Kanchenjunga Expedition, also spelled Kangchenjunga or Kinchinjunga, is centered on the world’s third highest peak, located within the Great Himalayan Range. The Kanchenjunga massif comprises four main summits, three of which rise above 8,000 meters. Kanchenjunga I is the tallest at 8,586 meters, followed closely by Kanchenjunga West at 8,505 meters, Kanchenjunga South at 8,494 meters, and Kangbachen, the lowest, at 7,903 meters. These summits are arranged roughly in a cross shape, with four major ridges connecting them to nearby peaks. The ridges are heavily glaciated, making the terrain both breathtaking and challenging.
Once thought to be the highest mountain on Earth, Kanchenjunga—which means “five treasures of the high snow”—straddles the border between Nepal and India. The mountain was first successfully climbed in 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band during the British Kanchenjunga Expedition, fifty years after an initial attempt in 1905.
Kanchenjunga is steeped in myth and local legend. Residents of the surrounding regions in Nepal and India tell tales of a mysterious bipedal creature said to roam its slopes—a figure reportedly sighted by a British expedition in 1925 and described by locals as the mountain’s demon. The mountain is widely regarded as a sacred dwelling place of gods.
Another well-known legend speaks of the “Valley of Immortality,” or Beyul Demoshong in Tibetan, believed to be hidden somewhere on Kanchenjunga’s snowy slopes. This mystical valley is said to offer refuge and spiritual renewal, adding to the mountain’s aura of mystery and reverence.
Trip Info
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Hotel/ Tea hours/ camping
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Spring/Autumn/Winter
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8586m
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Car/Flight/ Jeep/ Tourist Bus
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5/6 hours
Overview
Kangchenjunga Expedition was first scaled on May 25, 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band of a British expedition team. The British expedition honored the beliefs of the Sikkimese people, who treat the summit as sacred. This British expedition team stopped a few feet below from the actual summit. The other expedition parties since then have followed this tradition and none of the expedition teams have summited Mt. Kanchanjunga from Sikkim side till date. The Japanese expedition team took up the challenge and did expeditions in 1973, 1974 and 1976 during which they climbed Yalung Kang. A German Expedition team climbed Yalung Kang in the year 1975. Similarly in 1977 an Indian army team climbed the Yalung Kang peak successfully.
Trip Highlights
- Third highest mountain in the world.
- Remote and challenging trek into the mountain.
- Unique Limbu villages on trek.
- Awe inspiring scenery getting to on the mountain, and on the mountain.
- The ‘Five Treasures refer to the five peaks” Kanchenjunga I (8586m), Kanchenjunga West (8505m), Kanchenjunga South (8494m), Central (8482m) and Kangbachen (7902m).
- Three of the five peaks that make up Kanchenjunga Himal, Kanchenjunga 1, Central (8482m) and South (8494m) are on the border, while the West (8505m) and Kangbachen (7902m) are in Nepal.
