It would be best to arrive in New Delhi the previous night or early morning to catch a domestic flight to Bagdogra airport the same day. Upon arrival at Bagdogra airport, you will be met by our representative and drive towards Gangtok. On arrival, check into the hotel. You have a free evening free to relax and ‘nurse your jetlag.

We drive to Yuksom in the morning via a beautiful valley. You will be gone past dense forests, lush green meadows, waterfalls, and a lovely landscape on the way.

Our team will set up camp and prepare dinner upon arrival at Yuksom. Yuksom is the start and ending point for the most popular trekking region of Dzongri in West Sikkim. It also holds historical importance to the Sikkimese people. Yuksom means the meeting place of the three lamas.

Legend has it that there was a rift amongst different factions of the Buddhist sects in Tibet. It forced the Red Hat Sect to seek refuge in Sikkim at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Lama Lhatsun Chempo arrived at Norbugang in Yuksam on his journey to Sikkim; he met two other lamas, Rinzing Chempo and Sempa Chempo. They began converting the people to their faith. Sacred texts had revealed that Sikkim’s ruler designate would be a man named Phuntsog of Gangtok.

The three lamas sent an envoy to search for him. The search team returned with Phuntsog Namgyal, whose ancestry can be traced to the legendary prince Guru Tashi, founder of the Kingdom of Mayang in the Chumbi Valley. Phuntsog Namgyal was crowned the Chogyal – Sikkim’s first king in 1641.

The trail starts at the local market in Yuksom and follows the main road to the north. The trail ascends gently out of the valley and goes along the Rathong Chu River’s right bank. The rapids can be heard thundering in the gorge below. We cross over four bridges to climb steeply towards the northwest to the small settlement of Bakhim. We continue for another 3 km through the forest of rhododendron and magnolia to reach Tsokha. Our support crew will set up our campsite and prepare dinner upon arrival.

We hike through the village of Tsokha and climb north through the rhododendron forest to the town of Phedang 3650 meters. It takes around 3 hrs to complete the ascent. We continue further towards Dzongri, where we stop for the night.

We get up before dawn to climb to a vantage point of Dablagang on a ridge above our campsite for sunrise on Mount Kanchenjunga, Kabru, Pandim, Rathong, and many other peaks of this range. The trail takes us through pasture land and rhododendron bushes for about an hour to Chamaray. It is a gradual ascent from Chamaray to Laxmi Pokhari, a big lake cupped in a deep crater. We will get a good view of the Kanchenjunga range, Mount Pandim, Narsingh, Kabur, Kabur dome, Koktang, etcetera. Extending your excursion to Kabur rock is a rewarding experience if you reach Laxmi Pokhari early and feel fine physically. We return to Dzongri.

The trail ascends gradually for about half an hour in the beginning and descends until we reach a crossroad. The path on the left goes to Zamlingang. We mostly take the trail to the right, which is a flattish walk. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.

The day begins with a gradual ascent to Kanchenjunga base camp. This site is where the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling, conducts its advanced mountaineering courses. You will get close views of Frey’s peak, Koktang, Kabur, and Rathong from here. Return to Bikhbari. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.

An extra day to acclimate, or the weather is not favourable when we are supposed to go to the base camp.

We retrace our steps back to Bakhim after breakfast. We will be given packed lunch as we have a lot of ground to cover on our return to Bakhim. You will find that it is much easier to cover the distance on the way down. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.

In the morning, trek back to Yuksom. We will have the ‘luxury of staying in a hotel at Yuksom. We can even have a hot bucket shower in our room. Then, we can hike to Dubdi monastery, the hermit’s cell situated on the top of a lofty hill about three hundred meters above Yuksom.

Drive Yuksom to Bagdogra airport and fly to Delhi.