Overview
The Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek circles the base of Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain on earth, on the Nepal–Sikkim border. This 20-day circuit visits both the North Base Camp (Pangpema) and South Base Camp (Oktang), crossing high passes including Sele La, Sinion La, and Mirgin La through one of Nepal’s quietest and least crowded trekking regions.
The trail begins with a flight to Bhadrapur followed by a drive to Taplejung, where the trek sets off along the Tamor River through Limbu and Rai villages before climbing into increasingly remote, glaciated terrain. Ghunsa and Khambachen serve as the key acclimatization stops, giving trekkers time to adjust before pushing on to Pangpema in the north and, after crossing the high passes, Oktang in the south — two entirely different faces of the same mountain in a single continuous journey.
This trek is best suited to experienced trekkers with a good level of fitness, since it is remote, crosses several passes above 4,000 metres, and requires a licensed guide and a minimum group size of two by law. It combines dramatic close-up views of the world’s third highest mountain, deep Limbu and Rai hospitality, and one of the most genuinely untouched trekking regions left in Nepal.
Permits for this trek are issued under Nepal’s Department of Immigration Trekking Permit system, alongside the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project permit.
If you’d rather do a shorter, single base camp version, see our Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek and for a similarly remote, high-altitude restricted-area trek, see our Upper Dolpo Trek.”
Highlights
- Walking to the foot of Kanchenjunga (8,586m) and visiting both base camps
- One of the quietest, least crowded trekking regions in Nepal
- Kanchenjunga Conservation Area — red pandas and snow leopards
- The warm and welcoming Limbu and Rai people
- Close views of Jannu, Makalu, and other Himalayan peaks
- Wide glaciers and rocky moraine fields near both base camps
- Acclimatization in the peaceful villages of Ghunsa and Khambachen
