Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek

Day 2: Rest day and acclimatisation to jetlag, sightseeing plus trek briefing.  

Day 3: Kathmandu – Biratnagar. Flight to Biratnagar which takes around 1hour and 30 minutes.  

Day 4: Biratnagar – Suketar – Mitlung (5 – 6 hours) 921m.Flight from Biratnagar to Suketar (airfield above Taplejung). It is possible to fly direct to Taplejung, however, at times flights to Biratnagar can be delayed due to bad weather. After the flight, it is quite an easy day of trekking to Mitlung along the Surke Danda ridge.  

Day 5: Mitlung – Chirwa (5 hours) 1270m.Quite a challenging day beginning on rough paths high above the river. The route passes through the villages of Sinwa, Tawa and Porke and the valley narrows while passing over old landslide debris. The trail then descends across the Thiwa Khola River on a wooden bridge and follows a few more ups and downs before arriving at Chirwa. The village of Chirwa, set among huge boulders and houses made from bamboo, has a bazaar and a few shops where you can buy souvenirs.  

Day 6: Chirwa – Sekathum (5 – 6 hours) 1660m.The day begins by follwing the Tamur River and climbing steeply before descending to the Simbua Khola (the river that comes from the Yalung Glacier on the south of Kanchenjunga). The trail then crosses a ridge and joins the steep and narrow Ghunsa Khola Valley and on to the Tibetan village of Sekathum, for an overnight stay. From here you will have incredible views of the high Himalayas, including Jannu.  

Day 7: Sekathum – Amjilossa (5 – 6 hours) 2510m. Another day of following a steep and narrow trail, up the north bank of the Ghunsa Khola to the Tibetan village of Amjilossa.  

Day 8: Amjilossa – Gybala (5 hours) 2730m.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.   

Day 9: Gybala – Ghunsa (4 – 5hours) 3595m.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 few villages and ascends a gentle hill before descending across the river into beautiful village of Ghunsa. This Tibetan village has several lodges, gompas and shops where you can buy a few souvenirs.  

Day10: Ghunsa – Khambachen (5 – 6 hours) 4100m. 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 Jannu.  

Day11: Rest day at Khambachen. A day of rest and relaxation after a week of trekking. There is an optional day walk to the high ridge behind the village for impressive views of the surrounding Himalayas.  

Day12: Khambachen – Lhonak (5 hours) 4785m. 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).  

Day13: Lhonak – Pangpema (Kanchenjunga north side base camp) (5 hours) 5143m. An early start for the trek the Kanchenjunga north side base camp at Pangpema (5143m), for majestic views of Tent Peak, Nepal Peak, Cross Peak, the Twins and the impressive Kanchenjunga, and returning to Lhonak for an overnight stay.  

Day14: Lhonak – Ghunsa (5 – 6 hours) 3595m. Return to Ghunsa, following back along the same path for around 5 hours.  

Day15: Ghunsa – High Camp (5 hours) 4100m. From Ghunsa, the trail climbs a steep 500m to a high camp, for an overnight stay in preparation for the trek to Mirgin La Pass.  

Day16: High Camp – Mirgin La Pass 4663m – Tseram (5 – 6 hours) 3870m. For impressive views of the Himlayas the 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.  

Day17: Tseram – Ramche (5 – 6 hours) 4580m.The route passes the nose of the glacier into an ablation 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.  

Day18: Day trek to Oktang (4 - 5 hours) 4730m.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. After spending some time in Oktang, we trek back to Ramche to rest for the evening and stay overnight.   

Day19: Ramche – Lamite Bhanjyang (5 – 6 hours) 3310m.The trail descends steeply through rhododendron forest to Torontan, and then climbs up through mossy forest to reach the pass at Lamite Bhanjyang after around 5hours. From here, there are fantastic views of Kanchenjunga and Jannu.  

Day20: Lamite Bhanjyang – Yamphudin (5 hours) 2080m.The trek descends over 1000 metres today, beginning with a steep descent to Imja Khola, and then crosses along the Dubi Pass. From here there is a further descent for a couple of hours until reaching the village of Yamphudin.   

Day21: Rest day at Yamphudin.Take a day’s rest and some time to explore this beautiful village, home to a mixed community of Sherpas, Gurungs, Rais and Limbus.  

Day22: Yamphudin – Ponphe (5 hours) 1900m.From Yamphudin, the trail descends steeply to the Kabeli Khola River and crosses a log bridge before reaching the village of Mamanke. From here, the trail then enters a side canyon and crosses a stream over a long suspension bridge, then climbs up steeply to Ponphe village for an overnight rest.  

Day23: Ponphe – Khunjari (5 – 6 hours) 1928m.The trail climbs high to two tea shops on the ridge above the village, and then crosses through a series of valleys and past numerous villages. The route continues down to Bhanjyang and crosses a ridge to descend steeply to the Limbu village of Khunjari, where you will spend the night.  

Day24: Khunjari – Suketar (4 – 5 hours) 2300m.The route descends to the Pha Khola and then climbs steeply through Pokhara and Shimu villages to Thenbewa. The trail continues through forest to Lali Kharka and on to a ridge, then follows a gradual descent to Suketar for an overnight stay and to prepare for the early flight to Kathmandu in the morning.  

Day25: Flight from Suketar to Biratnagar,  flight to Kathmandu.  

Day26: Final Departure. Breakfast at the hotel and transferred to the international airport on your flight schedule and if some have extra days in Nepal they will continue with other activities. If any help is needed for further plans feel free to contact  MountainMate Team.