Kurt Lauer

4.50 USA - 17-May-25 -

During the late summer and and through the Fall of 2023 I embarked on a series of treks through the Himalayas starting in Ladakh and working my way to Bhutan.  During this time I was able to hike in a number of WHS: Great Himalayan National Park, Nadi Devi/Valley of the Flowers, and Sagarmatha.  But my favorite trek was to the base of Kangchenjunga, the world's third tallest mountain and the focal point of Khangchendzonga National Park and World Heritage Site. 

The main viewpoint of the mountain is Gochela Pass, which is a 7 day round trip trek from Yuksum.  The trek is different from what one encounters in Nepal, as you must go through a tour company, you camp - as guest houses and food is not provided along the route, and the best feature - there are significantly less hikers.

Though you can usually find a group tour to join, I contracted a solo trip through a local Yukum Company - Mountain Tours and Travels.  I can't speak more highly of this company.  Though of course the trip was significantly more expensive being solo, I was provided with a personal guide, a porter, a cook and a horseman - who oversaw the four horses that carried the supplies   This was at a very reasonable price.  I Spent the day hiking with my excellent guide, while the rest of the crew would always go ahead and set up the camp and prepare the amazing food (well beyond what you eat on tea house treks in Nepal),  

The hike was about 85 kilometers (plus a number of side hikes) .  I did not find it especially difficult, and though scheduled for 8 days, I finished a day early.   You first hike to the Dzongri Plateau.  Where you get amazing views of Khanchenjunga and the surrounding peaks. Many people do 3-4 day trips to this area.    Though Dzongri is spectacular it doesn't compare to the amazing views at Gochela Pass.   The elevation is 4500 meters, and you hike up in dark to reach the pass by sunrise.   Being mid November, the weather was very cold - with the nights and mornings going below -10 C.   Though days were comfortable for hiking - about 10 C.  

I found the mountain scenery as spectacular as anywhere else I was in the Himalayas.   And with less crowds and a more authentic outdoor environment than what you find in Nepal.   

in addition to using Mountain Travels in Yuksum for this hike,  they also provided me a pickup at Bagdogra airport, took me to on a 2 day tour of Gangtok, then after the trek drove me to Darjeeling  - where the driver than stayed so I could use him to see sites in this region - then dropped me off at the Bhutan border where I met up with a new tour guide and company.   I found my time in Sikkim and My trek to Gochela Pass to be one of the highlights of my whole six month trip. 

Rob Wilson

5.00 UK - 13-Sep-24 -

I was privileged enough to trek to Kangchendzonga back in 2002, well before it was a WHS.

It was a genuine wilderness experience at that time - nothing like the teahouse treks you experience in Nepal.

It was a real adventure with the scariest part being an early morning trek to viewpoint in darkness. On the return journey, it became clear that we walked on slippery glacial moraine above a very long drop!

It was a truly wonderful experience and well worth the 5 stars. I do hope that the climate crisis is not completely destroying its natural beauty.

Zoë Sheng

4.00 Chinese-Canadian - 06-Dec-18 -

Flying over this doesn't do it justice. I actually didn't expect to trek into it either because of the distance involved from the towns but in Darjeeling there are many trekking tours advertised. First off you need to get to Darjeeling which a lot of people do easily. They then often continue to Gangtok but I'm quite sure there is no way to enter the park from the north. Well, yes, there is a road at Lachen monastery so you CAN drive into the park but the real way to enter is only on foot.

Drive 5h switchbacks to Yuksom and stay another night. The next morning you start ascending to Tshoka. There are actually huts to make camping in November slightly easier. You have already entered the core zone by now but the views are not exceptional yet. Day 2 and it's another half day (too cold to hike early or late anyway). Goal is Dzongri La. The group was very small and we all decided to go up on the next day and then descend again rather than stay for 2 nights. The one day saved makes quite a difference if you spend so long to get here already. It's foggy and cold but so happy to have arrived. In fact that is wasn't very tough but one has to be relatively fit. Spending a week trekking Bhutan and Nepal to get ready really helped.

Sure, there are other treks that go much further into the park. Further in you may also be much luckier with spotting animals.

P.s. I did not spot a yeti.