As the sounds of birds began to add to the sound of the Ghunsa River, I opened the window and looked outside. The breeze brushed my cheeks, the leaves were covered with dew. Far away, I could see the sun casting a shadow on the mountains.

After driving from Taplejung headquarters Phungling to a place called Sekathum, we stopped at Itaharitar, located in a high mountain gorge. Now we had to walk.

We walked through cardamom plantations, forests with various plants, and steep places. We had to follow the Ghunsa River to reach the northern base camp of the Kanchenjunga Himal. Small streams and waterfalls mixed with the Ghunsa River, foaming. The waterfall flowing from a high mountain near Lamatar looked attractive.

On the way, we met Anil Rai carrying a heavy load on a doka. While he was wiping his sweat after carrying the load, we also started chatting. He, whose house is near the Kanchenjunga trekking route, had been carrying heavy loads on this route for a few years. ‘This is the load of the hotel owner in Ghunsa. He pays 150 per kg. It would be good to have a group (foreigner group),' he said, 'We will reach Ghunsa tomorrow evening. Will you carry the heavy load, sir?'

Before climbing Amjelisa, we rested at the 'tea house' at the foot of the mountain. Amjelisa is the most difficult climb of this journey. There are hotels, lodges and tea houses on the way. People were working in the village. We saw some selling alcohol, some cutting grass. Some were planting corn. The foreigners were watching these activities with great interest. There was no problem with eating or staying on the way. According to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Council, there are more than 170 hotels, lodges and tea houses in the North and South Base Camp areas.

It was evening when we reached Gyabla, which is at an altitude of 2,730 meters, via Thiangam. We decided to stay there. Chhawang Sherpa, a tourism entrepreneur from Gyabla, is also the treasurer of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council. He said that fewer tourists visit Kanchenjunga compared to other Himalayan regions. He also informed that facilities for tourists are being added. ‘Our place is special for enjoying the Himalayan life and geography, but not as many tourists have come here as in other regions. We are trying to attract tourists. The nature, life and the Himalayan region here are new to many,’ he said, ‘Bhadrapur Airport is a bit far. There are no regular flights to Suketar Airport. We are far from the capital.’ As the

Sherpa said, there are few tourists during the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek. However, village life has not been disrupted. From Gyabla, we headed towards Phale. A natural gate made of rocks welcomed us at Phale. There is also a gate here. The gate was built so that animals including the chaunri could not get out and wild animals from outside could not get in. As we were walking through the gorge to the wide open plain, the chaunri were grazing. Potatoes were cultivated here in the past. But now much of the land is barren. There is a small settlement in Phale. The houses are neatly arranged.

We headed towards Ghunsa. Ghunsa is a beautiful village in the Himalayan region. The settlement is in a valley-like place under the high mountains. There are hotels and houses here. When you reach here, you pick up the phone. There is also electricity. There is a school, a health center and a police post. From Ghunsa, you can also go to the southern base camp by passing through Sele. That day, we stayed in Ghunsa.

A local Himalayan Chungda, who is called Ghunsa, told us about the place where we stayed in the winter. ‘Earlier, our main place of residence was Khambachen. There were barns all the way to Lonak. We used to come here and stay in the winter. Potatoes and bitter gourds were cultivated here,’ he said, ‘Now it has become an important tourist settlement in the Kanchenjunga region.’

Hotels and lodges are being added here. ‘The number of Nepalis who come to visit is increasing, this is a matter of great joy,’ said young businessman Tenzing Nurpu happily. As we stepped out, smelling the fragrance of Kusang (incense burned for the gods), we saw the snow-capped mountain gleaming in the sunlight. There is a Tasi Choling monastery in this area. It is considered very old.

After reaching Khambachen, we saw Kumbhakarna Himal nearby. The Limbus worship it as Phaktanglung. A large number of pilgrims visit the base camp of Phaktanglung every year. This mountain is called Jannu in English. From Khambachen, one can reach the place where Phaktanglung Himal is worshipped and return. Some pilgrims stay on top. The height of this mountain is 7,710 meters. Scholar Arjun Babu Mabohang says that this mountain is important because it is described in the Mundhum. We spent the night in Khambachen. The next morning, we woke up to the bustle of yaks and buffaloes. When we stepped out, we saw a scene of yaks and buffaloes crossing the river in the lap of the mountain. The huts here have been converted into hotels. Gyalbu Sherpa of Khambachen said that the old huts above it have also been converted into hotels.

We walked towards the base camp. Snow-covered mountains were visible nearby. After reaching a place, a figure resembling Buddha was seen in the distance. I told my friend Mr. Thulung. He had also seen the same thing. After walking for a few hours, a rock figure appeared. It was a peaceful land, completely natural. Perhaps this figure was formed due to the interaction with the snow and love.

We walked slowly to the wide meadow-like Lonak. The hotels here were full. Many foreigners were staying in those hotels. There was a valley surrounded by mountains. A new lake had been formed here. According to businessman Tenzing Sherap, the place where the lake is now used to be used for fishing.

While staying at Lonak and walking towards the base camp on the other side, the buffaloes were grazing wildly on the way. This area is considered important for buffaloes. Snow leopards are also found in the Kanchenjunga base camp area. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are an estimated 397 snow leopards in the Himalayan region of Nepal. Of these, 13 are estimated to be in the Kanchenjunga area.

Dicky Sherpa of the ‘T-House’ in Jorkyu suggested that we walk slowly while having tea and soup. Following her suggestion sincerely, we moved forward. We reached Pangpe, the northern base camp of Kanchenjunga, which is at an altitude of 5,142 meters.

The world’s third highest mountain (8,586 meters), Kanchenjunga, was in front of our eyes. There was not even a line blocking the view of the mountain, the eyes and directly the mountain. The sun was warming the body on one side, while the mountain was shining on the other. In other words, I was sunbathing along with the mountain. Along with Kanchenjunga, there are mountains such as Laskarai Yalung, Kirat Chuli, Pathibhara Nepal Peak, and others.

There are two base camps of Kanchenjunga. The southern base camp, Oktang, is at an altitude of 4,750 meters. From Ghunsa, one can reach Cheram via the Sele Pass. From Cheram, one can reach Ramjer in a day. From Ramjer, one can reach the southern base camp and return. One can also reach the northern base camp via the Sele Pass through Yamphudin to reach the southern base camp. The number of foreign tourists visiting this area is increasing every year. The council has data that 1,246 foreign tourists visited in the financial year 2081/82, 1,017 in 2080/81 and 661 in 2079/80. The best time to visit this area is during the months of Asoj-Kartik and the first week of Mangsir and Falgun-Baishakh. The northern base camp takes 12 to 14 days, the southern base camp takes 8 to 10 days and the circuit tour takes 20 to 22 days.