A typical plan runs 20 days from Kathmandu and back, up to Pangpema (Kanchenjunga North Base Camp) at 5,140 m, with 2 rest days on the way.
This trek visits both base camps on the Nepal side, Pangpema in the north and Oktang in the south. Sikkim's Goecha La trek, in India, is a different trek.
Typical figures for this route, checked on 1 October 2026. Narbin's team confirms the days, heights and grade for your dates.
Fly Kathmandu to Bhadrapur (about 45 minutes to an hour), then drive to Taplejung (Phungling, about 1,820 m): about 8 to 9 hours, often split with a night at Phikkal, Ilam or Phidim. Next day a jeep covers the 39 km from Taplejung to Sekathum in about 4 to 6 hours, or longer after the monsoon. Suketar airport above Taplejung has had Kathmandu flights, but services are seasonal.
From Yamphudin by jeep to Ilam, Kanyam or Phikkal (about 8 to 9 hours), then about 2 hours to Bhadrapur and a 35 to 45 minute flight to Kathmandu. Variants walk a day further to Khebang and drive 7 to 8 hours to Birtamode, or walk to Hellok and drive back through Taplejung, then 7 to 8 hours to Bhadrapur.
The plan on this page crosses from the north side to the south over Sele La. With less time, you can trek to one side only: in and out to Pangpema, the north base camp, or to Oktang, the south base camp. We quote either one for your dates.
The map below shows every stop on the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek, with its height.
Passes, viewpoints, camps and side trips, highest first.
| Day | Overnight | Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phikkal | 1,595 m |
| 2 | Taplejung | 1,820 m |
| 3 | Sekathum | 1,650 m |
| 4 | Amjilosa | 2,498 m |
| 5 | Gyabla | 2,730 m |
| 6 | Ghunsa | 3,415 m |
| 7 | Ghunsa, rest day | 3,415 m |
| 8 | Khambachen | 4,050 m |
| 9 | Khambachen, rest day | 4,050 m |
| 10 | Lhonak | 4,780 m |
| 11 | Lhonak | 4,780 m |
| 12 | Ghunsa | 3,415 m |
| 13 | Sele Le | 4,290 m |
| 14 | Tseram | 3,870 m |
| 15 | Ramche | 4,580 m |
| 16 | Tseram | 3,870 m |
| 17 | Tortong | 2,980 m |
| 18 | Yamphudin | 1,692 m |
| 19 | Ilam | 1,627 m |
| 20 | Kathmandu | 1,400 m |
A typical plan. The team adjusts it to the weather, the flights and how the group is doing.
| Day | Route | Overnight | Altitude | Walking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu to Phikkal (Ilam district) | Phikkal | 1,595 m | Travel day, no trekking |
| 2 | Phikkal to Taplejung (Phungling) | Taplejung | 1,820 m | Travel day, no trekking |
| 3 | Taplejung to Sekathum | Sekathum | 1,650 m | Travel day, no trekking |
| 4 | Sekathum to Amjilosa | Amjilosa | 2,498 m | 4 to 7 hours |
| 5 | Amjilosa to Gyabla (Kyapra) | Gyabla | 2,730 m | 4 to 5 hours |
| 6 | Gyabla to Ghunsa | Ghunsa | 3,415 m | 4 to 6 hours |
| 7 | Rest and acclimatise: Ghunsa | Ghunsa | 3,415 m | 3 to 4 hours (optional side hike) |
| 8 | Ghunsa to Khambachen | Khambachen | 4,050 m | 4 to 6 hours |
| 9 | Rest and acclimatise: Khambachen | Khambachen | 4,050 m | 6 to 7 hours (optional hike) |
| 10 | Khambachen to Lhonak | Lhonak | 4,780 m | 4 to 6 hours |
| 11 | Lhonak to Pangpema (5,140 m), the north base camp, and back | Lhonak | 4,780 m | 6 to 8 hours |
| 12 | Lhonak to Ghunsa | Ghunsa | 3,415 m | 6 to 8 hours |
| 13 | Ghunsa to Sele Le (Selele Kharka) | Sele Le | 4,290 m | 3 to 6 hours |
| 14 | Sele Le to Tseram (Cheram) | Tseram | 3,870 m | 6 to 9 hours |
| 15 | Tseram to Ramche | Ramche | 4,580 m | 3 to 4 hours |
| 16 | Ramche to Oktang, the south base camp, and back to Tseram | Tseram | 3,870 m | 5 to 7 hours |
| 17 | Tseram to Tortong | Tortong | 2,980 m | 4 to 6 hours |
| 18 | Tortong to Yamphudin | Yamphudin | 1,692 m | 6 to 8 hours |
| 19 | Yamphudin to Ilam | Ilam | 1,627 m | Travel day, no trekking |
| 20 | Ilam to Kathmandu | Kathmandu | 1,400 m | Travel day, no trekking |
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We confirm what is included in your quote, for your dates and your group.
We arrange these permits for your trek. Fees are as the issuing office lists them, with the date we checked.
Issued by Department of Immigration
Issued by Department of Immigration, through a registered trekking agency only.
Source: Department of Immigration, Government of Nepal, checked 1 October 2026
Paid at the Tourist Service Centre, Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu, or at the entry points, at the fees the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation lists. Children under 10: free.
Source: Nepal Tourism Board (figures supplied by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation), checked 1 October 2026
Issued by Nepal Tourism Board
Issued by Nepal Tourism Board with the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, through government-registered trekking agencies only since 2023.
Source: Nepal Tourism Board, checked 1 October 2026
Since 1 April 2023 foreign trekkers in national parks and conservation areas must trek with a licensed guide arranged through a registered agency, and get the TIMS card through that agency.
The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality does not apply it in the Everest region; news in 2025 still reports the Everest region as the exception.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, checked 1 October 2026
Restricted-area permits are issued only through listed trekking agencies, with insurance papers for trekkers, guides and porters.
Source: Department of Immigration, Government of Nepal, checked 1 October 2026
Since 22 March 2026 a restricted-area permit can be issued to a single trekker, who must still be accompanied by a licensed guide and book through a registered agency; one guide may lead at most seven trekkers. Before this, permits went only to groups of two or more.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, checked 1 October 2026
Foreign trekkers must register at the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council checkpost in Ghunsa; both permits are checked on the route, so carry printed copies.
Source: Onlinekhabar (28 October 2023, in Nepali), checked 1 October 2026
A hard, strenuous trek with no technical climbing: about three weeks in remote country with several nights above 4,000 m (Khambachen, Lhonak, Sele Le, Ramche), a high point of 5,140 m, and long days of 6 to 9 hours, including the three-pass crossing from Sele Le to Tseram with no shelter on the way. Trails are rough with steep sections and limited signage, and facilities are basic beyond Ghunsa.
Of the five base camp treks we run, this is the longest, at a typical 20 days, and it has the most nights above 4,000 m: six. Everest Base Camp goes higher, to 5,644 m at Kala Patthar, in 12 days. So for length and remoteness this is the hardest base camp trek we run; for height alone, it is Everest Base Camp.
Ask us for this season's price for the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek. It depends on the size of your group, the season and whether you travel privately or join a group.
The plan you choose changes the price too: both base camps, or one side only. The permits for this trek cost NPR 4,000 for a foreign trekker (the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area entry permit and the TIMS card), or NPR 1,500 for citizens of SAARC countries, India among them. The Kanchenjunga restricted area permit adds US$20 a person for each of the first four weeks.
We confirm payment terms in your quote. Nothing is paid online.
मकालु आधार शिविर
Plan the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek with Narbin's team in Kathmandu.