National park or conservation area
Kanchenjunga Region
A remote trekking region below the world's third-highest mountain, with Limbu and Sherpa villages, two base camps and a restricted-area permit.
Koshi Provinceताप्लेजुङ
Taplejung District
Remote mountain district at Nepal's north-eastern tip, home to Kanchenjunga, its base-camp treks and the hilltop shrine of Pathibhara Devi.
- Province
- Koshi
- Headquarters
- Taplejung
- Area
- about 3,646 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 9
About Taplejung
Taplejung is the north-eastern-most district of Nepal, in Koshi Province, bordering Tibet (China) to the north and Sikkim (India) to the east. Sankhuwasabha lies to the west and Panchthar and Terhathum to the south. The Tamor river drains the district, and the land climbs from subtropical valleys to the Kanchenjunga massif, which includes the third-highest mountain in the world.
Limbu people form a large share of the population, with Sherpa, Rai, Gurung and others in the higher valleys. Farming, cardamom and livestock support most families. Much of the north lies in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area. Trekkers come for routes through the Kanchenjunga Region to Ghunsa, Kambachen, Lhonak and Pangpema (Kanchenjunga North Base Camp), or via Yamphudin and Tseram to the south side, while pilgrims climb to Pathibhara Devi.
Places in Taplejung
Viewpoint · 5,140 m
Pangpema (Kanchenjunga North Base Camp)
The North Base Camp of Kanchenjunga, a grassy shelf at about 5,140 m facing the mountain's north-west face.
Temple, monastery or heritage site · 3,794 m
Pathibhara Devi Temple
A hilltop shrine to the goddess Pathibhara above Phungling in Taplejung, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in eastern Nepal.
Trek stops
Getting there
The Mechi Highway runs north from Birtamod in Jhapa through Ilam and Phidim to Taplejung (Phungling), a long day's drive or more on mountain roads. Suketar airstrip near the headquarters has had flights, though services are irregular; Bhadrapur is the nearest airport with regular flights.
Best time to visit
Autumn (October to November) and spring (March to May) are the trekking seasons; the monsoon is very wet with leeches and landslides, and winter brings deep snow to the high passes and base camps.
Treks in Taplejung
A three-week restricted-area trek in far eastern Nepal that reaches both Kanchenjunga base camps, Pangpema in the north and Oktang in the south, joined by the Sele La pass crossing.
- Days
- 20 days
- Maximum altitude
- 5,143 m
- Difficulty
- Challenging
Other districts in Koshi Province
Editorial draft: the district overview is being checked. Headquarters and Nepali names: nepal-places dataset (MIT). Area and map position computed from the district boundaries of the Government of Nepal, Survey Department, via OCHA.