Kangchenjunga Trek Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival Day
Personal welcome at Kathmandu Airport and transfer to your hotel in the lively tourist district of Thamel. After a short briefing on our trip plans you will be able to go out to explore the bustling Thamel streets.
Day 2 - Kathmandu City Tour
After breakfast we will tour the city, visiting many of the “City of Temples” historic landmarks including Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, and the stunning Boudhanath Stupa.
Day 3 - Kathmandu to Suketar
We will take a morning flight from Kathmandu to Suketar. Depending on our flights we will hopefully have the afternoon to relax at our guesthouse and acclimatise to our higher altitude.
Day 4 - Suketar to Phurumba
Our first days walking is nice and easy as we descend down through the farm terraces towards the valley floor. We will stop and stay the night at the rural community of Phrumba that is a great viewpoint of the distant Himalayas. 4 hours trekking
Day 5 - Phrunba to Chiruwa
Our trail continues down to were we meet the Tamor River that we will follow up all the way to Mount Kanchenjunga. We will stay the night in the busy little village of Chiruwa that is the last place accessible by vehicle so its just donkeys and trekkers from now on up the valley. 5 hours trekking.
Day 6 - Chiruwa to Amjilosa
Our centuries old trail follows the river passing through tiny farming communities with thier cardamon plantations and corn fields. As we gain altitude we will pass through the beautiful Rhododendron forests that Eastern Nepal is famous for and that is its national flower. After a final climb we will be happy to take out boots off and put our feet up at Amjilosa for the night. 8 hours trekking.
Day 7 - Amjilosa to Ghunsa
As our trail follows the river up the valley we will pass through dense pine forests before climbing up onto the Yak pastures of the the upper valleys. As we approach the Yak herding settlements of this higher region you will notice the Tibetan influence of the Sherpa culture. We will stay in the Sherpa village of Ghunsa that is the trading hub for the surrounding area. 8 hours trekking
Day 8 - Ghunsa Acclimatisation Walk
We will take a day to rest our bodies and to look around Ghunsa village. In order to help acclimatise for the higher trails to come we will trek up to a prominent prayer flag covered rock that overlooks the valley. 2 hour acclimatisation walk.
Day 9 - Ghunsa to Khambachen
As we walk further up the valley and higher in altitude the forest changes from pine to birch and then to short juniper bushes before opening up into the wide open alpine valleys. As we leave the forests behind we climb up alongside the huge glacier that flows down from the mountains above. Alongside the glacier and under the towering peak we will find the small herders settlement of Khambachen. 5 hours trekking.
Day 10 - Khambachen to Lhonak
At over 4000 metres we will undoubtably wake to a chilly morning but crystal clear skies. We will follow the trail up alongside the glacier as we edge closer to the top of the valley and the highest place we will stay at the seasonal settlement of Lhonak. 5 hours trekking.
Day 11 - Lhonak to Kanchenjunga Base Camp
Today we will trek to our highest point of Kanchenjunga Bace Camp at 5130 metres. This our of the most remote corners of Nepal and if your lucky you will see the wild Blue Sheep or maybe even a Snow Leopard! Once we reach the top of our hike we will take out time to enjoy the stunning mountain panorama and hopefully have a clear view of the summit of Kanchenjunga towering miles above us. The return downward journey will seem so effortless after days of climbing at altitude and we will take our time returning to Lhonak for the night. 5 hours trekking
Day 12 - Lhonak to Khambachen
Todays walk back down the valley will be nice and relaxing and you’ll enjoy the scenery much more now that your not struggling uphill anymore. We should get back down to Khambachen with plenty of time to relax away the afternoon in our own time. 4 hours trekking.
Day 13 - Khambachen to Ghunsa
We return down this beautiful trail that runs along the forest fringed Tamor River. We will get back to Ghunsa for lunch are have the afternoon at our disposal. 4 hours trekking.
Day 14 - Ghunsa to Amjilosa
We’ll have another relaxing walk back down to valley with plenty of time to stop and look around as we go. We will return to Amjilosa for the night. 6 hours trekking.
Day 15 - Amjilosa to Chiruwa
As we continue down the valley we will return to the warmer temperatures that we felt like we left long ago. We’ll return through all the fragrant fields and forests and back to where the road begins at Chiruwa. 6 hours trekking.
Day 16 - Chiruwa to Siwan
To avoid the dusty road we will continue along the trails that follow the river. This will take us through a variety of farms, forests and cardamom plantations to the small village of Siwan for the night. 6 hours trekking
Day 17 - Siwan to Suketar
Our last days trekking involves a short but steep climb back up through the terraced fields to the ridge top village of Suketar and ready for our flight first thing in the morning. 4 hours trekking.
Day 18 - Suketar to Kathmandu
Return flight back to Kathmandu.
Day 19 - Kathmandu Free Day
Today is an extra day for in case our return flights are delayed by bad weather. Either way we will meet up for a final dinner together before we have to say goodbye.
Day 20 - Departure
Transfer to Kathmandu Airport.
Note - If the above itinerary does not meet your needs we can easily adjust this to suit your travel requirements.