Khangchendzonga National Park
Khangchendzonga National Park is known for its glacial mountains and sacred cultural landscape.
This Himalayan site includes the 8586m high peak of Khangchendzonga, the third highest in the world. The landscape features glaciers and glacial lakes, and is the habitat of species such as the snow leopard and red panda. For the local Sikkimese population, the area has important sacred significance by housing mountain deities. Both shamanic and Tibetan Buddhist traditions are kept alive in this cultural landscape.
Community Perspective: Zoë has described a trek in this remote area.
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Rob Wilson
I was privileged enough to trek to Kangchendzonga back in 2002, well before it was a WHS.
It was a genuine wilderness experience at that time - nothing like the teahouse treks you experience in Nepal.
It was a real adventure with the scariest part being an early morning trek to viewpoint in darkness. On the return journey, it became clear that we walked on slippery glacial moraine above a very long drop!
It was a truly wonderful experience and well worth the 5 stars. I do hope that the climate crisis is not completely destroying its natural beauty.
Zoë Sheng
Chinese-Canadian - 06-Dec-18 -
Flying over this doesn't do it justice. I actually didn't expect to trek into it either because of the distance involved from the towns but in Darjeeling there are many trekking tours advertised. First off you need to get to Darjeeling which a lot of people do easily. They then often continue to Gangtok but I'm quite sure there is no way to enter the park from the north. Well, yes, there is a road at Lachen monastery so you CAN drive into the park but the real way to enter is only on foot.
Drive 5h switchbacks to Yuksom and stay another night. The next morning you start ascending to Tshoka. There are actually huts to make camping in November slightly easier. You have already entered the core zone by now but the views are not exceptional yet. Day 2 and it's another half day (too cold to hike early or late anyway). Goal is Dzongri La. The group was very small and we all decided to go up on the next day and then descend again rather than stay for 2 nights. The one day saved makes quite a difference if you spend so long to get here already. It's foggy and cold but so happy to have arrived. In fact that is wasn't very tough but one has to be relatively fit. Spending a week trekking Bhutan and Nepal to get ready really helped.
Sure, there are other treks that go much further into the park. Further in you may also be much luckier with spotting animals.
P.s. I did not spot a yeti.
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Site Info
- Full Name
- Khangchendzonga National Park
- Unesco ID
- 1513
- Country
- India
- Inscribed
- 2016
- Type
- Mixed
- Criteria
-
3 6 7 10
- Categories
- Natural landscape - Mountain Religious structure - Buddhist
- Link
- By ID
Site History
2016 Inscribed
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The Plaque
No plaque has been identified yet for this site.