Kanchenjunga Circuit: North and South Base Camps

Arrive in Kathmandu

We meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. In the afternoon your guide holds a full briefing on the circuit, the kit, the passes and the rules of the restricted area. We collect passport copies and photos for the restricted area permit, which our registered agency applies for at the Department of Immigration, and we check your insurance covers trekking to 5,200 m with helicopter evacuation. Spend the evening around Thamel or take a short walk to Kathesimbhu stupa, a small cousin of Swayambhu hidden in a courtyard.

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Fly to Bhadrapur and drive to Ilam

A morning flight east to Bhadrapur in Jhapa, where the plains are flat, green and hot. Our jeep heads north on the Mechi Highway, and within an hour you climb out of the heat into the tea hills. Ilam bazaar sits on a ridge at about 1,200 m with tea gardens falling away on every side. Late in the day we walk into the tea estate below town. Dinner is in a local restaurant, and our guide will introduce you to chhurpi, the cheese made from cow and yak milk that the hills here are known for.

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Over the ridges to Taplejung

A full day on the road north through Panchthar, stopping for lunch in Phidim. The landscape is Limbu country: farmhouses with stone courtyards, orange trees, terraced maize and millet, and small shrines at the passes. Taplejung, also called Phungling, is the district headquarters, perched high above the Tamor river. Our guide checks permits with the local authorities and buys the last supplies we need. If the evening is clear, look north for the first view of the high snow, and up the ridge toward Pathibhara Devi.

Jeep up the Tamor valley to Sekathum

The jeep road up the Tamor valley replaces what used to be three days of walking. It is rough and slow, so we stop for tea and photographs along the way. The villages pass from Limbu to mixed Limbu and Sherpa, and cardamom grows thick under the forest. At Sekathum the Ghunsa Khola joins the Tamor, and the permits are checked and recorded. Where jeeps can reach depends on the season and recent landslides, so check current status before you travel. Tonight is your first teahouse night.

Through the gorge to Amjilosa

The trail enters the gorge of the Ghunsa Khola, crossing bridges and climbing stone staircases above the water. Waterfalls drop off the far wall, and the last two hours are a steady climb to Amjilosa, a few lodges built on narrow terraces. This is one of the toughest days of the approach, and we take it slowly. The lodges are basic but the kitchens are warm, and the dal bhat comes with fresh greens from the garden. Drink plenty, eat well and stretch before bed.

Forest walk to Gyabla

A shorter day through bamboo, oak and rhododendron forest above the river. In spring the rhododendrons flower and in autumn the leaves turn gold. The trail has many short ups and downs. Gyabla, also spelled Kyapra, is the first village of Tibetan-origin families on the trail, with prayer flags above the roofs and a small gompa. The afternoon is free for rest and laundry. Ask your host about the move to lower villages in winter, and about the yak and dzo that graze the pastures above.

Phole and Ghunsa

The valley widens and the forest turns to larch and juniper. We pass potato fields and yak pastures to Phole, a cluster of stone houses around a small gompa, then follow the river on an easier path to Ghunsa. This is the largest village in the upper valley, with wooden houses, mani walls, a school, a health post and a conservation area office. Many people here speak a Tibetan dialect at home and Nepali with visitors. Tonight we sleep above 3,500 m for the first time.

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Acclimatisation day in Ghunsa

We hike up the slope above the village for about 400 m of height and views up and down the valley, then come back down for lunch. The rest of the day is for rest, a visit to the gompa and conversation in the lodge kitchen. Remember Ghunsa: we come back here on Day 14 before the crossing to the south side, and some of your spare kit can stay in the lodge while you walk to Pang Pema. Early dinner, early bed, and plenty of fluids.

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Ghunsa to Kambachen

Above Ghunsa we leave the last trees behind and traverse a long landslide slope. Your guide sets the pace and spaces the group so everyone can watch for falling stones. Then the valley turns and Jannu, 7,710 m, rises at its head, a huge fortress of rock and ice that local people know as Kumbhakarna. Kambachen is a summer settlement of stone huts and a few lodges on a flat meadow. Watch for blue sheep on the grassy slopes in the evening, and expect a hard frost overnight.

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Rest day at Kambachen

A second acclimatisation day. We walk up toward the Jannu viewpoint or onto the moraine above camp, climb a few hundred metres, and come back down to sleep. Your guide checks how everyone is eating, sleeping and breathing, and uses a pulse oximeter if you wish. A persistent headache, nausea or breathlessness at rest are reasons to stop going up. This day is not optional on our trips: it is the margin that makes Pang Pema, and the passes later, safe for most fit walkers.

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Along the glacier to Lhonak

We follow the Kanchenjunga glacier past Ramtang, across boulder fields and old moraines, with hanging glaciers on the walls above. The land is grey, gold and almost bare, with tiny cushion plants among the stones. Lhonak is a broad sandy plain with a couple of basic lodges and stone shelters, cold and windy in the afternoon and silent at night. Eat everything you are given, keep drinking, and sleep with your water bottle and camera batteries inside the sleeping bag.

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Pang Pema, the north base camp

A slow climb along the moraine to Pang Pema, the meadow where expeditions to the north side of Kanchenjunga set up base camp. The north face rises more than 3,000 m above you, a wall of ice and rock that barely fits in a camera frame. There is a basic teahouse here; if it is closed or full we sleep a little lower. Spend the afternoon resting, walking slowly and watching the light move on the face. Anyone who feels unwell goes down at once with a guide.

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Dawn above Pang Pema, down to Kambachen

Before sunrise we climb the ridge north of camp for first light on the north face and on the peaks along the Tibetan border. After breakfast we descend past Lhonak and Ramtang to Kambachen. Losing more than 1,000 m makes everyone feel stronger: appetite returns and sleep is deeper. In the afternoon the light on Jannu from the moraine is often the best of the whole trek, so keep your camera out until the very end of the day.

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Back to Ghunsa

We cross the landslide slope early while it is frozen and quiet, then drop back into juniper and birch to Ghunsa. Pick up any kit you left at the lodge, enjoy a hot shower if the solar heater allows, and rest. In the evening the guide briefs the group on tomorrow's climb to Sele Le and the long pass crossing that follows. We check the weather forecast by phone where signal allows, and we only go if the passes are clear of fresh snow.

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Climb to Sele Le

We leave Ghunsa southward and climb steadily through rhododendron and birch forest, then out onto open slopes with juniper and dwarf rhododendron. Sele Le is a high camp with a couple of simple lodges, used as the base for tomorrow's crossing. Arrive early, rest, eat a big dinner and pack the day bag tonight: warm layers, a shell, gloves, a hat, snacks and at least two litres of water. Sunset from the slopes above camp can show Jannu and the peaks above Ghunsa in pink light.

Over the passes to Tseram

The longest day of the circuit. We start before first light and climb to Sinion La, then traverse to Mirgin La and Sinelapche Bhanjyang, crossing a chain of passes and high shoulders with long views. On a clear morning you can pick out Makalu and the Everest massif far to the west and Jannu close by. After the last pass the trail drops steeply into the Simbua Khola valley to Tseram, a small cluster of lodges below the Yalung glacier. In fresh snow this crossing can be dangerous, and we wait rather than push.

Up the Yalung valley to Ramche

A shorter climb along the lateral moraine of the Yalung glacier, past a small lake and open meadows where blue sheep graze. Ahead the valley ends in a wall of peaks: Kabru, Rathong and the south side of Kanchenjunga. Ramche is a high meadow with a basic lodge and stone shelters. In the afternoon walk a little way up the moraine for views of the glacier, then rest. Tomorrow's dawn walk to Oktang is short in distance but at altitude, so sleep early.

Oktang viewpoint, back to Tseram

We leave Ramche early and walk along the moraine to Oktang, a viewpoint above the Yalung glacier marked with prayer flags and a small chorten. The south face of Kanchenjunga fills the head of the valley; this is the side from which the British team led by Charles Evans made the first ascent in 1955. After time for photographs we walk back to Ramche for breakfast and down to Tseram. Lower air, a warm kitchen and the knowledge that the hard part is behind you make this a happy evening.

Down the Simbua Khola to Torontan

The trail drops through the Simbua Khola valley into forest of fir and rhododendron, some of the oldest and tallest on the trek. In April this stretch is red with flowers, and in autumn it smells of damp moss and pine. There are a few short climbs over side ridges. Torontan, also written Tortong, is a small riverside settlement with simple lodges. After two weeks above the tree line, the sound of birds and the thick air feel like a gift.

Over Lamite Bhanjyang to Yamphudin

A climb through forest to the pass at Lamite Bhanjyang, then a long descent through bamboo and farmland to Yamphudin, a mixed village of Limbu, Sherpa and Rai families with terraces of millet and maize. This is the end of the walking. In the evening we hold a small farewell dinner for the porters, settle wages and tips, and share a glass of tongba if anyone wants one. Many of the crew live along the Tamor and Kabeli rivers, and this is the night to hear their stories.

Jeep out through Panchthar to Ilam

A long, bumpy day by jeep from Yamphudin, or from the nearest point the road reaches that season, down through Panchthar toward Phidim and on to Ilam. The road crosses rivers on new bridges and climbs over ridges covered in cardamom and tea. Expect dust in spring and mud after rain. We arrive in Ilam in the evening for a hot shower and a real bed. Road conditions on this side change after every monsoon, so check current status before you travel.

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Rest day among Ilam's tea gardens

A slow day to recover. Walk through the tea gardens below the bazaar, where pickers work the rows from spring to autumn, and visit a small factory to see the withering, rolling and drying of orthodox tea. Nepal's first tea estate was planted in Ilam in 1863. In the afternoon, sit in a tea shop with a cup of first flush or autumn tea and a plate of fried chhurpi. If you still have energy, the short drive to Mai Pokhari, a sacred lake and wetland, makes a quiet outing.

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Drive to Bhadrapur, fly to Kathmandu

We drive down through the tea hills to the Jhapa plains and fly back to Kathmandu. From the right-hand seats you can see the whole eastern Himalaya, from Kanchenjunga to Everest, on a clear afternoon. Your guide meets you at the hotel in the evening for a short debrief, a final cup of tea and the return of permits and receipts you want to keep as a souvenir. Dinner is your own, and Kathmandu has every cuisine you have been dreaming of on the moraine.

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Spare day in Kathmandu

We keep this day free because flights in the east are often delayed by cloud, and the roads and passes can cost a day to weather. If all went to plan, spend it in Patan, at Boudhanath at dusk when the butter lamps are lit, or simply resting. We can arrange a private city guide and car for a small extra cost. If the trek ran a day late, this is where the time comes from, and your international flight stays safe.

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Depart Kathmandu

Our driver takes you to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before your flight. If your flight is late, you can keep your room until noon and leave your bags with the hotel. Before you go, we ask for honest notes on the lodges, the guide and the pace, because conditions on the Kanchenjunga circuit change every season and what you saw helps the next group plan. Thank you for walking the long way round the third-highest mountain on earth with us.

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