Dzongri La & Goecha La Twin Pass Trek

The Goecha La trek is a 10-day private walk from Yuksom, the old first capital of Sikkim, through Khangchendzonga National Park to Dzongri, Thansing and the Goecha La View Point, facing the Kanchenjunga massif. We run it from Bagdogra airport and back.

You spend two nights in Yuksom first. The second day is a gentle walk to Dubdi Monastery and Kathok Lake, so the legs and lungs start slowly. Then comes the first trek day, 14 km: three suspension bridges over fast rivers, rhododendron forest, Sachen and Bakhim, and Tshoka at 2,956 m, a clearing with an old monastery and a small lake. Next comes the climb over Phedang and Deurali Top to Dzongri at 3,960 m, where you stay two nights. A pre-dawn walk to Dzongri Top (4,300 m) puts Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Tenchenkhang, Jupono and Kabru in the first light, and the day goes on to Dzongri La.

Then you drop to Kokchurong beside the Prek Chu and walk through dwarf rhododendron to the Thansing meadow, with Mount Pandim right overhead and dark, clear night skies. Day seven is the big one: Lamuney at 4,150 m, with the Goecha La View Point and Samiti Lake as the excursion. Then comes the long way down through Kokchurong and Phedang to Tshoka, a last walk to Yuksom for a hot lunch and shower, and the drive to Bagdogra.

• Days: 10 days, 9 nights, Bagdogra to Bagdogra
• Highest point: Dzongri Top, 4,300 m
• Grade: Moderate+. Walking days run 4 to 8 hours.
• Seasons: spring and autumn

Moderate+ means several long days at altitude. The Yuksom day and the two nights at Dzongri are there to prepare you for them.

• Dzongri Top at sunrise: A pre-dawn climb to 4,300 m brings Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Tenchenkhang, Jupono and Kabru out of the dark one by one.
• Goecha La View Point: You face the Kanchenjunga massif from the head of the valley, on a day that also takes in Samiti Lake.
• Samiti Lake: A still lake at 4,200 m on the Goecha La day, a quiet stop on the way down from the viewpoint.
• Thansing under Pandim: A wide, flat alpine meadow where Mount Pandim stands directly overhead, and where the nights are dark and clear for stars.
• Dzongri La: A walk to the entrance of the Oklathang valley on the second Dzongri day, with time to rest and acclimatise.
• Forest, then meadow: Rhododendron forest and suspension bridges on the way to Tshoka, then stunted bushes and open meadow above Phedang. Blood Pheasant, Sikkim's state bird, is often seen near the trail.
• A day in Yuksom: Dubdi Monastery, the Norbugang Coronation Throne and Kathok Lake, before the walk begins.
• Airport to airport, private: Pickup and drop at Bagdogra, with permits arranged by us and a team that walks with your group alone.

The Goecha La trek begins low. Yuksom sits at about 1,706 m, and Dzongri, two walking days later, is at 3,960 m. How you spend the first two days decides how the rest feels.

Day 1: the drive

We collect you at Bagdogra airport and drive to Yuksom via Jorethang and Legship. It is about 160 km and 7 hours on winding hill roads, so we plan it as a full day, with a hotel at the end of it. The road is poorly lit and not one to drive after dark, so we plan the day to arrive in daylight.

Day 2: a day in Yuksom

The next day you do not carry a pack. You walk about 8 km, in 4 to 5 hours, up to Dubdi Monastery, which is about an hour's climb, then to the Norbugang Coronation Throne, where the first Chogyal of Sikkim was crowned in 1642, and on to Kathok Lake. It is active acclimatisation, and it gives your guide time to finish the permit work in the village. Yuksom is also where Khangchendzonga National Park entry permits are issued, at the forest check post at the edge of the village.

Day 3: Yuksom to Tshoka in one day

Our first trek day is the long one: 14 km, 5 to 7 hours, from 1,706 m to Tshoka at 2,956 m. You cross three suspension bridges over the Pha, Tshushay and Mentogang rivers to Sachen, a small clearing used for camps, then climb to Bakhim, whose name means bamboo hut, and on to Tshoka. Tshoka has an old monastery, a small lake and its first views of the high peaks.

Some schedules stop at Sachen to shorten the first day. We walk through it. The extra hours are easy ones on a well-made trail, and we have already spent a day at altitude in Yuksom. You then reach Tshoka fresh enough for the climb to Dzongri.

What this means for you

A first day of 14 km needs ordinary good fitness and boots that are already broken in. If you are not sure, tell us your recent walks and we will say honestly whether the days suit you.

Goecha La lies inside Khangchendzonga National Park, in the border country of Sikkim. That means paperwork, and we arrange it all for you.

What is needed

• Park entry: Khangchendzonga National Park entry permits are issued at the forest check post at the edge of Yuksom, where the trail starts.
• Restricted Area Permit: Foreign nationals need a Sikkim Restricted Area Permit. It is now issued online only, through the e-FRRO portal, and must be approved before you reach Melli, where the road enters Sikkim.
• Protected Area Permit: Foreign trekkers also need this one for the Goecha La route. It is arranged through a registered operator, for a group of at least two.

Everyone should carry photo ID on the road into Sikkim.

Why a group of two

The Protected Area Permit is issued for a group of at least two. Our treks are private, usually two to ten people, so this fits how we already run. If you are travelling alone, write to us before you plan your dates and we will tell you what is possible.

When to start

The Restricted Area Permit needs approval before you cross into Sikkim, so do not leave it to the airport. Send us your names, dates and passport details early, and we will take it from there.

Reaching Melli: the road

From Bagdogra, the road leaves the plains at Sevoke and follows the Teesta valley on NH10 up to Melli, about 58 km from Siliguri. It then runs west to Jorethang, along the Rangeet river to Legship, and up through Tashiding to Yuksom. Landslides on NH10 are most common from June to September, which is another reason this trek is walked in spring and autumn. When the road is blocked, the alternative is a slower hill road through Darjeeling and down to Jorethang.

Tell us your nationality, dates and group size, and we will confirm the permits you need and line them up before you fly.

Dzongri is the hinge of the Goecha La trek. It is where the forest ends, the first full mountain views open, and the itinerary gives you two nights at the same altitude.

Tshoka to Dzongri (day 4)

The walk is 10 km and takes 5 to 7 hours, from Tshoka at 2,956 m to Dzongri at 3,960 m. The trail climbs through rhododendron forest to Phedang at 3,500 m, a meadow that makes a good lunch stop. Above it the trees turn into stunted bushes and then open meadow, and you cross Deurali Top at 3,980 m, with prayer flags and your first wide view of the mountains. Blood Pheasant, the state bird of Sikkim, is often seen in the bushes along the trail. Dzongri itself is a trekking hub, where trails branch off towards Goecha La and the HMI base camp.

Day 5: Dzongri Top and Dzongri La

You wake about 4 am for the climb to Dzongri Top, at 4,300 m, in time for first light, around 5:20. Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Tenchenkhang, Jupono and Kabru turn gold in turn. After breakfast at camp, you walk to Dzongri La, the entrance to the Oklathang valley. The day is 8 km and 4 to 6 hours in all, and you are back at camp by about noon, then rest and drink water.

Why we stay two nights

You sleep high, climb higher in the morning and come back down to sleep at the same height. That gives your body time to adjust before the Thansing and Lamuney days.

If Dzongri is enough for you

Our Dzongri La trek goes this far and turns back, in 8 days.

Everything on this trek leads to day seven. Here is the stretch around it.

Dzongri to Thansing (day 6)

This is 11 km and 5 to 6 hours, mostly downhill. You leave the high, exposed ridge and descend into the forested valley of Kokchurong, at 3,660 m, beside the Prek Chu river. Lunch is by the river. The trail then passes through corridors of dwarf rhododendron to Thansing, at about 3,890 m. It is a wide, flat meadow, and Mount Pandim stands almost directly over the camp. The nights are dark and clear, and it is a good place for stargazing.

Day 7: Lamuney, the View Point and Samiti Lake

The day is 13 km and 6 to 8 hours, and it is the longest day at altitude on the trek. Lamuney is at 4,150 m, and the Goecha La View Point and Samiti Lake (4,200 m) are the excursion from it. The plan is an early start, about 3 am, in the dark, with a packed breakfast. You reach the View Point around 6 am, with Kanchenjunga, Goecha Peak and the surrounding mountains ahead of you. Then you descend towards Samiti Lake, which you reach about 8 am for a quiet break.

You camp at Lamuney. Our team carries the camp, the food and the hot drinks.

Cold and snow

The early start is cold, and in spring and early summer you may meet some snow. If conditions call for it, we provide microspikes. You do not need to bring them.

The way back (days 8 and 9)

Day 8 is 15 km and 6 to 7 hours, from Lamuney through Kokchurong and Phedang to Tshoka. It is long, but nearly all downhill. Day 9 goes on from Tshoka via Bakhim and Sachen to Yuksom, 14 km and 4 to 6 hours, and ends with a hot shower and dinner at the hotel. Day 10 is the drive to Bagdogra.

What to expect

Day seven is where Moderate+ shows. If the weather or your body says no, your guide will turn you back, and that is a good decision, not a failure.

Three HH treks share the same start and the same early days. They differ in how far you go and how long you have.

Dzongri La trek, 8 days

The Dzongri La trek goes from Yuksom to Dzongri, with Dzongri Top and Dzongri La, and then back down. It has the forest and the first mountain views, and it asks for less time. It does not go to Thansing or the Goecha La View Point.

Goecha La trek, 10 days

This trek, the Dzongri La and Goecha La twin trek, adds Thansing, Lamuney, the Goecha La View Point and Samiti Lake. You walk out the way you came in, through Tshoka and Yuksom, so the first and last days are the same trail in two directions. It has 4 to 8 hours of walking a day, and the days are Moderate+.

Goecha La and Kasturi La circuit, 12 days

The Goecha La and Kasturi La circuit follows the same trail to Thansing and Goecha La, then continues to Chamrey, a rest day by the lakes around Lampokhari, and over Kasturi La to a different road-head, Labdang. You do not retrace your steps. It suits guests who want more time and a loop.

When to go

This trek is walked in spring and autumn. The best months in our records are February to May and September to December. The temperature range is -5 to 20 degrees Celsius. In winter and early spring, expect cold nights and some snow near the top. In autumn the days are usually clearer.

Choosing

If you have 10 days and want the Goecha La View Point, this is the trek. If you have fewer days, take Dzongri La. If you want more time and a loop, take the circuit. Tell us your dates and the walking you have done, and we will say which fits.