Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition
Trip Overview
Overview
The Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition is a remarkable journey that takes adventurers to the majestic peaks of the Kanchenjunga Massif, the third highest mountain in the world. Located in the eastern Himalayas, straddling the border between Nepal and India, this expedition also offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the pristine beauty of the region and challenge oneself in a formidable mountaineering endeavor. The expedition typically begins in Kathmandu, Nepal, where participants undergo thorough preparations and receive briefings on the trek ahead. After obtaining the necessary permits and organizing equipment, the team embarks on a scenic flight to Taplejung, the starting point of the trek. From here, the journey also takes you through lush forests, picturesque villages, and serene valleys, gradually ascending towards the base camp. The trek to the Kanchenjunga Base Camp is an awe-inspiring experience, allowing trekkers to immerse themselves in the breathtaking landscapes of the region. Along the way, you also encounter a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including rhododendron forests, cascading waterfalls, and glimpses of rare wildlife such as the red panda and snow leopard. Upon reaching the Kanchenjunga Base Camp, climbers are greeted by the awe-inspiring sight of the towering peaks that surround them. The subsequent ascent to the summit involves multiple high camps, acclimatization periods, and careful pacing to ensure the safety and success of the expedition. The climb demands technical skill, physical endurance, and mental fortitude, as the weather conditions and rugged terrain pose significant challenges. Reaching the summit of Mount Kanchenjunga is a momentous achievement, offering a sense of accomplishment and awe-inspiring views that few can experience. The panoramic vistas from the summit also encompass other renowned peaks of the region, including Everest, Makalu, and Lhotse, creating an unforgettable tableau.Conclusion and Summary
Overall, the Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition is a truly remarkable adventure that combines the beauty of the Himalayas, the thrill of mountaineering, and the opportunity to push personal limits. It is an experience that leaves participants with lasting memories, a profound appreciation for nature's grandeur, and a sense of accomplishment that will stay with them for a lifetime.Trip Highlight
Some of the highlights of Mount Kanchenjunga include:
- Third highest mountain in the world: Mount Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world, and the highest in India and Nepal.
- Rich biodiversity: The Kanchenjunga region is home to a range of ecosystems, from subtropical forests to alpine meadows. It is also home to a variety of wildlife, including snow leopards, red pandas, and musk deer.
- Cultural significance: Mount Kanchenjunga is considered sacred by the local people, and there are many religious sites and festivals associated with it.
- Trekking and mountaineering: The Kanchenjunga region offers some of the best trekking and mountaineering opportunities in the Himalayas, with stunning views of the mountain and its surroundings.
- Remote and off the beaten path: Unlike some of the more popular trekking destinations in Nepal, the Kanchenjunga region is relatively remote and less crowded, providing a more authentic and immersive experience for trekkers.
- Challenging climb: Mount Kanchenjunga is a challenging climb, with technical difficulty and a remote location. Summiting the mountain is a major achievement for mountaineers.
Itinerary
Upon your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, you will need to obtain an Entry Visa for Nepal. As soon as you complete the immigration procedures, you will be greeted by one of our representatives and transferred to the hotel booked for you. You can rest, relax and freshen up at your hotel and go sightseeing around the Tourist Hub, Thamel in the evening.
Before we start our expedition, we will need to obtain the required permits for the Kanchenjunga Expedition. We will also prepare all our documents and go for last-minute shopping. At our Eight K Expeditions premise, we will conduct a short briefing about the expedition. Enjoy your day in Kathmandu and prepare to head out to a wonderful adventure experience.
We wake up to a warm breakfast in the morning. Then, we will drive to the airport to catch a short flight to Bhadrapur, a town in eastern Nepal. Then, we will drive to Illam, a beautiful and old market in Eastern Region of Nepal. It is very popular for tea gardens and exports high quality tea leaves around the world. We will explore around the Illam Bazaar and rest overnight in a hotel.
The next day, we will drive from Illam Bazaar to Jorpul via Phidim village. We will behold the pleasing sights of terraced farmlands, vegetations, tea gardens, and cardamom plantations as we move higher. We will finally reach Jorpul to rest overnight to release the pain due to the 9-10 hours drive.
Our trek starts from Jorpul as we slowly ascend towards Khebang through the lush green forests of Rhododendrons, Pines, Oaks, and Deodars. After a series of ascents and descents for about 5 hours, we will reach Khewang to rest overnight.
From Khewang, we walk along the Kabeli Khola and cross many streams over the suspension bridges. We start ascending through valleys, dense forests, and waterfalls. As we move from Subtropical to temperate regions, we will notice diverse vegetation and forest density.
Yamphudin is a village resided by people from diverse cultures and ethnicities. From there, we ascend towards Dhupo Bhanjyang and further to Lasiya Bhanjyang (3310 m). Then, we descend to Amji Khola and walk along until we reach Torongdin at 2995 m to rest overnight. This will be a very tiring day as we trek for almost 11 hours.
We start after breakfast at Torongdin and trek towards Tseram. As we slowly enter the subalpine zone, green trees are fewer and shrubs and wildflowers are abundant. We will be gaining subsequent height so we will spend a day in Tseram for acclimatization.
We will wake up for a warm breakfast and start our trek to Ramche. We will be crossing the Yalung Glacier moraine and beautiful lakes and meadows. After a 6-7 hours trek we will finally reach Ramche to rest overnight. At Ramche, our team will set up comfortable tents for us to sleep.
From Ramche, we start early as we will be elevating to the Middle Base Camp at 4900 m. The trail takes us through the glacier moraines and rugged path until we reach the Middle Base Camp in the meadows.
Following the glaciers of the northern ridge, we will hike up to the base of Kanchenjunga Base Camp and set up our tents. We will be welcomed by the panoramic views of giant snow-capped mountains including the mystic Mt. Kanchenjunga.
We will allocate 26 days of our trip for the climbing period of Mt. Kanchenjunga. During this course, we will conduct multiple rotations around the higher camps. We will allocate enough days for acclimatization as it is extremely important for good health at a high altitude. Climbing up and returning to a lower height is our key strategy for acclimatizing. Most of the climb will be over the snow, ice, and glaciers so we will train with an ice ax, crampons, and ladder climbing before heading to the summit. The last part involves climbing on a steep horizontal rocky section. We will climb up to a step short of the main summit, as it is considered pious and sacred.
As we reach the top, we will be gifted with the vistas of Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Everest, Mt. Makalu, the Kanchenjunga massif, and other giant snow-capped peaks.
We will then return to the lower camp and prepare to leave.
After a successful ascent to the third highest peak of the World, we return to the base camp and pack up our expedition logistics. We then clean up the base camp and prepare to leave.
We retrace our path back to Ramche walking on the rugged terrain for 9 hours. We then rest overnight in a lodge or a tented camp.
Our trek starts from Ramche and we reach Tseram for lunch. We then walk through the forests down to reach Torongdin to rest overnight.
Our trek continues to descend back to Yamphudin until we reach our lodge to rest overnight.
We start early after breakfast and resume our trek to Jorpul. We will cross the Khebang village and continue towards Jorpul. The total trekking hours will be about 9-10 hours.
Our trek ends at Jorpul, from where we take a private vehicle to reach the commercial city Birtamod. We will rest at a very comfortable hotel in Birtamod.
After a night’s rest in Birtamod, we will drive back to Kathmandu. You may choose to take a flight as well at some extra costs. Upon our arrival in Kathmandu, you will be escorted to the hotel to rest and relax.
This leisure day is for you to explore Kathmandu city. You can go sightseeing to different World Heritage Sites like Bouddhanath Stupa, Swayambhunath Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Basantapur and Thamel areas, and many more. In the evening, we will all meet for a wonderful farewell dinner at a typical restaurant.
If you have not booked any other packages or extended your holiday/stay in Nepal, One of our representatives will drop you off at the airport for your departure to your home country. We will look forward to traveling with you again.
Departures & Availability
The set departure dates listed are specially quoted and specified for group joining option. Let us know if the set departure dates are not suitable for you- another dates which are suitable for you can certainly be added by us.
Check Available Dates
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All trip prices are per person based on double occupancy, are subject to change without notice and do not include airfare. All prices and fares are quoted in U.S. dollars.
Price include
We will provide you the expedition cost as per your group size and expedition service requirement. Therefore we request you to send us e-mail or use expedition booking form for further enquiry.
Expedition cost for service up to Base camp:
We will provide you the expedition cost as per your group size and expedition service requirement. Therefore we request you to send us e-mail or use expedition booking form for further enquiry.
Cost includes:
1. Airport Transfers in Kathmandu
2. 5 night’s hotel accommodation in Kathmandu at a tourist class hotel on BB plan (before and after the expedition)
3. Peak Permit fee of Expedition Mountain
4. National Park and conservation fee
5. Service of Government Liaison Officer
7.6. Transportation as per the program
8. Full board in lodges during trekking to base camp and back
9. Transport of food supply and expedition equipments to Base Camp and back
Base Camp single tent for each member, BC staffs and Liaison Officer
10. All kitchen tent, store tent, dining tents, toilet tent, table and chairs and cooking utensils for Base Camp
11. All food and fuel supply for Base Camp
12. Service of cook and kitchen boy at Base Camp
13. Equipments allowance, wages of cook, kitchen boy and Liaison officer
14. Insurance of cook, kitchen boy, Liaison Officer and porters
15.2 Expedition duffel bag per climber
16. Solar panel or Generator at Base Camp
17. Emergency medical oxygen at base camp
18. Visa extension
19. Agency service charge
Expedition cost for service up to summit:
Cost includes:
1. Airport Transfers in Kathmandu
2.5 night’s hotel accommodation in Kathmandu at 3 star hotel on BB plan (before and after the expedition)
3. Transportation as per the program
4. Transport of food supply and expedition equipments to Base Camp and back
5. Full board in lodges during trekking to base camp and back
6. Base Camp single tent for each member, BC staffs and Liaison Officer
All kitchen tent, store tent, dining tents, toilet tent, table and chairs and cooking utensils for Base Camp
7. Food and fuel at base camp
8. Service of Government Liaison Officer
9. Service of cook and kitchen boy at Base Camp
10. Equipments allowance, wages of cook, kitchen boy and Liaison officer
11. Insurance of cook, kitchen boy, Liaison Officer and porters
12. Peak Permit fee of Mt. Annapurna
13. Makalu conservation fee
14. One high altitude Sherpa per climber to carry all food and gear to higher camps. 15. Also assist the member during climb and summit attempt
16.3 oxygen bottles (4 lts) per member with mask and regulator (for use only) ”
Poisk oxygen system”
17. Common climbing equipment (necessary rope, ice bars, ice screws etc)
18. High altitude food
19. High altitude fuel
20. High altitude tents
21. Walkie-talkies for each member
22.2 Expedition duffel bag per climber
23. Solar panel or Generator at Base Camp for light and charging
24. Emergency medical oxygen at base camp
25. Visa extension fee
26. Agency service charge.
Price Excludes
Expedition up to Base Camp:
Cost does not Includes:
1. International airfare from / to your country
2. Nepal entry visa fee (can be obtained at the airport upon arrival)
3. Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu
4. Hotel after 5 night stay in Kathmandu.
5. Personal climbing gear and equipment above base camp
6. Tents above base camp
7. High altitude food and fuel above base camp
8. Oxygen & Mask and regulator (will be provided as per request)
9. Personal insurance such as travel, accident, medical, emergency evacuation and lost luggage
10. Applicable permit fees and customs charges, etc. for SAT phone, communication equipment and commercial filming
11. International airport departure tax at Kathmandu Airport.
12. Expenses of personal nature such as drinks, laundry, postage, telephone etc.
13. Tips and bonuses Garbage deposit fee(Refundable)
Expedition cost for service up to summit:
Cost does not include:
1. International airfare from / to your country
2. Nepal entry visa fee (can be obtained at the airport upon arrival)
3. Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu
4. Hotel after 5 night stay in Kathmandu.
5. Personal climbing gear and equipment above base camp
6. Personal insurance such as travel, accident, medical, emergency evacuation and lost luggage
7. Applicable permit fees and customs charges and commercial filming
8. Expenses of personal nature such as drinks, laundry, postage, telephone etc.
9. Tips and bonuses
11. Garbage deposit fee.
Gears And Equipment
Trip Information
Kangchenjunga, the 3rd highest peak, elevating at an altitude of 8586 m, was considered the highest peak of the world until 1856. Crowned by 5 significant peaks, out of which three reside at the Nepal-India border and two reside in the Taplejung district of Nepal, Kanchenjunga is a mystical mountain also believed by the locals to be the home to mountain deity. In the Tibetan language, the name ‘Kanchinjínga’ refers to the “Five Treasures of the Great Snow”. The treasures represent the repositories of God being Gold, Silver, Grain, Gems, and Holy Books and are often associated with the five peaks in the Kanchenjunga Himal.
The Kanchenjunga section of the Himal extends from Nepal to India with around 16 peaks above 7000m. It is bordered in the north by Lhonak Chu, Goma Chu, and Jongsang La while in the East by the Teesta river. The western limits are distinguished as they run down the Jongsang La to Ginseng and Kanchenjunga Glaciers and rivers of Ghunsa and Tamor.
The first successful ascent to Kanchenjunga was made by George Band and Joe Brown the British Expedition team in 1955. They took the route from the Yalung Glacier to the southwest of the peak, leading to the Yalung face. The route to the summit is a mixed terrain of snow, glacier, and one icefall with a little section of rock. They had set up six camps during their expedition.
The huge mountain massif of Kangchenjunga consists of the following peaks:
- Kangchenjunga main 8586 m
- Kangchenjunga West (Yalung Kang) 8505 m
- Kangchenjunga Central 5482 m
- Kangbachen 7903 m
The massif houses five main glaciers namely, Zemu, Kanchenjunga, Yalung, Talung, and Ramtang that drain the Saptakoshi Rivers including Arun, Tamor, and Teesta in Sikkim as well. Kanchenjunga main is the highest point of the Brahmaputra River Basin, one of the largest river basins. The Kanchenjunga massif is also a part of the Ganges River Basin.
Kanchenjunga has been able to retain its pristine beauty and serenity as it is not very easily accessible from Nepal. The remoteness of its location makes it one of the less frequently traveled destinations despite its alluring beauty. The trekking to the Kanchenjunga region has recently been permitted in Sikkim, the Goecha La pass trek is the most popular one, as it offers the marvelous view of the huge southeast face of Kangchenjunga. The reason for restrictions to traveling in this isolated region could be the myth associated with it, making people believe that some mountain deity dwells in this region. The British Expedition team had spotted a bipedal creature in 1925, which is believed to be “the Kangchenjunga Demon”, often called “Yeti”.
The trekking route to Kanchenjunga is unbelievably attractive and mindblowing as it goes through three diverse ecoregions: the eastern Himalayan broadleaved and coniferous forests, the eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, and the Terai Duar Savanna and grasslands. As you trek along, you will come across numerous small and big rivers that rage at their pace. We ought to trek through the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, which is the home to a number of endangered species including but not limited to Snow Leopards, Asian Black Bears, Red Panda, White-bellied Musk Deer, Blood Pheasant, and Floras like Rhododendrons and Orchids. If lucky enough, we may encounter some of those on our way.
Best Seasons for Kanchenjunga Trek and Expedition
The best season to go on expeditions to Kanchenjunga is Pre-monsoon or Post-monsoon when the sky is clear, the weather is moderate and the days are neither too hot nor too cold nights. However, we can organize trips to Kanchenjunga any time of the year.
What makes the Kanchenjunga Expedition difficult?
Kanchenjunga expedition is comparatively difficult than other 8000 m mountains because of its remoteness, technical difficulty, risk of icefall and avalanche, difficulty in managing logistics, and fewer Sherpas available to climb Kanchenjunga. Moreover, India has restricted the expeditions from the easier side, compelling the climbers to take a tough route.
Preparation for Kanchenjunga Expedition
Kanchenjunga is quite technical as it involves walking on snow, ice, and glaciers. Only a small section of the climb involves walking on rocks. Harsh terrain and extreme weather conditions pose a huge risk and challenge. Climbers are required to trek and hike for about 10 hours a day, so a high level of physical fitness and substantial mountaineering experience is required for the Kanchenjunga Expedition. High altitude mountaineers, who have summited Everest and Kanchenjunga claim the latter to be even more tricky and difficult. The last part of the climb comprises the longest horizontal climbs over 8000 m making the summit a bit demanding.
Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition Map
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
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