Food in Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek
The trials pass through remote landscapes so the food items are carried by porters or Yaks to the village. The foods like rice, grains, and cereals are mainly transferred to the region, and vegetables are grown fresh in the village. The menu will be a combination of local and western cuisine in the lower parts of the trek. But as you climb higher the menu will be less diverse.
Mainly you will find a common food called Dal Bhat in the region. The menu in the teahouses is rice-based and served with staple side dishes. But in the lower part, you will get diverse varieties like pizza, burgers, pasta, burritos, or dumplings. You will also need to consume more liquids like tea and soup. Those consumed liquids help you to stay hydrated and keeps your body warm too.
Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek is over higher elevations, which means your body requires enough carbohydrates, nutrition for the body to walk. The meal on this trek is somehow helpful, not like that in cities, but it is surely good.
BREAKFAST IN KANCHENJUNGA CIRCUIT TREK
Breakfast choices vary in price from NPR 400 to 650. Breakfast includes Corn Flakes, porridge, muesli, pancakes, Varieties of eggs (Omelettes, Poached, Boiled), and various types of bread (fried Tibetan bread, buckwheat bread, chapatis, and so on). Often you can get them with jam or honey, sometimes with apples. You can order these dishes any time of day. It is common to place your breakfast order the night before.
LUNCH IN KANCHENJUNGA CIRCUIT TREK
Dal Bhat is the local food of Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek that is the combination of Lentil soup (dal), rice (bhat), vegetable curry, and pickle. This staple of Nepali dishes is a great option and comes with a guaranteed refill. The fresh vegetable component varies and disappears as you climb to a higher altitude. It is usually ready pretty fast, great if you are staying for lunch and don’t want to wait an hour. Dal Bhat ranges from about NPR 350 to 850 on the Kanchenjunga Circuit. The choice for free refills makes it worth it, and this meal will give you all the energy you need during the trek.
Besides the universal dal bhat, the menu also includes soups, pasta, dumpling, pizzas, spring rolls, and plenty more. In the lower part, you will get to choose other items too like Sandwiches, Macaroni, Tenduk, Spaghetti Noodles, Thukpa, Pasta, Pizza (Tomato, Mushroom, Mixed), etc.
DINNER IN KANCHENJUNGA CIRCUIT TREK
There will be similar dishes for lunch and dinner. The varieties usually involve Dal, Bhat & Tarkari, Tibetan Bread, Various Soups items, Sherpa Stew, Sandwiches, Dumplings, Macaroni, Tenduk, Noodles, Thukpa, Pasta, Vegetable curry, and salad. The price ranges from 500 to 900 depending upon the dishes you choose.
DRINKS IN KANCHENJUNGA CIRCUIT TREK
Hot drinks in Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek usually include regular black tea, instant coffee, masala tea, lemon ginger honey tea, and hot chocolate. You will see hot drinks in every guesthouse with a huge price range from 50 to 450 per cup. Thermal Flasks of various sizes are also always available, which is sometimes good value and sometimes not. One guesthouse’s medium pot is another one’s small so make sure before ordering.
SNACKS
Usually, you will not find more options for snacks at higher altitudes. You can also buy it in Kathmandu or Bhadrapur for more options. It is always best to carry snacks like dried fruits, nuts, or chocolate bars.
Drinking Water In the Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek
Water is the most important part while you are trekking. You should drink up to 3 liters of water each day to be secured from dehydration. Water further encourages your body to avoid potential altitude sickness during the trek. Bottled mineral water is also available but we will not recommend it because it will harm the atmosphere. Along every route, you will find spring water or tap water to refill your bottle. You can then add chlorine or iodine for disinfecting the water. Tea houses offer you free tap water which you can purify before drinking. If you do not like the taste of chlorine then you can get boiled or filtered water from the lodge. Nepal is rich in the origins of drinking water, so you are recommended to drink tap or spring water after treatment.
Where to get water in Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek
While you are trekking to the Kanchenjunga region, filling water is easy. You will find taps outside every guesthouse where you can fill up your bottles or water bladders. You can fill up at the place you are staying, a lunch stop, or a common tap used by locals. You can also often drink streams water which will be clear. At a higher altitude, it is advised to fill up water bottles before bed. Because in the morning you may discover the water source may be frozen.
STERILISATION
If you are using tap or stream water in Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek it is always the best plan to sterilize the water effectively. The safest way is the Steripen Ultra. This method applies ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and treats 1 liter of water in just 90 seconds. This device has a life of nearly 8000 treatments and costs around 100 USD. it is quick and hassle-free compared to the purification tablets.
Other conventional means of sterilization are Lifestraw, Grayl, Water-To-Go, and purification tablets (we always have some of these as a backup). Personally, we like the versatility of the Steripen.
The Final Say
The Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek is an unimaginable adventure in the foothills of the third highest mountain in the world, Mt Kanchenjunga (8586 m). You will stay at the teahouses and eat mostly locals meals along the trek.
In the peak seasons, the teahouse in the trials may get filled up early. Therefore, you should pre-book lodges and meal facilities to be safe from any trouble. This way you can enjoy the trek stress-free. I hope the above article helped you to know more about the Food and Drink in Kanchenjunga Circuit Trek. If you are more queries then feel free to contact us.
