Kanchenjunga

At 8,586 m Kanchenjunga is the highest mountain in Nepal after Everest and the third highest on earth. Its name is usually explained as 'five treasures of the great snow', for its five summits. For the Limbu people of Taplejung it is Sewalungma, a sacred mountain, and climbers traditionally stop just short of the true summit out of respect.

The massif is protected by the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, managed with local communities. Two long trails lead to its base camps — Pangpema on the north side and Oktang on the south — through Limbu, Rai and Sherpa villages, rhododendron forests and finally glaciers. Red pandas and snow leopards live in these valleys.

What to see and do

Most visitors experience Kanchenjunga from the base camp trails rather than the summit. From Pangpema on the north side the mountain's glaciated north face fills the sky, while from Oktang on the south side you look up at the Yalung glacier and the long southern ridges. Clear mornings bring a pink alpenglow across the whole massif.

The lower valleys are just as rewarding: Limbu villages with cardamom fields, the Sherpa settlement of Ghunsa with its monastery and prayer walls, and dense forests of rhododendron, oak and bamboo where red pandas live. Spring turns the forest red and pink with flowering rhododendron.

Good to know

Kanchenjunga lies in a restricted area: you need a special trekking permit and the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area entry permit, must go with a licensed guide, and must be at least two trekkers. Lodges exist along the main trails but are basic, and some higher sections have very few. Carry cash, warm gear and a good sleeping bag, and plan acclimatisation days above Ghunsa. The trek is long — typically three weeks — so allow spare days for flight delays at Suketar or Bhadrapur.