Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek Itinerary,Cost, Best season, 2025/2026

Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek Difficulty.

Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek is a challenging , adventure trek located in the eastern part of Nepal, lies in a remote area of Nepal.but mesmerizing views of easterns parts of Nepaliese cultures and landscapes, native people’s daily lifestyles including the spectacular views of Mt. Kanchenjunga , Janu Himal and many more.. Kanchenjunga trek is suitable for experienced trekkers, those who have past experience of trekking and hikes, and those who know about adventure and challenges in remote parts of the mountain. The trek leads trekkers close to the third highest mountain. Kanchenjunga alt. 8500 above and Base Camp at an elevation of 5100 m. above sea level. But before we reach there we have to cross several ups and downs, hills, villages , waterfalls , suspension bridges, difficult trains ,stone steps and especially more difficulty when trekkers reach above tree line and will feel less oxygen on our body. Basically we will walk 6 to 7 hours a day and during the day you have to face the ups and downs along the walk. Rewarding will cross several local villages, people and their basic lifestyles and enjoy the views of snowcap , mountains which will make you forget the difficulty of the day.

At the beginning of the Kanchenjunga trek you won’t feel much hader as the trek starts from low altitude roughly at elevation of 1000m to 1100m from sea level and when you trekking the upper section of the mountains you will feel more harder as your buddy feels less oxzen. Preparation is the key points to hide all of the above written and be prepared well with a good itinerary and choose the right company and experience team who has been real organized such as adventure and remote trek you don’t feel hard during this trek.

Why Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek is difficult, here are some listed.

A. Altitude and lack of Acclimatization : normally altitude starts after 2500m from sea level, Kanchenjunga trek lies in higher parts of the mountain and every day you will ascend 400m to 500m. Below 2500m to 3000m you don’t feel much altitude but when you reach above tree line you will feel it. Because of the fast breathing , we can’t make the same level walk as below, and feel headache ,as well as being cooler. Avoiding all this if you have proper preparation both, physically and mentally since the planning of this trek you even feel altitude and follow the guidelines and rules of remote trekking in nepal.

B. Trekking duration : Per day walking duration also makes it difficult on this trek as every day you will walk 6 to 7 hrs approx. and along the trail there is manu ascends , and descends with nepalese mountain trains.

C. Terrains challenge: the terrain includes lots of ups and downs, hills with stone steps and crossing glaciers and narrow mountain paths can require some technical walking experience, especially in the higher section of the trek.
D. Weather conditions : as the weather is unpredictable it can be suddenly change in mountain make difficult as the snowing in higher section of trek ,and rains flooding in lower part of the trek. That’s the reason you have to choose the right season to trek in kanchenjunga. For this we always suggest to trek in kanchenjunga autumn or spring season every year as in this time the weather is better and the sky blue ,and not rain and not snow in the mountains.
E. Remoteness : The kanchenjunga is a less developed area of nepal where still not built. Such as there is no internet facility in all the places , especially in the higher part of the trek, no cell phone signle , not proper accommodation and foods are available on this trek.
F. Preparation : if anyone is planning to go Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek or any related treks around here, you must have to have good trekking experience. Good planning , research, physical and mental preparation and basic training for building strong stamina and choosing the highly recommended and professional guide team is very important to success on this trek.
G. High Budget: compared with Everest Base Camp or Annapurna base camp trek Kanchenjunga trek is more expensive as the trek is located in the far east nepal, which is far from cities and Kanchenjunga trek required the several permits such as KBC permits, restricted permits , long transportation by air ,and road and organize the trek with professional guide and log leave of your job ,and stay few weeks without talking and chatting with your beloved families and friends through phone except emergency which can make difficulties of this trek long list.

Food and Accomodation during the Kanchenjunga Trek.

During the Kanchenjunga trek since it is a remote part of nepal food ,and accommodation is available basic. Also in this region the driving road connection still hasn’t reached close to the higher section of the trek. All the meals, and basic needs they transport from lower parts of the trek, as well most of the trekking routes lie behind the mountains, difficult terrains , many hills and big rivers make it more challenging to make more facilities, guesthouses and restaurants. 

Accommodation: beginning of the trek the accommodation is still nice, you can get twin sharing beds and private room ,but the toilet will be outside. Everyday when you reach the higher part of the trek accommodation will be more basic as it is far from the town and at Ghunsa village you will get the nice tea house and good food as the local village is arranged nicely. And once you go close to Kanchenjunga Base Camp it will be a basic homestay as there are limited tea houses. 

Food,  you can choose the food from Menu card at most of the places during this trek. As we provide you three meals a day (Breakfast, Lunch and Diner) and beginning of th trek you can get more fresh foods, like Dal bhat, breads, eggs , noodles , Potatoes , chicken  meat many .. but once you reach higher section of the trek the food choice will be limited  as you will have Dal bhat , potatoes, breads , Noodles , and some soups items are all the time available.

We highly recommend you to eat the local organic foods as it is more healthy and in the meantime your money will go directly to the local and support their daily basic lifestyle and you also support the establishment of sustainable tourism of nepal as reducing the plastic packing foods and they have to pay money to buy and take to the mountain so, it is already costly, even not testy as organic fresh foods.  Organic foods they grow in their fields such as different items of  vegetables, rice , dal , curry , potatoes , buckwheat breads , wide flour ,  local chickens meat , local home made raksi, as well you can also get lower part of the trek some organic fresh fruits such as orange, banana , guavas , Leman , chilly etc .   and once you reach the higher part of the trek even in organic food limited available as the different temperature and limited land.

Internet facility , Cell phone signal in Kanchenjunga Trek 

As the Kanchenjunga trek is remote and backwards from the basic infrastructure of Nepal, it is not available everywhere. At the beginning of the trek you can get the phone signal most of the places, but when you go to the higher part of the trek there is no phone signal nor wifi facility till the date. At Ghunsa village you can get good phone signals and you can also use the internet date if you have one. For emergency situations you can use the set phone and satellite phone. We highly recommend you to take with you satellite phone or any other technical device which can give some information to your family and related person as you will be many days out from contact. In the big group we arrange the satellite phone and normally the guide has a local sim card and he can update the respected agency in Kathmandu and the agency can update the information to your family and friends if needed. You can also buy the local sim card with an internet date  in kathmandu before trek begins and as long as you get good signals you can use the internet date. 

Weather in Kanchenjunga Trek

Weather in the Kanchenjunga trek depends which season you are thinking of going. The autumn and spring season is the  best season to trek in Kanchenjunga. In early autumn such as september , October the temperature will be more warmer and less windy and not much chilly even in the higher section of the trek. But if you plan to go trek from ends october to novemer , december the weather is change and it already start more cooler and chilly windy in the higher section of the trek. And the spring season is warmer than the autumn season in nepal. The best time starts from mid March to the end of May every year. Spring season is warmer and less cold as the temperature rises slowly every day.in spring season April to the end of May is the best time after September and October because of stayable temperature , not windy . most of the time sunshine which will add more warm temperature. 

Beginning of the trek the temperature will be high as we trek in the lower altitude. You can watch during the day time 20 to 22 and at night time 10 to 12 ,but when you reach the higher part of the trek you will be close to the mountain and the temperature will drop down to 13-14 during the day time and at night time 7 to 10. Once you reach over 4000m the temperature can fall more down as you are close to glaciers , big hills and snowscapes. It makes you feel more cold and in the higher part of the trek there is always more chill windy even if it is a sunny day. Morning and evening you will feel colder before the sun comes out and when the sun goes behind the mountain. At times you will sleep inside the tea house and you can still get extra blankets which you can use on top of your sleeping bag. 

Recommended and suitable best time of the year is September , October and mid november and spring season April and May is the best time and you can view the reliable temperature and good weather to see the clear mountain views.

Best season for trekking to Kanchenjunga  Base Camp Trek.

As a usal, the best season for  trekking to the Kanchenjunga , always two best season autumn and spring season offering the best mountain views with clear sky and less chance to missed the view in distance mount of the time.as the weather is unpredictable no buddy can guarantee what’s going on tomorrow or in future but as the past experience we can say both autumn and spring are the good time to go trek to Kanchenjunga as the temperature and clear weather. 

Autumn season : Autumn starts right after the monsoon ends in Nepal from September to the end of November every year. And it is the best season for exploring the mountains and landscapes with a sunny day and clear view with blue sky. In this season the temperature shall be more stable and neither hot nor cold , less windy , most of the day will be sunshine and which will help you to get a better view. Beginning of the season in September to mid October  it can be rainy and cloudy in the lower part of the trek. but when you climb the higher part of the trek you will be higher than cloudy and less rainy as well and from mid october to end of  november is  the perfect time as most of the day it will be sunshine and no rain , less chance to see cloudy. Sept- mid Oct is advantage for less cold , still temperature is not fall down and but some chance to face the rains ,but after mid october to ends nov is no rains , almost no chance to cloudy , much more clear views ,but disadvantage is the temperature is slowly colder and chill as the winter is knocking door very soon.    

Spring season: Spring is another best season after autumn for trekking to Kanchenjunga, as the weather is more favorable , suitable temperature , and a sunny day. And in spring you can also meet at Basecamp some expedition groups as it is the good season to climb big mountains.  

The best season starts after winter ends, the best months start from mid march to the end of May is the best time to trek to the Kanchenjunga trek. April/May is always good with warm temperatures , and offers a good view of  Kanchenjunga.  

Winter and monsoon season is not a good season to trek to Kanchenjunga as in winter it will be snowing and temperature fall -0 , snowing and Monsoon season starts from  June, July and august mostly raining and clouds. 

Transportation for Kanchenjunga trek 

trekking  starting point of Kanchenjunga Base Camp you have to two options such as options one , you can go by drive from kathmandu to Biratnagar- Birtamod- Mechi , Illam – Phidim and Taplejung – Mitlung or Sekarthum where your trek starts from here. But driving is very long, it takes a couple of days. You can hire the private Bus, Car and jeep as per the group size or if you are looking for sharing public bus you can also get it from kathmandu. Private transportation is faster then the sharing bus  as the private you can go on your own which can save time and reduce the driving hours. But public bus can take longer than the private car or jeep , and  public bus  stop  many places to pick up and drop off the  local people along the road. advantage of takking a Driving is cheaper than taking a flights and save some money of you are plannin the budget friendly trek.

Option two, By fly and drive : it is much faster and safer. From Kathmandu you can take a scenic flight to Bhadrapur (30 minutes )  as per the mention  in the itinerary above , and take a jeep drive to the trekking starting point. Jeep drive from bhadrapur to Taplejung is 6-7 hours. If you want to save the time and looking for comfortable journey at beginning of the trek highly recommended the take flight to bhadrapur and a drive , but if you looking for budget friendly and no problems for long drive and then driving option also fine. 

Electricity, Charging your device  facility  during the Kanchenjunga Trek.

Lower part of the trek you can get easily charging your phone or any device you have plan to take to the Kanchenjunga trek, but when you reach higher part of the trek and then there is only limited place for charge your phone and even can’t get light every place. Higher sections of the trek use the solar panel for light . so , sometimes if there is no sunshine it will not be enough power to charge your phone. But still in some places such as Ghunsha, and the beginning of the trek there are no problems for charge. 

Highly recommend the power bank and extra battery for head torch and camera   in this place to keep your phone and camera alive for taking photos during the trek. 

How to Prepare  for Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek. 

As the Kanchenjunga trek is very remote, Hard , adventure and challenging trekking in nepal the preparation is important for all travelers who are looking to trek to Kanchenjunga base camp. We recommend that you prepare both physically and mentally. Compared with the  Everest base camp and annapurna base camp trek, Kanchenjunga trek is much harder and challenging beside the beautiful scenery of mountains, culture , landscape. Another important thing is when you start to plan this trek you need to have a good research plan and make flexilab itinerary to cover the whole trek that you are looking forward to going to. Flexible itinerary will allow you to be more comfortable and not rush, especially with unpredictable weather. Any flights dealt with as this trek is located in the remote , far from city. You need to also have a professional guide and company who have been organizing the trek in the past  and who knew well about this region. As thousands of international and local agencies are competing, everyone has offered packages and itineraries on their web pages, but some companies and guides have never been there and just collect the information from the internet. So, you must choose the right person which is also another part of the preparation.

Here we give you some suggestion list for  how to prepare the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek 

• Mentally preparation : as the trek is located in the remote region , the walking path , trains, ups and down hills it is not easy to manage and walk , definitely it will give you change and the walking trail , landscapes as well as  food and accommodation is basic compared with Annnapurna and Everest region, here you have too understand and accept the situations. If you think like Everest and Annapurna trek and set your mind to get to the same level and you may not get the same things there you will feel hopeless and nervous which can affect your trek and reduce the energy. So, please prepare mentally and build strength.
•  Physical preparation: as you have to walk everyday 6 to 7 hours a day with a lots ups and down hills and crossing glacier , hills , difficult landscapes , stone stairs and  pass over 4500 m. high pass including spend  severall nights at high altitude, you most need a strong physical fitness and stamina to complete the whole  Kanchenjunga trek.. For basic preparation to this trek at list from 4-5 months of starting date of this trek, do  normal exercise, hikes , run , Cardiovascular training , Yoga ,and  walk everyday  at list 5 to 7 km and check your walking abilities in  altitude  before start this trek if possible at your country or if not possible at your hometown you can also do some short hike in nepal too before starting the longer trek. As we believe you have past experience of trekking in Nepal or you may have done some adventure treks in other parts of the world , which is more helpful to go on this trek. For beginners and first time trekking in life this trek is definitely not recommended as it is challenging and one of the  remote parts of nepal. 
• Research well about  The Trek : before you plan this trek highly recommend you to research properly about this trek. And plan well before you sign up for the trek . As of today we have enough information available in  google and find the best guide and company who can give you the reliable information as per you looking for the trek. We always suggest , please keep some extra days in the itinerary for your nepal stay because sometimes it can take more days than the itinerary you have. If you have extra days you can use it in emergency times such as unpredictable weather, or you may want to spend some extra nights in a nice place. This will allow more flexibility and comfort as well  you can’t miss your return home flight as well.
• Choose the best season: to complete the trek and enjoy the Kanchenjunga views you always need to find the best season to go on this trek. Autumn and spring are the best times of year . At this time you will have a good view of the mountain with a clear sky, less rain , and snow. If you are not in the good season you can miss the views , and you have to face many unexpected situations such as rain , snow and temperature. To make the best kanchenjunga trek, it is always very important to choose the best season for trekking to kanchenjunga base camp.
• Navigation , Map, and itineray : when you plan this trek you must have basic information and navigation of the trek such as how long you are going to trek today or tomorrow ? Where do you stay and what’s the walking path looks like ? And at what altitude do you sleep today ? and how many meters today are you gonna climb? If you have basic information you have it will be much easier and it helps you to add more enjoyable trek to Kanchenjunga base camp or circuit. 
• Find a professional guide and agency in nepal. Yes, the most important thing behind the successful trek is your guide and the company you are traveling with. Chose like us who have been doing this job for 22 years and we always have updated information and professional guidance. 

Kanchenjunga Base Camp VS Makalu Base Camp ? 

Makalu base camp and kanchenjunga both basecamp are remote and adventure challenging trekking routes in nepal. Both are located in the eastern part of the nepal. And the culture and the people who live in this area are quite similar as the Rai , Gurung Limbu and Sherpa ethnic groups used to live here for many hundreds years. The views of both mountains are different as they have won identity and both are above 8000 m. from sea level. Every single traveler has different opinions and feelings and some say Kanchenjunga is nice and some say Makalu Base Camp trek is nice. But here i am sharing the expeince what we knew briefly.

Mt. Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek : Kanchenjunga base camp trek is longer days and adventure trekking trail  in far east nepal, boarding with south Sikkim idea and Mt. Makalu region. It is also over 8000m higher or 3rd highest mountain in the world.doing kanchenjunga base camp trek you need more days you have views of more mountains such as Mt. Janu, Kumvakarna, Mt. Kanchenjunga and 100s of beautiful peaks surrounding it including typical , rare Rai , Limbu and sherpa people culture and wonderful landscapes shall always memorize your trek.

In the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek you can visit two basecamp north and south and both are above 5000m from sea level. Kanchenjunga has more opportunities to explore the other trails and extend the trip and spend more time if you want. Kanchenjunga is popular and religious trekking as there are several monasteries , temples , caves for meditations and many more. 

Makalu Base Camp Trek: Makalu base camp also located in the eastern part of nepal border with Mt. Everest and Kanchenjunga. The culture and nature, landscapes are almost the same like kanchenjunga because both regions are located in the east part of Nepal where mostly Rai , Limbu , Tamang , Sherpa people used to live for years and years. The views are different and off cours mt. Makalu is also over 8000 m. higher mountain ranked in the world. Makalu base camp is a shorter trek compared with the Kanchenjunga. The remoteness and landscapes are the same. At the beginning of the trek Makalu base camp is given more challenges as you have to cross a few high passes  and more ups and downs. And Makalu base camp is only one bc altitude over 5000m as well. If you want to go higher and cross nepalese most popular high pass called Sherpani col pass and then you can extend the trek after Makalu base camp and reach the Everest region. 

Fairly if we say, Makalu is harder then the Kanchenjunga but Kanchenjunga is more popular than Makalu bc trek. As the kanchenjunga is longer and requires many permits it is more expensive than the Makalu base camp trek. Both mountain base camps are located in eastern parts of Nepal standing nervous and if anyone wants to trek both Kanchenjunga and Makalu it is possible , you just need many days and you have to pass one of the adventure high passes between two mountains called Lumba Sumba pass. Those adventure travelers who are looking forward to going these treks in Nepal, you most need previous good trekking experience and physical fits and well re- search and plan with a professional guide. 

Packing list for Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek 

Packing list for Kanchenjunga base camp  trek  is very important know before packing your backpack. If we don’t have enough warm equipment even we can’t complete the trek in the proper way. You have to pack the right gear for the right palace as per the information and season, temperature and weather. Here is the packing list we suggest you, this list will give you some idea as per you can pack your gear. You can also buy or hire in Kathmandu most of the trekking gear if you don’t buy them in your country. Please click here for details of list