8,586metres at the summit from the sea level, Mt Kanchenjunga, the third highest on the altitude scale, is no doubt a force to be reckoned with. While the status may hold meaning for many of us, Kanchenjunga, with five peaks, seems to smile at the human use of calculations and judgment, in wonder, though, not in sarcasm. For Kanchenjunga appears aware that the influence is collective. The glaciers – including Yanglung and Kangchen; the rivers – Tamur, Simbuaand Ghunsa; the high passes – Sele-La and Sinion;as well as the farmlands, the villages, the ridges and the flora and fauna in those hills and river valleys in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area; all certainly play their respective roles in the shaping ofexperiences in all traversing the land.
As the landscape gains altitude, the composition of the communities, a diverse cultural mix in the lowlands, gradually sees villages predominantly Limbus, an ethnic group known for their bravery.Intriguing can be their traditional attire, fiery foods, and Tongba, an alcoholic drink served hot; and also SakpaPalam, the fast beat songs, or KembaPalam, the slower ones; as well as the dances, Khyali, that requires the youths to express poetically, or Chybrung, that seeks to signify the origins of life or the one performed only by their Shamans. Higher up still, the Sherpas take over. These villages, with wooden homes and wooden or stone fences, grow maize and potatoes as their main crops and see that the livestock consists of mainly the yaks and the sheep. These modest villagers too do not shy away from dancing as the community engages collectively in their traditional folk dance, Sabru.
The rich flora native to Kanchenjunga Region starts out as subtropical forests and reaches the alpine grasslands before the tree line. While a variety of rhododendrons dominate the greenery, the maples, the willows, the firs and the junipers contribute and the shrubs and herbs join in. As a consequence, the snow leopard, the Asiatic black bear, and the red panda among others find Kanchenjunga Conservation Area conducive to living and so do the snow cock, blood pheasant and Himalayan griffon.
For a trek into the remoteness of the land, two options await selection: Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek and Pathivara Trek.