Goecha La (el. 4940 mt or 16,207 ft) is a high mountain pass in

Gyalshing district Gyalshing District or Geyzing District is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarter is Geyzing, also known as Gyalshing. The district is a favourite with trekkers due to the high elevations. Other important towns include Pelli ...

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

range. The southeast face of Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain, can be viewed from the pass, which is also a base camp for those aspiring to scale the mountain. They say that when the government authorities first saw the view from Goecha La, they were so moved by the view that they decided to feature it on the Rs.100 note.

Trekking

Trekking through the Kanchenjunga National Park, in one of the greenest regions in the world, remains one of the top things to do for any holiday maker in the Himalayas. The weather remains clear during the winters and dramatic during the pre-monsoon season, with misty clouds. The trek itself can be challenging in terms of distances to be covered in a day. Acclimatization is important due to the huge changes in altitude over a small time during this trek. List of Himalayan peaks seen on Goechala Trek from Dzongri Top, Thansing and Goechala: * Kanchenjunga (8586m) * Talung (7349m) * Rathong (6679m) * Kabru N (7353m) * Koktang (6147m) * Simvo (6812m) * Kabru S (7318m) * Kabru Dome (6600m) * Kabru Forked (6100m) * Pandim (6691m) * Tenchenkhang (6010m) * Jupono (5650m) The basic itinerary: * Drive from Siliguri to Yuksom * Yuksom to Sachen (10 km hike) * Sachen to Tshoka (7 km hike) * Tshoka to Dzongri (10 km hike) * Rest and hike to Dzongri La Pass (4417 m) * Dzongri to Thansing (10 km hike) * Thansing to Goecha La Pass and back (14 km hike) * Thansing to Tshoka (16 km hike) * Tshoka to Yuksom (17 km hike) * Drive back to Siliguri

Film

* Singalila in the Himalaya http://theindia.info/SingaliLaInTheHimalaya Film on the history of Singalila ridge through a 14 day trek. * Goecha La: In Search of Kangchenjunga

References

{{Mountain passes of India Mountain passes of Sikkim Mountain passes of the Himalayas Hiking trails in India