Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world and the second highest in Nepal, located in the Taplejung district straddling the frontier between Nepal and India. Kanchenjunga means "Five Treasures of the Snow", as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450 meters. Until 1852, Kanchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world, but calculations made by the British 1849 Great Trigonometric Survey showed Mount Everest to be the highest and Kanchenjunga the third-highest.

The five peaks of Kanchenjunga are as follows:
Kanchenjunga Main 8,586 m 28,169 ft †
Kanchenjunga West (Yalung Kang) 8,505 m 27,904 ft
Kanchenjunga Central (Middle) 8,482 m 27,828 ft
Kanchenjunga South 8,494 m 27,867 ft
Kambachen 7,902 m 25,925 ft

Kanchenjunga was first climbed on May 25, 1955 by George Band and Joe Brown of a British expedition. The British expedition honored the beliefs of the Sikkimese, who hold the summit sacred, by stopping a few feet short of the actual summit. Most successful summit parties since then have followed this tradition.

The huge massif of Kanchenjunga is buttressed by great ridges running roughly due east to west and north to south, forming a giant 'X'. These ridges contain a host of spectacular 6,000 to 7,000 meter peaks. On the east ridge in Sikkim, is Siniolchu (6,888 m / 22,600 ft), regarded as one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. The west ridge culminates in the magnificent Jannu (7,710 m / 25,294 ft) with its imposing north face. To the south, clearly visible from Darjeeling, are Kabru North (7,338 m / 24,075 ft), Kabru South (7,316 m / 24,002 ft) and Rathong peaks (6,678 m / 21,910 ft). The north ridge contains The Twins and Tent Peak, and runs up to the Tibetan border by the Jongsong La, a 6,120 m (20,080 ft) pass.

Because of its remote location in Nepal, the Kanchenjunga region is not much explored by the trekkers. It has, therefore, retained much of its pristine beauty.