Maximum altitude- 16,200ft
Duration- 10 days
Goecha la Trekking distance- 90 km
Trail type- difficult
Rail head- New Jalpaiguri
Airport- Bagdogra
Snow Season- Winters
Base camp- Yuksom
Best season- Summers (April to May) & September to November
Region: Sikkim
Drive from Bagdogra Airport/NJP to Yuksom
Duration - 7 Hours
Altitude - 5,670 ft
7-hour transfer from New Jalpaiguri Railway Station or Bagdogra Airport to Yuksom.
As you ascend the road, take in the splendor of the Himalayas and Teesta River.
At 5670 feet, arrive in Yuksom, then check into a hotel to spend the night sleeping.
Carry 35 to 40 liters of backpack
Small Day pack 20 Ltrs (carry your trail, camera, and water).
Water bottles
Eatables like biscuits, protein bars, glucose-based chocolates, cup noodles, dry fruits, and quick energy bites as Goecha la trek is a long journey.
Shirts and pants for hiking
Shoes for hiking that can be worn on any surface
Flashflight and additional batteries
Sunglasses
Toiletry-toothpaste, tissues, soaps, cold coral, moisturizer, hand sanitizer, and anti-fungal cream.
First aid kit
Camera
Warm coat or sweater
Lots of socks and gloves
Raincoat—for rains.
To cover 90 kilometers of Goecha la trek, you must repeatedly climb and descend hills, so you should be physically fit.
The trek ascends to a height of 16,000 feet, where there is less oxygen.
Acclimatization to high altitudes is necessary if you want to feel comfortable and fit.
As the atmospheric pressure drops at such high altitudes with less oxygen inhaled, practice ventilation techniques.
Inconveniences like headaches, hypoxic conditions, vomiting, and other medical issues could result from the sudden drop in oxygen levels.
So, keep medications on hand and take the necessary precautions to avoid them.
As it is a long journey with challenging to extremely difficult level trails, be sure to prepare yourself well before the trek.
Visit a doctor prior to the trek to assess your level of fitness and to receive any necessary checkups.
Plan your trek outside of the monsoon and winter months when the trail is closed and impassable.
Since there are no ATMs or UPI facilities beyond Yuksom, always carry cash with you.
After Yuksom, there wouldn't be a mobile phone network.
Therefore, you should let your loved ones know before embarking on the base camp trek.
Have 7-9 hours of quality sleep the night before your trek because moving around restlessly will make it difficult for you to travel and will make you uncomfortable.
Bring a 35–40 liter backpack to store everything you need.
Yuksom was historically known to be the meeting place for three monks, as they traveled from Tibet to India. These monks crowned the first King of the place and named the community ‘Chogyal’. Yuksom was established as Sikkim’s capital and the Chogyal dynasty ruled here for more than 300 years. This community exists today and didn’t stop trekking up until the pressure of the Indian government in the early 2000s.
‘Kanchenjunga’ translates to ‘five treasures of snow, pointing toward its total of 5 peaks with three in India and the other two in Nepal.
Kanchenjunga National Park is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ‘La’ in Goecha la trek means ‘Mountain Pass’ in the Tibetan language.