Kanchenjunga Gangtok | Kangchenjunga Height, Elevation, Trek

"The Third Highest Peak in the World"

Kangchenjunga, Gangtok Overview

The third highest peak in the world, the majestic Kanchenjunga, also spelt Kangchenjunga, is one of the most stunning mountains. Surrounded by Nepal, Sikkim and Tibet, Mt Kanchenjunga was first scaled in 1955 but since then has been declared sacred. Kanchenjunga' is a Tibetan name which means 'The Five Treasures of the High Snow'. The treasures represent the five repositories of God, namely gold, silver, gems, grain and holy books. There are a lot of trekking routes in and around Kanchenjunga which will take you through woody forests and serene countryside.

Kangchenjunga Mountain near Darjeeling is the third highest peak in the world, with a peak elevation of 8,586 m. In the Kirat religion of Sikkim, the mountain is regarded very sacred and in the local Limbu language, it is also called Sewa Lungma. Out of the five peaks of Kanchenjunga, four can be viewed from many points in Darjeeling and Gangtok. Out of the many points in Darjeeling from where you can have a spectacular view of the peak, Tiger Hill is one of the best. If you're in Gangtok, the Goecha La trek in Sikkim is the standard base camp for trekking up the range.

Must Know Before You Visit Kangchenjunga

Kanchenjunga Trek Information :

Base Camp: Yuksom

Difficulty: Difficult Gradient

Nearest Airport: Bagdogra

Nearest Railhead: 150 km

Region: Sikkim Himalaya, Sikkim

Snow: During the winter months, the park receives heavy snowfall making everything around full of mystery and magic. Heavy showers of rain also commences from May and continue on and off till mid October.

Starting point of trek: Yuksom

Kangchenjunga Highlights

1. Kanchenjunga National Park

Located in Sikkim and encompassing the Kanchenjunga Peak and the Zemu glacier, this National Park and biosphere reserve are the latest addition to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites in India. Spr (Read More)ead over an area of 850 sq km, it is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna with 550 species of birds alone. Some of the important animals found are the snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, musk deer, Himalayan black bear, Tibetan wild ass, wild dog, Himalayan blue sheep, civet, serow, sloth bear, goral, red panda, takin and snakes like Russell's viper.

2. Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek

Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek is the most exciting trek as it is the world’s highest peak at an elevation of 8586 metres spread in the boundaries of India, Tibet and Nepal. It offers stunning view (Read More)s of valleys and landscapes where you will find nature at its best. The trail starts from Darjeeling from where you will walk through Yukhsang, Bakkhim, Phedang, Dzongri, Bikhbari to Chaurikhang and Rathong Glacier. The trek is a real adventure waiting for you to witness panoramic views of mountain ranges and pass through lush dense forests, varied flora and fauna, tribal villages and grazing yaks.

Read More on Kangchenjunga

History of Kunchenjenga

The history of Kunchenjenga reads that until the year of 1852 Kanchenjunga was considered as the highest peak of the world. After the Great Trigonometric Survey of India in 1849, Mt. Everest was declared the highest mountain based on various readings and measurements. Kanchenjunga was officially moved to the third place in 1856. The locals consider the mountain a sacred place, an abode of Gods and even believe that a yeti (Himalayan demon), called Nee-gued still roams its slopes. The mountain is off limits to climbers since 2000.

Etymology of Kanchenjunga

There are many alternative spellings including Kangchendzönga, Khangchendzonga, and Kanchenjunga. However, Kangchenjunga is the officially adopted spelling. The local name Kanchinjínga means the ‘five treasures of the high snow’ referring to its five peaks. In Limbu language, its name is Senjelungma or Seseylungma as it is believed to be an abode of goddess Yuma Sammang. In Tibet, it is known as Gangchhendzonga.

Best Time to Visit

December to January is the best time to visit the Kunchenjenga peak.

Protected Areas

Kanchenjunga complex comprises of three distinct ecoregions- the eastern Himalayan broad-leaved and coniferous forests, the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows and the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands. The Kanchenjunga landscape boundary is shared by Bhutan, China, India and Nepal and comprises of 14 protected areas with a total of 6032 km square. Many significant plant species such as rhododendrons, orchids and other endangered species like snow leopard, Asian black bear, red panda etc.

Kangchenjunga Demon

The area around Kangchenjunga is believed to be home of mountain deity called Dzo-Nga or Kangchenjunga Demon, a type of yeti or rakshasa. In 1925, a British Geological expedition spotted a bipedal creature and when they asked locals about it, they referred to is as the "Kangchenjunga Demon".

Geography

Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain peak in the world and lies between Nepal and Sikkim with three of the five main peaks directly on the border and the remaining two in Nepal’s Taplejung district. The five peaks are- Kangchenjunga Main, Kangchenjunga West, Kangchenjunga Central, Kangchenjunga South and Kangbachen. Kangchenjunga Main is the highest elevation of the Brahmaputra River basin, which is amongst the largest basin globally. The Kangchenjunga Himal section of the Himalayas lies both in Nepal and India, consisting of sixteen peaks over 7000 metres. This section has 120 glaciers of which four main glaciers- Zemu, Talung, Yalung and Kangchen originate from the peak, draining into different rivers like Teesta, Arun and Kosi. Though the peak is ranked 29th by topographic prominence, it is the 4th most prominent peak after Everest, Nanga Parbat and Namcha Barwa.

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Kangchenjunga Reviews

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Abhinav Prakash

on Kanchenjunga 6 years ago

there are few certainly incorrect facts about Kanchenjunga in this article. 1. Kenchanjunga is not a Tibetian name- it's sanskrit/hindi name that means Golden Thighs. This name is given as mountain s (Read More)ide shines like gold at sunrise and sunset 2. The best time to visit is from April to October. it will be impossible to visit this in Winter months