Kanchenjunga South Base Camp Trek

You arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (1,400 m) and are met by our representative for the drive to your hotel in Thamel.

Your guide runs the pre-trek briefing. The Kanchenjunga South Base Camp trek approaches the mountain from the Simbua Khola valley, reaching the Oktang viewpoint (4,730 m) on the moraine of the Yalung Glacier, beneath the south face of Kanchenjunga (8,586 m). It is a restricted area, so a special permit, a licensed guide and a minimum group size are all required.

This is a shorter and slightly gentler route than the northern approach, but it is no less remote — the lodges are simple, the valley is thinly populated, and help is a long way off. Your guide checks your kit: warm layers, a four-season bag and boots with good grip are all needed. Overnight in Kathmandu.

An early flight east to Bhadrapur (91 m), close to the Indian border in the far south-east of the country. The flight takes around 45 minutes, and on a clear morning the whole eastern Himalaya lines the northern horizon — Everest, Makalu and Kanchenjunga all in view at once.

Bhadrapur sits at 91 m on the Terai plain: flat, hot and humid. From the airstrip we drive north and the road begins to climb almost immediately into the hills of the Ilam district, famous for its tea. Whole hillsides are terraced in bright green tea bushes, and the road winds between them for hours.

The journey up to Taplejung (1,820 m) takes eight to ten hours on narrow, winding mountain road. It is a long day, but the change from tropical plain to hill town in a single afternoon is remarkable. Overnight in a lodge.

A rough jeep transfer from Taplejung down to Helok (1,270 m), taking two to three hours on a track that deteriorates steadily as it descends into the valley.

The walking starts here. The trail follows the Simbua Khola upstream, and this lower section is subtropical and humid — dense forest of bamboo, ferns and cardamom, with the river running loud below and butterflies everywhere. Cardamom is the main cash crop in this valley, and you will pass drying sheds and plantations along the way.

The path crosses the river on suspension bridges and climbs steadily through Limbu villages, the dominant ethnic group in this part of eastern Nepal, whose culture and language differ markedly from the Tibetan-influenced communities higher up. Yarsang (1,700 m) is a small settlement with basic lodges. Overnight in a teahouse.

A serious climbing day — nearly 1,300 m of ascent, and the biggest single gain of the trek.

The trail continues up the Simbua Khola into an increasingly narrow and forested valley. The climb is steady and relentless, and the vegetation changes noticeably as you gain height: the bamboo and cardamom of the lower valley give way to oak, then to rhododendron and fir, hung with moss and old man's beard.

This is genuinely wild forest with very few settlements, and it is among the best wildlife habitat on any trekking route in Nepal — red panda live in this valley, along with Himalayan black bear and a rich variety of birds. Sightings of the first two are rare, but the forest itself is impressive.

Tortong (2,995 m) is a small clearing with a couple of very basic lodges beside the river. Facilities are minimal. Overnight in Tortong.

Another substantial climbing day, and the one where you finally break out of the forest into the high country.

The trail climbs steeply from Tortong through the last of the rhododendron, which thins rapidly as you gain height. Within a couple of hours the trees stop altogether and the valley opens into open alpine terrain — juniper scrub, boulder fields and the first views of the peaks at the head of the valley.

The route passes through the summer yak pastures at Anda Phedi and continues up the widening valley. The Yalung Glacier comes into view ahead, with the ridgeline of Kanchenjunga's outliers rising behind it.

Cheram (3,870 m) — also spelled Tseram — is a small seasonal settlement of stone huts and simple lodges on a flat above the river. It is cold and exposed, and the altitude is now genuinely noticeable. Overnight in Cheram.

An acclimatisation day before pushing to 4,730 m tomorrow. Sleeping two nights at 3,870 m with a high walk in between is what makes the Oktang day comfortable rather than punishing.

The usual excursion climbs toward Ramche (4,580 m) up the valley, or up the ridge above the settlement, gaining several hundred metres before returning. From higher ground the view opens onto the Yalung Glacier and the peaks that ring its head, and the scale of the basin becomes clear.

The slopes around Cheram are excellent for wildlife: blue sheep graze in large herds and are often visible from the lodges, and Himalayan griffon vultures and lammergeiers work the thermals along the valley walls. Snow leopards live in this valley too, though seeing one is a matter of extraordinary luck. Rest, drink steadily and eat well. Overnight in Cheram.

The summit day of the trek. We set out early for the climb up the valley alongside the Yalung Glacier, gaining around 860 m over four to five hours.

The trail climbs first to Ramche (4,580 m), a grassy basin with a small lake that is one of the most beautiful spots on the route, then continues along the glacier's lateral moraine to the prayer flags and chorten at Oktang (4,730 m).

The view is what you came for. The entire south face of Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) fills the head of the valley — the third-highest mountain in the world seen from directly beneath, with Yalung Kang, Kabru, Rathong and Talung along the ridgeline and the glacier stretching away below. It is a very different aspect from the northern side at Pangpema, and for many people the more beautiful of the two.

We descend the same route to Cheram (3,870 m). Overnight in Cheram.

A very long descending day, giving back more than 2,100 m — essentially two days' climb reversed in one.

The trail drops from Cheram through the yak pastures at Anda Phedi and down into the rhododendron and fir forest. Below Tortong (2,995 m), where we usually stop for lunch, the descent continues steeply through the moss-hung woodland of the middle valley.

The change over the course of the day is dramatic: from bare alpine boulder field at breakfast to humid subtropical forest by mid-afternoon, with the temperature climbing steadily and the air thickening with every hour. Bamboo and cardamom reappear in the lower valley.

The day finishes at Yarsang (1,700 m). It is a hard day on the knees, so poles are worth using and a steady pace beats speed. Overnight in a teahouse.

A short final walking morning down the Simbua Khola through the cardamom plantations and Limbu villages of the lower valley, crossing the river on suspension bridges.

It is a warm, green, gentle few hours — a marked contrast to the high country of the past week — and there is usually time to stop and watch cardamom being sorted and dried, which is the economic backbone of this valley.

The walking ends at Helok (1,270 m), where a jeep meets us for the rough climb back up to Taplejung (1,820 m), two to three hours on the same track you came down. Arriving in the afternoon there is time for a hot shower and a proper meal. Tonight is the farewell dinner with your guide and porters. Overnight in Taplejung.

A long travel day, starting early to make the afternoon flight. The drive from Taplejung down to Bhadrapur (91 m) takes eight to ten hours, descending through the Ilam tea gardens and out onto the Terai.

The tea country is the highlight of the journey — hillsides terraced in bright green, pickers working the rows with baskets on their backs, and processing factories where it is sometimes possible to stop and taste. Ilam produces some of the finest tea in Nepal and it makes a good souvenir.

The 45-minute flight west to Kathmandu (1,400 m) follows the line of the Himalaya, and on a clear afternoon you can pick out Kanchenjunga receding behind you. Arriving in the capital you transfer to your hotel, with the evening free. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Your last day in Nepal. If your flight is later there is time for one more part of the valley — Boudhanath Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple and Swayambhunath are all a short drive from Thamel.

Our representative will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to Tribhuvan International Airport around three hours before your scheduled departure.

The Kanchenjunga South Base Camp trek takes you into one of the emptiest corners of Nepal — a valley of cardamom plantations and red panda forest that climbs to a chorten at 4,730 m beneath the south face of the world's third-highest mountain. Very few trekkers come here. If you would like to see the northern side as well, the Pangpema route and the full Kanchenjunga Circuit both link the two base camps over the Sele La. Safe travels.