Nepal a country of the Himalayas is popularly known to cater in thousands of tourists every year, mostly for trekking. Getting a closer view of the majestic mountains is motivation enough. Touring, trekking, mountain climbing or enjoying life in a laid-back lifestyle; Nepal offers it all.
There are a lot of trekking routes waiting to be explored. Many, have already befriended a lot of visitors. Everest Base Camp Trek and Annapurna Base Camp Trek have been two of the most popular trekking trails of Nepal. However, other trekking trails such as Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek have also been getting a lot of visitors in the past decade.
A lot of trekkers are here for their vacation where they want to get the trekking experience getting closer to the mountains. Some of the trekkers are here for a short vacation and others for longer vacations. Either way they are here to experience the Himalayan trekking experience with peaceful trails and affordable trek.
Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek takes you to the base of the third highest mountain in the world, Mount
Kanchenjunga (8586 m), It lies in the border of Nepal and India. So, Mount Kanchenjunga is the second highest mountain in Nepal after Mount Everest and is the highest mountain in India.
If you are a frequent trekker in Nepal, you definitely know about the best seasons to trek in Nepal is around autumn and spring seasons. Spring in Nepal is from March to May and autumn is from September to December. October is considered as the best time to trek in Nepal.
So, also trekking in Kanchenjunga Base Camp in these seasons will give you a better experience than any other seasons. Especially if you are a novice, these have to be the best seasons to be here. But if challenges do not scare you, winter trekking will blow your mind. It is amazing.
Trekking doesn’t come cheap. Yes, it is expensive to some extent. But, Trekking in Nepal is a lot affordable than a lot of trekking destinations in the world.
The accommodations, the food that you eat, permits, and the guides are reasonably priced.
Beginning from the airfare, to the porter’s tip, you will be bearing it all.
You will need a separate wallet for souvenirs.
Indeed, some of the major things that makes a trek costly are airfare, transportation, gears, professional travel guide, the food you choose to eat and the accommodation.
Major Expenses for Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek
Permits
A special permit is required to trek in Kanchenjunga Base Camp. The Kanchenjunga region is declared as a conservation area to help protect the environmental and cultural values of the areas. There are numerous police checkpoints throughout Kanchenjunga trekking route to check permits.
Kanchenjunga Restricted Area Entry Permit
Getting a special permit for Kanchenjunga restricted area is a bit complicated as you have to go through a series of applications, guarantees, and letters. The process cannot be pre-reserved and you will have to apply for it as soon as you arrive in Kathmandu.
It will take around two hours. Your group should be of a minimum of two trekkers and a professional guide referred by a registered travel company. Trekking solo to Kanchenjunga is not possible at the moment.
There are certain places that are restricted. For instance, there are four village development communities in the Kanchenjunga region that are declared restricted: Olangchung Gola village, Lelep village, Papung village, and Yamphuding village. The details and guidelines will be provided to you by the travel company you intend to deal with.
The fee for Kanchenjunga restricted area entry permit is currently set at Rs. 1000 equivalent to USD 10 per person per week.
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Entry Permit
The fee for Kanchenjunga conservation area entry permit is currently set at Rs. 2000 per person equivalent to USD 20.
Other Permits
As of today, you don’t need a TIMS ((Trekkers’ Information Management Systems) Card to trek Kanchenjunga. The TIMS card is not necessary in any trekking region in Nepal for those with a restricted area permit . However, if you are planning to continue your trek after Kanchenjunga to other destinations like Everest or Annapurna regions, you will have to get the TIMS card as well.
Professional Trekking Guide
You might consider hiring an English speaking porter instead of a proper guide. Yes, this will save you some money but could leave you in a pickle. A licensed professional guide will know the place a lot better. They are trained and know the whereabouts in any kind of unexpected situations.
You will be above 5000 meters, you should want to be in a company that you can rely on.
Also, there are numerous restricted points that you should be aware of, a professional guide will worry about all that matter and more. A professional and government certified guide will cost approximately USD 20 to 25 per day per guide inclusive of food, accommodation, and insurance of the guide.
Porter
The trek is quite challenging. It will take a lot of extra effort to carry your bag, concentrate on the high passes and enjoy. Why carry all the burden?
It might seem easy, or even doable, but is extremely challenging. Afterall you are here to enjoy, why not do that, right?
A healthy porter will cost approximately USD 18 to 22 per day per porter inclusive of food, accommodation, and insurance of the porter. A porter will carry 20 kg of weight including his own 4 to 5 kg loads. So you should pack your items under 15 kg, if not you will need an extra porter.
Transportation
The trekking journey will start after a local domestic flight to Bhadrapur which will cost around USD 137 to USD 200 per person. You will have to take a bus to from Bhadrapur to Ilam or directly to Taplejung from Birtamod via a local bus. The bus fare is around Rs. 725 to 800 equivalent to USD 8 0.
You could stay at Bhadrapur for the night but it is a lot better to head towards Illam. The temperature at Bharatpur could be very humid. As per our itinerary, we will be staying at Ilam. Here, the weather and climate are comparatively a lot better than Bhadrapur.
Hiring a private jeep from Ilam to Taplejung costs around USD 200 to 250. This is a fair price to pay over taking a local bus. It is less tiring and faster, you will save a lot of time.
Accommodation
The accommodation in Kathmandu till Ilam is comparatively luxurious and will cost above USD 20 to 50 for a normal room.
After you start trekking, you will be staying at local tea houses or small guesthouses. And also with the rise in altitude, you will have to adjust to the availability of the items you are used to . for instance, toilet papers will be replaced by water. The choices of food you choose could be limited as you ascend.
The approximate cost for a twin sharing room in these tea houses will range from USD 5 to USD 10 per night. Even though you choose to stay alone in a twin sharing room, you will be charged the full price for two.
There are plenty of tea houses on the way and camping won’t be necessary unless you choose to.
Food
The average approximate cost per meal per person is around USD 5 that includes Dal (Lentils), Bhat (Rice), and Tarkari (Vegetables), a local Nepali dish.
As for the cost for a cup of tea or coffee, it may vary from place to place ranging from USD 1.5 to USD 2 for a cup of tea and USD 2 to 4 for a cup of coffee.
A bottle of water will cost approximately USD 0.5 to 4 and a bottle of beer can cost around USD 2 to 5.
As the altitude increases, the price for the food gets a bit expensive than the lower regions.
Miscellaneous Expenses
The extra expenses for your personal luxury are included as miscellaneous expenses. This can include expenses for things like purchasing water, batteries, charging your electronic gadgets.
Also, you could be asked to pay around USD 1-3 for a bucket of hot water (heated by gas or firewood) for showering or a flask of hot drinking water. Dry fruits, snacks and other food items that you wish to snack in could be slightly expensive than the usual price you pay.
Tips for guide and porters can also be included if you are happy with their service and effort. These expenses are not compulsory but you never know when you might need a couple of bucks handy.
Conclusion
When you decide to go for a trek in that beautiful mountainous region, the expectation and experience matters. Yes, trekking is expensive, but what vacation isn’t, right? And trekking isn’t just a normal vacation, it is an experience of a lifetime.
It takes a proper planning. You should be physically, mentally and financially fit to dive into such an expedition.
Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek is a lot quieter than the famous trekking trails such as Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek and other popular trekking trails. It is also one of the most affordable treks.
The Kanchenjunga Conservation Area is dedicated to protecting different species of birds, animals, and plants and to improve the lifestyle of the locals there. So your permit fees make a lot of sense.
Note: The rates and the cost are subject to change as per the number of people in the group and the season that you are trekking in. For more information about the most accurate and cost-effective packages, please do not hesitate to contact us.