Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek

Today is the first day of the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek, which begins with breakfast in Kathmandu. After breakfast, you will go to the TIA airport to board a 45-minute flight from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur. This flight gives you an aerial view of the landscape below.

Once you arrive in Bhadrapur, you will take a local bus to Illam. This journey usually takes three to four hours, depending on the road conditions. Once in Ilam, you will check into the hotel. The rest of the day, you can explore some famous tea areas. Overnight stay in a hotel in Ilam.

On the second day, after breakfast, you will leave Illam and head to Taplejung in a local bus. As you leave the tea gardens of Ilam behind, you’ll pass through green farmland and hillside villages. You may even get your first glimpse of the Kanchenjunga range from certain points along the Ilam Taplejung route.

The road will get steeper and more winding after you pass the small settlement of Phidim. You will enter the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area when you reach Taplejung. Overnight at Taplejung.

From today, the South Base Camp trek begins officially as you will finally start hiking. After breakfast in Taplejung, you’ll begin your trek toward Lali Kharka. The trail takes you through old villages, green forests, and rocky paths. Along the way, you’ll pass through farmland and small settlements where you can see the daily life of the local Limbu people.

You might get a chance to learn about their traditional Kirati culture. As you climb higher, the forest starts to change, and the views become wider, with hills and valleys all around. Lali Kharka is a quiet place with just a few teahouses, where you’ll rest for the night.

The fourth day of the South Base Camp of Kanchenjunga trek itinerary takes you to Khesewa. Today’s trek begins with a climb to a ridge, followed by a steep descent into Simbu. After reaching Simbu, the trail steeply ascends to Kunjari, a village surrounded by bamboo and banana trees. Then, the path descends a steep road and crosses a suspension bridge over the Phawa Khola river.

You will have a long walk uphill to the Gurung settlement where you can find nice tea houses for lodging, including Kande Bhanjyang, Sinchebu, and Sinchewa Bhanjyang. The rest of the day will be spent in the Kabeli Valley, where you will first see the Kangchenjunga landscape. Later, the route goes through a forest and leads to Khesewa, a prosperous town that grows millet, maize, and rice.

The trek from Khesewa to Mamangkhe (1786m) continues along the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp trail, typically taking 5-6 hours. The first section of the trek is a gradual descent, passing through cultivated lands and the Kabeli Khola. Along the way, you will pass through the village of Phale, a Tibetan refugee settlement with traditional houses and small monasteries.

You will reach the village of Anpan before finally climbing to Mamangkhe, a significant cultural hub for the Limbu, Rai, and Kirat communities. Once in Mamangkhe, you can visit a local cultural museum that gives insight into the customs and daily life of the people in this region. Overnight in Mamangkhe.

The sixth day of the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp trek itinerary begins with breakfast in Mamangkhe teahouses. We start our trek along the Kabeli Khola, surrounded by dense rhododendron forests, rivers, and waterfalls. The route crosses charming wooden bridges and leads us past hillside farms where locals cultivate maize and millet.

Yamphudin, our destination, is the last significant settlement before entering the remote high-altitude region. Here, we will experience a blend of Limbu and Tibetan cultures while enjoying spectacular sunset views over the hills. Overnight stay at Yamphudin tea house.

The Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek is getting tougher by the day as you gain a lot of altitude. Leaving Yamphudin, the trail climbs steadily through beautiful rhododendron forests and stone steps leading to Lasiya (Lamite) Bhanjyang. From Lasiya, the path leads down to a grassy pass. You can see Mt. Jannu, also known as Kumbakarna, to the northeast, above a large landslip.

After a short climb and a zigzag trail through thick forest, we’ll reach the Simbuwa Khola (river). From the river, it’s a final steady ascent to reach the peaceful village of Tortong, where you’ll spend the night surrounded by nature.

Following the Simbuwa Khola, we will hike through dense rhododendron forests, where vibrant pink and red blossoms add color to the landscape. We will pass through Yalung Glacier viewpoints to catch our first close-up views of Kanchenjunga’s massive peaks.

As we approach Cheram, the landscape will become more rugged, with towering cliffs and vast open meadows. This small settlement will serve as our base before we head into even higher elevations. Today, there’s a big gain in altitude, so it’s important to walk slowly and drink plenty of water.

The trek from Cheram to Ramche on Day 9 is a shorter 3-4 hours journey and also marks an increase in altitude as you head closer to the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp. The trail generally follows the valley, offering increasingly impressive close-up views of snow-dusted Himalayan peaks and glacial moraines, including the majestic Kanchenjunga massif.

Before reaching Ramche, you’ll pass through Lapsang village, experiencing the rugged alpine scenery as you gain elevation. Ramche is not a typical village, but rather a resting point for trekkers heading toward the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp. From here, it takes only about an hour of hiking to reach the base camp of the world’s third-highest peak, Mount Kanchenjunga.

From Ramche, we will hike to the South Base Camp to see amazing views of the south side of the mountain Kanchenjunga from the Oktang viewpoint, situated at 4,730 meters. The trekking trail is not too difficult and follows the glacier as it curves north. After about an hour, we’ll reach a viewpoint where you can finally see the full south as well as the west face of Kanchenjunga, which was hidden before.

If you want to explore more, you can walk for another hour on a small path along the edge of the Yalung Glacier. There, you’ll find a chorten (a small Buddhist monument) with clear views of Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Yalung Kang (8,505m), and Khambachen Peak (7,903m). After enjoying the views, you’ll return to Ramche to spend the night.

After exploring the Southern Base Camp of Mt. Kanchenjunga, today we start our return journey. The South Kanchenjunga base camp trek route retraces the same route back to Tortong. Enjoy the stunning views of the snow-covered Himalayas along the way.

The first part of the hike is steep and can be slippery in places, so you’ll need to walk carefully, especially near the landslide-prone sections. After this, the trail becomes gentler as it goes through beautiful rhododendron and pine forests. You’ll walk along the Simbuwa Khola, enjoying views of snowy peaks before crossing a small bridge to reach Tortong. Overnight stay at a tea house or tent in Tortong.

On the 12th day of our trek, we continue descending and retracing our steps. The path continues downhill, weaving through deep forests and charming villages. We will pass through Yamphudin once again, where we can enjoy a final glimpse of the region’s cultural richness. The Kabeli Khola’s gentle flow accompanies us as we approach Ranipul, marking the end of our trekking journey. Here, we will rest before beginning our road journey back.

On Day 13, we will take a local jeep from Ranipul to Phidim bazaar. This is a common way to travel in this hilly area of Nepal. The drive will be bumpy but scenic, with winding roads and views of small villages and the eastern hills. The jeep ride will take a few hours, depending on the road conditions and any stops you make along the way. Phidim Bazaar is the main trading hub in the area.

• Attraction of the day: Thamel tourist market

Today is the last day of our Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek. You will drive on a scenic road from Phidim to Bhadrapur and see the eastern hills of Nepal. The path passes through the terraced rice fields, villages, and jungles before hitting the flat plains of Jhapa. Once in Bhadrapur, you will fly back to Kathmandu, concluding our amazing 14-day trekking in the Kanchenjunga region. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the incredible journey you’ve just completed. We hope you enjoyed this amazing adventure.