27 Day Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek Cost 2026/2027
The total cost of the 27 Day Trek to the Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp starts from US$2399 and varies according to your group size. Variations in the price can also result when you customize your own itinerary, making changes such as hotel upgrades, add-ons, extra nights in Kathmandu, or no porter required for the trek, which can increase or decrease the overall cost.
Best Time for the Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer the most reliable conditions as well as the best views. These two seasons are pretty much the sweet spot that can not go wrong for most treks in Nepal.
Spring is when the lower sections around the Tamor - Tortong valley become vibrant with rhododendrons. It's honestly one of the prettiest times to be on this trail if you enjoy seeing the flowers bloom along with the mountains. The weather is also warm, and starting your day early gives you some unforgettable views.
If you're looking for the postcard-like clear mountain view, autumn is the ultimate season for Kanchenjunga. You'll find crystal-clear skies and some of the best visibility of the year for Mt. Kanchenjunga and other ranges around it. The trails are dry during autumn, and the comfortable temperature is like the cherry on top.
Winter treks are also possible, but the heavy snow near Selele La (4,480m) and Sinion La (4,646m) can make the steep trails slippery and a lot more challenging to cross. Well if you're set on a winter attempt, it's a good idea to go with an experienced guide and be prepared for possible delays or route changes.
Travel Insurance for the Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek
Travel insurance is non-negotiable. Your policy must explicitly cover:
Trip cancellations, delays, and lost baggage.
- Medical insurance, high-altitude trekking coverage up to 6,000m. Standard travel insurance often excludes trekking above certain elevations.
- Emergency Evacuation. In case of altitude sickness or injury, evacuation from remote areas can be extremely costly without good insurance.
- Accident & injury, protect against trekking - related accidents, includes hospitalization and treatment costs in Nepal or abroad.
- Repatriation. Ensure safe return home in case of serious medical emergencies.
Key tips:
- Check the Policy altitude limit for what it covers
- Verify that the helicopter evacuation is included
- Keep the insurance with you, and carry a printed copy of your insurance policy as well
- Buy insurance before flying to Nepal
Logistics - Getting to Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek and Permits 2026/27
Kathmandu to Bharadpur: It is a short flight to Bharadpur from Kathmandu, and then to Ilam via a drive and to Taplejung, where the actual trek begins.
End of trek: Your days on legs will end in Taplejung, from where you'll take a local jeep drive back to Bhadrapur or Ilam and a final flight or drive to Kathmandu
Permits you'll need
Since Kanchenjunga is right on the border with Tibet and Sikkim, this trek is a restricted area trekking, which means the permit process is a bit more complex than that for Everest or Annapurna. As of 2026, you'll need two permits:
- Kanchenjunga Restricted Area Permit (RAP) costs around USD 20 per person, per week for the first four weeks (rising to about USD 25/week beyond that). Given this trek runs close to a month, it will roughly cost you USD 80-100 per person for the RAP alone.
- Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Permit (KCAP) requires a flat fee of around NPR 2,000 (about USD 15-16) per person, covering your entire time in the conservation area regardless of trip length.
- Previously, the TIMS card was also required, but it is no longer necessary for this trek, since the RAP now covers that requirement.
One more update worth knowing is that, as of March 2026, solo trekkers can now do this trek with just a licensed guide, so you no longer need a minimum group of two to get permits sorted.
Altitude Sickness - What to Know for Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek
Since this trek takes you above 5,000m at both base camps, altitude sickness (AMS) is something every trekker needs to prepare for and take seriously. Common symptoms of the AMS include headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, trouble sleeping.
HAPE (High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema) is a more serious condition and can shows up as:
- Shortness of breath even at rest
- Cough with frothy or pink sputum
- Chest tightness or rattling in the lungs
- Blue or gray lips/fingernails
- Extreme fatigue
This altitude sickness results from rapid ascent, sleeping at a high altitude, alcohol consumption or trekking without proper acclimatization. Therefore, it is really important to keep all these in mind during your time on trail and take proper precautions.
If symptoms appear:
- Stop ascending right away
- Rest at the same altitude until symptoms improve
- Descend 300-1000m if symptoms worsen or don't improve in 24 hours
- Seek urgent medical help for severe signs (confusion, breathlessness at rest, coughing blood, blue lips)
- Medication (acetazolamide, dexamethasone) or oxygen can help, but descent remains the most effective treatment
Our guides always carry a pulse oximeter with them and check every trekker. This is to identify any altitude sickness symptoms and prevent it from getting worse. Also, if your guide says to descend, descend immediately. We tell this to every trekker on Day 1, and it's non-negotiable.
Some trekkers use Diamox to prevent altitude sickness, and it is highly recommended to talk to your doctor about this before you travel, not on the trail. In a genuine emergency, helicopter evacuation is available from multiple points on the route. This is exactly why proper travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking and evacuation isn't something to skip
Accommodation on the Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek
Accommodation here in the Kanchenjunga trail looks quite different from what you'd find on more popular routes like Annapurna, Langtang, Everest, or Manaslu. This route runs through remote valleys and villages where tourism is less popular, resulting in minimal infrastructure development, so don't expect the same level of comfort or infrastructure that you would find on the busier trails.
As you climb higher, there will be more isolated valleys and you'll mostly be staying in basic teahouses with simple rooms, shared facilities, and fairly limited menus. As you move into the villages, things get a bit more comfortable as there are proper lodges offering better rooms and food options.
Do remember that most teahouses offer charging points and wifi, though usually for a small extra fee (roughly USD$3-$5), and both get patchier the higher you climb. Don't count on the internet as you go higher because you almost get no signal, but the view from this no signal area is the best.
Hot showers are usually available in the trail for some small charge of USD$2-5. Make sure that you carry cash in Nepali Rupees for these Wifi, charging and showers as the teahouses don't really accept cards or USD$.
Food and Meals on the Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp Trek
Food on this trek is simple, local, and most of all, really delicious. Expect the Nepali staple Dal Bhat most days as this is what you will never not find, and your guides and porter eat this everyday. Meat (chicken or goat) shows up occasionally, though not daily.
As you step into the more remote sections, where teahouses thin out, meals are often prepared through camping, so you can adjust your menu beforehand with our cook team, and they will prepare it. But do note that not all varieties can be prepared as the resources would be limited and our team cannot possibly carry everything with them as it would go stale or would not be possible to cook in those areas.
There are few local drinks that you must try at least once on this trek.
- Tongba is a warm, traditional millet beer, served in bamboo, wood, or aluminum containers. Drinking this is also a great way to warm up after a cold trekking day, and most locals drink this before their dinner to relax after working all day.
- Yak butter tea is the traditional Sherpa drink, made with tea, salt, butter, and milk.This is the famous drink on almost every high altitude trail in Nepal, and really keeps you warm.
NOTE: You can add a cook guide to come along the trek to ensure that your dietary restrictions are kept in mind while preparing any meal for you. They will personally prepare your meal according to your requirement throughout the trek.
Why Trek Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp with Advent Himalaya Treks?
Anyone can get you to Kanchenjunga North - South Base Camp. What we think actually matters is who you're doing it with, and what happens around the trek.
- We're a family-run business, not a franchise. Advent Himalaya Treks was started by Babu with his family by his side and is still run day-to-day by the same family. When you email us or message on WhatsApp before you book, you're talking to Babu who actually knows about the trek you are asking about, not a chatbot or AI.
- Come learn to make momo with our family. Before or after your trek, you're invited into our family's kitchen for a hands-on momo-making session either for lunch or dinner; anything that works with you. You will get to learn the recipe that has been in our family for decades, taste the actual local and authentic momo; the one we actually cook at our home. It's a small thing, but it's the experience our guests bring up for a long time. Also, if you want to learn to make any other dishes, our family is ready to share the recipe and cook it together with you.
- Our guides and porters are basically part of the family. Many of our guides and porters have been with us since the beginning, climbing each step alongside. Dawa has been with us for 19 years, and is there on almost every trek.
- Your guide has more than a decade of experience. The guide from our team who you will trek with will be an experienced guide who has completed this specific trek at least 9-10 times, and has been the main guide for at least 5 times. Also, an assistant guide with 2-3 years of experience will be on the trek with you if you have a large group.
- Private airport pickup/dropoff. Either Babu, Meera or both of them will be there with a private vehicle to welcome you at the airport as well as to drop you off for your flight back home.
- Tailor made itineraries. This package you see is a standard structure of how the journey looks like. Each and everything seen in this package can be changed and accommodated as per your or your groups’ preference.
- We handle the behind the scene stuff so you don't have to worry about it. Permits, flight rerouting, weather delays, gear rental if you need it; we sort it in the background so your energy goes toward the trek, not logistics.
- A real, in-person briefing before you hop on your trail. You'll sit down with Babu or your assigned guide at our office or in the hotel you are staying at, walk through the route, the altitude plan, a gear check, and ask anything that's on your mind. Most of our guests tell us that the trip starts feeling real to them after this briefing.
- No gear? We've got you covered. Advent Himalaya Treks can provide you with a sleeping bag and down jacket if you don’t have one. And if you require any other gears such as poles, gloves, a headlamp, crampons our team will help you purchase it at Thamel or take you to a rental place if you just want to rent it.
- Personalized support. You will be provided with personalized support throughout your time in Nepal. If you or your group are sensitive to new food or have specific allergies, a cook guide will be assigned to you and your team during the trek to ensure that your meal is properly taken care of.
