We at Dream Wanderlust, a team of eight people approached the kora region which is situated west of Nako from Mukuthang in 2017. We crossed Kora La (5242m) there and we found ourselves at the base of Kora Chonekang. We explored and documented the region and headed towards Panch Pokhri. After experiencing the beauty of Panch Pokhri, through Kora Chobuk La (5120m), team reached at the base of Kora Chobuk peaks. Then, we made our way through another pass, named Gora Lungnak La (4870m). It was an exciting and strenuous one. The final part of our trek was visiting the South Lhonak glacier region. We reached Lhonak lake via Zanak-2 camp after crossing Gora Lungnak La (4870m).
Back in 2016, team Dream Wanderlust trekked in the Zemu glacier region of North Sikkim. We started our trek from Kalapathar near Thangu and after crossing Lungnak La and Theu La, we reached a beautiful valley, named Thophyok. In the month of October 2016, due to heavy snow deposition in Thangchung La, we took a different approach and walked along Thophyok river to cross the valley and thus reached our destination Zemu Glacier region and Green Lake.
While ascending Theu-La from the Mukuthang side, enthralling views of Kora, Lhonak region and some ridges which lead to the north, caught our attention. Next year in 2017, the team managed to visit those regions after receiving permits from the Home Ministry of India, Indian Army, ITBP, forest department, and tourism department of Sikkim
The main objective was to visit the unexplored region of Kora, Kora Chema and some parts of Lhonak along with the connecting passes. The view of beautiful lakes on the high plateau was another point of attraction.
We started our journey in the evening from Kolkata, West Bengal by train and reached New Jalpaiguri next day in the morning. It took almost 10hrs to reach Lachen(2750m) via Mangan by car from New Jalpaiguri. We stayed that night in Lachen in a hotel. We briefly discussed our expedition plan over dinner and retired to bed tired, only to wake up with a great zeal in the next morning.
We hired a car which drove us to Lungnak La (5050m) via Thangu and Zachu Valley in 2hrs. The journey was pleasant one. At Kalapathar, a few kilometres away from Lungnak la, we got a chance to see unique Brahma Kamal flower. We started our trekking on that day, from Lungnak la. Initially, we had to negotiate our way through a difficult rough terrain. On the way, the beautiful sight of large shallow Lungnak Lake(4800m) caught our eyes. Leaving the lake behind, we kept on walking towards Mukuthang(4700m). Upon reaching Mukuthang, we relaxed ourselves at the bank of Nako Chu and pitched our tents near the Army Base Camp.
It was our rest day at Mukuthang valley. We completed all the formalities regarding the permit and spent the day in discussing our plan of action for ensuing days. Both ITBP and Indian Army provided us with some ration and encouraged us to visit those areas. However, they could not give us much idea about the Kora and Rakcha Region.
We started towards Nako la early in the morning as we were not sure how much distance we had to cover to reach our next campsite Rakcha(5040m). In the beginning, the trail was not that much difficult but we found it a bit strenuous due to high altitude. We walked through valleys covered with small grass like plants, witnessing picturesque views. En route, we came across Chomo Yummo (6829m). On the left, we found a gully that led us to Rakcha region. The area was almost dry. We trekked through boulders and stones and finally after much searching, we found a site to set our camp at Rakcha. After an action-packed day, we enjoyed that rainy evening with hot beverages and snacks.
We started our journey in drizzling weather, putting our ponchos on. There were two lakes in Rakcha, one at 5100m and another at 5140m. We noticed various exquisite macro flowers and plants, along our trail. We approached towards Kora La(5242m) and got a view of Kora Chonekang Glacier. We found moraine areas there. The trail towards the pass was easy one but on the other side it was a steep descent. After descending about 200m, we saw a clear view of the valley of Kora Chema region. We walked through swampy land and found Kora Chema Lake (5004m) on our way. With huge efforts, we crossed it and judging our way through boulders, we reached our camp site. We set our camp at an enchanting site, between first and second lake of Panch Pokhri, facing the magnificent peaks of Kora group.
The morning greeted us with windy atmosphere. We were all waiting with bated breath when the curtains of clouds would be lifted, allowing us to witness the fascinating view of Kora Chonekang (6127m) and Kora Glacier Unnamed peak along the Lake. We were so lucky. Nature didn’t disappoint us. After that, we packed our belongings quickly with a little apprehension in mind as we had to cross transit pass to Kora Chobuk (5120m) that day. As we started walking, we got glimpse of another two lakes at a distance. The entire region was full of boulders and scree. When we reached Kora Chobuk, what we found before us, was a vast endless high-valley. We took a short break there to study maps and after a brief consultation regarding the route, we started walking towards Kora Kang area. We found a large lake at Kora Chabuk at 5017m. We secured a chance to see Kora East Glacier, Kora Chechen Glacier and Chobuk Sang La(5510m) also. As we were making our way through Kora Chechen, Kora range and Kora Glacier presented a short appearance before us. We then began to descend towards Kora river, coming out of Kora Glacier. At that point, we found it difficult to figure out the route towards Gora Lungnak La, which leads to Lhonak Valley from Kora Valley. We trekked along the downstream of Kora river to find a flat river bed to cross bank. We got a distant view of Dolmasampa bridge and Thangchun Kang peak there. Fortunately, by the evening, we were able to cross the river and reached our campsite at the base of Gora Lungnak La(4870m).
In the morning, there was a spectacular view of Kora Kang East, Kora Kang West, Kora Chubuk and Kora Chubuk Sang La(5510m). After experiencing such alluring beauty, with great enthusiasm in mind, we started our journey for next destination Zanak 2, situated in Lhonak valley. As we began ascending, we found ourselves surrounded by mountains. One side there were Kora Chechenkang, Roka Peak(5974m) and on the other hand, Kora I, Kora II and two unnamed peaks (6486m and 6554m). We saw another lake(5100m) at a distance there. We negotiated our ways here to avoid paths full of screes. When we were moving towards Gora Lungnak La(5279m), we got a view of Kachenjungha main(8598m). At backside, there was another lake of Panch Pokhri, Kora Chechen Lake. We also caught a glimpse of Kanchengyao(6889m) on the way. After climbing on the pass, we got a panoramic view of mountains: Jongsong(7453m), Langpo(6954m), Pyramid(7123m), Tent(7363m) and Kanchenjungha(8586m). While descending, we caught another sight of Langpo Chung Kang(6766m), Langpo and Pyramid. We also captured Tent pass, Changsang Glacier in frames and crossed Gora Lungnak La successfully. After that, we took conventional route to Zanak 2 Army Camp. The trail was easy and we found another lake(5080m) there. Zanak welcomed us with a sight of Chorte Niyama(6927m), Lhonak(6710m) and Kellas(6680m).
We headed towards South Lhonak Glacier in the bright sunny morning. Amidst nature, under the endless blue sky we found our ways sometimes through swampy lands and sometimes through boulder zones. The trail was a gradual ascent. The most exciting part of the day was to cross a river to reach our campsite below South Lhonak Glacier. The water was icy cold, making our feet totally numb within seconds. Somehow, we dragged ourselves to the other side. The moonlit night at campsite was truly rewarding.
We explored our campsite in the morning and got struck by the wide panoramic frame of Unnamed(6555m), Chorte Niyama, Lhonak, Kellas, Jongsang, North and South Lhonak Glacier, Domekang(7260m), Jongsang La(6150m), Langpo Chunkang, Langpo and South Lhonak lake (Green Lake). After having breakfast, we started our journey towards Mukuthang. On the way, we explored beautiful Changsang Valley and Dolmasampa. We took rest at Zanak 1 Army Camp for some time and by the late afternoon, we reached Mukuthang.
We left Mukuthang campsite with heavy heart. It was last day of our trek. After crossing Lungnak La, we reached Kalapathar. The trail was slippery at times and sometimes we had to struggle through boulder zones. We came back to Lachen in the evening by car from Kalapathar (via Thangu) with lots of memories to be cherished forever.
Team Members: Sayantan Ghosh, Supratm Mukherjee, Avijit Sur, Purba Ganguly, Piyali Kahn, Pritam Das Sharma and Nilanjan Patra
Written and edited by Rituparna Chowdhury
