and frozen riverbeds littered with water-worn boulders. After assessing trail conditions to make sure we aren’t at risk of encountering a landslide, we’ll cross this section of the route and gradually climb above the scenic pasturelands near Ramtang, where we can enjoy lunch. This is real Himalayan territory, where the snow-covered summits of mountains like Merra Peak rise above an otherworldly landscape of rock and stone. We’ll arrive at Lhonak after about four or five hours of trekking and get checked into the best available teahouse.

We’ll get an early start today to reach Kanchenjunga’s northern base camp before any afternoon cloud cover has the chance to obscure the mountain’s highest peaks. The mountaineering base camp sits near Pang Pema at an altitude of 5140 meters, and we should reach it after about four hours of steep climbing. From here, the world’s third-highest mountain seems almost close enough to touch—and you’ll also see the iconic summits of the mountains known as Pathibara (Pyramid Peak), Kirat Chuli (Tent Peak), and Taple Shikhar. There are even a few accommodations here, but we’ll stick to the trekker’s maxim (remember: climb high and sleep low), descending back to Lhonak to spend another night after enjoying our time at Kanchenjunga North Base Camp.

We have a long day of hiking ahead of us—but at least we’re going downhill! As we wind down from the heights of the Kanchenjunga Himal and trek in the direction of Ghunsa, we’ll revisit some of the most striking landscapes in the Himalayas. We’ll also make a brief stop in the familiar surrounds of Khambachen, where we’ll enjoy a stop for lunch. When we arrive in Ghunsa after approximately eight hours of walking, you’ll really feel like you’ve been on an adventure. But our Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek is far from over—and you’ll want to get plenty of rest to prepare for tomorrow’s climb.

With the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp in our rearview mirrors, it’s time to begin linking up with the Kanchenjunga South Trek. We’ll depart from Ghunsa after breakfast this morning, climbing along stone-cut staircases through shaded woodlands of rhododendron and pine for a few hours before stopping for lunch at a local tea shop. From here, it’s only another hour or two to reach the Sele La High Camp, which sits at the foot of a high-altitude mountain pass which shares its name. We’ll stop here for the night; tomorrow, we’ll be climbing up and over the Sele La itself. Make sure to get plenty of rest!

Our Kanchenjunga trek continues today with a steep climb to the mountain pass of Sele La, where you’ll gain spectacular views of both Kanchenjunga and Jannu. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of far-off Everest and Makalu. But the Sele La isn’t the only mountain pass on today’s agenda: we’ll also be climbing up and over the Sinion La and Mirgin La. After about six or seven hours of alternately climbing and then descending, we’ll finally arrive in Tseram. We’ll settle into the best available teahouse here for some well-deserved rest.

Today’s hike features some of the best views of the entire Kanchenjunga Trek—and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. First, we’ll make a steep climb through splendid Himalayan scenery to reach the little teahouses at Ramche, which stand in the shadow of the mountain Rathong. From here, we’ll make a side trip to the fantastic mountain viewpoint of Oktang, where a stone-built chorten surveys a jaw-dropping view of Kanchenjunga’s south face and the Yalung glacier. This is only a two-hour round trip from Ramche; after enjoying this excursion, we’ll hit the trail back to Tseram to spend a second night.

We’ll be dropping from the heights of the mountains today, moving into lower elevations for this section of the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek. As we descend from this alpine territory, we’ll enter into a bewitching landscape of moss-covered boulders and sprawling trees with long, reaching limbs. We’ll cross the Simbuwa Khola river and ultimately arrive in Tortong after about six or seven hours of hiking. The lodges we’ll find here in Tortong are a little more developed that what we’ve grown used to in the wilds of the Himalayan mountains, and we’ll enjoy some creature comforts with tonight’s accommodations.

During today’s bit of the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek, we’ll be losing a few hundred meters in altitude—but there’s still some climbing to be done before we make our way down from the mountains. We’ll alternately ascend and descend as we move through a verdant forest to reach Yamphudin. Part of our trail today includes crossing up and over a steep hillside where landslides have caused heavy erosion. An alternate trail is also available; this option follows the Simbuwa Khola in the direction of Hellok and Kengsra instead. As always, your guide from Iconic Himalaya Adventure will help you to choose the best trail.

With the highest mountains of the Kanchenjunga Himal now behind us, we’re returning into a landscape of green hills where some of the world’s best tea is grown. Our destination today is the little village of Kanyam, which is situated right in the midst of this beautiful agricultural region. Our drive today should take about eight hours, and we’ll stop along the way to have lunch—and to check out some spectacular waterfalls. When we arrive in town, we’ll have time to learn about how tea is grown in these hills before we retire for one last night on the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek.

When you’re trekking in Nepal, it pays to be flexible with your plans. Unexpected trail conditions may affect your itinerary, and it’s always possible that you need a little extra time to acclimatize to the elevation of the Himalayan Mountains. For this reason, we’ve built an extra day into our Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek. If this contingency day isn’t needed, you’ll simply have an extra day to enjoy in Kathmandu—where you’ll find a dizzying array of cultural and scenic attractions.

On the last day of our adventure on the Kanchenjunga Circuit, we’ll take a private car to make the final drive from Kanyam to Bhadrapur. This should only take two or three hours, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy a relaxing lunch and take in the local scenery before our flight to Kathmandu departs in the late afternoon. When we arrive back in Nepal’s capital city, we’ll bring you to your hotel for tonight’s accommodations. If you have any ongoing travel arrangements, we can certainly help with taxi or flight reservations. This is the end of your Kanchenjunga trek, and we hope that you’ve had the adventure of a lifetime!

Time to say bye-bye to Nepal. Enjoy your last moments in Kathmandu with breakfast in a café, a city stroll, and/or a souvenir purchase. A representative will meet you at your hotel and drive you to the airport for your return flight home or next Destination, It's good to be at the airport at least 2:30 hours prior to departure.