Kanchenjunga Trek

Arrive in Kathmandu and meet your guide. The Kanchenjunga Trek is Nepal's most remote and demanding multi-week trek — a two-base-camp circuit beneath the world's third-highest mountain (8,586m) in the far east of Nepal. A restricted area requiring special permits, all arranged by Mantra Adventure. Welcome dinner. Meals: Dinner.

Morning flight to Biratnagar in Nepal's eastern Terai, then a 6–7 hour drive up into the Ilam hills to Taplejung — the gateway town for the Kanchenjunga trek. Meals: All included.

Drive to the trailhead at Sekathum and begin walking up the Ghunsa Khola valley through subtropical forest. The character of eastern Nepal — cardamom cultivation, Rai and Limbu villages, different from the Sherpa culture of the west — immediately asserts itself. Walking time: 3–4 hours. Meals: All included.

Ascend through dense forest of oak, rhododendron and bamboo. The Ghunsa Khola river runs far below. Eastern Nepal's forest is extraordinarily rich in bird life. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Continue through forest, occasionally breaking into terraced clearings with mountain views. The valley narrows. The first high Himalayan peaks begin to appear above the valley walls. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Arrive in Ghunsa — the largest village in the upper valley, inhabited by Tibetan Buddhist Sherpa people. The monastery above the village is the spiritual centre of the community. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Rest day in Ghunsa. Acclimatisation hike above the village for altitude exposure. Visit the gompa and explore the Tibetan-influenced village architecture. Meals: All included.

Trek north up the increasingly dramatic valley with Kanchenjunga's satellite peaks visible above. Kambachen sits at a wide valley floor with extraordinary mountain views and basic teahouse accommodation. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Enter the high alpine zone. The valley floor is moraine and glacial gravel. Lhonak — a small cluster of stone shelters — sits at the base of the approach to the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Day hike to Kanchenjunga North Base Camp at 5,143 metres — the Oktang viewpoint with a close-up perspective of Kanchenjunga's immense north wall. Return to Kambachen for a lower sleeping altitude. Walking time: 7–8 hours. Meals: All included.

Retrace to Ghunsa for the acclimatisation-consolidating descent. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Cross the Mirgin La pass towards the southern circuit. The trail leads over a high ridge with sweeping views across both the Ghunsa and Yalung valleys. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Descend to the southern approach to Kanchenjunga and the Yalung valley. Tseram is the staging post for the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp approach. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Day hike to Kanchenjunga South Base Camp — with views of the enormous Yalung Glacier and the southern faces of Kanchenjunga, Kabru and Talung. Return to Tseram. Walking time: 6–7 hours. Meals: All included.

Begin the long descent south through the Simbuwa Khola valley. The altitude drops significantly and the vegetation changes from alpine desert to sub-tropical forest. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Continue descending through terraced farming villages of the Rai people — the original inhabitants of eastern Nepal's hills. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Trek through sub-tropical forest and Limbu villages. Cardamom farms line the trail. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Continue through the lower hills towards Taplejung. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Final trekking day — descend to Taplejung and the trailhead. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Morning flight from Taplejung (or Suketar airstrip) to Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel. Celebration dinner. Overnight: Kathmandu. Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Explore Kathmandu Valley's UNESCO heritage sites. Meals: Breakfast.

Buffer day for weather or flight delays. Free time in Kathmandu. Meals: Breakfast.

Second buffer day. Final shopping, spa or city exploration. Meals: Breakfast.

Airport transfer for your international departure. Kanchenjunga — two base camps, the world's third-highest mountain and the most remote corner of Nepal — is the ultimate Himalayan adventure. Meals: Breakfast.