Eastern Nepal · trek
Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek
- 20 nights
- Strenuous
- Active
- Highest 5,140 m
- Best Apr · Oct – Nov
Twenty nights from Kathmandu to Pang Pema, the north base camp of Kanchenjunga at 5,140 m. A jeep up the Tamor valley, then twelve days on foot through Limbu farmland, Sherpa and Tibetan-origin villages and the moraines of the Kanchenjunga glacier. Teahouse nights, two acclimatisation days, restricted area permit and licensed guide.
The shape of the trip
The trip begins in the warm, green east, with tea bushes on every slope around Ilam and the Mechi Highway winding north past cardamom and broom grass. Below Taplejung the villages are Limbu, with tongba in wooden mugs and the language of the Mundhum in the air. As the Tamor narrows and the Ghunsa Khola gorge closes in, the houses change: flat stone roofs, prayer flags, Tibetan-origin families in Gyabla and Phole, yak where there were buffalo. Above Ghunsa the trees give up. At Kambachen Jannu fills the sky, and by Lhonak you walk on sand and rubble beside a glacier. At Pang Pema, Kanchenjunga's north face rises more than 3,000 m above your teahouse, and the only sound at night is ice settling.
Kanchenjunga is the third-highest mountain on earth at 8,586 m, and it stands at the far eastern edge of Nepal where the country meets Sikkim and Tibet. Few trekkers make it here. The trail is long, the trailhead is two days from Kathmandu, and the whole valley above Taplejung is a restricted area that you may only enter with a permit, a registered agency and a licensed guide. That is exactly why it feels the way it does: lodges run by families rather than chains, prayer walls without souvenir stalls, and nights when your group is the only one in the village.
We take the north side to Pang Pema because it is the classic line, the views are the biggest and the lodges now run the whole way. The route climbs from rice terraces at 1,660 m to glacial moraine at 5,140 m, with rest days at Ghunsa and Kambachen built in, not bolted on. We add a night in Ilam at each end to break the long drives and give you one evening among the tea gardens.
Highlights
- Sunrise on the north face of Kanchenjunga from Pang Pema, the north base camp at 5,140 m
- Jannu, which Nepalis call Kumbhakarna, filling the view from Kambachen
- Ghunsa, a high village of wooden houses, prayer flags and a small gompa at 3,595 m
- The Ghunsa Khola gorge, from bamboo and rhododendron forest up to the tree line
- A night among the tea gardens of Ilam at each end of the trek
Day by day
Arrive in Kathmandu
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive you to your hotel in Thamel or Lazimpat. In the afternoon your guide comes to the hotel for a full briefing: the route, the kit list, the rest days and what the restricted area rules mean in practice. We collect passport copies and photos for the Kanchenjunga restricted area permit, which our registered agency applies for at the Department of Immigration. If you arrive early, walk to Asan and Indra Chowk for a first taste of old Kathmandu, then sleep early.
Fly to Bhadrapur, drive to Ilam
A morning flight runs east along the Himalaya to Bhadrapur in Jhapa, low and hot among the rice fields at about 90 m. On a clear day sit on the left for the mountains. Our jeep crosses the plains to Charali and starts to climb the Mechi Highway, and within an hour the first tea gardens appear, clipped bushes in neat rows on every slope. Ilam bazaar sits on a ridge at about 1,200 m. In the late afternoon we walk into the Ilam tea estate behind the town for the evening light and a cup of first-grade orthodox tea.
Drive the Mechi Highway to Taplejung
A long road day north through Panchthar, with Phidim as the lunch stop. The road follows ridges and drops into side valleys, and the houses become Limbu farmsteads with stone courtyards, orange trees and racks of drying maize. Taplejung bazaar, also called Phungling, sits high above the Tamor river and is the last real town before the mountains. Our guide checks the permits with the local offices and buys any last supplies. On a clear evening you can see the snow ridge that leads toward Pathibhara Devi, the shrine that guards this district.
Jeep up the Tamor valley to Sekathum
The jeep road now runs far up the Tamor valley, and it saves the old three-day walk from Taplejung. It is rough, dusty in spring and slippery after rain, so we go slowly and stop often. Past Mitlung and Chirwa the valley narrows and cardamom grows under the trees. Sekathum stands where the Ghunsa Khola meets the Tamor, a cluster of lodges and a checkpost where your restricted area and conservation area permits are recorded for the first time. Where the road ends varies by season; check current status before you travel.
Into the gorge to Amjilosa
Today the trekking starts properly. The trail follows the Ghunsa Khola into a deep gorge, crossing to the right bank and climbing steep stone steps above the river, with waterfalls on the far wall. It is one of the hardest days of the approach because the height comes in one push near the end. Amjilosa is a tiny settlement of a few lodges cut into the hillside. Lodges here are simple: twin rooms with thin walls, a warm kitchen and dal bhat that is cooked fresh. Walk slowly and drink at least three litres.
Forest trail to Gyabla
A gentler day through forest of bamboo, oak and rhododendron, with the river loud below. In April the rhododendrons flower red and pink along this stretch, and in autumn you may see langur monkeys moving through the canopy. There are short drops and climbs, so the net gain is small but the legs still work. Gyabla, also written Kyapra, is the first village of Tibetan-origin families, with prayer flags above the roofs and a small gompa. The afternoon is free to wash clothes and rest before the climb to Ghunsa.
Phole and on to Ghunsa
The valley opens as we climb past potato fields and yak pastures to Phole, a village of stone houses around a small gompa, where lodges serve butter tea and Tibetan bread. From here the trail is easier, along the river through larch and juniper, to Ghunsa. The village is the largest above Sekathum: wooden houses with painted window frames, mani walls, a school, a health post and a conservation area office. People here speak a Tibetan dialect and Nepali. Tonight you sleep above 3,500 m for the first time, so we keep the evening quiet.
Acclimatisation day in Ghunsa
Climb high, sleep low: in the morning we hike up the slopes above the village for views up the valley and back toward the Lapsang La side, gaining about 400 m before returning for lunch. The afternoon is for rest, a visit to the gompa and tea in a family kitchen. Ask your guide to introduce you to the lodge owner; many Ghunsa families trade, herd yak and run lodges in turn through the year. Check your feet, repack your bag and get an early night; tomorrow crosses rough ground above the tree line.
Above the trees to Kambachen
We cross the river and climb through the last juniper and birch, then traverse a long landslide slope where your guide sets a steady pace and asks for quiet so everyone can hear stones from above. The valley bends east and Jannu appears at its head, a huge rock and ice wall of 7,710 m. Kambachen is a summer settlement of stone huts and a few lodges on a flat meadow. Nights here drop well below freezing from October onward. Watch for blue sheep on the slopes above the huts in the evening.
Rest and acclimatise at Kambachen
A second rest day before we go above 4,500 m. We walk up toward the Jannu viewpoint or the moraine above the meadow, depending on conditions, then come back down to sleep. Your guide will check how everyone is eating and sleeping and use a pulse oximeter if you like. Headache that does not clear with water and rest, nausea or breathlessness at rest are signs to stop going up. This day is the margin that makes Pang Pema possible for most fit walkers, and we never drop it to save time.
Along the glacier to Lhonak
The trail runs beside the Kanchenjunga glacier, past the old herders' site at Ramtang, over boulder fields and old moraine. The land here is grey and gold, sand and stone with tiny cushion plants, and the walls on either side carry hanging glaciers. Lhonak is a wide sandy plain with a couple of basic lodges and stone shelters. It is cold, windy in the afternoon and very still at night. Eat well, drink hot water and sleep with your water bottle inside the sleeping bag so it does not freeze.
Pang Pema, Kanchenjunga north base camp
A slow climb along the moraine brings you to Pang Pema, the meadow used by expeditions climbing the north side of Kanchenjunga. The mountain is suddenly enormous: the north face rises more than 3,000 m directly above the camp, with the Twins and Kanchenjunga's long ridges to the east. There is a basic teahouse here; if it is closed or full we sleep a little lower. Spend the afternoon resting and walking slowly. If anyone feels unwell, we go down at once, because nothing up here is worth a night of altitude sickness.
Dawn at Pang Pema, back to Kambachen
Before sunrise we climb the grassy ridge north of the camp for the first light on the north face, then return for breakfast. The rest of the day is a long descent past Lhonak and Ramtang back to Kambachen. Losing more than 1,000 m makes everything feel easier: appetite comes back, breathing settles and the evening in the lodge kitchen is usually the most cheerful of the trip. Keep your camera handy, because the view of Jannu in afternoon light from the moraine is one of the best on the route.
Down to Ghunsa
We cross the landslide section again, early while the slope is frozen and quiet, and drop back into the trees. The smell of juniper smoke tells you Ghunsa is close. A hot shower, if the solar heater has done its work, and a plate of potato and chilli with Tibetan bread feel like luxury after the moraine. In the afternoon wander the village lanes, add a prayer flag to the string above the bridge if you like, and buy a small yak wool blanket or a pair of socks from the families who weave them.
Ghunsa to Amjilosa
A long descent day back through Phole and Gyabla and down into the forest. Your knees will notice it, so use poles and take the steep steps slowly. The air gets thicker and warmer by the hour, and by afternoon you hear birds again: laughingthrushes in the undergrowth, sunbirds in the flowering trees in spring. We stop for tea in Gyabla, where the lodge owner may remember you from the way up. Amjilosa's small lodges are warm and quiet, and the river noise below is a good sleeping sound.
Out of the gorge to Sekathum
The last walking day drops steeply down the stone steps into the gorge and along the Ghunsa Khola to Sekathum. After two weeks above the trees, cardamom groves and banana plants look almost tropical. In the afternoon we settle the porters' wages and tips with a small thank-you dinner, which is a tradition on every trek we run. Many of our porters come from Limbu and Rai villages along the Tamor, and this is a good evening to learn a few words of their languages and hear about home.
Jeep back to Taplejung
The jeep bumps back down the Tamor valley to Taplejung bazaar. The afternoon is free: hot water, laundry and a walk through the market, where Limbu women sell cardamom, chhurpi and hand-woven dhaka cloth. If you have energy and the weather is clear, Pathibhara Devi, one of the most important shrines in eastern Nepal at 3,794 m, can be added as an extra day from here. Ask us when you book and we will build in the time, because it needs an early start and a full day.
Drive back to Ilam
Back south along the Mechi Highway through Panchthar to Ilam. The road is long but the views are wide: ridge after ridge of tea, maize and forest, and on a clear morning the whole Kanchenjunga massif behind you. We arrive in time for a walk in the tea gardens and a proper dinner in Ilam bazaar. Try the local chhurpi, the soft and the hard kinds, and the round Akabare chillies that Ilam is known for across Nepal. Tonight is a good night for a celebratory glass of tongba.
Drive to Bhadrapur, fly to Kathmandu
We drive down through the tea to the plains and catch the afternoon flight from Bhadrapur to Kathmandu. On the way, look north from the left side of the plane: the line of peaks runs from Kanchenjunga west past Makalu toward Everest. Back at your hotel, take a long shower and enjoy a meal that has not come from a lodge kitchen. In the evening your guide will meet you for a short debrief and to return any permits or receipts you want to keep.
Spare day in Kathmandu
Mountain flights in eastern Nepal are often delayed by cloud or wind, and roads can close after rain, so we keep this day spare. If everything ran to plan, use it for Patan Durbar Square and the Patan Museum, the stupa at Boudhanath at dusk, or simply a slow lunch and some shopping in Thamel for gifts. We can arrange a private guide for the day for a small extra cost. If the trek ran late because of weather, this day absorbs it and your international flight is safe.
Depart Kathmandu
Our driver takes you to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before your international flight. If your flight is late in the day, you can keep your room until noon and leave your bags at the hotel. Before you go, we will ask you for honest feedback on the lodges, the guide and the pace, because the Kanchenjunga trails change every season and what you tell us helps the next group. Safe travels, and come back for the south side, Oktang and the Yalung glacier, another year.
Route
Where the trip goes
- 1Kathmandu 1 night
- 2Ilam 1 night
- 3Ghunsa 6 nights
- 4Pang Pema 5 nights
- 5Ghunsa 4 nights
- 6Ilam 1 night
- 7Kathmandu 2 nights
Included
- Kathmandu–Bhadrapur–Kathmandu flights
- Private jeep Bhadrapur–Ilam–Taplejung–Sekathum and back
- Kanchenjunga restricted area permit and Kanchenjunga Conservation Area entry permit
- Licensed English-speaking trekking guide and one porter for every two trekkers, with their wages, food, insurance and gear
- Twin-share teahouse rooms on trek and three meals a day with hot drinks
- Three nights in a good 3-star Kathmandu hotel and two nights in Ilam, with breakfast
- Airport transfers, a pulse oximeter and a first-aid kit carried by the guide
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa fees
- Travel insurance covering trekking to 5,200 m and helicopter evacuation (required)
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu
- Bottled drinks, hot showers, battery charging and wifi where lodges charge for them
- Tips for guide, porters and drivers
- Extra nights caused by flight cancellations, landslides or illness
Good to know
- Kanchenjunga is a restricted area: you need at least two trekkers, a registered agency and a licensed guide; check current status before you travel.
- Since April 2023 Nepal requires foreign trekkers in national parks and conservation areas to walk with a licensed guide; check current status before you travel.
- Lodges above Ghunsa are basic and few; in late November and in spring some may close or fill, and we carry a back-up plan.
- There is no ATM after Taplejung. Carry enough Nepali rupees for drinks, showers and charging, about NPR 2,000–3,000 a day.
- Mobile signal is patchy above Sekathum; your guide carries a satellite messenger for emergencies.
Questions
About this trip
How hard is the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp trek?
It is strenuous. You walk 12 days, often 5–7 hours a day, on steep stone steps, landslide slopes and moraine, and you sleep at up to 5,140 m. Fit walkers who have done a multi-day hill trek before manage it well with our two rest days. You do not need climbing skills, but you do need stamina, good boots and the patience to walk slowly at altitude.
Which permits do I need for Kanchenjunga?
You need the Kanchenjunga restricted area permit, issued by the Department of Immigration through a registered agency, and the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area entry permit. The restricted permit has been charged per person per week, about USD 20 a week for the first four weeks, and the conservation area fee is about NPR 3,000. We arrange both. Fees and rules change, so check current status before you travel.
Can I trek to Kanchenjunga solo?
No. Kanchenjunga is a restricted area, so the permit is only issued to groups of at least two trekkers booked through a registered Nepali agency and walking with a licensed guide. If you are travelling alone, tell us and we will try to pair you with another trekker on the same dates, or price the trip for a private group of two with a second guide.
Are there teahouses all the way to Pang Pema?
Yes, there are now simple lodges at every overnight stop on the north side, including a basic teahouse at Pang Pema. They are much simpler than the Everest lodges: twin rooms, shared toilets, one heated dining room and a short menu. In the quietest weeks some higher lodges close, and our guide phones ahead to check. We carry a back-up plan to sleep at Lhonak if Pang Pema is shut.
What is the best time for the Kanchenjunga trek?
The best months are October and November for clear skies, and April for rhododendron flowers in the lower forest. Early March and May are possible but cloudier. From June to August the monsoon brings leeches, landslides and closed views, and from December to February snow and cold close the higher lodges. We run this trek from late September to late November and from mid-March to mid-May.
How do I get to the Kanchenjunga trailhead?
Most trekkers fly from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur in Jhapa, about 50 minutes, then drive through Ilam and Panchthar to Taplejung, which takes two days with a night in Ilam. From Taplejung a jeep road runs up the Tamor valley toward Sekathum. Flights to Suketar airport above Taplejung exist but are few and weather dependent, so we do not build the trip around them.
Will I see Kanchenjunga from base camp?
Yes, on a clear day the view from Pang Pema is one of the biggest in the Himalaya: the north face of Kanchenjunga rises straight above the camp, with its long ridges and glaciers on either side. Mornings are clearest in October and November. Cloud can build by late morning, which is why we sleep at Pang Pema and climb the ridge above camp at dawn.
How much does the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp trek cost?
Our trip is from USD 2,850 per person, twin sharing, for 20 nights. That includes the domestic flights, jeeps, both permits, a licensed guide, porters, teahouse rooms and three meals a day on trek, plus hotel nights in Kathmandu and Ilam. The price is higher than Everest or Annapurna because of the restricted permit, the long transfers and the remoteness of every supply.
Is altitude sickness a risk on this trek?
Yes. You sleep at 4,050 m, 4,780 m and 5,140 m, and anyone can get altitude sickness at those heights. We build in rest days at Ghunsa and Kambachen, gain height slowly and carry a pulse oximeter. If you have symptoms that do not clear, we go down. Talk to your doctor about acetazolamide before you travel, and make sure your insurance covers helicopter evacuation.
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