A Wonderful Experience of Sandakphu Tour & Trek from Siliguri City
Many of you'll know me as a man who has never been a writer/blogger, and yet here you're, reading my first ever travel excerpt, and itâs only and only because I cannot comprehend my experience and keep it just to myself from my recent Trek to Sandakphu-Phalut. Sandakphu Trek is a very rare trek youâve to examine, heard a few lots. I am sure you'll have also seen many pictures of the âSleeping Buddhaâ range as viewed from its summit. But let me tell you that one isn't prepared for the landscapes that lie ahead once you reach Sandakphu. The mighty Mt. Kanchenjunga towering right ahead of you, the trio of Mt. Makalu, Mt. Everest, and Mt. Lhotse lies to your left, and as you progress your gaze towards the proper, one can see the vast expanse of the mountain ranges of Tibet and Bhutan, including Mt. Gangkhar Puensum (the highest unclimbed mountain of Bhutan). As I did my best to soak within these views at 5:45 am from the terrace of my homestay in the bone freezing winds of approx. -8 degrees, my eyes turned moist, and that I was overwhelmed by the visuals, realizing how small and insignificant we all humans are. This is the story of 1 of the foremost beautiful Himalayan treks that I even have ever embarked upon.
If youâre still reading through this, itâs only because outdoor life may be a living, breathing aspiration for you. In June 2017, I had successfully summited the trek to Kudermukh and since then, I have looked for a mountain that would give me an identical altitude and therefore the adrenaline rush related to it. Sandakphu was nowhere near that altitude, nor it came within the challenging category trek, however, something about the trek had me hooked thereto. I read its description a few times, and therefore the incontrovertible fact that this trek had constant flirtations with the India-Nepal international border and its summit views included 4 of the 14 eight thousand meters peaks of the world, made me finalize it. This trek had tea house stays throughout its duration, and being an expensive trek, it had a pleasant ring thereto. So, on the morning of 13th Feb, I took a flight to Bagdogra, and after a gorgeous 4-hour drive through a road dotted by tea gardens on each side, our trek group received the bottom village of Kopidana. We were a gaggle of 6 trekkers (Lali, Sonu, Aditya, Suvo, and myself Shuvajit) all coming from the Kolkata city, and there was a moment bonding between us all. At Kopidana we were introduced to our trek lead, Devendra Bisht, and native guide Ram Ji who belonged to the border town of Maneybhanjang. After a quick round of introduction over a couple of cups of tea then browsing the itinerary over dinner, we were sent packing to sleep in our cozy beds and blankets by 9 pm.
The warning call came in at 6.30 am and that we all were up in a moment, very excited to start our 4-day trek. After a wholesome breakfast and packing our bags we were able to trek to Tumling, a little village in Nepal. We started our ascent by 8.30 am and reached the tiny hamlet of Chitrey by around 10.30 am for a few light snacks and tea. After an honest rest we began our journey forward, the route after Chitrey is more of a gradual ascent with ups and downs within the path, one can see a lot of SSB posts on the way and greet our jawans guarding them a resounding âJai Hindâ. At around 1 pm we reached our lunch campsite at Megma village. The lunch host was a particularly sweet old fashioned teacher, who had prepared a delicious spread consisting of some crisp french-fried potatoes, cabbage vegetable, fresh mint chutney, hot dal and rice, fried papads, and an area pickle. We all hogged on the food without making a sound then visited the local monastery, clicked a couple of pictures before proceeding back with our upward journey towards Tumling.
We reached Tumling by around 3.30 pm and immediately checked in to our local homestay called Satkar lodge. Tumling may be a small village consisting of around 15â20 local families, while the road adjacent to the village lies in India the village actually belongs to Nepal. Later in the evening, soaking within the warmth of the fireside within the area, sipping on our tea, and munching through piping hot âKanda Bhajiyasâ, Maggi, and omelets, we all narrated our stories of previous trek experiences to every other. Potato and rice being the staple food of the region, its presence is strongly felt within the food throughout the trek. Almost all vegetables prepared have their main ingredient as potato and therefore the sweet dish also generally revolves around rice pudding or on some occasions fresh custard. However, the food throughout the trek was homely, served hot, and very delicious.
The next morning, we all awakened at 5.30 am, except within the case of Wasim who was awake from 3.30 am and not taking any risk of missing the sunrise. This was getting to be our first glimpse of the âSleeping Buddhaâ range, however, thanks to low visibility and foggy conditions, we all were left a touch disappointed. At every homestay that we stayed, we might always awaken to the divine chants of âOm Mani Padme Humâ the Tibetan prayer playing over the stereo each morning. And to awaken to the present, sipping predicament from the thermos and walking outside your room to enjoy the surrealistic views whilst shivering within the cold, was one hell of an experience that we all looked forward to each morning. After an honest scrumptious breakfast, we were able to make our push to a subsequent campsite at Kalapokhri village. The walk today began with an honest 2 hours of descent, making us lose all the peak gain which we had achieved the previous day. This meant just one thing that an honest steep ascent would soon be approaching us and lots of within the group were vary of this. As you cross a stone milestone with the word Nepal inscribed within the Devnagri script thereon you're suddenly ushered into a replacement country much to your amusement. The route today passes through the famous Red Panda wildlife sanctuary, the Singalila National Park, bamboo forests on both sides of the trail, and a completely downhill path that leads you to Garibas village, which acts as a layby before you began the steep ascent until Kalapokhri.
The walk today was just about 17 km and therefore the weather was extremely cold and foggy post-lunch. We could hardly see the team member walking ahead folks, but finally, after an extended tiring walk, we made our way into the tiny sleepy village of Kalapokhri at 4 pm which was entirely lost within the dense fog. âLosarâ the Tibetan New Year had recently been celebrated and at every homestay that we stayed in we got traditional sweets prepared by the locals. One thing which I observed at every village was that every Nepali house was decorated elegantly. Right from posters of superhit Bollywood films, mandala artworks, khukris, and artistic frames were hung around the living rooms. The exterior paint of their houses was bright and in contrasting combination which made them look far prettier. And almost every house had a fanatical garden which consisted of various flowering plants and veggies.Â
Over a span of half a decade of my trekking and traveling within the pahadi states of Uttarakhand and Himachal, I used to be always taken aback by the hospitality of the locals and this faith within the parade's has now been carved out on a stone after experiencing similar welcoming nature by the families residing near the Indo-Nepal border. Over a couple of games of cards, fresh popcorns, soup, and hot dinner (all prepared by an old but cute and fit Nepali lady, who everyone loving called as âammaâ) we all chatted nonchalantly and when the temperatures started dropping to sub-zero levels, we all went in our rooms seeking the comfort and heat that our thick yet soft blankets had to offer. One convenient aspect of trekking during this region is that roads and electricity are out there right up to the summit. Though the electricity is erratic and therefore the roads in extremely bad shape, it does provide a way of comfort to all or any trekkers. Also, the availability of the Airtel network and Wi-Fi connection at every homestay keeps one connected with the surface world. After leisurely awakening at 8 within the morning subsequent day, we all braced ourselves for one final summit push of Sandakphu. The trek distance was merely a 6km ascent and with an eta of 1 pm set by our leaders, we reached the summit by noon itself much to our surprise. However, this joy was short-lived because the sky became full of dense clouds and a thick fog descended on the summit plateau. The temperature began to spiral downwards and that we had to cancel our sunset view walk of the evening. Spirits a touch dampened, we settled within the common area of our homestay and commenced playing cards, which now had been a ritual within the evenings. But because the night picked up so did the spirits of all the groups resting within the common area.
Nepali pop songs and Bollywood 90âs hits blared through the speaker systems and suddenly the living room resembled an area club with random strangers swaying and dancing to the beats. This energy and atmosphere at 12000ft within the summit camp were a fantastic experience itself. However, after a scrumptious dinner, we all were advised to travel to sleep early by our lead because the D-day awaited us the subsequent morning. I remember praying religiously to the Gods that night for a transparent sighting subsequent morning.Sandakphu may be a tiny village consisting of an SSB camp, a few wooden houses, and lodges that are travel by the local families. It's a flat plateau peak to which tourists and trekkers throng in numbers to experience the last word sunrise views each season which commences in November and runs right up to the onset of monsoons. A few trekkers also further trek to Phalut which is a bit lower in altitude and another 20 km from Sandakphu and is located a little more closer to the Kanchenjunga range. However, the proximity of those surrounding ranges even at Sandakphu is amazing.Three loud knocks at the door and therefore the yelling of Wasim had me on my feet at 5.40 am subsequent morning. It was extremely windy and cold and that I shivered as I made my answer of the homestay to succeed in the steps leading up to the terrace. As I used to be walking up, still a touch sleepy, i used to be unaware of the unbelievable sights that had opened behind my back.The Gods had been merciful and therefore the entire sky had cleared and right ahead folks lay the amazingly mighty âSleeping Buddhaâ range, all of its peaks crystal clear insight. The 8586m Mt.Kanchenjunga altogether its glory, its peak, however, lost to the encompassing clouds, stared at the 20â25 odd group of individuals who had braved the cold and had gathered on the terrace. As I scanned a touch westwards and bingo, the golden jackpot I could figure out Mt. Makalu, Mt. Lhotse, and the revered Mt. Everest. The entire range was so humongous and shut that it had been impossible to believe that I used to be seeing 4 of the worldâs highest peaks at an equivalent time. As the sun rose and its rays made the snow on the peaks sparkle like gold, I thanked my stars that i used to be standing there at that moment to experience such a magical and luxurious moment ever to be visualized. The vast expense of the peaks of Tibet and Bhutan lay on the eastern side and behind us were the tiny hills and plains of the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal. It was a drop gorgeous view everywhere.The Gods were kind and therefore the famed 180-degree Sandakphu view was right ahead folks. Fighting back a couple of overwhelming tears, I fixed my gaze on the Mt. Kanchenjunga summit, thanked it, and prayed for the security of the climbers that were getting to push for its summit within the upcoming climbing season. After spending around another hour and soaking in those surreal views, it had been time for our breakfast then to pack our bag packs and get on the move towards the next camp at Sepi. The walk today was an extended tiring descent of 15 km. I quickly filmed a couple of review videos for TTH with the Sleeping Buddha home in my backdrop and by 8.30 we were on our way downhill.As a habit of collecting and bringing back natural mementos from every place I travel, I used to be lucky enough to seek out the bark of the Bhojpatra tree (found only above 10000ft) and little pine cones which I happily stuffed in my tiffin box for safekeeping. But the cherry on the cake was spotting a Rhododendron tree, the national flower of Nepal in its full bloom post our lunch break at the tiny village of Gurdum.
The blooming season of these world-famous flowers starts by march and lasts till the monsoons. A medicinal herbal juice prepared from the extract of the Rhododendron flowers is sort of a standard delicacy in these parts. After crossing a couple of wooden bridges over the Srikhola river (Khola stands for the river in Nepali), we reached Sepi by 4 pm and post the last body stretching session for the trek, I quickly took a bucket of predicament (Rs.50 per bucket, as bathing, is taken into account a luxury on treks) and had a soothing bath after 6 days.The trek for all 6 folks was a particularly successful one and after one last round of briefing conducted by Dev bhaiya and Ram Ji, we all were handed our trek completion certificates after sharing our experiences.TTH has been that one organization that has the specified capability, management, and technical skills of giving its client the foremost memorable trek experiences ever. Be it on the challenging 20000ft Stok summit or a comparatively luxurious Sandakphu trek, the services, the food, the local guides, the stays are just impeccable. As we partied and danced away our last night together until the wee hours at the basecamp, there was this one mutual feeling that we all had which was of gratefulness.Grateful for the guides and therefore the trek lead who encouraged us and kept our spirits high, grateful to the local families living within the hills to allow us to in their homes and sleep within the warm beds and served us piping hot food for the whole duration of the trek, grateful to mountain Gods for allowing us to summit and descend back safely.
As I made my journey back to the Bagdogra airport subsequent day, I mentally was still on the terrace of my homestay at Sandakphu summit, watching the mighty ranges and realizing that those two hours on the morning of 17th Feb 2021 were far and away from the simplest views I could ever soak in.
For detail Sandakphu Phalut Tour Package please visit :
Adorable Silkroute
First Floor, 123, Ashutosh Mukherjee Rd,
Paddapukur, Bhowanipore
Kolkata, West Bengal 700025
Contact No : 90381-79215
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: https://www.adorablesilkroute.com
Visit : https://www.adorablesilkroute.com/sandakphu-tour-and-trekking-package-from-manebhanjan/
