PHUNGLING: More than 300 foreign tourists have visited the Kanchenjunga region of Taplejung this autumn season, according to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council.
Tourism Assistant Tashi Tenzing at the Ghunsa Tourism Check Post said that the visitors have arrived to trek and climb peaks around the world’s third-highest mountain. “Some tourists are still resting in the Ghunsa area, and the trekking season will continue until mid-December,” he said.
The climbing season in Taplejung has seen renewed enthusiasm in recent years. Earlier this autumn, two French climbers, Benjamin Charles Elie Vedrines and Nicolas Paul Aristide, successfully scaled the 6,808-meter White Wave Peak, marking its first ascent, according to Tenji Sherpa of Annapurna Foothills Treks & Expedition.
Similarly, a Chilean climber successfully summited Pathibhara Himal, located near the Kanchenjunga base area, last week. Three other French mountaineers have already reached the base camp of Kumbhakarna (Phaktanglung) Himal, the 32nd highest mountain in the world and Nepal’s 15th tallest, standing at 7,710 meters.
The Kumbhakarna Himal was first climbed by a French mountaineer in 1962. Recent years have witnessed a growing number of expeditions to peaks in the region. Last October, four South Korean climbers made the first ascent of Sharfu–5 (6,328 m), while in March this year, Hernan Leal of Chile, along with Lakpa Chhiring Sherpa, Nada Sherpa, and photographer Purnima Shrestha, successfully made the first ascent of Sharfu–4 (6,433 m).
According to the Department of Tourism, during the previous spring climbing season, from March 1 to April 21, a total of 41 climbers (26 men and 15 women) reached the 8,586-meter Kanchenjunga summit, generating Rs 1.97 million in royalty revenue for the government.
With improved weather, expanding trekking routes, and renewed interest in remote Himalayan adventures, the Kanchenjunga region is increasingly drawing climbers and trekkers from across the world.
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