Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek

Location of the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp

Situated on the border between Sikkim in India, and eastern Nepal, Kanchenjunga is the 3^rd highest mountain in the world.  As part of the Eastern Himalaya mountain range which stretches across Nepal, India, China and Pakistan, some of the Kanchenjunga peaks actually sit between Sikkim and Nepal.  The Main, Central and South peaks sit on the border, while the West peak and Kangbachen peak lie completely within Nepal.

The Kanchenjunga Conservation Area here in Nepal protects the mountains and surrounds in this area, while in Sikkim, the Kanchenjunga National Park protects the mountains and surrounding areas falling within their jurisdiction.

Trek Difficulty

This is a high altitude, multi day (15 days) trek which is challenging in places.  You should have some previous trekking experience, preferably at high altitude (that means over 3,000 m / 9,842.5 ft).  You will be walking for around 6 to 7 hours per day although there are some shorter days also.  This trek is not for novice hikers but for those with plenty of experience and a good fitness and stamina level. 

Typical Day on the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek

Fifteen days are spent trekking, the other days you are on the road or in the air. The days you are trekking, it is around 6 to 7 hours of hiking per day through what can be at times challenging trails.  Even when the trails are of moderate difficulty, because you will be walking at high altitude, it seems just that bit harder!  This is why we say you must have experience and good fitness to achieve this trek successfully.

The teahouses or trekking lodges  you will stay in are quite basic.  These teahouses provide accommodation, dinner and breakfast and not much else. Every night you will stay in a different teahouse, except on acclimatization days when you may be in the same one for more than one night.   Lunch will most likely be taken on the trail.

Setting off after breakfast around 8am, the day can be long or relatively short, depending on where you are in the itinerary.  But each day brings something new and exciting, with the mountains always tantalizingly close.

There will be short breaks along the way, and you can walk at your own steady pace at this high altitude.  

At the next overnight teahouse relax in the warm dining room and chat to others over dinner before retiring early to bed. 

Safety Comes First on the Trek

There are two main priorities on a high altitude trek: avoiding altitude related illness and avoiding accidents on the trail.

Our guides are trained in first aid so can deal with most eventualities.  We would ask that you also keep a check on your own body in case of any illness, such as headaches, stomach aches etc.  You should keep a watch on yourself, and your fellow trekkers for any signs of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which can be serious. 

Do take good care when walking as a simple slip can bring your trekking adventure to an end.  We recommend you bring trekking poles which will help stabilize you on rough ground. 

Another potential risk is getting lost on the mountain.  Always tell the guide if you are going to explore the surroundings (perhaps in the late afternoon when you arrive somewhere new or on acclimatization days when you have some free time).  Do not just saunter off yourself.

If your guide warns you against doing anything, please listen to him. This is his field so to speak and he knows the associated risks!

Best Seasons for the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek

Spring: (March to May) This is probably the best season to trek in Nepal.  With the rhododendrons in bloom its lovely to hike through rhododendron forests. In case you didn’t know, the rhododendron is Nepal’s national flower!  The weather will be just right, although still a bit cold in March at the higher altitudes, and there may be some snow up there too.

Autumn: (September to November)  This season is similar to spring and on this trek the paths may be a bit muddy after the monsoon rains.  But the weather is good, and the landscaped washed shiny clean after the rains.  Keep in mind also that October is the main festival time in Nepal and flights and local transport will be busy. Booking ahead is a must. 

Monsoon: (June – September) Flights can easily be delayed due to bad weather during the monsoon and the trails will be muddy and the rivers can be overflowing making it very tricky to cross in places. In addition, there is a higher risk of landslides. If you only have this time for trekking, please talk to us. 

Winter: (December – February)  At the higher altitudes, it will be very cold and there may be snowfall.  However, since there are no high mountain passes on this trek, the trails will be open.  One problem is that teahouses may be closed up because of less custom in the winter.  If your group is 4 or more we can request teahouses to open – this is standard practice.  Let’s discuss. 

Permits Required for This Trek

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Permit (KCAP):  is required to trek to the North Base Camp as it falls within the conservation area.  The fees from the KCAP go towards the conservation and preservation of the area

Cost per person:  USD30 per trek.  

Restricted Area Permit (RAP): is required for anyone entering a restricted area which is near the Tibet border.

Cost per person: USD20 per week, for the first four weeks. A different fee is applied thereafter.

**These permits must be obtained through a registered Nepali trekking agency, like Magical Nepal, and the RAP must be issued for a minimum of two international trekkers.

Food and Accommodation on the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp Trek

Meals on the Trek

Included in the cost of your trek are breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Tea and coffee are also included.  However, drinking water, soft drinks, beer or extra food are not included and you should pay directly to the teahouse.

On the trek, breakfast and dinner on the trek are taken in the teahouses where you sleep, and lunch is taken on the trail at a smaller teahouse or it can be a packed lunch if the guide knows there is nowhere selling food on the trail.

Teahouses on this less busy trekking route are quite basic as they see few trekkers coming through.  The menus are less extensive than the more popular trekking areas, and are mainly local cuisine with some basic Western items.

Breakfast items can be:

• Porridge
• Eggs
• Toast
• Pancakes
• Homemade bread
• Rice dishes
• Noodles dishes
• Tea/ coffee

Dinner items can be:

• Soup
• Thukpa (Tibetan soup with flat noodles)
• Nepali Dal Bhat (vegetable curry and rice)
• Fried rice
• Noodles
• Momos (Nepali steamed dumplings)
• Potatoes cooked in different ways

Lunch items can be:

Momos, dal bhat, or noodles.

Drinks:

Tea, coffee, soft drinks, beer, water. (Cost not included.)

Dietary restrictions:

Since Nepali food is based mainly on vegetables, and rice,  with meat only eaten during festivals, there is vegetarian food in all teahouses. Please provide us with a list of anything you cannot eat because of allergies so we can pass the information along to the teahouses.

There may be a lack of fresh ingredients in some villages, and there is not likely to be much desert/sweets on the menu.  Bring your own snacks such as dried fruit and nuts, chocolate bars, cookies, etc for when you need comfort food or an extra boost.  Even if you normally don’t eat chocolate and cookies – trust us – you are going to want them on the  trek!

Tips on Food:

Buy snacks in Kathmandu, you may not get anything elsewhere.

Tell the teahouse to keep hot spices to a minimum.

Do not be tempted to skip meals as you really need the energy to get through the long days. 

Sources of Water on the Trek

Do not drink the tap water or natural spring water untreated or unfiltered.  Purifying drops or tablets can be added to the water which will then make it safe for drinking.  A Lifestraw is also a good idea. 

It is not guaranteed there will be bottled water in the teahouses but they will provide you with boiled water – for a price.  Plastic bottles are not recommended anyway from the environmental point of view.

Tips on Water:

• To avoid dehydration, drink 4ltr of water per day, even if its cold outside.  That boiled hot water will keep warm for some time. 

Accommodation on the Trek

Trekking lodges are known as teahouses in Nepal. In this less busy area, they are very much as they were when tourism first started – basic.

Two single beds to each sleeping room and bathroom facilities normally shared with other trekkers.   There may be dormitory rooms in some places.  Hot showers are available but they have to be paid for and may come in a bucket. Also please note, sleeping rooms do not have heating.  That is where your great 4-seasons sleeping bag comes in.

Tips on Accommodation:

• There is no heating or electrical sockets in the sleeping rooms.
• Dining rooms will have some sort of heating.
• If the teahouse does not have sleeping rooms with attached bathrooms, you will have to use a shared one. 
• The dining room is where you will socialize.
• Do not enter the kitchen.
• Hot water for the shower will cost around USD2-5 per time.
• Recharging your electronics will cost around USD2-5 per time as well.
• WiFi, where available, is also something you will have to pay for.  Yes, at around USD2-5 per usage.
• Bring your own sleeping bag. Its cold at these heights.
• Try to order the same items as your trekking companions at dinner time – this is faster for you and easier for the kitchen.  

Transport Options

Private Road Transport 

Public transport will be a bus or jeep, and is included in the cost of your trek.  If you wish to hire a private jeep instead, please talk to us about this.  There will be an extra cost for this which can be divided between the trekkers in your group. 

Everyone must agree to the private jeep option so that the guide can accompany you all! See Private v Group Trek.

Taplejung Airport

You may wonder why it takes so long to reach the start of this trek.  After the flight to Bhadrapur, it is a five hour bus journey to Ilam and then another five hours by road to Taplejung from where you start to trek. Could there be another airport nearer to the start of the Kanchenjunga trekking area?

Actually, there is. There is an airport at Suketar, Taplejung which would bring you into the Kanchenjunga region without having to travel by road.  However, flights into this airport, more an airstrip, take place only twice a week and only at certain times of the year.   Being that the airport sits on a hill at an altitude of 2,419m / 9,736 ft, the weather is also very unpredictable.  Should the weather be unsuitable for flying, you could well find yourself waiting for a flight in or out of the airport for several days, or even a week.  

For this reason, we have taken the decision to use Bhadrapur airport and then travel by road to Taplejung.  The bonus is that you get to see the tea gardens in Ilam! 

Trip Extension 

Want to explore more of eastern Nepal?  Love wildlife  and nature? Then this could be a bonus for you.  Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve – spending two nights/ three days here would be the perfect relaxing ending to your great trek. And it will give you an insight into the other thing Nepal is famous for – interesting wildlife. 

Situated 108 km /  67 miles from Bhadrapur, Biratnagar is the main town when heading to Koshi Tappu.  It is 5 hours by road to reach Biratnagar  from Bhadrapur, but on the return journey it is a short flight from Biratnagar to Kathmandu.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve was made a reserve in 1976 to preserve the remaining wild buffalos in Nepal.   Sitting on the floodplains of the Sapta Koshi River this area has wetland status and  is the smallest wildlife reserve in the country.  Home to hundreds of bird species this is definitely a paradise for bird watchers.  Mammals that can be found in this wetland area are a variety of deer, including the blue bull, jungle cat, and wild boar.   And of course that  last remaining pocket of wild buffalo. 

The normal length of stay is 2 nights / 3 days during which you can take safaris deep into the reserve by foot or by raft.  This extension trip would work well:  departing from Bhadrapur on the final day of your trekking trip, arriving at Biratnagar early afternoon to be collected by a reserve at the lodge. Then on your final day at Koshi Tappu we can arrange for a flight back to Kathmandu.  

Please ask us about this extension trip. 

Arrival in Nepal

We can collect you from the international airport if you like.  There is a small charge for this, but it will save you time and trouble. 

Hotels in Kathmandu:

There are many excellent hotels on booking.com or hostelworld.com.  Thamel is the tourist hub, and we recommend you stay there.  It has many bars, cafes, restaurants, and shops.

Our office is also located in Thamel.

What to do in Kathmandu:

We can organize a half or full day tour for you if you like. Just ask us.  There is so much to see in this historic ancient city.  From palaces to temples and Buddhist stupas. There are also many UNESCO Heritage Sites.  If you wish to travel further afield, we can also advise you where to go and how to get there. 

Visa on Arrival

Visa on arrival is available for people from most countries, via the Immigration Department of Nepal’s on-line site.  Please complete the form online, print it out and bring it with you.  Bring exact USD cash to make payment on arrival at the airport. 

Visa on arrival is valid for 15 days, 30 days or 3 months and costs: 

• 15 Days – 30 USD
• 30 Days – 50 USD
• 90 Days – 125 USD

Porters: Do I Need One?

We hear this question often and recommend that unless you have experience of carrying your own pack for this number of days, and at these altitudes, you probably do need a porter.

Unfortunately, porters are not included in the cost of the trek.  You will have to pay extra for this service.  However, to make it cost effective, you can share a porter with another trekker.  Naturally, then the weight of your pack is halved.  A porter can only carry 20kg.  So 10kg each. 

Remember you will be carrying your own day pack, even if you have a porter. That will contain things like water, sun screen, sun hat, warm hat, medicine etc. that you may need during the day.

Unique Culture and Wildlife

Landscapes: This trek is through the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area which is a protected area.   If you didn’t know, Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world after Everest and K2.  On this trek you will experience forests, rivers and streams, waterfalls, and rough terrain, including glaciers.  A varied and interesting landscape for those who can undertake this challenging trek.   Mt Jannu, Nyukla Lanchung and Kanchenjunga are the most visible mountains in this area.  

Wildlife: The Asian black bear, the snow leopard and the red panda call this area home.  But they are very difficult to spot, and it is unlikely you will be lucky enough to see one of these majestic creatures.  But you never know your luck! Birds are plentiful so bird watchers will be happy.

Peoples:  The majority of people in this area are Tibetan Buddhists, their ancestors having crossed over from nearby Tibet centuries ago. Prayer flags, chortens, stupas and other Buddhist artifacts are scattered around this trek.  The people today are mainly farmers and herders.

Expenses on the Kanchenjunga North Base Trek

The trek cost is a fixed amount that includes guide, accommodation, food, and public transport. You may have some other expenses, however.

Cash:

You will need Nepali rupees for anything you buy along the way – soft drinks, hot showers in teahouses etc.  You will also tip your guide and porter and for them you can use any currency.

It is expected that you will tip your guide and porter.  This can be in any currency.

Transport:

Aside from flying, transport is by public bus or public jeep.  If you wish to hire a private jeep just for the members of your trek, there is an additional cost for that that can be divided between the trekkers. Please discuss with us.

Food:

Three meals a day and tea/ coffee are included.  If you require extras then you will have to pay that directly to the teahouse yourself.

In the teahouse: 

Also to be paid directly to the teahouse are a hot water shower, electricity to charge your devices, and Wi-Fi.  The cost is normally around USD2-5 per item.  Boiled drinking water is available, but you will be charged for that too.  Beer and cold drinks etc  are also something you will have to pay yourself, in Nepali rupees.

Tips:

Please calculate the tips for your guide and porter which can be paid in dollars or other currencies. We suggest the tip for the guide to be  around USD200 and your personal porter around USD150. 

The guide’s tip is divided between the number of people on the trek. Your personal porter’s tip is paid by yourself.  

**We can recommend you bring around USD 10-12 per day, in Nepali rupees, plus the tips for the guide and porter. **

Before you come expenses:

• You might need to spend money on:
• Gym membership to increase your fitness.
• New gear and equipment.
• Insurance.
• Flight ticket and visa fee.

Communication on the Trek

Even if a teahouse has phone and WiFi access, bad weather can also interfere with the signal, particularly at high altitudes.  

Tips for Communication

• You can buy a NTC or NCELL sim card when you arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport for data internet in case of WiFi outage. No guarantee those will work at altitude either.

Travel Insurance

Your travel insurance should include trekking and trekking up to 5,000 m  /  16,404 ft.  and should cover helicopter evacuation. 

Magical Nepal provides  insurance for our guides, porters and other staff.  We cannot cover the insurance of the clients.

What Does Group vs Private Trek Mean?

If you are on a group trek, you will be traveling in a group with other people who you do not know.

A private trek means only you and your friend(s) will be with the guide for the duration of your trek.  This is subject to guide available in the busy seasons.

The cost is the same but please note that restricted areas, such as the Kanchenjunga Restricted Area, require two foreign trekkers to travel together.  If you are just one person traveling solo but want to visit this area, please let us know.  

Packing Tips

Download our packing list PDF here.

Bring clothes to layer: At times it will be quite warm, at others very cold.  You need to bring clothes to cover both contingencies.   As you are an experienced trekker, we are preaching to the choir!   But do think about it while you are packing.

Don’t forget the broken-in trekking boots.  Blisters are a nightmare on a trek!

Pack Smart: Keep your pack light for carrying over rough trails and up the mountains.

Toiletries: Bring what you need in travel sized containers.  

Why Book with Magical Nepal

We at Magical Nepal are a team of highly trained travel enthusiasts.  

We started Magical Nepal in 2017 and pride ourselves in growing a great team. From our climbing guides, trek guides, and liaison staff to our camp staff, porters and camp chef, we all love to explore and travel in the Nepal Himalayas. We also love to introduce our beautiful country to our clients.

We are committed to human dignity, security and safety for all – from our clients to the communities we visit –  and to the environmental sustainability of the landscapes, flora and fauna of these Himalayas.

Please check the reviews from our past clients to see what they say about us. 

We also pride ourselves on offering great value for money and a price guarantee – if you can find the same trek at a lower price, we will match it – guaranteed.