Dads pictures from when he visited Sandakphu during the 60's
He's absolutely kicken it with the local ladies. Dad=Blue jacket extreme left.
The best months to visit Sandakphu, which lies in the Border between North Bengal (India) and Nepal, is March-April and then again in October-November. The route is through this endless expanse of Rhododendron forests smack in the middle of the 'Singalila National Park'. The trek typically begins from Maney Bhanjyang which is about an hours drive from Darjeeling.
The best months to visit Sandakphu, which lies in the Border between North Bengal (India) and Nepal, is March-April and then again in October-November. The route is through this endless expanse of Rhododendron forests smack in the middle of the 'Singalila National Park'. The trek typically begins from Maney Bhanjyang which is about an hours drive from Darjeeling.
The trek is a fairly easy trek through rough roads, motor able only via the legendary 'Land-Rover' (a monster 4X4 that one). Its a typical 'tea house trek' meaning you'll find boarding and restaurants all along the way ( 3-4 hrs waking distance from each other). One need not necessarily carry a sleeping bag unless guest-house blankets bother you. I know I told you that the best months to trek are March-April but somethings just can't be avoided so we had to start in the first week of May.
Land Rover's are a legend here.
We were likely to encounter some rain along the way so we had made preparations. I knew the route from my earlier visit to Sandakphu so we decided against a guide. But tourists are advised to take a guide along with them, guides can be booked from a travel agency in Darjeeling or you can even make a deal for one in Maney Bhanjyang.
Maney Bhanjyang as seen from above.
Maney Bhanjyang as seen from above.
For people who love trying out wines and country liquor made from outrageous things, Maney Bhanjyang is the unofficial country liquor capital. On the menu are Fox wine, Chicken Wine...! But I recommend 'Rhododendron' wine, no hangover and a decent kick. I hope you don't get too drunk on your overnight stay at Maney Bhanjyang because the uphill which begins the trek is one of the toughest part of the trek. Its advisable to start early, like before 6 and get the tough ascent done away with before the sun comes up fully.
Along the steep uphill till Chitrey, we started late and the sun was a bummer.
Along the steep uphill till Chitrey, we started late and the sun was a bummer.
A decent pace should ideally get you to Chitrey in about an hour and a half, the route now evens out a bit and you have the first signs of landscapes above the tree line. If you follow the obvious route you wont get lost, we didn't and had to make a crazy detour through a steep area to get back to the route.
The path leading from Chitrey to Tumling.
The path leading from Chitrey to Tumling.
By lunch time we had reached Tumling,generally you're supposed to halt here but we were there in double time and decided to go further up. The last time i had been here, we had halted at this place, we had encountered one hell of a rain storm and were drenched to our knickers. The people at the Shikhar lodge (Tumling) had been so kind to us that day and had dried our clothes for us over the traditional oven or 'bhatti'. I knew we weren't staying this time but i had brought something for them to show my appreciation for the favor they had provided me the last time around. Don't get too excited, it was just Raddish seeds, my dads into horticulture and stuff and told me the seeds were perfect for cold temperatures. The people at the lodge thought i was selling seeds to them at first, which was quite embarrassing and all.
Shikhar Lodge. Please stay here. Really great food and hospitable people.
So we moved further up, and reached Gairi Bans (Dense Bamboo) by 3 P.M. We were walking at a phenomenal speed. They have lodging facilities at this place but we sat down for a meal and decided to move on. It had become quite chilly when we started moving again. One thing about trekking, even though one cannot but stop for rests along the way. It is always a good idea not to rest for too long. You see, our body gets cooled down rapidly when we rest (more so when its cold) and it becomes mightily hard to start off again. The ascent up till 'Kal-Pokhri' (Black-Lake) was the hardest of the trek. My ankle's were kind of locked and it was really very painful.
We arrived at 'Kal-Pokhri' a little before nightfall. The last time I was here, we had reached here on the second day and had stayed the night. 'Kal-Pokhri' has a wonderful view perched as it is on this ridge. There's not many lodges here, maybe about 3-4 and we stayed in the very same lodge as I had done the last time around - the very same room. A lot had changed since last time. The Lodge-owners wife had passed away last winter as they couldn't get her medical help due to the blockage of roads due to snow. This unfortunate incident had however come down heavily on their daughter who had to drop school to help her Dad. Dinner was bland and so was my mood after hearing this.
Kal-Pokhri behind us. It's just a small lake and it was quite dark.
Kal-Pokhri behind us. It's just a small lake and it was quite dark.
I still remember my last outing here. We were just a bunch of teenagers right out of school looking for adventure. The night we had arrived in 'Kal-Pokhri' there had been this huge 'Maoist' related blast in Pashupati (Nepal) not very far away. Visions of us huddled by the radio on the dining hall listening to reports about the whole 'Sandakphu-Phalut' region being risky played back to me. And I could faintly remember the Lodge-owners wife telling us not to worry. Timeless Memories.
Anyways, coming back to this trip, the next day we started a bit casually. The morning view was refreshing to say the least. We messed around the outside of our lodge and 'Abinash Da' and 'Chawangla Da' showed us some pretty cool karate antics.
Morning Karate Class at 'Kal-Pokhri'
Sandakphu is about 5-6 hrs from 'Kal-Pokhri' depending on your speed. Its not very strenuous except for the vertical climb just before Sandakphu. We took our time to reach Sandakphu, taking frequent short rests along the way. 'Putu Da' whom we all thought would struggle with this trek is surprising everyone with his stamina and resilience. Fair Play to him.
By the way, we were four of us. Me (Aki), Abinash Da (elder brother), Chawangla Da (Abi da's friend who's also a monk and loves Bruce Lee) and our very own 'Putu-Da'.
(R to L) - Chawangla Da, Putu Da, Abi Da, Me...Gahhh..moronic expression on me.
(R to L) - Chawangla Da, Putu Da, Abi Da, Me...Gahhh..moronic expression on me.
'Sandakphu' was cold. Everything was expensive here right from the food to the room rents to even response to polite inquiries. I guess its because they have hundreds of tourists come here all the time and after a certain extent it gets your patience. The famed view here turned out to be misnomer for us as it was pretty cloudy. Now thats a risk you have to take around these parts. Weather is a capricious bitch around here, you just can never tell. And bloody hell, there was a shortage of water!
The next morning, we got some decent views of the mountain ranges around us. But it wasn't all very exciting and stuff, maybe its because I was born around these parts and it was all regular. We were supposed to go to Phalut so we pushed off by 9.A.M.
Chawangla Da (the monk) reciting some prayers before we head off for Phalut.
Chawangla Da (the monk) reciting some prayers before we head off for Phalut.
Now, Phalut is somewhere I didn't go the last time around. It's a 21km stretch to Phalut from Sandakphu with not even a single settlement in between. It used to be a notoriously tricky route back in the days with many people having disappeared here. We stacked up on food, water and other essentials and made our way to 'Phalut'.
The path to 'Phalut' was the highlight of our trek. It was a pleasant walk with not many ups and downs and the scenery of the purple hills was almost magical and dreamy. We didn't come across many people during the day and kept a steady pace. Be sure to save up on water too as we didn't find any water holes or re-bottling spots.
The route towards Phalut. Check out the 'Purple Rhododendrons'.
The route towards Phalut. Check out the 'Purple Rhododendrons'.
Phalut was all of a single guest house on a hill-top. Another hilltop about 15 mins away from the guest-house was where we were told we could get awesome views of the Everest itself. Since Phalut has only a single guest-house. It's advisable to book in advance if you decide upon going here. The guest house is run by 'West-Bengal Tourism' so reservations can probably made at the Tourism offices in Darjeeling or even Calcutta.
We, however had not made any and had to sleep in the huge ass dormitory. One thing worth mentioning here is the toilet. Straight out of a horror flick, with red paint carelessly painted on the door which frankly looked like blood dripping and we had to pass at least two storage type rooms and a long hallway to even get there. And the winds howling at you all the while flapping the tin window panes. I just went there once in the night and that to as a dare. Abi Da says I came back in 45 secs flat!
The next morning, we went up to this hilltop. And did we get a friken view there. It was humbling. I'd heard this phrase that some views just make you feel really humble and stupefied. They were not kidding. The huge mountains were just on the other side, absolutely nothing in-between (at least it looked that way). It sucked that we didn't have a Bad ass cam like a DSLR with us. But the view was worth everything we encountered on the trek - good or bad.
The view was great, but the camera couldn't justify it.
The view was great, but the camera couldn't justify it.
Around 10-11 A.M. we started on our downhill journey towards 'Gorkhey'. Believe it or not, downhill is actually more difficult than uphill. The load you are carrying and the rough path all lead to the continuous jerking of your knees which can be quite painful after an hour or so. We reached 'Gorkhey' around 2:30 P.M.
This is another village very close to 'Gorkhey'.
Gorkhey was this little hamlet beside a river valley and was relatively warmer. We needed no invitation to jump into the river as we hadn't taken a bath for days. But the water was icy and cold. Didn't stop us though. Since it was to be the last night of our trip, we decided we were getting pissed drunk.
Yowzaaa....! This was really refreshing after the trek.
Abi da scoured the village for a big chicken and we had the ladies of the lodge prepare it in a traditional way. I personally don't remember much about the chicken as I was really very high by dinner time. We lit a bonfire and sang songs along with the other travelers and guides. It was a perfect ending to our trip, except for the fact that Putu Da and I got really drunk and nearly got into a fight. The best part was late at night when we were obviously not talking to each other and I went out to puke and I saw in the darkness a round head crouched down and puking - it was Putu da. I couldn't help but see the funny side of the incident. We made up the following morning. No worries.
This was before we got into that stupid fight. :P. Y'know alcohol..
The last day, we had to really hurry as we had to reach Rimbick before the last vehicle to Darjeeling leaves around 1.P.M. And we got friken lost. Yes the road from Gorkhey to rimbick is really very tricky. I remember clearly the bigger path rule doesn't apply here. Bigger path rule? Let me explain.
The bigger path rule states that when you're trekking a relatively famous route and you come across a forked pathway wand have no idea where to go. You should always follow the bigger path since its a relatively well known route, it has to be bigger. Not here though.
We met some village folk and they ushered us into the right direction. We were just in time for the vehicle to take us to Darjeeling. Alls well that ends well I guess.
Fact File
Route : Sandakphu-Phalut Trail.
Where: Darjeeling District, West Bengal.
Nearest Airport: Bagdogra Airport, about 3-4 hrs from the starting point of the trek (Maney-Bhanjyang).
Average Room-rates: INR.50/100 per head. Rates may differ during peak season and is a bit higher in Sandakphu.
Type: Tea-house trek which means places to eat and rest come up every few hours along the way, except for the stretch from Sandakphu to Phalut.
Maximum Altitude: 12,000 ft.
Aki Planet™ Rating
Difficulty: Moderate/Easy.
Views: 3.5/5.
Expense: About 4-5000 per head for the 5 day trip from Maney-Bhanjhyang to Rimbick. (Can be lesser or more depending on your travels).
Highs: Beautiful Scenery of the Rhododendron forests, especially during March-April when the flowers are in full bloom.
Lows: Can encounter incessant rains and cloudy weather during May.
Verdict : It's a good place to go if you've never been trekking. A nice starting point. It's really not very difficult if you do a little bit of walking in your daily life.
Any additional queries, contact me here.
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