Goecha La trek from Yuksom

Day by day

The timetable

1. Day1

   Siliguri to Yuksom

   ≈ 160 km · 6–7 hYuksomDinnerYuksom guide

   We leave Siliguri or NJP by 7 am. The road follows the Teesta to Melli, the Rangeet to Jorethang and Legship, then climbs past Tashiding to Yuksom at 1,780 m. Foreign nationals collect or show their Restricted Area Permit at Melli; the agency will already have filed their trek permit. Shared jeeps run this road too, often with a change at Gyalshing or Jorethang. In the evening the guide checks your kit and briefs the group. If there is light left, walk to the Norbugang coronation throne, ten minutes from the bazaar. Landslides can slow this road, so check current status before you travel.

2. Day2

   Yuksom to Sachen

   ≈ 10 km walk · 4–5 hSachenBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   After breakfast the guide clears your permits at the Yuksom forest checkpost, where park entry and camping fees are paid. Then the trail enters Khangchendzonga National Park and follows the valley north through mixed forest, crossing side streams on wooden and steel bridges. The climb is steady rather than steep, from 1,780 m to about 2,200 m at Sachen, a small forest camp. Walk at a pace where you can still talk. Drink 3–4 litres of water a day from now on; it is the simplest guard against altitude headaches. Lunch is packed.

3. Day3

   Sachen to Tshoka via Bakhim

   ≈ 7 km walk · 4–5 hTshokaBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   Today is shorter but much steeper. The trail drops to a high suspension bridge over the river, then climbs hard through forest to Bakhim and on to Tshoka at about 3,000 m. That is a gain of about 800 m in a few hours, so go slowly and take breaks. Tshoka is a small settlement with a trekkers' hut and camping ground. On a clear evening the snow peaks show up the valley for the first time. Sleep early; nights here drop below freezing in spring and autumn.

4. Day4

   Tshoka to Dzongri through rhododendrons

   ≈ 10 km walk · 5–6 hDzongriBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   The trail climbs above Tshoka on wooden boardwalks and stone paths through rhododendron forest, at its best in April and early May. At Phedang, about halfway, the forest opens out and you stop for lunch. The last stretch is above the treeline, over open slopes to the Dzongri meadows at about 4,020 m. This is the biggest gain of the trek, about 1,000 m, and the first night above 4,000 m. Headaches are common; tell the guide at once if you feel dizzy, sick or very breathless. That is why tomorrow is a rest day.

5. Day5

   Rest day and Dzongri Top sunrise

   ≈ 3 km walk · 2–3 hDzongriBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   We wake at about 4 am and climb in the dark to Dzongri Top, a ridge above camp hung with prayer flags. If the sky is clear, the sun lights Kangchenjunga, Kabru, Rathong, Kokthang, Pandim and the peaks around them in turn. Back at camp for breakfast, then rest. Climbing a little and sleeping lower is the best way to adjust to height. In the afternoon walk slowly around the meadows, where yak herders graze their animals in season. Eat well even if you are not hungry, and keep drinking water.

6. Day6

   Dzongri to Lamuney via Thansing

   ≈ 14 km walk · 7–8 hLamuneyBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   A long day. The trail drops from Dzongri through rhododendron scrub to Kokchurang and the bridge over the Prek Chu, then climbs gently up the valley to Thansing at about 3,900 m, where we stop for lunch with Pandim straight ahead. In the afternoon the walk continues about 4 km up the moraine valley to Lamuney at about 4,150 m. Camping here, rather than at Thansing, shortens tomorrow's pre-dawn climb. It is cold and exposed, so the tents are pitched early and dinner is at about 6 pm.

7. Day7

   Samiti Lake and Viewpoint 1

   ≈ 12 km walk · 8–10 hThansingBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   We start at about 2:30 am with headlamps. The trail climbs past Samiti Lake at about 4,200 m and over moraine to Viewpoint 1, about 4,600 m, where the sun lights the south-east face of Kangchenjunga. Whether you may go beyond Viewpoint 1 towards the 4,940 m pass depends on current forest department rules, and the guide decides on weather and the group; check current status before you travel. The Indian side of Kangchenjunga is closed to climbing expeditions. After photographs we walk back past Lamuney and down to Thansing for a late lunch and an early night.

8. Day8

   Thansing to Tshoka by the lower path

   ≈ 16 km walk · 6–7 hTshokaBreakfast, lunch, dinnerDzongri and Goecha La guide

   We return a different way. From Thansing the trail runs down to Kokchurang, then takes the lower path along the hillside to Phedang, skipping the climb back to Dzongri. From Phedang it is downhill through rhododendron forest to Tshoka at about 3,000 m. Your legs will notice the descent more than the climbs; poles help a lot. The air feels thick and warm after the high camps. It is the last night on the trail, a good time to swap photographs with the group and the crew. Thank and tip the staff tonight or in Yuksom.

9. Day9

   Tshoka down to Yuksom

   ≈ 17 km walk · 6–7 hYuksomBreakfast, lunch, dinnerYuksom guide

   The last walk drops about 1,200 m, past Bakhim, across the high bridge and down the forest trail to Yuksom. Start early so you reach town by mid-afternoon, when there is time for a hot shower and a meal that is not from a pressure cooker. The guide signs you out at the forest checkpost. If you have energy left, walk up to Dubdi Monastery in the morning tomorrow, or simply sit at Norbugang under the old cryptomeria, where in 1642 the three lamas crowned the first Chogyal. Dinner tonight is in Yuksom.

10. Day10

    Yuksom back to Siliguri

    ≈ 160 km · 6–7 h—BreakfastSiliguri (NJP and Bagdogra) guide

    We leave Yuksom by 7 am for the long drive down past Tashiding and Legship to Jorethang, Melli and the Teesta valley. Lunch on the way. On a clear road you reach Siliguri, NJP or Bagdogra by mid-afternoon, but trek returns can slip when weather holds a group on the trail, so book onward trains or flights for the evening or the next day. A spare day in your plans is the best insurance on any high trek. Wash your trail kit, and keep the Yuksom park receipt until you are home.