One of the most scenic treks in the Himalayas offering stunning views of Kangchenjunga (3rd highest peak in the world) and several other 7000m peaks
Duration: 22 days
Best time: mid April to mid May; mid October to mid November
Grade: Difficult – requires technical climbing
Formalities required:
1. Sikkim Inner Line Permit to be obtained at the respective Indian Embassy or in Darjeeling/Gangtok
2. Trek permit for entry to the Kangchenjunga National Park to be obtained at Gangtok
3. Climbing permit for Tingchingkhang Peak to be obtained at Gangtok
We require minimum three months to process the permissions. Please contact us for further details and booking.
This peak has been previously conquered only once by the Indo-British Army Expedition in May 1999. Sonam Lepcha, our mountain guide was leading the expedition and along with him six people reached the top. There have been some more attempts on the peak, including aNature expeditions expedition in April 2003, but these were not successful.
During our last expedition in April, we had adhered to the following itinerary; due to paucity of time (the clients had to board their flight in Delhi) this was not successful!
April 19: Climb to ABC at (roughly) 15,000 ft
April 20: Climb to Camp I at (roughly) 18,300 ft
April 21: Summit
April 22: Extra climbing day
April 23: Extra climbing day
April 24: Extra Climbing day
We had kept 4 days just for the climb but due to inclement weather had to turn back from Camp II as we had no extra time to wait and sit out the bad weather. Taking this factor into account, we recommend at least 5 to 6 days for the climb, to make it a success this time!!
The description of the peak
From Advance Base Camp (ABC) to Camp I there is a face where ropes will have to be fixed; it is therefore advisable to spend a night at ABC to enable fixing of ropes from early morning the next day, and this also gives some more time for acclimatisation. There are seracs en route and probably a few crevasses may be open depending on the time of the year. Technical climbing is needed up to half way above Camp II. There are stretches where it involves just walking up the mountain. From the steep ramp the summit is about 3hrs away