Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek - 15 Days

You will arrive at Kathmandu Airport after a spectacular flight over the Himalayas, where you will meet the Himalayan hikers' representative. You will then be transported to the hotel and assisted with the check-in procedures.

We will meet for a pre-discussion session about the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek if you arrive early. You will have free time in the evening to explore the streets of Thamel and soak in the atmosphere.

After breakfast, we take a private vehicle around Kathmandu to explore the sites. Nepal’s seven out of ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located only in Kathmandu Valley and we will cover a few of them today. Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa, and Patan Durbar Square are amongst them. We'll get to learn about the historical, religious, and cultural significance of each location.

In the evening, you can do last-minute shopping if you have to purchase the items for the journey to the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp. Stroll around the corners of the area, eat at one of the restaurants, and relax in your hotel room.

We will fly from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur as early in the morning as feasible. Then, an 8-9 hour drive from Bhadrapur to Taplejung awaits you. Taplejung is the epicenter of Nepal's black cardamom growing region. We also pass by a beautiful tea garden in Kanyan and Fikkal. At 2,000 meters, the atmosphere of Taplejung is pleasant, and the lodge accommodations are adequate.

Today we have another long drive ahead of us. After breakfast, we will drive from Taplejung to Happu Khola. Along the ride, you will notice that the climate is chilling down and that the terrain is changing from hills to mountains. As you go through terraced fields and forested areas, you may expect more views of the high mountains to arrive at any moment. We move through settlements and the agricultural areas that surround them. After lunch, start our walk from Happu Khola, cross Kabeli Khola and ascend to Kebang village.

After breakfast at the teahouse in Kebang, we leave the village and start climbing towards the Ekchana Vanjyang. After a short break there, we walk downhill towards the bridge. On the way, you'll get some vistas of the snowcapped peaks. After crossing the bridge, we will make our ascent towards a beautiful village of Sherpa people named Yamphudin also known as Sherpa Gaun locally. A police checkpoint is located nearby where our permits will be checked. 

This morning begins with a tough ascent to a col at 3,292 meters, where we will cross the Deurali Danda ridge. The road winds uphill through rhododendron thickets to a clearing at Chittre, first steeply. When you get to the col, it's wide and has a little pool. On the way down to the Simbua Khola, there are views to the northwest of Jannu's summit, and Kangchenjunga appears at numerous spots. The first stretch of the descent from the crest has been impacted by a landslide and should be approached with caution; the plunge is significant!

Finally, the track re-enters the forest for a nice and steady descent to the Simbu Khola's banks. A one-hour hike down the bank leads to a little bridge that offers access to the north bank and the Torengthen meadow.

The trail is easier today than it was the day before. We will arrive at a Buddhist shrine ornamented with rock cairns, prayer flags, and Trisuls after a short trek through the pine and rhododendron forest. The trail then follows the riverbank as it widens and becomes a pleasant stroll. Then we continue to Tseram passing through a big flat meadow. Tseram is a nice grassy location on a little terrace with a single house that doubles as a rustic teahouse about 50 meters above the river's north bank.

The trail leads through a lovely woodland of pines and rhododendrons with a tiny clear stream, then climbs and crosses a massive loose culvert before returning to the Yak Kharka. We rise for a short distance from Tseram before reaching the Yalung Glacier's beginning. As we ascend past the Yalung Glacier's snout and into a series of ablation valleys, the panorama is breathtaking. The Yalung Glacier's terminal moraine eventually appears, framed by the peaks of Talung (7,349m) Kabru (7,338m), and Rathong (6,678m) with a frozen lake, and crystal clear streams. The last teahouse on the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek is in Ramzher/Ramche/Ramchour.

From Ramzher, we can continue to South Base Camp for views of Kangchenjunga's south face. The glacier swings north beyond Ramche, and this corner can be reached in approximately an hour through easy terrain. The entire south and west faces of Kangchenjunga, which had previously been hidden during the latest stages of the walk-in, are now visible around the bend. After another hour, a tiny track leads onto the Yalung Glacier's lateral moraine and to a chorten with unobstructed views of Kangchenjunga's main summit, (8,586m), Yalung Kang (8,505m), and Khambachen Peak (7,903m) near the valley's head.

After spending quite a time there, we retrace our steps back to our Ramche campground. You can also choose to trek downhill to Cheram.

Today, we retrace our trail back to Tseram and then to Torengthen. Before calling it a day, take in as much of the surrounding beauty as possible.

Today is our last hiking day on our Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek, walking into the incredibly calm forest. We follow the ancient trade route between Tibet and India from Ranipul. The shortcut track has been developed for the convenience of trekkers to descend straight to Ranipul, skipping the long way descending to Yamphudin, thanks to local initiative and government help. Ranipul is a small settlement located alongside the Tamor River.

We eat a delicious celebratory breakfast in the teahouse at Ranipul and take a lovely drive over rolling terraced hills and charming villages till we arrive in Taplejung, where we have lunch. After lunch, you can opt to drive further to Illam. If not, we can rest at Taplejung for the remainder of the day and explore the surroundings in the evening.

From Taplejung, we today drive back to Bhadrapur or only till Jhapa.

We take our breakfast and you will be driven to the Bhadrapur Airport for the flight back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival there, you will be escorted to your respective hotel. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing, shopping, or visiting a spa. In the evening, we will eat our dinner at the typical Nepali restaurant where we can also enjoy the cultural program and share our experiences of this adventure. 

It's the last day of your Nepal journey. Approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight, a representative from Himalayan Trekkers will transport you to the airport and bid farewell. We can also conduct the additional trip if you plan to stay in Nepal for more days.