Mt. Kanchenjunga (28,198ft & treasures of the snow) is the third highest mountain in the world and was first climbed by the British in 1956. Lying on the Nepal – Sikkim borders, the lush landscape of the Kanchenjunga area is an ideal environment for musk deer, blue sheep, and the infamous Yeti. Few westerners have traveled to this remote area.
This region offers an endless variety of culture and changing countryside as it proceeds from terraced fields, forests of birch, bamboo, and rhododendron that eventually turn to stands of fir and hemlock as one climbs higher into the mountains. Himalayan bear, barking deer, and the lesser panda are among the rich animal and birdlife that fill the area. Kanchanjunga, Makalu and the spectacular Jannu are among the peaks at the outset of the trek. Passing through villages of Brahmins and Chhetries, you enter an almost exclusive Limbu territory with a scatter of Gurung and Sherpa settlements.
The trek runs through Kanchenjunga Conservation Area(KCA) in the eastern Himalaya. Trekkers can explore traditional farming practices and see different birds and wildlife species. There are a number of high mountain lakes in Olangchung Gola. Through this route, we explore two of Nepal’s best-preserved protected areas – the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area. Through the route, one can also trek to the base camps of Mt Kanchanjunga. Similarly, the Tamor river can be the other attraction for tourists. The route encompasses alpine grasslands, rocky outcrops, dense temperate and sub-tropical forests, and low river valleys. Apart from natural beauty, trekkers can also explore the cultural heritage like monasteries, chhortens, temples and prayer walls. And to add to the flavor, the festivals of all of these people living in harmony only serve to make the native culture livelier.
The trek to Kanchenjunga is a long course and offers one of the best high altitude trekking trips, leading the famous peaks of eastern Nepal as Kanchenjunga and mysterious Jannu via the enormous Yalung Glacier. It also allows a trip to Lamsang La and Kanchenjunga glacier. The view of Kanchenjunga range and Kanchenjunga (8,556m) the third highest in the world, from the north base camp is simply breathtaking and unforgettable, as is the north face of Jannu, a worthy destination itself. The trail goes from the Sub Tropical lowlands up to the Yalung Glacier 5000m; enable the trekkers to experience a diverse cross-section of topography, people, culture, fauna, and flora. Set in a remote wilderness, inhabited by a few nomadic yak herders, this region has much to offer the adventurous trekkers who are looking for something different.
Olangchungola is locally known as Walung, Their religion, language, dress and social patterns are Tibetan in derivation. The Futuk festival, during the Futuk festival, masked dancers enact various scenes, including a scene depicting a battle between the local Maksum Gyabo and the Gyabo of the neighboring Thudam area. Walungs celebrate with great fervor the social and religious festivals of Lhosar, Neso, Futuk, Sakadawa, Dhukpachhesi, and Ngyungnay. While the Walung themselves call it Holung or Walung. Gola means a market. As those living in Walung are slightly different as a group from the inhabitants of the adjoining areas of Nepal and Tibet, they have been regarded as a separate indigenous people. Among these villages, the largest settlement is Olangchung Gola itself. The language and script of Walungs like the other inhabitants of the northern region resemble those of the Tibetans, and the Tibetan language and script are prevalent among the Walungs. The birth, death, marriage and other ceremonies of Walungs are similar to the indigenous peoples living around them. The ceremonies following death like the lama reading sacred text over the dead body for three days, beautifying the body, cremating (burning) it and other related customs of Walungs are similar to those of other indigenous peoples of the Himalayas. The dress and food habits of Walung are similar to those of the Sherpas.
The Walungs traditionally had a local administrative post of Gobha to look into the various local administrative affairs of society, the practice of having the post of Gobha began two hundred years ago but the post of Gobha is no longer found today. The Walung follows the old Buddhist religion. They worship the Avalokiteshwara, who is known as Cherisi. The Walung also revere Padmasambhava. Along with a 90-ft tall monastery, there are many monasteries in the villages.
The first-day trek starts from Fungling (1777m) – the headquarters of Taplejung district. Sherpa Tol is the gateway to this trek. The trek passes through beautiful cardamom fields and Alnus trees (Uttis) until Hangdewa VDC, which takes around two and a half hours. Along the way, there are small teashops that can be used for alternative accommodation as they provide homestay facilities. After about 3 hours of walk, we reach Mitlung at the bank of Tamor river. Next three days, the trek passes along the banks of Tamor River up to the Lelep village passing through mostly the Limbu villages i.e. Shiwa, Chirwa, Hellok & Tapethok but peoples living in Lelep village and above are mostly the Sherpas. From Pembu, it is an uphill climb for about two and a half hours to Lelep (1687m) – our destination for the 3rd day. The KCAP headquarters is in Lelep. Similarly, there is a police station, some teashops, groceries, and hotels. There are also some good camping sites in Lelep.
Day 4th, the trek runs along the bank of Tamor River through dense forest that offers good habitat for different wildlife species. You can see some wild species if you are lucky. After crossing a suspension bridge, and a monastery and gradually descends after about half an hour and we reach Gowatar (1800m). Near the village, there is a big stone and it is believed that only the religious people can move them. After a walk of around half hours, that offers spectacular views of two waterfalls about 100 meters tall. Another 1-hour walk will take us to our camping site at Ela Danda (2051m). The place offers a panoramic view of snow-capped peaks including the Small Kasturi Peak and Tamor River. Trek to Olangchung Gola (3,208m), is the 2nd longest day 7–8 hours walk passes through Ulnus and Rhododendron forest. The trek passes through dense bamboo groves (spread over around 5 hectares). This place is popular among trekkers as the habitat of the Red panda. If you are lucky, we might catch a sight of red panda from the trail itself. After a total walk of three and a half hours from El Danda, we reach Maguwa (2435m) probably for the pack quick Lunch. About walking of 3 and a half hours, we caught the first glimpse of Olangchung Gola, After a climb of about 40 minutes, we finally reach at Olangchung Gola (3208m). Olangchung Gola is a beautiful Sherpa village with around 45 houses, a 465 years old monastery with golden manuscript and KCAP office. There is also a sub-health post, a primary school and a border police station at Olangchung Gola. Here we take an extra day for the exploration of the local town and probably the oldest Buddhist monastery in Nepal.
Now our trek turns towards the Mt. Kanchenjung base camp, The next day we stay overnight at an all most NO houses village called “Thasa” and crossing the Nangola Pass (4,776m), we finally get into the Ghunsa valley area. Ghunsa is a most beautiful Sherpa village with around 30 houses, an old Buddhist monastery and again KCAP office. There is also a sub-health post, a primary school. There are few nice guest houses accommodation with hot shower etc. Peoples are friendlier with the tourist. After spending an extra day at Ghunsa, now we proceed towards to the Mt. Kanchenjung base camp, passing through the small Sherpas villages Khambachen and Lhonak, we finally catch up the awesome and unbelievable views of several mountains i.e. Mt. Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Mt. Jannu (7,771m), Ramtang peak (5700m), and more other peaks. NOW, we take retrace back to Ghunsa, trek to another Sherpa village with few teahouses Amjilosa. Another two long trek days to Chirwa and Taplejung.
Day 1
Arrival in KTM, transfer to hotel and short briefingDay 2
Sightseeing tour in Kathmandu, Packing and PreparationsDay 3
Fly to Bhadrapur (45min) and drive (8hrs) to Taplejung (1800m)Day 4
Drive to Ranipul (5hrs) and short trek to Lelep (1687m), 2 hoursDay 5
Trek to Ela Danda (2051m), 4 hoursDay 6
Trek to Olangchung Gola (3208m), 2nd longest day 7 – 8 hours walkDay 7
Attend on Futuk FestivalDay 8
Attend on Futuk FestivalDay 9
Trek to Thasa (3440m), 5 hoursDay 10
Trek to Ghunsa Village (3,427m) via Nangola Pass (4,820m) – Most Longest day of the trek (9 – 10 hours of walk)Day 11
Ghunsa, monasteries & village exploration dayDay 12
Trek to Khambachen (4,050m), 4 hoursDay 13
Trek to Lhonak (4780m), 4 hoursDay 14
Visit to Pangpema Kanchenjunga Base Camp (5,143m) and return to Lhonak, 6 hoursDay 15
Trek to Ghunsa, 6 hoursDay 16
Trek to Thyanyani (2400m), 5 hoursDay 17
Trek to Sekathum (1576m), 4 hoursDay 18
Trek to Ranipul (4 hrs) and drive to Taplejung same day, 6 hoursDay 19
Drive to Bhadrapur (8hrs) and fly to KTM (40min)Day 20
Free day in KTMDay 21
Transfer to Int’l airport, fly to home.I had the amazing opportunity of trekking through Khumbu, Nepal over Renjo La towards Gokyo lake and back down through Namche Bazaar. This trip would have been impossible without the incredible support of the Dream Himalaya Adventures team. They handled all of the logistics and support throughout the trip so that our experience could be completely stress free. The amazing staff is so kind, friendly, and some of the best people that you'll have the opportunity of becoming acquainted with. I'll be going back soon with Dream Himalaya and I recommend you do the same!
Dream Himalaya provided an unforgettable adventure led by our exceptional guide Karma. His expertise, coupled with his genuine love and joy for the mountains, made him an absolute joy to be with for three weeks. With his support and the rest of the team, we successfully climbed Lobuche Peak. We couldn't have achieved it without Dawa's professionalism, meticulous planning, and genuine care.
Dream Himalaya Adventures is a great service provider. We trekked along the Bhote Koshi towards Nangpa La. Then, crossed Renjo La and spent some time in Gokyo before heading south along the Dudhkoshi to Chumoa. Pema and Kami are extremely helpful, thoughtful, and reliable. They made our trek very comfortable. Our hosts at the guesthouses were kind and generous. Dawa and his team provided great service. I highly recommend Dream Himalaya Adventures.
We took a slow pace trekking clockwise up and over the Renzo pass. It was a stunning journey: all of the guesthouses we stayed in were lovely (warm, clean, with delicious food), and our guides were so kind and caring! Pema and Kami were so fun to spend the trek with, flexible in our group's plans, and very thoughtful, helping us achieve all that we wanted to do. I hope to do another trek with Dream Himalaya Adventures in the future!
To: Dream Himalaya Adventures c/o Dawa, The service you have provided during my trek was superb. Your services are excellent and worthy of recommendation. You deserve this recognition and appreciation!!! There is always a touch of excellence in your work! Thank you and God bless! Keep it up!
Thank you to Dawa and Dream Himalaya Adventures for making our trip an adventure of a lifetime! Very professional with outstanding communication even during our preparation. All our expectations were exceeded! Staff was very kind and professional as well. Shout out to our Sherpa Pasang and our porters for a job well done. They took care of us well. Thanks to my hiking buddies Gary and Vlad your the best! Dream Himalaya Adventures is the way to go! 🙏
A great experience & adventure even though quite challenging. Dawa from Dream Himalayan Adventures was excellent & very accommodating ,he makes sure you are well equiped for the adventure ahead. The accommodation on the trek is serviceable & the food surprisingly very good considering the remoteness. The staff at base camp ,sherpas & porters are all friendly ,helpfull & know their stuff. I would be very happy to use Dream Himalaya Adventures again.
I’m so glad I chose Dream Himalaya to handle the logistics for my EBC Trek this April 2023. Everything was meticulously planned, handled and executed from the get go which enabled me to enjoy a great hassle free trek. Everything from thé coordinator, guides and sherpa were awesome. Truly world class service from the day you arrive at KTM until you say your goodbyes . These are the stuff dreams are made of .
What an adventure ! in a beautiful location surrounded by beautiful people. I was treated like family by Dawa and Pasang. All I have is beautiful memories and superb photos. I loved Nepal / Himalayas/ Everest region and would only recommend Dawa and the team to trek with in Nepal.
We had the best time with the team from Dream Himalaya Adventures they went above and beyond for me and my wife before, during and after our trip I will be 100% returning to do my trips with Dawa and his team
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