In this blog post, I have described how you can reach (not really, but get a close view of) the 3rd highest mountain in the world, Mt. Kanchenjunga, from India.
This post is based on my trek to Goecha La near Kanchenjunga.
This is the view of Mt. Kanchenjunga from Goecha La Viewpoint 2. Doesn't it appear to be very close from here?
The only other country that you can see the mountain from is Nepal. Kanchenjunga is in the border between Nepal and India.
Reaching Yuksom
To see Mt. Kanchenjunga, you need to travel across the Indian state of West Bengal and then enter the Indian state of Sikkim.
Once you are in Sikkim, you should reach Yuksom. Yuksom is a small village in North Sikkim and it is the last place where your motor vehicle travel (taxi, car, motorbike) ends. From Yuksom onwards, you need to use your two strong legs to walk and trek up till Goecha La from where you can clearly see Kanchenjunga. I almost want to say Kanchenjunga is just a stone's throw from Goecha La.
This is the beautiful village of Yuksom from where you begin your week-long trek to Kanchenjunga.
To reach Yuksom:
From the rest of India and abroad:
After you reach Yuksom, it takes about 5 days to reach Goecha La. The ideal way and the only way to reach Goecha La is by starting your trek the next day and trek/walk up a few kilometers everyday until the afternoon and take rest after sunset in a tent that you can pitch at the trekkers' camping sites.
Getting Ready for the Trek
After you reach Yuksom in the evening, you can rest for the night. The next day you can plan for your trek and get yourself a guide, porters, a cook and the camping equipment you need during the trek.
You can find your guide, porters, cooks and helpers by inquiring in the local homestays or shops you find in the village. You can also buy some basic trekking gear and warm gear. But you should have brought items like tent, sleeping bag, headlamps, trekking shows, etc from Gangtok, Darjeeling or any other city where these are available.
Camping and the Trek Route
You gradually walk your way upwards everyday for a few kilometers until you reach a trekker campsite. There are 5 campsites between Yuksom and Goecha La. Trekkers break their day's trek at these camping sites for lunch, rest and to sleep during the nights. The first two days of walk could take between 3 to 5 hours to reach the camp sites. The remaining days might take between 4 to 6 hours depending on your stamina to walk.
Following are the campsites on the trail to Goecha La:
1st campsite: Sachen
The trekker's hut at Sachen. Mostly, porters and cooks use this as a kitchen.
Campsite at Sachen. Trekkers sleep in tents like these, rather than in the wooden house.
2nd campsite: Bakhim
Campsite at Bakhim
Bakhim also has this forest guesthouse. Doesn't look to be in a working condition, but helps in the rainy season.
3rd campsite: Tsoka
4th campsite: Dzongri
5th campsite: Kokchurang
6th campsite: Lamuney
7th campsite: Thansing
more to come...
This post is based on my trek to Goecha La near Kanchenjunga.
The only other country that you can see the mountain from is Nepal. Kanchenjunga is in the border between Nepal and India.
Reaching Yuksom
To see Mt. Kanchenjunga, you need to travel across the Indian state of West Bengal and then enter the Indian state of Sikkim.
Once you are in Sikkim, you should reach Yuksom. Yuksom is a small village in North Sikkim and it is the last place where your motor vehicle travel (taxi, car, motorbike) ends. From Yuksom onwards, you need to use your two strong legs to walk and trek up till Goecha La from where you can clearly see Kanchenjunga. I almost want to say Kanchenjunga is just a stone's throw from Goecha La.
To reach Yuksom:
- If you are starting from any southern state in India, reach (by train or air) the city of Kolkata in West Bengal.
- From Kolkata, reach Bagdogra by air Or reach New Jalpaiguri by train. It is around 19 kilometers between New Jalpaiguri and Bagdogra.
- From Bagdogra Or New Jalpaiguri, take a taxi to Darjeeling or Gangtok.
- From Darjeeling, take a taxi to Jorethang in Sikkim and then another taxi to Yuksom. From Gangtok, take a taxi to Yuksom.
From the rest of India and abroad:
- Reach the city of Kolkata in West Bengal.
- Reach New Jalpaiguri (by train) or Bagdogra (by flight), both in West Bengal. It is around 19 kilometers between New Jalpaiguri and Bagdogra.
- From Bagdogra Or New Jalpaiguri, take a taxi to Darjeeling Or Gangtok.
- From Darjeeling, take a taxi to Jorethang in Sikkim and then another taxi to Yuksom.
- From Gangtok, take a taxi to Yuksom.
After you reach Yuksom, it takes about 5 days to reach Goecha La. The ideal way and the only way to reach Goecha La is by starting your trek the next day and trek/walk up a few kilometers everyday until the afternoon and take rest after sunset in a tent that you can pitch at the trekkers' camping sites.
Getting Ready for the Trek
After you reach Yuksom in the evening, you can rest for the night. The next day you can plan for your trek and get yourself a guide, porters, a cook and the camping equipment you need during the trek.
You can find your guide, porters, cooks and helpers by inquiring in the local homestays or shops you find in the village. You can also buy some basic trekking gear and warm gear. But you should have brought items like tent, sleeping bag, headlamps, trekking shows, etc from Gangtok, Darjeeling or any other city where these are available.
Camping and the Trek Route
You gradually walk your way upwards everyday for a few kilometers until you reach a trekker campsite. There are 5 campsites between Yuksom and Goecha La. Trekkers break their day's trek at these camping sites for lunch, rest and to sleep during the nights. The first two days of walk could take between 3 to 5 hours to reach the camp sites. The remaining days might take between 4 to 6 hours depending on your stamina to walk.
Following are the campsites on the trail to Goecha La:
1st campsite: Sachen
2nd campsite: Bakhim
3rd campsite: Tsoka
4th campsite: Dzongri
5th campsite: Kokchurang
6th campsite: Lamuney
7th campsite: Thansing
more to come...
