Kangchenjunga
8,586m
The world's third highest peak and sacred to the Limbu people — a remote and rarely climbed giant on Nepal's eastern border.
Elevation
8,586m
First Ascent
May 25, 1955
First Ascent By
Joe Brown & George Band (British expedition)
Base Camp Trek
22 days
Permit Fee
USD 7,500
Difficulty
D
Kangchenjunga (8,586m) is the world's third highest mountain, straddling the border between Nepal and Sikkim (India). The name means 'Five Treasures of the Great Snow' in Tibetan, referring to its five peaks. It is considered sacred by the local Limbu people, and climbers traditionally stop just short of the actual summit out of respect.
The mountain is far more remote and less climbed than Everest or Annapurna. The Kangchenjunga Base Camp trek is one of Nepal's finest but least-visited treks, passing through incredibly diverse terrain from subtropical forests to glacial moraines, and through traditional Limbu and Sherpa villages.
First climbed in 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band of a British expedition, the summit tradition of stopping below the true top has been honored by almost every subsequent expedition.