It needed only a few hours of planning and we were ready to be on top of West Bengal. Sandakphu, the highest point of West Bengal was our destination. During winter, the rush towards North Bengal is low. So, we did not have to toil hard to get our tickets.
We heard of Political turbulence going around Siliguri and its north, but the call of the mountains was too strong for us to back off. So, three of us, myself and my friends Sudip and Indranil packed our rucksacks and prepared to start. I planned to travel light. So, I took two trousers made of parashute material, two sets of thermal inner wears for both upper and lower parts of the body, a heavy jacket, a light jacket, two warm T-shirts, a pair of woolen gloves, a woolen monkey cap, a sunglass and a pair of shoes. Indranil, who was our leader and guide for the trek had told me that It is useless to carry a lot of clothes because for most part of the trek, no one feels like changing clothes in the chilling weather. In January, it is generally very windy in the mountains. So carrying a sunglass and an ear plug is a must and since you might have to travel on snowy roads, it is better that your shoes are made of leather or other materials that do not get wet.
January 3, 2009, Saturday (Day 0)
We met at Sealdah Railway Station to board the Darjeeling Mail which starts off at 22:05 hrs. Darjeeling Mail is probably the best train, especially if you want to start on Friday, after completing your day's work at office. Though one can fly to the Bagdogra airport and start from there, considering the availability of flights and the time when they reach Bagdogra, I personally feel that it would be nothing but waste of money.
The train started on time. We chatted for some time and then moved to our corresponding berths to sleep. A good sleep was very necessary as we all knew that it would be endless walking for the next few days.
January 4, 2009, Sunday (Day 1)
The train got a bit late on its way and we reached
New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Railway Station at 9 in the morning. Indranil had already booked a cab through his contacts in NJP. The driver was waiting for us at the taxi stand outside the station. We kept our luggage in the cab and started looking for a restaurant to have breakfast. There are lots of restaurants just opposite to the NJP Railway station. We chose one, quickly stuffed our empty stomachs and got back to the cab and started for Dhotrey, the beginning point of our trek. Within minutes we crossed the city limits and the scenic beauty of the Duars welcomed us. It was tea garden all around. On way, Sudip spotted a unique tree in the middle of a tea garden. It looked like a tuning fork. We stopped for a while to capture it in our cameras.
The first official halt was at SukhiaPokhri, a small market town named after a dry lake that exists in that region. There are two routes to “SukhiaPokhri”. One is up Hill Cart Road via Ghoom and the other is via Mirik. We took the second route since the first one was closed due a strike by GNLF. In NJP, it was warm and the sky was clear, but as we moved up, thick clouds covered the entire area and temperature started falling. At SukhiaPokhri, it was chilling. We got our jacket, caps and gloves and quickly put them on. The journey through the winding roads made us hungry. Indranil suggested that we get into a restaurant to enjoy the taste of “Sui-Mai”, a type of Nepalese Momo and we happily obliged. It was so delicious that we decided that on way back we would stop there to enjoy it again.
From SukhiaPokhri, we again started off towards Dhotrey. On way, we crossed Manebhanjyang, a small village at 2134 meters, which is the gateway to the Singalila National Park. Manebhanjyang is mostly inhabited by Buddhist Sherpas. From there one can get a view of the trekking route, which is an awesome, a near vertical climb. Most of the trekking teams start from Manebhanjyang but we chose to start from Dhotrey because it is in the forest reserve and commands a wonderful view of the Kanchendzonga as well as the destination Sandakphu. Moreover, on starting from Maneybhanjyang, one encounters metal road and the pollution generated by the passing land rovers dampen the spirit of trekking to a great extent, on the first day itself. So, Indranil advised to start the trek from Dhotrey which is very fast coming up as the new start point for the Singalila trek.
We reached Dhotrey (2700 meters) at around 3PM. It was still very foggy. We could hardly see a few feet ahead and so, viewing the beautiful Kanchendzonga was not possible. We felt a bit depressed but, the scenic beauty of Dhotrey, the wonderful atmosphere created by the fog and the hope to have our luck in the next few days, lifted our spirits.
In Dhotrey, Indranil had a contact who was supposed to arrange a porter for Sudip, who was not fit enough to walk all the way carrying his luggage. Indranil met his contact and Sudip met his porter. These people serve both as a porter and guide. They are registered and they charge Rs. 250 per day. Indranil told me that there are registered offices both in Dhotrey and Manebhanjyang and you can hire porters from any one of the places. Dhotrey was more chilling and in spite of all the warm clothes, we were shivering. We drank some hot tea to let our body acclimatize and then started walking towards Tumbling.
The trek starts through the village of Dhotrey where you can see some huts made of tin sheets. I learnt that previously, the huts were made of wood, but a devastating fire had destroyed them a year back. As we advanced, the signs of human civilization around our trek path started decreasing. Soon, it was only us and uninterrupted nature. We walked through the forest of rhododendrons, magnolias and huge pine trees.It was very foggy and though mid afternoon, it had already got very dark. The atmosphere was serene. There were no sounds other than the sound created by our foot steps and the flowing wind. Sometimes, I was getting afraid as it felt like I was walking through a haunted place surrounded by ghosts. The slope was gentle and I loved walking through such spectacles of nature.
On way it got dark and we had to walk the remaining distance using the torch light. The road was very uneven and it was tough walking through that road in the darkness. There were two times when I managed to save myself from falling and several more times when I somehow saved my ankle from geting twisted. But it was exciting. Trekking in darkness has its own feeling. I felt like a brave warrior, walking through tough roads, defying all obstacles, to reach the princess whom he had to save from evil spirits.
We reached Tumbling (2980 Meters) around 7PM. Tumbling is a small village in Nepal and I had a weird feeling reaching there. I realized that I was standing on foreign soil and had made my first foreign trip. I never thought that my first foreign trip would be like that but still, I was very excited to be in Nepal.
We checked into Shikhar Lodge owned by Nila Di. She is a common name amongst the trekkers in that route and is very well known for her hospitality. Infact, her hospitality and care for the vistors of that region had earned her many awards, which I could see in the beautiful dining room of her lodge. We had walked 7 kilometers and our bodies were so tired that we could hardly stand straight on our feet. Temperature was around zero degrees centigrade. We had a cup of hot tea and ordered our dinner. “Roti” and “Sabji” were the only thing available but we were so hungry that it tasted delicious. Cigri was provided in our room to keep it warm and we soon fell fast asleep.
January 5, 2009, Monday (Day 2)
I woke up at 5 in the Morning to have a glimpse of sunrise. It took a lot of courage to get out of the warm comfort of the blankets. I quickly dressed myself covering almost every inch of my body with warm clothes and got out into the open. The sky was clear and there was a yellowish orange line along the horizon. I rushed to the viewpoint and quietly waited for the sun to rise. In the meantime, Indranil and Sudip came and joined me. We did not have to wait long. The Sun peeked out from the yellowish orange line and it was a beautiful scene to watch. Sun rises really fast in the mountains. Within a minute of its first peek, it rose to full glory and its golden light engulfed Tumbling.
Tumbling is where I want to spend my honeymoon. It is a village but the atmosphere is so serene that you would hardly hear any sound. The beauty of the cute wooden houses, the hospitality of the ever smiling people, the calmness of the atmosphere, the freshness of the sunrise, the frozen dews on the colorful flowers and the cute puppies was indeed a mesmerizing experience.
In Tumbling, I met an old friend of mine. He had travelled all the way from Bangalore with a group of his friends. They had descended from Tonglu (3070 metres), which is one of the higher peaks of the Singalila range. Tonglu gives a very beautiful view of the Kanchenjungha and many trekking teams prefer to halt at Tonglu, instead of Tumbling and start the journey to Kalapokhri from there.
I roamed around the village of Tumbling for some time, took some photographs of the activities of local people there and returned to the lodge to have breakfast. After breakfast, we packed our bags and bid farewell to Tumbling. We started early because we were supposed to cover a 14 km. journey to Kalapokhri.
Heading for Kalapokhri marked our entry into the Singalila National Park, a 78 sq. Km. area of forest, named after the Singali Pass (La = Pass) communicating Nepal with Sikkim. The Singalila ridge has originated at the south summit of Kanchenjunga. It has moved southwards along with a comfortable down gradient for the trekkers and met the plain at Manebhanjyang and Dhotrey. I heard that if lucky enough, you can have a glimpse of leopards and Red Panda there.
Walking for 2 kilometers up a gentle slope, we reached a place called Joebari in Nepal. At Joebari, we took some rest and had a cup of tea. We were very tired. When walking up a slope, even a distance of 3 kilometers seems never ending.
It was well past noon when we reached Garibas, a border outpost manned by the Shashastra Seema Bal or SSB. The whole trail is marked with border pillars and outposts. It’s like walking on the borderline and crossing over to Nepal and again coming back to India time and again. Interestingly, the journey from Joebari to Garibas is a 2 Kilometers walk down a winding slope. So, it was a sort of relief to our legs. We had warm cup of tea there, took some rest and prepared ourselves for the very steep climb to Kaiyakata.
Garibas to Kaiyakata is a steep climb of around 4 kilometers. Kaiyakata has just 4 shops and the population of that place is around 20. There, we were served with hot lunch which consisted of a local noodle soup called the “Wai Wai” (a noodle preparation of Nepal similar to Maggi). From there a 3 kilometers not so steep climb took us to Kalapokhri. When we reached Kalapokhri, it was already dark. We stayed in Chawang Lodge with warm wooden rooms and a very big and beautiful kitchen. Temperature was sub-zero but we were sweating due to the enormous amount of physical labor that we had to take.
But the effort was worth it. The beauty of nature that we had experienced throughout the journey was awesome.We were hungry and so dinner was served soon. After that we quickly got under the blankets and fell fast asleep.
January 6, 2009, Tuesday (Day 3)
Kalapokhri is known for a holy pond which is fenced by Buddhist prayer flags. The dark Crystal Lake simmering in the breeze, surrounded by alpine trees, is a remarkable sight. It is said that the water in the lake never freezes, even in the extreme cold season. After a tiring day, it was quite serene and rejuvenating to watch the lake view and the gushing clouds. Sun was about to rise and it was more spectacular to watch it rise from the layers of mountains.
On way back to the lodge, I found that a tank of water, which was just outside our room, has frozen into solid ice. I could well understand how chilling it was but the thick layers of clothes that I was wearing somehow managed to keep me warm.
The Chawang Lodge has a phone and I utilized the facility to call back home. All through the route, the mobile connection was feebly weak and of no use. After breakfast at the lodge, we set of for the ultimate destination. Kalapokhri gives the view of the backside of Sandakphu. Nothing great about it because only a hut could be spotted but still it gives a misleading idea of how much the climb will be. Apparently it looks adjacent to Kalapokhri but one could not spot the in-between mountain trail to be traversed to reach Sandakphu.
A steep ascent for 2.5 kilometers and a gradual walk downhill for 1.5 kilometers brought us to Bikheybhanjyang (10,200 ft). The place is named after the poisonous plant “Nilo Bikh” that is found in this region. In fact, the word Bikhey in Nepalese means poisonous. The journey from Kalapokhri to Bikheybhanjyang was mind blowing. The trees had shed their leaves preparing for winter. The dews had frozen in their bare branches and they looked white, glittering in the sunlight. At some places, it looked liked a land of jewel trees.
We halted for some time in Bikheybhanjyang, had tea and then again started walking towards Sandakphu. Distance of Sandakphu from Bikheybhanjyang is only 4 kilometers but the ascent is steep.
The road goes through thick rhododendron and magnolia forest. It seemed that the temperature of the place had remained sub-zero for quite sometime. The road as well as the trees had thick coating of snow. I cannot express how beautiful the scenery was. I can only tell that I never felt like being in India. It felt like being in Switzerland, walking through the valleys of the Alps. The road was winding with U-turns every few meters. The last turn before reaching Sandakphu had a line written on it, “No sweet without sweat”. Someone must have written it, but it was the truth. Even in the chilling cold, we had to sweat hard to reach our destination.
So, we expected the sweet, the view of the mighty Kanchenjunga, who had for the entire time, remained out of our sight due to the bad weather conditions. Even at Sandakphu, the weather was extremely bad. Dark clouds had engulfed the entire area and nothing was visible beyond a few feet. The sky usually remains clear in the morning.
So, we hoped that it would be a sweet morning the next day.
In Sandakphu, we checked in Hotel Sherpa Chalet run by the local Buddhist family with a good restaurant and STD facility. We dumped the luggage in our room and went to restaurant to have coffee. The coffee, made of sheep milk, was terrific and during our stay at the hotel, we had many more cups of it.
The term “Sandakphu” is a gradual descends from the term “Santaphur” which means “the dwelling place of a saint”. “Sadhuji ka dera” is probably the oldest house and that is still there at Sandakphu.
January 7, 2009, Wednesday (Day 4)
I got up at 5:30 in the morning. From the smoked glass of the windows, it seemed like it was still dark outside. The window panes were vibrating and I could hear noise of the winds as if there was a tornado outside. I opened the window to check if it was still cloudy and what on earth did I see. Straight in my line of sight, stood the majestic Kanchenjunga mountain range. I shouted in excitement. Indranil, who is an experienced campaigner of that region, understood what has happened.
He woke Sudip up from sleep and three of us stood by the window, mesmerized, looking at the Kanchenjunga, as if it was the last thing we would see. I do not remember how long we stood like that. Indranil broke the trance and told us to get ready to go outside. We quickly dressed up and got out.
Outside, it was very windy. The chilling wind was striking us like nails. It was so cold that I had to cover my entire face with my monkey cap. Sun was just rising which looked like coming through the mountains with the horizon turning from purple to orange. As the first morning light fell on Mount Kanchenjunga and it turned red. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen. I have seen the same thing from Tiger Hill in Darjeeling but it was different.
From Sandakphu, the floating clouds look like waves in the sea splashing on the nearby mountains and when the ocean of clouds end the almighty Himalayas welcome you. The view is spectacular.
The best of Himalayas are there. I could see Kanchendzonga, Pandim, Lotse and Makalu, three Sisters as they are called, and then, the mighty Everest mountain range. If you roll your eyes in 360 degrees, it feels like you are in white Garden with clouds surrounded by the snow laden peaks. We had cameras but nothing can capture that moment. The view of Kanchenjunga range from Sandakphu is known as the “Sleeping Buddha”. It really looks like someone having a swollen tummy, lying down in deep sleep.
At fist we could not see the Everest range. It lied hidden in the left corner of our view, under the cover of thick clouds. But soon, the clouds moved away and we had the luck to view the highest peak in the world. It looked like the dome of a temple peeking out from the ocean of clouds. It looked beautiful but if you compare the beauty of Kanchenjungha and the Everest ranges, Kanchenjungha is undoubtedly more beautiful. It is probably one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. There is a glass house in Sandakphu, made for the viewers. From there, I could see Kanchenjungha and the everest ranges in a straight line. If you are interested in photography, it is the best place to get a 180 degree panorama of the entire Himalayan range viewable from Sandakphu.
Around 9AM, we had our breakfast and started off for Shirikhola. The road goes towards Phalut, which is another place where people go to view Kanchenjunga. On way, we found a pillar which said some golden words, which in my opinion should be followed by each and every person who visits the place. It said “Leave nothing but footprints and Take nothing but memories”. People tend to leave behind pollutants like plastics which are extremely harmful for the natural balance of the region. The words were magic. They changed the very way I looked at nature. I always thought that the resources fo nature are for us to take. But the words enlightened me. I realized that the more we take from nature, the more we lose the beauty of nature.
As we started descending, it was like walking through a place where everything is white. The road was covered with snow, the trees were covered with snow and from the gaps between the trees we could see Kanchenjunga, which was glittering white under the bright sunlight. The sky was dark blue. In my entire life, I had never seen a blue sky like that.
As we descended, the snow gradually decreased. Then it was thick green forest of bamboo trees. Gradually, Kanchenjugha went out of our sight too. Walking through the narrow lanes in between the bamboo forest was a great experience. The green trees, with the dark blue sky in the backdrop, was very soothing to the eyes. In between the bamboo trees I could see the rising rhododendrons. I tried to visualize how the place would look when the rhododendrons are in bloom. It would certainly look like the garden of heaven.
After descending for more than 9 kilometers we reached a place called Gurdum. On way to Gurdum, we passed through the dead valley. It is so called because, in 1988, a forest fire broke in that area and the entire tree line was burnt. Now they stand like barren poles of alpines along the slope. Though called a dead valley, the place is green. Apart from the dead trunks of the burnt trees, the region is full of life. I could see a number of colorful butterflies flying here and there. I could also realize the presence of birds. Though I could not spot any one of them, their chirping made their presence very prominent. On way, I got afraid hearing the noise of something coming through the bushes. I thought it would be a leopard but it turned out to be a wild horse. Indranil told me that spotting wild horses is very common in that region.
From the dead valley we could see Gurdum Lodge which looked like a small toy hut. The route from Sandakphu to Gurdum is very steep, so one has to be very careful while getting down. I realized that descending from the mountains is a much tougher job than the climbing. It really affects your knee and so it is better to carry a knee cap with you.
Gurdum is a tiny hamlet with variety of plantations seen. For the first time I saw cultivation fields were different types of chilies, potatoes and cauliflowers were being grown. We stopped at that place for lunch and had “Wai Wai” again. Because of our photography we were very late and started for Shirikhola (1800 Meters) at around 3 PM. It was a winding stone laden route of 5 kilometers to Shirikhola. Till Shirikhola, the route is marvelous and goes along the river Shiri passing through a sub tropical forest.
A variety flora fauna could be found there. I heard that the jungle is very famous for wild orchids and flowers.
We checked into Goparma Hotel there and had fried tuna fish for snacks. It was just wonderful and I still remember the taste. Our legs had already started aching because of the steep descent. So we had dinner and just crashed in to our beds.
January 8, 2009, Thursday (Day 5)
The Shiri River flows just by the side of the lodge. So, I could hear the sound of the fast flowing water stream even from my room. Sunrise view is not possible from Shirikhola because it is in the valley with high hills on either side. So, I slept till 8 in the morning. The journey from Sandakphu had taken a toll on my body. Each and every muscle was paining. I could not walk in normal rhythm. It was quite warm and so I did not have to carry the heap of warm clothes on me. It was a sort of relief.
I causally walked down to the river. Though I am calling it a river, in reality, it was just a stream flowing through a bed of hard rocks. On either side of it, green hills blocks the view which gives the feeling of being inside a tunnel.
These hills are the breeding grounds for various species of birds. I saw many of them. They are very colorful and if I were a Bird Watcher, I would have certainly liked to stay in Shirikhola for a few days.
We started from Shirikhola around 10 AM. Rimbick was our destination. We could have directly gone to NJP and it would have shortened our trip by a day but we chose to stay in Rimbick because of two reasons. Firstly, Indranil had a stake in probably the best hotel in Rimbick and he insisted that we stay there as his guest. Secondly, our bodies were hell tired and making it to NJP and then boarding the train would have been too much for us.
Rimbick at 2286 meters is on the opposite side of Shirikhola. So we had to cross the Shiri River. There’s a hanging bridge made if wooden planks tied by ropes. Crossing the bridge, we started walking keeping the hills of Sikkim on our left. The journey was not that exciting. We reached Rimbick at noon and got into Hotel Sherpa. It is run by the most prestigious Buddhist family of the place and the accommodation was lovely with running hot water and very hospitable people.
After all the days of hard life, where we moved like nomads, Rimbick gave us the feel of civilization. There are shops all around and you could get almost everything you need. I bought a shampoo sachet and a disposable shaving razor to clean myself up.
Having a bath after such a long time, and that too in hot water, was a great feeling. We had rice and chicken curry for lunch. The food was extremely tasty. After lunch, we roamed in the garden of the hotel for sometime. The garden was beautiful with various species of flowers in full bloom.
In the evening, Indranil and Raju, the porter cum guide, who has been with Sudip all through the journey, presented us with “khada”. It is a silk cloth with Buddhist inscriptions given as a mark of respect for completing the trek. People in the mountains feel honored when people from the plains take all the hardship to visit their place. They return the honour with “Khada”. It was a very emotional time as we realized that it was the last day of our trek.
January 9, 2009, Friday (Day 6)
Early in the morning, we took a cab from Rimbick. The cab could have taken us all the way to NJP but we chose to break at SukhiaPokhri. We did not forget the taste of “Shu-Mai”. The cab had its first halt at Dhotrey. The sky was clear at that time and we could see the view of Kanchenjugha from Dhotrey. It’s beautiful but nothing in comparison to what we had seen from Sandakphu.
After relishing the taste of “Shu-Mai”, we took a cab to NJP from where we again boarded the Darjeeling Mail.
Jan 10, 2009, Saturday (Day 7)
We reached Kolkata at around 6 AM. Our bodies were tired but our minds were fresh with the memories of journey to one of the best places on earth.
Important information
At least one porter cum guide with a trek team is a must as per Govt. rule. The charge of the porter is Rs. 250/- without food (Sukha) a day. There are registered porters for the job and the rate is fixed.
The rate of hiring a 4 wheel drive (4 X 4) “Land rover” is Rs. 3,500/- for the up and down trip and Rs. 300/- extra for each night halt as per tourist’s wish. 43 such vehicles are there at Manebhanjyang. Guide charge is extra.
Singalila National Park remains closed for the tourists from 16th June to 15th September. Snowfall usually starts in the last week of December and continues intermittently till February.
Important times to visit:
21st Mach to 30th April: Reddish flame of Flowering Rhododendrons all around. Clear sky is luck. You can get stormy wind with rain sometimes.
16th September to 15th December: Clear sky with best view of mountains and less wind. It is the time for the most comfortable and best view.
25th December to 31st January: This is the time for snowfall and heavy wind along the trail.
Entry fee to Singalila National Park:
Person: Rs.25/- each Indian and Rs.100/- each Foreigner.
Still Camera: Rs. 25/- each
Movie Camera: Rs. 250/- each (Handycam too)
There are several check posts throughout the route. Fist post is 1 km. after Tumbling.
The Second post is at Garibas. The Third post is at Bikheybhanjyang and the Fourth post is at Sandakphu.
Contact Information:
Mr. Indranil Kar of Ongoz Escapades.
Registered Office: P-3, Debarati Apartments, Kalindi Housing Estate, Jessore Road, Kolkata – 700089.
Phone: 9830367890
Email: ongozescapades@gmail.com
