Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) is the third highest peak in the world, well, the fact adds to itself acclaimed beauty and glory, but, nevertheless, experience in the terrains of Kanchenjunga is bound to leave you astonished. Once upon a time, not a lot of ages ago, around 1979, a British mountaineer, Pete Boardman attempted to get on the trails of the outstanding Kanchenjunga. He has confessed that Kanchenjunga is the most beautiful and splendid mountain he has even been on in his life. The name Kanchenjunga has come from a word in Tibetan language and it means ‘something with an abundance of five treasures of snow’. The locals consider Kanchenjunga pious and holy and have worshipped the mountains since long. The five treasures, as contained in the name are precious stones, gold, silver, grain and some holy scriptures, which are symbolic of the five peaks that stand gangling in the ranges of Kanchenjunga mountain. The treks to Kanchenjunga require special permits and you need to have a local guide with you, or you won’t be allowed to trek the revered Kanchenjunga. It touches the Indian state of Sikkim and it was only in the 1980s that the mountain opened its gates for trekking expeditions. Kanchenjunga is also quite mysterious and difficult to understand, as all along the trek you can see the dancing peak well guarded and veiled by the clouds. The sight is enormously heart-touching and beautiful, and no one can escape being awestruck by the absolute aesthetic of the mountain. The Himalayas are full of adamant treasures, which are life-saving as well as life-threatening. Kanchenjunga is the same and in an immense amount. Whereas it has an artistic touch to it, it is also rugged an unforgiving at times. The Kanchenjunga has only been opened for trekking quite a while ago, only full-fledged expeditions and camping was allowed previously. Now with the advent of trekkers, a plethora of teahouses and homestay lodges have come and set up at some expedient and favorable portions of the trek. You can now stay and find some basic facilities in these teahouses along with the famous cuppa of Nepali tea and share stories with each other, or just rest if you please. The trek begins from greens of forests and leads to Alpine and pristine whites of the high mountains. You’ll also cross a number of Hindu and Buddhist villages, temples and monasteries. Chhetri, Rai, Gurung, Limbu, Sherpa, and Tibetan cultures unfold themselves with much beauty at every step you take towards your ascent. Despite these facilities peeking up, this trek is quite isolated and a blessing for all those seeking raw and authentic Himalayan adventure. The chances are that you won’t come across well-built bathrooms and other facilities in this trek, but, if you’re seeking for nature in its truest form, you’re most welcome to the Kanchenjunga trek. There are a number of small and bug treks available for Kanchenjunga. The most famous one is that which takes around 24 days and takes you to both the North camp of Mount Kanchenjunga and the South camp of the mountain. The circuit trek takes about 15 days to be completed. For the complete North-South trek, the trek begins from Kathmandu. You can take a cultural visit to Kathmandu and visit a number of temples and monasteries for the blessings of God. The most famous places in Kathmandu are Boudhanath Stupa, the Pashupatinath temple, and Kathmandu Durbar square. This day is important as the permit for trekking Kanchenjunga is made today only. The guide will take care of it while a representative takes you to see the vastness and beauty of Kathmandu. From Kathmandu, we take a flight or just drive, depending on the weather conditions of the day to Jhapa, and then again drive to Ilam (3,660 m). Ilam is a beautiful Nepali tea garden and is popular for its scenic sunrise views. Enjoy the sunrise with a cuppa of green tea and then we move to Panchthar where you can meet and dine with other trekkers of the Kanchenjunga base camp trek. We now move to Taplejung at 1,820 m. Our trek formally and physically begins here. We now walk along villages watching the authentic Nepali culture and their beautiful customs and houses along the lanes. We reach Handewa and then descent from Handewa to reach the suspension bridge above the Handewa river. The suspension bridges are ubiquitous in Kanchenjunga trek. We reach Mitlung (921 m) beside the Tamor river. The beauty of these rivers is indescribable, it is so painterly in its appearance that no nausea will high you in these distant terrains of Kanchenjunga. We now start trekking along the right Riverside of the river Tomorrow and reach Tawa (1,170 m). We walk along the path reaching Thiwa and ultimately Chiruwa (1,270 m). The next day, we continue our walk along the right banks of Tomor river and reach Tapethoke. We walk until Phembu where we stop for lunch and momentous rest. We are walking along the trails of Kanchenjunga south camp at the moment and the last stop for today is Saketham (1,576 m). There is another suspension bridge which leads to the right side of Gunsha Khola hairpin turns and maze and leads to Lamtar. The last stop is Amjilosa (2,308 m). The further trek includes passing through a forest area and we reach Gyapla (2,730 m) through Thyangham. We walk beside the Riverside of Gunsha Khola and arrive at Phole (3,180 m) and you can visit a very old monastery here and know the Buddhist culture a lot more closely. Again keeping on the right of Gunsha Khola, we reach our last stop for the day, the Gunsha (3,590 m). We spend a day at Gunsha for the most important aspect in any mountain climbing, acclimatization. Acclimatization is immensely important and you never should take it lightly as proper acclimatization and hydration help you in reaching to the peak with much ease and comfort. From Gunsha, we climb to the Gunsha bridge and then reach the Rampuk Kharka (3,720 m). The further steps in the day must be taken with caution as this is the area where frequent landslides occur. Along the sides, if Ghunsa river, we reach Kambachen (4,050 m). The further treks are very important and you must be very careful because these areas are prone to landslides. Make sure that you listen to your guide and follow well his advice, for he knows the trails much better than whatever you have read in the books or blogs.

The next stop is Ramtang (4,370 m). It is a good place for a hearty meal and after lunch, we now begin our trek again and reach Lonak (4,780 m). The next stop for the next day is the base camp of Kanchenjunga, Pangpema (5,143 m). The trek includes the Rocky and cold glacier of Kanchenjunga, gigantic and hypnotizing with its charm. We reach Jorkin (5,021 m) and then abode the beautiful Pangpema. Pangpema is a site of extreme scintillating beauty. The green bottoms of grass now seem ice cold and frozen with delight and serenity. Soak in the delicate beauty which you won’t find anywhere else in the world, not even in other Himalayan mountains. Watch the full glory of the most beautiful mountain in the world. You can find a number of small tea huts at Pangpema. What can be better than having a cuppa of tea at such a beautiful place? Enjoy each and every moment while you’re here so that it stays embedded in your memory forever. We now begin the downward trek and arrive back at Lonak (4,780 m). We now move back to Kambachen (4,050 m) and then along the Gunsha Khola, reach Ghunsa (3,590 m). From Ghunse we trek to Phole, Gyabla and then to Amjilosa (2,308 m). The next day includes a soothing walk along the green woods as we reach Sakethum, Phembu and then to Thaoethok (1,380 m). The Tamor river welcomes us back and gives us the way to reach Cheruwa, Thewa and then to Lingkhim (1,850 m). We now drive to Taplejung and Birtamod Jhapa. The next day we take a flight from the Bhadrapur airport to Kathmandu. The Kanchenjunga trek, without a slight doubt, is the most mesmerizing Himalayan trek. It is rich in biodiversity, scenic trails, amazing forests, talkative fauna, and challenging routes. Kanchenjunga welcomes the adventure lovers with its arms open, you just need to be capable and worthy of holding it back. Are you?