Full Singalila Traverse and West Sikkim Circuit Trek

The Full Singalila Traverse and West Sikkim Circuit Trek is a strenuous 220 km walk through West Sikkim, from Uttarey to Labdang, reaching 4,800 m. It joins two routes that are usually walked apart: the Singalila Ridge along the Indo-Nepal border, and the Rathong and Goecha La side of Khangchendzonga National Park.

From Uttarey the trail climbs through bamboo, pine and rhododendron in the Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary to the meadow at Thulo Dhaap, then to Phoktey Dara for a dawn view of the Kanchenjunga range. Then comes the ridge itself: camps at Sikkimey Gairi, Dhoor and Pahare Megu, yak-herder huts, and a trail that crosses back and forth over the border. A full rest day at the Lam Pokhari lakes comes before Danphe Bir La (4,515 m), then Phangdin below Rathong and Koktang, and Dzongri. From there you reach Chowrikhang (HMI Base Camp) and the Rathong Glacier, then drop to the Prek Chu and climb to Goecha La Viewpoint 1 under Pandim. The way out skips the usual trail: Chamrey, Kasturi La and the village of Labdang.

• Days: 23 days, 22 nights, including two flexible reserve days. Homestays at Uttarey and Labdang, camping between.
• Grade: strenuous. Most days are 5 to 7 hours; a few run to 8.
• Best months: March to May and September to December.
• Getting there: from Bagdogra airport and back, pickup and drop included.

This is a remote circuit and evacuation may not be possible from every camp. We keep the group small and private, build acclimatisation into the days, and turn back when it is right.

For the Goecha La side alone, see the Goecha La - Kasturi La circuit.

• 220 km from Uttarey to Labdang: The Singalila Ridge and the Rathong and Goecha La basins in one continuous circuit, with a different exit from the usual trail.
• Phoktey Dara at dawn: A 3:30 am start for the sunrise view over the Kanchenjunga range, then back down to sleep lower at Chewabhanjyang.
• Days on the border ridge: Sikkimey Gairi, Dhoor and Pahare Megu are strung along the Indo-Nepal ridge. The trail crosses between the two countries, with yak-herder huts the only sign of people.
• Lam Pokhari and Lakshmi Pokhari: A camp beside the 'Long Lake' at 4,330 m, a walk to the largest lake of the cluster, and a full rest day before the pass.
• Danphe Bir La (4,515 m): The pass-crossing day, a steep climb and steep descent to the meadow camp at Gomathang, where you sleep lower.
• Phangdin under Rathong and Koktang: A high grazing ground used by yak herders, among the closest camps to the Rathong and Koktang peaks.
• Dzongri Top at sunrise: A pre-dawn walk to the famous 360-degree view of Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Kabru and Rathong, with a spare day at Dzongri.
• Chowrikhang (HMI Base Camp) and Rathong Glacier: Two nights at 4,500 m, with Dudh Pokhari, Bhale Pokhari and a walk towards the glacier.
• Goecha La Viewpoint 1: A 3 am start from Lamuney to see the east face of Kanchenjunga at sunrise, with Samity Lake on the way down.
• Kasturi La and the forest descent: From Chamrey over Kasturi La to Kasturi, then down through oak, chestnut and bamboo to Labdang at 1,900 m, a village outside the standard routes.

The first eight days of this circuit are the Singalila Ridge, and they set the tone for everything after. You drive from Bagdogra airport to Uttarey in about 6 hours (160 km), stay in a local homestay, and meet the team that evening for a briefing and a kit check. On a circuit this long there is no room for the wrong gear.

Forest first. Day 2 is 12 km and 5 to 7 hours from Uttarey (2,020 m) to Thulo Dhaap (2,860 m), through bamboo, pine and rhododendron in the Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary. Red panda and several pheasant species live here, though sightings are a matter of luck. Rhododendron is at its best in spring.

Phoktey Dara. Day 3 begins around 3:30 am so you reach Phoktey Dara (3,650 m) for sunrise over Kanchenjunga, with Everest, Lhotse and Makalu also in view on a clear morning. You then walk on to Chewabhanjyang at 3,160 m. Climbing high and sleeping lower is the pattern of the early days.

Border ridge. From Chewabhanjyang the walk follows the Indo-Nepal border for much of the way, and the trail crisscrosses between the two countries. The camps are Sikkimey Gairi, Dhoor (3,820 m) and Pahare Megu (3,936 m). Between them the trail rises and falls, with some points along the ridge above 4,000 m, Kanchenjunga on one side and the valleys of Nepal on the other. At Dhoor, an optional evening climb to Sukhi Chuli gives a sunset view of the range and is useful acclimatisation.

The lakes. Day 7 climbs to Lam Pokhari at 4,330 m, with a walk to Lakshmi Pokhari. The lakes are a pilgrimage place for local people, so we keep to the shore and leave nothing behind. Day 8 is a rest day here, with only a gentle walk above camp.

If you only want the ridge, the Phoktey Dara trek and the Phalut trek are separate treks on the same Singalila ridge. This circuit is the one that carries on from the ridge into the Rathong and Goecha La basins.

The Full Singalila Traverse takes 23 days because the height is gained slowly and the circuit is remote. From Day 7 to Day 20 the camps sit between about 3,800 m and 4,500 m, and the grade notes say sleeping altitudes may pass 4,000 m on a couple of days, but no more than that.

How the days are laid out.

• Days 1 to 3: Uttarey at 2,020 m, Thulo Dhaap at 2,860 m, then Phoktey Dara at 3,650 m and a night back at 3,160 m.
• Days 4 to 7: ridge days. Sukhi Chuli, an optional evening climb from Dhoor, adds a short climb-high, sleep-low outing. By Day 7 you sleep at 4,330 m.
• Day 8: a rest day at Lam Pokhari before the pass.
• Day 9: Danphe Bir La (4,515 m), then a night lower at Gomathang (3,815 m).
• Day 12: a day at Dzongri for Dzongri Top and the nearby Dzongri La, before the higher camp at Chowrikhang (4,500 m).
• Days 18 and 20: two flexible reserve days, one at Thansing after the Goecha La viewpoint morning, one at Chamrey. They absorb weather, a slow day or a view that was clouded out.

So by the time you are at Chowrikhang, you have already slept above 3,000 m for more than ten nights. Acclimatisation is built into the itinerary this way, and we also watch how each person is going every day.

Season. The best months are March to May and September to December. Temperatures on the route run from about -8 to 20 degrees Celsius. Spring brings rhododendron in the forests; the autumn months give clearer mountain views.

Permits. Foreign nationals need a Sikkim Restricted Area Permit, now issued online only and approved before you reach Melli, and a Protected Area Permit, which is arranged through a registered operator for a group of at least two. Indian nationals should carry photo ID.

The walking is steep, often on moraine, scree and loose gravel, and evacuation may not be possible from every camp. Good fitness and regular cardio training matter here. This is a trek for people who have already done multi-day high-altitude walking and want to take their time doing it. Tell us your dates, experience and pace, and we will shape the days with you.

Days 10 to 15 are the heart of the circuit, where the ridge walk ends and the glacial basins begin. The Rathong peak (6,679 m) and Koktang (6,147 m) become your neighbours.

Phangdin to Dzongri. Day 10 climbs from Gomathang to Phangdin at 4,315 m, a grazing ground used by yak herders and one of the closest camps to the Rathong and Koktang range. Go slowly: you regain nearly 500 m in 9 km. Day 11 crosses rocky moraine and scree for 12 km to Dzongri, crossing the Koktang Chu and Rathong Chu into the Oklathang valley. This is the link between the Singalila Ridge and the classic Goecha La trail, and Dzongri is the first busier trail since Uttarey.

A day at Dzongri. Day 12 starts at about 4:00 am for Dzongri Top and its 360-degree view of Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Kabru and Rathong. Dzongri La can be visited as a separate walk. The rest of the day is for recovery.

Chowrikhang. Day 13 is one of the longer days: about 7 hours and 13 km from Dzongri to Chowrikhang (HMI Base Camp) at 4,500 m, over Dzongri La. You camp here for two nights. On Day 14, with a full day in hand, the walk takes in a Rathong Glacier viewpoint and the lakes of Dudh Pokhari and Bhale Pokhari, returning to the same camp. It is about 6 hours and 12 km.

Back to Dzongri. Day 15 is an early walk towards the Rathong Glacier snout, then the way back over Dzongri La to Dzongri. It is the longest distance in this stretch, 18 km and about 6 hours, so we keep a steady pace and start early.

Notice the pattern: you go out to the glacier side and return to Dzongri at 3,920 m, rather than pushing on at height. For the Dzongri La country on its own, see our Dzongri La trek.

Goecha La is the best-known walk in this part of Sikkim, and on this circuit it comes after the ridge and the glacier. That order matters: you arrive with well over a week of sleeping above 3,000 m behind you.

Dzongri to Lamuney. Day 16 is 13 km and 5 to 7 hours. You pass Kokchurong (3,660 m), go down to the Prek Chu, cross it on a bridge and climb through rhododendron and silver fir to the Thansing meadow (3,890 m) and on to Lamuney at 4,150 m. Pandim (6,691 m) dominates the view on the approach.

The dawn walk. On Day 17 you leave Lamuney at about 3 am by headlamp for Goecha La Viewpoint 1 (Zemathang). This is as far as the trek goes. The first light turns the east face of Kanchenjunga gold over the vast terminal moraine below. On the way down you stop at Samity Lake, where camping is not allowed, so the shore stays quiet. You sleep at Thansing, with a trek of 5 to 7 hours and 10 km behind you.

The reserve day. Day 18 is a spare day at Thansing, a short 5 km walk. If clouds hid Kanchenjunga on Day 17, this is the day to try again. If the weather was clear, it is simply a day to recover before the long descent phase.

Why it comes here. The Prek Chu basin is fed by glaciers from Pandim and the Kabru range, and the viewpoint morning depends on a clear sky. A reserve day placed right after it gives the weather a second chance without bending the rest of the schedule.

If Goecha La is the only thing you want, our shorter Goecha La trek starts at Yuksom and returns the same way. This circuit is the long version, with more days, more ground and a different exit.

Most Goecha La treks go back down the way they came. This one does not. From Thansing the last five days cross to a different side of Khangchendzonga National Park and end at Labdang.

Chamrey. Day 19 is a long one: 6 to 8 hours and 17 km up to Chamrey at 4,150 m, with a mix of meadow, moraine, forest and some rocky ground around the Lampokhari lakes. Expect steep climbs and sharp descents. Day 20 is a reserve day at Chamrey, with a walk around the lakes of Lampokhari (4,300 m) if the weather is good, or simply a rest.

Kasturi La. Day 21 crosses Kasturi La, at about 3,600 m, to the camp at Kasturi (3,650 m) in 5 to 7 hours and 14 km. The descent from the pass is steep. The forest turns back to rhododendron and silver fir, and you see Pandim and Kabru from the south, an angle most Goecha La trekkers never get. The forest is known for the Satyr Tragopan and other pheasants.

Labdang. Day 22 is a long descent from Kasturi (3,650 m) to Labdang (1,900 m), 12 km in 4 to 6 hours. You walk through oak, chestnut and bamboo forest in the southern part of the national park and get a last look at the Jupono glacier before the trees close in. You sleep in a village homestay.

Back to Bagdogra. Day 23 is a drive of about 170 km and 6 hours via Jorethang, Melli and Siliguri to Bagdogra airport, or to New Jalpaiguri railway station if that suits your onward travel. Book onward travel for the evening or later, because Sikkim roads can slow things.

How this differs from our shorter circuit. The Goecha La - Kasturi La circuit is 12 days from Yuksom and uses the same exit through Chamrey, Kasturi La and Labdang. The Full Singalila Traverse adds the Singalila Ridge from Uttarey and the Rathong and Chowrikhang days, which is why it takes 23 days. Choose the circuit that fits the time you have. If you are unsure, tell us your dates and fitness and we will say which suits you.