The trek to Kanchenjunga North Base Camp is one of the best high altitude trekking trip, the view of Kanchenjunga range and Kanchenjunga (8,586m) the third highest in the world, from the north base camp is simply breathtaking and unforgettable, as is the north face of mysterious Jannu via the enormous Khumbhakarna glacier is wordless to express it. The trail goes from the Sub Tropical lowlands up to the Kanchanjunga Glacier up to over 5000m altitude. The trekkers get opportunity to experience a diverse cross section of topography, people, culture, local inhabitant, fauna and flora and of course the remote wilderness, inhabited by a few nomadic yak herders, this region has much to offer the adventurous trekkers who are looking for something different.
Mt. Kachenjunga (8,586m/28,198ft) is the third highest mountain in the world and was first climbed by the British in 1956. This region offers an endless variety of culture and changing countryside as it proceeds from terraced fields, forests of birch, bamboo and verities of rhododendrons. We pass through the villages of Limbu, Brahmins Chhetries in the lower part and enter into the territory of Sherpas settlements in the mountain area. The local teahouses are in the stage of improvements, therefore we can see some small to medium sizes of teahouses based trekkers and some camping based trekkers as well.
Kanchenjunga North Base Camp trek is one of the less crowded and adventurous trekking destination in Nepal Himalayas. The landscape of the area is ideal environment for the some of wild animals i.e. Himalayan bear, barking deer, blue sheep, mask deer, snow leopard etc. and one of the main habitat for the red panda which is known as one of the most endangered species of the world.
The summit of Drohmo Ri gives you the feel of 6000m peak summit.
Climbing on Drohmo Ri (5,960m) doesn’t any any climbing permit as its a day hiking peak about 3.5 hours up and 1.5 hours down. The climb starts right from Kanchenjunga North (Pangpema) Base Camp (5,140m), if we in normal season time we may not even need crampons nor any other climbing hardware gears. The route is up easy grassy slopes to begin with and then over boulders and when we reach close to the summit of the peak, its bit rocky area and the view from the summit is stunning to the Kanchenjunga massif, Drohmo Peak, Nepal Peak and many other peaks of 7,000m, therefore if any-one ever trekked to Pangpema base camp to see the north side of Kanchenjunga, then you should definitely allow an extra day to climb/hike to Drohmo Ri, the view is something very special which should not me missed out.
We need an extra additional day to include Drohmo Ri hike on your itinerary with additional cost of USD 100 and you have to tell us while booking your trip.
Journey Outline
We will fly from KTM to Suketar, 45 min flight (optional to Bhadrapur) and right after necessary arrangement of the porters, we will begin our trek following a route along a ridge top towards the TamourRiver where we will enjoy panoramic views of the Makalu (27,825’) and Chamlung(24,000’) peaks. We will continue through forests and rhododendron thickets and soon the Kanchenjunga range will appear. Trekking through the Limbu villages to the terraced mountainside village of Amji-Lhasa, we will get to the legendary Sherpa village of Ghunsa (11,400ft). We will visit the monastery there and soon have our first glimpse of a sea of unclimbed peaks including the Jannu(25,289ft) known as a “mystery peak” or “Terror “. We will trek to the edge of the Kanchenjunga glacier and after crossing the lateral moraine; we will cut across at this junction and arrive at our campsite at Lhonak, an undisturbed landscape of unspeakable beauty.
After a couple of days rest and exploration at Lhonak including a day trip to Pangpema (16900ft) to see the north face of Kanchenjunga, your dream of seeing one of the most remote lands in the world will be fulfilled and then we retrace step to Ghunsa, and continue our return trek through few Sherpa villages and Limbu villages, and finally to Suketar/Taplejung once again where we end our trek and get ready for fly to Kathmandu.
Day 1
Arrival, transfer to hotel & briefingDay 2
City sight seen tours, packing and preparationsDay 3
Fly to Bhadrapur (45 min), and drive to Taplejung (8 hrs)Day 4
Drive from Taplejung to Ranipul (4/5hrs) and continue short day trek to Sekathum (1648m), O/N in the local teahouseDay 5
Trek to Amjilhasa (2360m), 5 hoursDay 6
Trek to Gyabla (2690m), 5 hoursDay 7
Visit Phele-gompa (monastery), Trek to GhunsaGaon (3472m), 4 hoursDay 8
Rest Day at GhunsaDay 9
Trek to Khambachen (4130m), 4 hoursDay 10
Layover Day at KhambachenDay 11
Trek to Lhonak (4,792m), 4 hoursDay 12
Day trip Pang Pema base camp (5,140m) & retrace steps to Lhonak, 6 hoursDay 13
Lhonak to Ghunsa (3,415m), 6 hoursDay 14
Trek to Thyanyani (2,400m), 5 hoursDay 15
Trek to Sekathum (1,576m), 4 hoursDay 16
Trek to Ranipul (4 hrs) and drive to Taplejung same day, 6 hoursDay 17
Fly to KTM or Drive to Bhadrapur (8hrs) and Fly to KTM (40min)Day 18
Free day, shopping and celebration meals in the eveningDay 19
Int’l departure to homeThis kind of trek is challenging but doesn’t really require previous trekking and mountaineering experiences and also doesn’t require any technical experience. But if you have any previous experiences would be really helpful. Your fitness is really important for this trek; therefore we strongly suggest preparing yourself in good physical condition. You need to be trained at least for about 3 to 5 months to prepare yourself as a strong candidate.
You can go to the fitness center every morning for about 1.5 hours, do hiking every weekend with increasing weights on your pack, manage some time for cycling for a couple of hours for 2 or 3 times a week. However, at the high altitude, there might be little symptoms of altitude illness like mild headache, fatigue, etc. but take it as normal and just drink enough water (4 – 5 liters) every day. On this trek, you need to be able to hike 4 – 8 hours over hilly terrain up to 5,500m of altitude with a daypack.
If you have any previous experiences would be helpful but if you don’t have is also not an important matter of issue. This trek will introduce you to trekking in the Himalayas and also about the local cultures, traditions, and local people. Even if you are around the age of 65 years, you can be a candidate for this trek.
Published on : November 07, 2018
Namaste.
We just spend 15 beautiful days in Kanchenjunga area.
Dawa was really helpful in the destination choice after listening our needs. He always made good suggestions and always answered us seriously and quickly. All organisation was really perfect !
Thanks a lot Dawa for this good service !!!!
This really helps us to focus on the pleasure to live our own adventure in the Himalayas ! Thank you so much ! We are just back home but already think when to come back again....Maud & François, Chamonix, France
Trip of a lifetime May 2025 • Solo This was a trip I had been really keen to do for over 40 years when I last came to Nepal and did a short trek then. It was everything that I had been hoping for: stunning views of the Himalayas, an almost tangible spirituality about the whole journey, wonderful flowers especially in the rhododendron forests and a glimpse of a fascinating culture, very different to the West. I had a wonderful guide, Pasang and porter, Pemba. I was a bit apprehensive about my fitness but Pasang paced me well an made sure we did enough acclimatisation walking, so I was comfortably able to reach and enjoy the Manaslu Base Camp and Larke La pass. Pemba
An excellent trek in a remote region May 2025 • Friends This is my fourth trek with Dream Himalaya Adventures Pvt Ltd, and that itself says a lot. When me and my friends wanted to do the remote Dolpo trek camping style, we immediately thought of Dream Himalaya Adventures Pvt Ltd. We left all the complex the arrangements to them, and in the end, all went well. There were three difficult passes, all above 5000 m, and they took great care to see that all we crossed all three safely.
Makalu expedition - Apr 2025 The expedition was perfectly organised and a success. Dawa managed perfectly this expedition. Thank you Dream Himalay Adventures.
Fantastic trip around Kanchenjunga region with Dream Himalaya Adventures. Mar 2025 • Couples My husband and I walked the Kanchenjunga trail as a couple, and had a fantastic time. The organisation of the trip by Dawa at Dream Himalaya Adventures was meticulous. Passang was a brilliant guide who knew the area and quite a few of the locals and was very enthusiasticto show us all arou d the area. He carried an extensive first aid kit and satellite phone (there was very little mobile coverage), so he could check on the weather and keep in contact with Dawa. Fulbar the porter happily carried all our gear. We were very well looked after on the trail and at the tea houses. We loved
Excellent communication with Dawa! We had some WhatsApp calls and discussed everything necessary in advance. I appreciate the assistance with the rental in KTM and the prompt solution for transporting luggage. Additionally, I am grateful for arranging the rental of crampons when I realized in BC that my crampons didn’t fit my large boots.
Annapurna Circuit Trek with Nar-Phu and Tilicho Lake Nov 2024 • Friends We did the Annapurna Circuit Trek with Nar-Phu and Tilicho Lake deviations with Dream Himalaya Adventures in Oct/Nov 2024. The guide Dorje was knowledgeable about the area, and he and our porter Phurba were very attentive to our needs. We had a great time on the trek. I have done several treks with Dream Himalaya and all of them were well organised. I do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
Excellent private Kanchenjunga circuit trek, with Drohmo Ri ascent, Nupchu Pokhari side trip and more Oct 2024 • Couples While we were looking for a support agency for a customized trekking program for the Kangchenjunga area, we immediately appreciated the fact that Dream Himalaya Adventures already included the possibility of climbing Drohmo Ri, a non-technical but almost 6000m high viewpoint, above the North Base Camp of Kangchenjunga. The Managing Director Dawa Sherpa then answered very accurately and quickly all our additional questions about other possible optional excursions, the possibility of managing the stages in a flexible way, the possible overnight stay in Pangpema, the difficulties of the itinerary, the conditions of the accommodation and the current possibilities of road access to the
Family trip to EBC Aug 2024 • Family Dream Himilaya provided superb comms and logistics and bespoke service for my family. Dawa and the team are real experts with good contacts. Would definitely recommend.
Great experience! Oct 2024 • Couples Great experience with the agency and all of the employees who are extremely professional yet warm, welcoming and always ready to help. Everything from beginning to the end was easily arranged and worked perfectly. I definitely recommend it 200 %
Amazing Everest Base Camp Trek Nov 2024, Had an amazing time with Dream Himalayan Adventures. Despite such short notice, they were able to organise an EBC trek and assigned a very capable and competent local guide who happens to be an excellent photographer.
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