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25th January 2021, 17:47 | #1 |
BHPian Join Date: May 2015 Location: New Delhi
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| Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Sandakphu is the highest point in the state of West Bengal, and is quite popular, since you can view 4 of the 5 tallest peaks on this planet from there. Phalut is a sleepy hamlet 20 KM away and is the second highest point of WB as well. Together, they form the most renowned trekking route in WB. But wait... what's the point of trekking there since both of these places can be reached by car?! Indeed, Team-BHP has several travelogues about the drive to Sandakphu. The answer for me was simple: you can soak in the beauty of the place a lot better on foot rather than on a mechanized transport, and I have not been on a trek since my visit to Valley of Flowers in 2019. So trek it was for me. Also, as my experience there showed, the 'roads' are such that you won't enjoy the view even if you are riding a SUV with magic body control, so another reason for you to consider trekking there instead of taking your car or the Land Rovers. With things slowly returning to normal, I felt somewhat confident in a trip using public transport. Since I didn't get a chance to visit anywhere in 2020(except the drive to Kolkata and a short drive to Puri), I decided to start off 2021 with this trek. Got my leaves approved and bought the train tickets. Now it was time to arrange stuff like jackets, backpacks etc. (I have them all but they are in Delhi since I, in my infinite wisdom, didn't consider a solo trip from Kolkata, so I didn't bring them here). After everything was arranged, it was eager wait till 1st January when I was scheduled to leave. Preparations: None. I always found the idea of preparing for easy treks like these equivalent to cramming on the night before exam. And I had an infection on my left leg with barely 2 weeks to go, so I couldn't even do my normal workout for 2 weeks. Fortunately, the doctor told me that it was nothing to worry about and I could go ahead with my plans. However, if you attempt treks like Stok Kangri or Pin Parvati pass, it may be dangerous if you go in without any preparation. Day 0: 1st January 2021 Sealdah Station The entire route till New Jalpaiguri has been electrified, so this was the first time for me riding the Darjeeling Mail pulled by an electric engine. Also, this was the first time I was riding a train since my Valley of Flowers trip in 2019, and the first time in any public transport since the lockdown started in March 2020. The coaches were also new LHB ones.. Day 1: 2nd January 2021 Reached Maneybhanjan The train pulled into NJP at its scheduled time of 8AM. I took a Bolero which plies between Siliguri and Maneybhanjan. The road snaked through some pretty tea gardens.. And some thin forests as well.. Lunch point... First sightings of the snow capped mountains.. Finally reached Maneybhanjan, a congested small town similar to any other Himalayan town. Now I didn't do this trek with any organization. I got the reference of a man simply known as 'Masterji' from a Facebook group. He seems quite popular with all who are interested in doing the Sandakphu trek and he paired me with a couple (Sugata and his wife Shyamoli) who were also doing this. It was good for me since the cost of guide was halved (you cannot do this trek without a guide). Masterji runs this hotel and this was my stay for the night. Despite its name, as you can see, there was nothing exotic about it. The town did have very scenic roads, barely couple of minutes of walk away. View from the hotel balcony The mountains were visible as well... All 3 of us called it an early night since we were aiming to start by 8AM next morning. Last edited by avi_swift : 25th January 2021 at 23:41. |
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25th January 2021, 21:55 | #2 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Day 2: 3rd January 2021 Maneybhanjan to Tumling 11 KM Our destination for today was Tumling. The road is very steep for the first few KMs till Chitre, after which the ascent is more gradual. In terms of altitude, we would be going from 1900 M till 2970 M. The guide which Masterji had assigned us was a guy named Shambo, who looked as if he should still be in school. However, he told us later that he had completed class 12 and had dropped out of college (first year) after the pandemic started. As per him, he was training for selection in the Indian Army. Maneybhanjan was quite busy and there were many groups who were starting their treks on that day. We hit the road around 8:30. The cars going to Sandakphu also uses this very road The ascent was quite steep. This cute mutt followed us for quite some time. Passed this stupa.. Stopped for a break in this scenic village The only downer was the landscape was bone dry in winter. Whenever possible, we broke off from the motorable road. But in some places, we didn't have any option other than to trek on the road. We continued to climb steadily... Till the snow capped peaks came into view I believe this is some sort of stupa? The route was very scenic Passed this pretty lake... the road is just by the lake. Soon we entered a short stretch of fairly dense vegetation At our lunch spot, the weather turned cloudy and we all feared if it will rain. Fortunately, it did not, and the floating clouds made for a very very memorable lunch Our walk turned even more memorable as we were literally walking above the clouds now And finally we reached Tumling a little before 3 PM. This was our stay for the night. As we discovered after reaching, it was in Nepal, so no cell coverage. My room with a view It was quite spacious Stupa.. The distant snow capped peaks in all their glory The sleeping Buddha.. however Mt Kangchenjunga was covered in cloud In all the places we stayed during the trek, the dining hall functioned like a pub, where all the guests hung around till bedtime. Here, we see a car wheel repurposed as a heater and ashtray. Pretty flowers in the dining hall.. The setting Sun and the clouds beneath us made for quite a spectacular view With nothing else to do, we again hit the bed early. But before that, we went for a stroll around the hamlet. The place appeared magical with thousands of twinkling stars above and the white moonlit mountains in the distance. In fact we were so spellbound by the beauty that we spent almost 10 minutes outside. Now, it may not appear much, but it was very cold with howling winds, and by the time we returned to our rooms, our face and hands were numb with cold, in spite of gloves and protective clothing. Last edited by avi_swift : 2nd February 2021 at 21:51. |
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27th January 2021, 13:00 | #3 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Day 3: 4rd January 2021 Tumling to Kala Pokhri 9 KM The second day of trek was a comparatively easy one, a short 9KM and from 2970 M to 3186 M, almost equivalent to staying at the same altitude. But this was a very scenic day as the trail passed right through the scenic Singalila National Park. But first things first, we had to see the sunrise from Tumling All trekkers from all lodges assembled at the Stupa, which provided the best view of the mountains in the distance The mountains appeared white when the Sun was yet to rise.. The Sun peeping from the horizon.. ..which gave the mountains their famed golden hue, which tourists visiting Darjeeling go to Tiger Hill for viewing The wind was so strong and so cold that taking photos/videos turned out to be an ordeal, as I had to remove at least one glove to do so We had a lazy late start that day.. around 10AM. Our route took us right through Singalila National Park The green trees was a welcome change from the previous day's bone dry landscape The forest was quite dense in some places These red fruits(?) were quite widespread But the distant snow capped mountains were never out of sight Took a long break here to eat the dry food that we were carrying The dense forests just below the white peaks made for a gorgeous view.. Pretty soon, we were in a dense bamboo forest. This is red panda territory and everyone was optimistic of getting a glimpse of one. I have never got lucky enough to view a tiger in the wild, and red pandas are even more shy than tigers, so I just concentrated on enjoying the view Till Gairibans, the road was excellent, albeit very steep. That is almost halfway between Maneybhanjan and Sandakphu. But after Gairibans, the road turned to this. We have all heard about the famous Land Rovers of Darjeeling, but this trip changed my mind about them. Our guide told us hardly 3-4 remain in the whole Darjeeling district which still had their original petrol engines. Rest were all converted to diesel. Whenever one passed us, the noxious smell from the exhaust made me wish I was carrying a N95 mask which is indispensable in Delhi. There were many huts like these from where you can buy lunch/snacks. Even whisky, rum from national as well as local brands were available. And finally we reached Kala Pokhri. As it turned out, this is also in Nepal. So, again no cell coverage. This was my room for the night. I forgot to take a picture of the lodge from outside. This room appeared to be very flimsy since the walls and ceilings were made from plywood. Only the floor was made from concrete. But as always, the views were great, and I could watch the setting Sun from the room itself The lodge had this very cute pregnant cat She was quite receptive to petting but started squirming when I picked her up. She must have had her babies by now and I feel like going there again just to see them Again, all 3 of us opted for a short walk after dinner braving the cold and howling winds. The clear sky with thousands of twinkling stars was just too good to miss. And to think I couldn't watch the great conjunction due to foggy/smoggy Calcutta skies just a few days before... in December. However, the mountains were not visible on that day as they were enveloped in clouds since afternoon. Last edited by avi_swift : 28th January 2021 at 20:34. |
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28th January 2021, 20:31 | #4 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Day 4: 5th January 2021 Kala Pokhri to Sandakphu 7 KM That day, we were finally scheduled to reach Sandakphu. Though the distance was not much, we were supposed to go from 3186 M to 3636 M. The initial few KMs were easy, as they were almost on level ground. However, the final KMs to Sandakphu was very steep, almost as steep as the climb till Chitrey on the first day. The mountains were still enveloped in clouds, however, our surroundings were sunny. We started around 9 AM After around 1.5 hours, the easy part of the day was over. The rest of the path consisted of only steep ascents. The path on the left went through Nepal, as informed by our guide. The cars also take that route. We took the path on the right, but ultimately it would merge into the 'motorable' road after few Kms. This was a popular spot to take a break as the difficult part of the day started from here. Unsurprisingly, the shop of the left was doing brisk business. Picture postcard view everywhere.. As expected, the path turned very steep .. Sometime later, we merged into the motorable road which led us right to Sandakphu The blue building on the top is our destination. As we found out later, it's a hotel. Believe it or not, this was not the worst stretch of the road. See what I meant when I said your journey won't be comfortable if you come by car? The mountains remained stubbornly behind clouds the whole day, but the Sun played hide and seek. When we finally reached Sandakphu around 2, the sky was overcast. Our stay for the night. The rooms were clean and well furnished, however, at 2000/-, it was the costliest place we stayed at during the trek. All the other accommodations were around 800/- to 1200/-. This mutt was sleeping in the lobby. It was sleeping when we arrived, slept through the whole afternoon, only waking up during dinner time around 7:30 Sandakphu is a quaint hamlet on the border of India and Nepal. And since its on the border, you will get intermittent cell signal in some places, although none of us got a data connection, not even 2G. In my case, I couldn't get a signal inside the hotel, but it was available few steps outside. The night was cloudy and we couldn't see much stars or the distant mountains. For the vast majority of trekkers, Sandakphu was the destination and they were scheduled to descend the next day. We were travelling together for the past 3 days, so we all could recognize each other. Since it was the end of trek for the rest, they asked the hotel guys to play some music. The dining room cum lobby of our hotel turned into a veritable disco, with even booze being available in the hotel. We started dinner around 7:30, but it was around 10 when we finally turned in. Of course, we had to cover the long distance to Phalut next day, so I chose to skip the hard drinks. Last edited by avi_swift : 28th January 2021 at 22:00. |
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28th January 2021, 22:14 | #5 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Day 5: 6th January 2021 Sandakphu to Phalut 21 KM Arguably this was hardest day of the trek. Although we were descending slightly from 3636 M to 3600 M, the distance to be covered was quite long. And unlike previous days, no shops were available for lunch, so we had to depend on our ration of dry/packed food. We went to bed pretty late last night, but almost all of us were up at 6 to see the sunrise. The hotel is situated higher than other structures in the region, and all of us simply went to the roof to catch a glimpse of the mountains. The owners are adding another floor, so construction materials were strewn all over. Thankfully the skies had cleared up considerably by morning The most prominent peak you see in this picture is Mt Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world. Mt Everest is to its left, covered in cloud. As was Mt Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain and the highest in India. The skies started to clear up, however Everest was still not visible, but Mt Lhotse was starting to emerge from the clouds. The wind felt even more strong and cold than what we experienced in the past few days. Although we had to cover 21 KM that day, there were no shops on the entire route. So it seemed logical to have a hearty breakfast from the hotel before starting. It was 9 when all of us were finally ready and thankfully, the day was sunny. And even though clouds still covered the peaks, the view was so beautiful that I couldn't resist having my picture taken in front of the hotel. After bidding goodbye to the rest, we started our long trek to Phalut. Came across this interesting looking rock formation Phalut is a very remote village with very few buildings. So the road was in a worse state than the road leading to Sandakphu. In course of the day, we saw 2 Land Rovers going and then returning later in the day, and only a couple of other cars/pickup trucks. 18 KM still to cover.. Scenic surroundings A panorama of the lovely place.. We had a long break having our packed food at this place... under the shadow of the still cloud covered Kangchenjunga. A house with a truly magnificent view.. As the day progressed, the clouds covering Mt Everest slowly lifted.. Although Kangchenjunga remained covered in cloud.. Although the day was hard and long, it was the most rewarding day of the trek due to the gorgeous views. As we crossed Sabargram, for the first time since the start of our trek, Mt Kangchenjunga started revealing herself.. Sabargram was still 7 KM away from Phalut and it was already past 2. So we hurried for the rest of the way, minimizing our breaks. Finally we reached Phalut around a little after 5. There is a GTA trekkers hut there and that is practically the only place to stay. There is another forest bungalow but getting a room there is notoriously difficult. We had called a forest official (whose number was shared by Masterji) multiple times but to no avail. So we had no option other than to rough it for a night. Last edited by avi_swift : 29th January 2021 at 22:16. |
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31st January 2021, 21:41 | #6 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Day 6: 7th January 2021 Phalut to Sepi 27 KM The night was the worst night of the whole trek, solely due to the filthy trekkers hut. The facility consisted of 5-6 rooms, each with 4-8 beds. We 3 were allotted the smallest room with 4 beds. Electricity source was solar panels mounted on the roof, so lights were on from 6PM (it was dark by then) till 9 PM. There was no plug points to charge your phone or camera. It was quite sad to see that in spite of solar panels getting more and more efficient and the only consumers of electricity being the few LED lights, we had to depend on our mobile/head mounted flashlights to go to the bathroom during the night. And the bathrooms were the best part of the building. There were almost 20-25 guests in the hut, and there were only 3 bathrooms, one of which was locked by the staff for their own use. So the bathrooms were, mildly put, unhygienic. Having no choice, we were forced to forgo morning ablutions. Also the building is located on the base of a hill, so no mountains were visible from there. We were aware that no standard accommodations were available in Phalut due to the remoteness of the location, but we were not prepared for this. You would be much better off pitching your own tent if you have one. But clarify beforehand if its allowed or not, since its a forest area. Anyways, the morning was bright and sunny, which somehow helped compensate for past few hours. None of us slept well the previous night, so we were late and missed the sunrise. Before starting our trek down, we went to Phalut top, a short 10 minutes walk from the hut. This photo from the Indiahikes site, identifies the mountains in the Everest range visible from Sandakphu/Phalut. And this, from the same page, identifies the mountains in the Kanchenjunga range. We started our way to the top around 7:30AM. The hut looked pretty from the distance, but as the saying goes, all that glitters.. As we neared the top, we were greeted with a mesmerizing view. Not a speck of cloud remained around Kanchenjunga anymore. And to think we had to miss the sunrise on this day . It looked waay more beautiful and majestic in our own eyes than what the camera managed to capture.. Mt Everest was also clearly visible.. Since its further away, from Sandakphu/Phalut, it appears to be of a lesser height than Mt Makalu. Of course everyone went shutter happy.. The 3 of us.. Due to absence of any protective structures nearby, the wind felt absolutely brutal. But we didn't care as on the last day of the trek, we got the best possible view of the mountains... We spent more than 30 minutes at the top before making our way down to the hut. The mountains looked so majestic in the cloudless morning that everyone felt like staying an extra day at Phalut, but due to the pathetic condition of the hut, it was quickly ruled out. Also Sugata had some personal work and was trying his best to cancel his tickets and book for an earlier date. We started our long walk down around 10 AM. Here we are posing with our guide Shambo, before starting our trek (picture shared by Sugata). All cars which go to Phalut return by Sandakphu/Maneybhanjan. This trail is used exclusively by the villagers and trekkers, so there were no big rocks on the road. This was a welcome change as this meant a far more comfortable walk. Everest was not visible, but the sleeping Buddha gave us company for a while.. In the absence of any motorable roads nearby, the jungles appeared more peaceful. We went steadily downhill until the mountains were no longer visible Around 1PM, we reached the scenic village of Gorkhey. Since Sugata had some personal work, so was targeting to reach his home by 9th January. Using the patchy data, he had been able to book a fresh set of tickets for 8th January. So naturally, he was looking forward to reach Sepi, from where cars to Siliguri would be available. I initially thought Sepi would be too far and was looking forward to stay in Gorkhey. But when we reached Gorkhey by 1PM, I got cold feet and opted to travel to Sepi. The village was very pretty, but after travelling together for the past few days, I didn't feel like staying alone in a remote place, although it would have been a different story if I were travelling alone from the beginning. Took a long break at Gorkhey and started our way down. The path went through the jungles and few villages. We reached the village of Ramam around 4:30 PM. From Ramam, a 'motorable' road exists, and as luck would have it, we found a Bolero pick up ferrying villagers and cheated on the last 7 KM . But the ride was just as horrible as we had imagined it, because the roads were similar to what you saw in the pictures above. Just how bad the road was can be gauged from the fact that it was almost 5:45 by the time we reached Sepi, merely 7 KM away from Ramam and downhill to boot. I reckon we would have taken around 30 minutes more if we were on foot. Last edited by avi_swift : 1st February 2021 at 17:34. |
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1st February 2021, 17:43 | #7 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut 8 - 10th January: Sepi To Darjeeling and finally Siliguri I had booked my ticket for 10th, after keeping an extra day from emergencies (Normally we would have concluded the trek and reached Sepi on 8th, instead we reached on 7th). So with an extra couple of days, I thought of visiting Darjeeling. The owner of the homestay was very helpful and booked our cars for Darjeeling/Siliguri respectively. Bade goodbye to Sugata and started around 11:30, and reached Darjeeling around 4PM. In stark contrast to sunny Phalut, the last 3 days were foggy and gloomy. The homestay at Sepi The rooms were the best so far. And the room looked over the forests.. Darjeeling turned out to a horribly congested town. I had read in the internet that its very congested and all but it was worse than what I had read. All the buildings are literally standing cheek by jowl. If you are planning to drive to Darjeeling, ensure to book a good hotel with proper parking beforehand. My hotel. There is no parking here, and the overall experience was also quite forgettable, thanks to the not so enthusiastic staff. But the rooms were good My main grouse is the view outside was horrible. Even on a clear day, I don't think you can watch the mountains from many rooms in this hotel, thanks to this building blocking the view My plans for 9th January was to visit Darjeeling Zoo and ride the ropeway. I wanted to ride the toy train but the hotel guys were not sure if it was running in the pandemic, so it was ruled out. The zoo however, turned out to be great experience as I was visiting a zoo after a really long time. The formal name of Darjeeling Zoo is Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. As per a board in the zoo, this was how the forests of Darjeeling used to look, before the British cleared them for tea plantations. Now, they can only be found in the zoo and in the Raj Bhavan. Indeed, Darjeeling is so congested it's hard to imagine that the place was ever like this. Among the animals were the Himalayan Goral Markhor, which is the national animal of Pakistan, as per the display-board hanging in front. These are the Blue sheep(Bharal), but where did they see even the faintest shade of blue on these animals?! The star of the zoo, the Snow Leopard. Black Panther Leopard Royal Bengal Tiger. All the big cats in the zoo were sleeping during the day The other star of the zoo, the Red Panda There was a sign outside the Red Panda's enclosure asking visitors to remain quiet. But that almost served as a call to the visitors to yell even louder. The result was the pandas remained firmly on the upper portions of the trees and we had great difficulty trying to spot one.. even in a zoo. Of course besides these, there were many other species of animals as well, including various kinds of birds and a reptile house, although it was closed during my visit. The ticket to the zoo included the entry to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute as well. The institute had a museum where I saw the preserved carcass of an eagle which was found dead at an incredible height of 26000 feet . That is a mere 3000 feet below Mt Everest. I wanted to take a picture of it, but the guard at the entrance told me photography is not allowed. Although I didn't see a sign for that, I respected his instructions and didn't click any photos. Next stop was the Darjeeling Ropeway. The journey was quite long, around 20 minutes one way. However, there was nothing special on the other side. The area is cordoned off and there are only shops selling varieties of food, so trash is dumped all over. I rode the ropeway a long time back, and I distinctly remember that at time, we were allowed to go for a long walk among the tea gardens. The present condition proved to be quite disappointing. But even in the mist, the ride was good. Tea gardens from above St Josephs School, which is almost opposite to the ropeway. I spent the rest of the day wandering about the town, and got some oranges and Darjeeling Tea for home. After spending couple of days in Darjeeling, it was time to head back to the daily grind from home. The return journey was also by Darjeeling Mail, and it reached Sealdah 15 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival time. And my first trek in the Eastern Himalayas came to an end.. Last edited by avi_swift : 2nd February 2021 at 20:37. |
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2nd February 2021, 21:28 | #8 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Final Thoughts
That's it from me now, thanks for reading |
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3rd February 2021, 05:46 | #9 |
Team-BHP Support | Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing! |
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3rd February 2021, 13:36 | #10 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut No camera will be able to capture the sheer grandeur of the mountains towering majestically over everything, you have to see it with your own eyes. I too felt the same when I went there first in 2007. Beautifully narrated. |
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3rd February 2021, 21:36 | #11 | |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Quote:
I am curious, what was it like in 2007? Now the stretch till Sandakphu is heavily commercialized with shops selling everything including alcohol. Consequently, the route is littered with plastic and other trash thrown by tourists. Thankfully, the stretch to Phalut is much, much cleaner. | |
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3rd February 2021, 22:04 | #12 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut
Great travelogue avi_swift. I've always been fascinated to visit Sandakphu, but with kids it seems impossible for now. Do you mind sharing the cost involved in this trek & if it's easy on pocket, i might consider doing it solo & since I'm also based in Delhi, it will be almost relevant for me. |
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4th February 2021, 02:42 | #13 |
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Thanks for sharing. I did this trek somewhere around 2001 and the pictures definitely brought back the memories. Maneybhanjan to Sandakphu was not commercialized back then with only a couple of spots selling chips and beverages. I went there at the start of rainy season and the beauty was mesmerising. Still remember the last stretch before Sandakphu which was very steep and we did it when it was extremely foggy or rather I should say we were walking through the clouds. |
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4th February 2021, 17:25 | #14 |
BHPian | Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Brilliant thread! And the views that you got in Sandakphu were awesome - must be rewarding when you think of all that being confined at home during the pandemic months. Winter brings the dry and clear skies when the Kanchenjunga and Everest massifs are clear as crystal and April/May brings the rhododendron flowers that are a sight to behold. Your thread made me revise my threads on Sandakphu once again. Winter: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...arjeeling.html (Breakin' The Ice: Phalut Winter Trek, Darjeeling) Summer: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ands-east.html (Phalut: The Meadowlands of the East) There was the other time when I went on my motorcycle till Tonglu https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...holy-road.html (Tonglu: Wheels on the Holy Road) Cheers, Sayak |
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4th February 2021, 22:27 | #15 | |||
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| Re: Trek to Sandakphu and Phalut Quote:
This trek cost around 12000/- plus taxes when undertaken with Indiahikes. Mine was a bit more as I stayed solo at the lodges. The average cost of a room ranges from 800/- to 1300/-, except in Sandakphu where it is much costlier. Guide charges are 1300/- to 1500/- per day. Cost of food is around 100/- to 200/- per meal, bit more if you choose non veg food. If you do this alone, the total cost should come to around 20000/-. Quote:
An army officer stationed around the Singalila forest told us that we should come during springtime if we wanted to see flowers. I have been to the Valley of Flowers and I imagine Singalila must also be a riot of colors during spring, just like VoF is during moonsoon. Although we got bone dry landscape, the upside was we got great views of the majestic mountains. Quote:
Yes the landscape was bone dry but the views more than made up for it. I also look forward for a visit during spring... the forest should be a riot of colors then with all the flowers blooming. | |||
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