Kanchenjunga Express Trek

Airport representative of Yala Adventure will meet you at airport and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day at leisure to adjust to the culture shock of medieval kathmandu,with its bustling bazaars interspersed with shrines and temples and interesting architecture. We will finalise restricted area permits and brief you on the flight and the trip. In the evening you can either eat in at your hotel or venture out to one of the many resturant in Thamel overnight.

You will board a 2:30hour flight from Kathmandu to Ghunsa. The flight goes along the Himalayan foothills and provides a stunning view of the truly impressive giant Makalu – the 7th highest mountain in the world. You will land in Ghunsa where Yala Adventure operates the Kanchenjunga Circuit Express Trekking.

Ghunsa buddhist gompa We will spend the first two days of the Kanchenjunga Circuit Express Trekking in Ghunsa committed to acclimatization and the Tibetan and Sherpa cultural experience. Ghunsa is a charming Sherpa village spectacularly surrounded by many peaks over 5000m which tower 1500m-2000m above the village. There will be two major highlights for the trip in Ghunsa: a visit to the Tashichhoeling Ghunsa monastery and a visit to the Tibetan village of Phale. Ghunsa Tashchhoeling monastery is the most significant Buddhist monastery in the area. Tashichhoeling Gompa, which means “lucky place of worship”, was built by Gyalwa Lhatsen Chenmpo some 500 years ago, when the area was inhabited exclusively by Tibetan population. Its lamas belong to the Ningmapa (red hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tashichhoeling gompa is one of the homes of Chhobuk Rimpoche, a Reincarnate Lama. The Rimpoche originally came from Chhobuk, north of the Tibet border, five or six generations ago while still maintaining his primary monastery in Chhobuk. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he fled and stayed here permanently.

Buddhist monks at phaleThe site consists of two parts, the original building perched on a large boulder and containing precious original murals, reflecting its old splendor and in need of urgent conservation work; and a new building rebuilt in the 1960’s after a fire damaged the original building. We are working with the Monastery Lama on the restoration project. Phale is an entirely Tibetan village, where the lives are driven by tradition. There are two Gompas with monks conducting daily ritual prayers and chants and you will have opportunity to observe them. We will stop by in a local house to sample Tibetan tea. There is a number or Tibetan carpet weavers in the village creating traditional carpets used to cover wooden sitting benches. It takes about 30 days to complete one carpet from yak wool spun and tanned by the weaver. They sell these works of art for $60-80.

Janu peak from kambachenFrom Ghunsa we will follow the Ghunsa River and the Kanchenjunga glacier to Kambachen, a small village used by yak herders as a summer camp out. They muster yaks every evening to the camp to milk them in the morning. We will use fresh yak milk and fresh yak butter with our meals. In the evening you will experience a yak parade, dozens of yaks returning home for the night mustered by the Sherpas with enchanting music generated by the bells hanging from their neck. The mountain view from Kambachen is truly amazing. From the 7000m high Janu, one of the most attractive looking 7000m mountain in the world, to several 6000m peaks and three glacial valleys converging at the village.

From Kambachen we will follow the spectacularly huge Kanchenjunga Glacier to Lhonak and Pangpema, Kanchenjunga North Base Camp. Lhonak is a truly magic place unlike anything in the world. It is a huge alpine meadow surrounded 360 degree by 6000m and 7000m peaks. In the evening, herds of Blue Mountain Sheep graze here; they are shy animals and will keep their distance, however they come close enough to take some great pictures.

Blue sheep at lhonakWe will reach the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp (5100m) within 3 days. We will spend one night at Base camp and then hike 300m to the base of Pyramid peak for exceptionally spectacular view of mount Kanchenjunga and several other 7000m peaks lining the Tibetan and Sikkim borders.  Gaining such elevation will be challenging but the payoff is well worth the effort. This will be one of the highlights of the adventure both with elevation record and visual reward allowing a stunning panoramic view of the Kanchenjunga massif towering 3000m above.

From the Kanchenjunga Base Camo we will return to Lhonak for our last amazing Himalayan camping experience and last spectacular touch with Himalayan scenery

Today on last trekking day we will back to the village of Ghunsa and the helicopter flight to Kathmandu. It will be last opportunity to look back on our 4 days in the remote Himalayan wilderness and check stunning views of 6000m and 7000m along the Kanchenjunga glacial valley and enjoy the metabolic gains. Take your time to say goodbye to the unforgettable Kanchenjunga wilderness.

You will board a 2:30hour return flight to Kathmandu. The flight goes along the Himalayan foothills and provides another opportunity for stunning view of the truly impressive giant Makalu – the 7th highest mountain in the world. We will return to relax at the hotel.

Bhatapur contingency tour our adventure has been scheduled during the dry season, where the average precipitation in Kanchenjunga is low. However, for ultimate safety, we have scheduled one contingency day to account for unforeseen weather. In normal circumstances this will simply be your additional day in Kathmandu. We will provide a courtesy vehicle and staff and offer a day trip to Bhatapur, a medieval city amazingly preserved in its original state and cultural capital of Nepal. On the way we will also stop at the nearby 6th century Changu Narayan Temple complex.

It’s time to say goodbye. We will transfer airport for your departure flight. We hope we did everything possible to make your adventure memorable and inspirational.