The Kasturi Orar Round Trek is one of the toughest and most rewarding treks in the Sikkim Himalayas. Most trekkers know the classic Goecha La trek, where you walk in and walk right back out the same way. The Kasturi Orar Trek does something different. After the summit push to Goecha La Viewpoint, the trail breaks away from the crowd and loops east over the Kasturi La pass, past the hidden Lampokhari Lake, and down through untouched forest to the Gurung village of Labdang. You never retrace your steps.
Over 12 days and roughly 120 kilometres, this trek carries you from the sub-tropical forests of Yuksom at 1,780 metres to the high alpine world of Goecha La Viewpoint at 4,600 metres. Along the way, you get a direct, unobstructed view of Mount Kanchenjunga’s eastern face, the third-highest mountain on Earth. Few treks in India offer this kind of scale in a single itinerary: dense jungle, blooming rhododendron forest, glacial lakes, high passes, and a warm village homestay to close it out.
The Kasturi Orar Trek falls entirely within the Khangchendzonga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the last strongholds of the snow leopard, red panda, and Himalayan blue sheep in Sikkim. Community guardians called Himal Rakshaks help protect this landscape, and every trekker who walks this route supports that work directly.
Why Choose the Kasturi Orar Round Trek
- A true circuit route with new scenery every single day, unlike the standard Goecha La out-and-back
- Face-to-face views of Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Kabru, and Talung from Goecha La Viewpoint and Dzongri Top
- A visit to the secluded Lampokhari Lake, rarely seen by regular Goecha La groups
- A crossing of Kasturi La Pass at 4,500 metres, the trek’s final high-altitude test
- A homestay night in Labdang, a traditional Gurung heritage village, after days of camping
- Full acclimatization days built into the schedule to protect against altitude sickness
Best Time for the Kasturi Orar Trek
This trek runs in two windows only. Spring, from March to mid-June, brings warmer days between 10°C and 18°C and the Himalayas’ famous rhododendron bloom, though afternoon cloud can roll in and hide the peaks by late day. Autumn, from September to November, offers the clearest skies of the year and the sharpest views of Kanchenjunga, though nights turn cold fast, dropping to -8°C by November. The monsoon months of July and August are avoided entirely due to leeches, landslides, and flooded river crossings, and winter treks are not possible once heavy snow closes the high passes.
See our guide to the best time to trek in Sikkim for how this fits into the wider seasonal picture across our routes.
Difficulty and Fitness
This is a difficult, strenuous trek and not a beginner’s route. You will sleep above 4,000 metres for close to five nights in a row, and the climb from Tshoka to Dzongri alone gains over 1,000 metres in a single day. We recommend at least two months of cardio training before you arrive, including running, stair climbs with a loaded pack, and leg strength work. Trekkers above 45 years need a medical fitness certificate before we can process your permit.
This trek falls inside the Khangchendzonga National Park permit zone, so the same rules covered in our comprehensive Sikkim permits guide apply here.
