Sandakphu & Phalut Trek ( Upto Phalut - Gorkhey - Ramam - Rimbick )
Write-up : Anish
Write-up : Anish
Mt Everest Ranges
Kangchenjunga Range Three Sisters Peaks Trek Map
I have been thinking of a solo trek through any of the Himalayan
ranges for a while now. Since I had some work at Kolkata I’ve already made up
my mind to stretch more days to get ready for some trek. And obviously Sandakpu
was finalized because several factors worked perfectly well. First this place
is one of the oldest trekking trails in India, a full rounded trek would nearly
hit a 100km, it crosses borders with Nepal and you never know when you are in
which country. Towards the end of the trek you reach the borders of Sikkim. One
can experience numerous mountains and villages of West Bengal, Nepal and Sikkim and
explore their way of life and culture. Situated inside Singalila National Park known for its rich floral and faunal diversity it has rare varieties
of species and endangered animals like Red panda, Clouded Leopard and Black
Panther, the park is now a Wildlife sanctuary and one needs to buy a permit
with entry ticket at Maneybhanjan town which is the gateway for this trek and
the first border town of India and Nepal. Half way towards the trek we reach Sandakphu
which is also the highest point in West Bengal district. It is the ultimate Vantage
point where you can witness 4 of the 5 highest peaks (besides K2) in the World
( Mt. Everest, Makalu, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga) what more do you need? And people
who are further trekking from Sandakphu to Phalut have chances to see the panoramic
views of the gigantic Himalayas from Nepal to Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh up till
Bhutan views on a clear day. I was
thrilled because I was all alone this time and when I’m alone I don’t plan
anything other than the flight tickets to the nearby airport. For tourists the
gravel road which is made out of boulders up to Sandakphu till Phalut can also
be driven by Vintage land rovers which can be rented out from Maneybhanjan. Till
some years before trekking trail was the same as the gravel roads but now trekkers
have their own trails and steep shortcuts meeting the boulder road from time to
time. And above that one can always choose to walk through the nearby mountains
as well. It is also mandatory to have a guide now. People who trek further from
there to Gorkhey and Rimbik passes through forest trails for a complete circle
trek of 92km. And my idea was to do just that.
Manebanjan Town
14th April
Next day both of us went to the office and he said up to Sandhakpu I
might need 5 days and for a full trek till Rimbik it might take 8 days. I know
Guides are mandatory now and 700 rs were the fees per day for an English
speaking guide. Had to pay an advance for permit and there came a young chap Ashok
who will be my guide and partner for the next how many ever days I wished to
trek there. By 9am after having some bread and omelets we left Manebhanjan to
stop at the check post for permit tickets and entry details . Chennai is not in
India so you are an international tourist, you will have to pay more and there
is a separate register for me is what the person in the counter said. But I was
in India at that time and haven’t crossed any borders. Had to fight smilingly for a while to prove my
nationality with a person who never knew Chennai existed in India. Finally
after hearing all the noise some other people came and showered some light into
to that person and thus I became an Indian again.
Maneybhanjan –
Tumling – Gariabas (17 Km)
First Stupa
We started our journey into the hills. Our plans for today
were trekking till Tumling which is around 10km and stay for the night. The
trek till sandhakpu had two steep trails. One was the beginning from Manebanjan
to Chitrey and the final stretch from Bikeybanjan to Sandakphu but I was not
aware of this. The first two kms upto Chitrey was actually tough since I was
just starting to walk, there wasn’t really a stretch that i could kind of warm up.
It was steep and above that my guide took me through the shortcuts which were
even steeper. With around 10kg backpack my
back was pulling me down while i I moved up slowly without stopping. If the
entire trek was like this I started thinking that I will be having a tough time here. Did not want to give a wrong
notion to Ashok that I was less fit. Finally after a km we stopped for a break
nearby the first Stupa which is a dome shaped monument erected as a Buddhist
shrine. Could see the small town we just left from and some Nepal villages to
the right. After one more km we reached Chitrey. Saw Gumba monastry,the
associated temples and a closed school which is for training young lama kids. We
had to circle twice the monastery before continuing. International funds helps in maintaining and
construction of new buildings nearby the monastery. Above that there were a
couple of houses with a tea shop. I could see easy green slopes ahead and it
was very similar to ooty grassland, from November onwards all these places will
be under snow.
We were trekking through the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity
hotspot area and I was enjoying the walk along with ashok hearing the stories
of mountains. He told me that we are fast enough and at this rate we will reach
Tumbling by 2pm, we could possibly try Gariabas today itself which was another
7km from Tumbling. I said ok and till the next stop Lamydhura we walked through
the trekker’s trail avoiding almost all the Gravel jeep roads. Lamaydhura had 3
to 4 houses with a tea shop run by a lady. With a light breakfast I was already
hungry and Noodle soup along with tea was a relief from the cold. Met Sanjoy
and Pankaj from Guwahati there. I could see an old Land rover jeep which was
more like a piece of antique parked there. Ashok
We left the place through the roads
to reach Meghma village which was 4 kms ahead. Landscapes changed so quickly
because the flow of mist was just too quick. Taking photographs was a funny
affair because the small views which existed in naked eyes would be misty
through the lens. Ashok said every day after 10am this is the situation for the
remaining day. You could only see long views in the morning time. Rhododendrons
started showing up. Red varieties of different kinds of flowers bloomed here
and there. Just before reaching Meghma I saw the border line fencing between
India and Nepal. Photography was prohibited but I unknowingly took one. As I
crossed it one security personal asked if I had an ID and I said yes, problem
solved. There was one more monastery here.India - Nepal Border
The walk continued till Meghma and we
took the Gurasai route to Tumbling cancelling Tonglu. Actually this route is
steeper but a little shorter. From here onwards I got some splendid views of
the nearby mountains, small streams, stupas and small bell temples built nearby
main water sources. Everywhere you see
some sought of colorful prayer flags flying high. Each flag color has its
elements like yellow-earth, green–water, red-fire, white-air and blue-space.
They believe that the energy of the prayers and sacred mantras written
on the flags are blown by the wind and promotes peace, compassion and wisdom.
The walk till Tumling was just beautiful and we stopped at 1.30 for lunch.
What
I like with Ashok Is I don’t get to see the best hotel or lodge within the very
few rather It was always pakka local and I wanted it that way. Had Roti and Omelets
in a small hut and we left the place by 2.30pm. This is the place where I was
initially planned to stay today but we are now moving to Gariabas. I insisted
that we walk through the forest and cancelled the Joubari route. Just after
sometime there appeared the gates of Singalila National Park. I had to show my
tickets there which I got it from Manebanjan and we were now let inside the
park. After crossing some Army camp buildings Ashok diverted into the forest
trails. Even though March was the blooming season of Rhododendrons I was not
disappointed by what was left. 
The stretch from here on was of thick forest but
nowhere near to Western Ghats as flora at such altitudes tend to grow really
slowly. Patches of bamboos, Magnolias and oaks where found everywhere. After 7 km of misty walk up and down we
joined a scary rocky road which led us through steep declines into the valley finally
reaching Gariabas by 5pm.We were actually in Nepal now and just opposite there
was the Indian border with army security buildings. There were beds available
at Magnolia lodge and both of us decided to stay there. Met another team there
who was staying in the nearby Gta lodge.
Took a small nap and dinner was rice and dhal curry. I was hoping to
have a good sleep but the horrendous winds that night smashed a couple of
windows and the cold were unbearable finally I couldn’t sleep at all. It was
around 4.30 am next morning and I saw light outside. It was like 6am in south India
and it was a new experience for me. By 5am Ashok and I started chatting about
yesterday night’s winds, I could feel the big wood house shaking and vibrating
throughout the entire night. Crazy it was. By seven I got out and roamed around the area. So blissful it
was. After some breakfast of roti and boiled potatoes by 8 am we started our
second days walk.
Since Gariabas was somewhere deep down the valley today we
had to compensate on yesterday’s decline. The first 1 km was climbing up for
the lost altitudes and it wasn’t easy. There were other trekkers too who
started some 30 minutes before us but we were overtaking each of them. Most of
the walk with Ashok was through steep shortcuts and mountains showing very
little of the actual gravel road which is much easier compared to the short
routes. With a couple of breaks we reached Kaiyakatta which had not more than 6
houses and a tea shop. We did not stop there and carried on. From here we had
to follow the roads for the next 4km till kalapokhri. It was kind of an even
walk without many changes in altitude. On the way again met Sanjoy and Pankaj the Guwahati
guys. We tagged along till we reached kalipokhri the scared lake. Two special
things about this lake are water color is black not because it is dirty but the
black mud reflected and made it look colored. Second was this lake never
freezes even in the extremes of cold seasons. There was a Stupa built above the
lake and the views around was just too beautiful. Had some photo sessions and
our next stop for lunch was at Cwang hotel run by a family just above the lake.Kaliphokri Lake
Next was the final steep
stretch of 4 km to Sandhakpu. Sanjoy and I moved ahead and covered a good
distance leaving his friend and the guide’s way back. We tried most of the steep shorts and went
through the small mountain finding new ways. Sanjoy slowed down a bit but I
continued to stop somewhere on top for a longer break. Most of the vegetation
just changed into huge pine trees and shrubs with grass lands. The sceneries were
just getting better and better and the color tone of the entire surrounding was
something I’ve never experienced before. After some 20 minutes I stopped for
rest and within minutes my hands were shivering out of cold. Now I had to wait
for others to join in. Sanjoy joined me and while we were resting suddenly when
the clouds cleared up we got a slight glance of Mt Kanchenjunga range. Waited
for a long time but the guides somehow took another shorts and were ahead waiting
for us. I had to say goodbyes to Sanjoy
to catch up with Ashok.
I could now see the top of Sandakphu and was
climbing fast. Caught Ashok on the way and within 20 minutes we were on top of
the highest peak of West Bengal. There were around 20 buildings which were
mostly small lodges. Some groups were running around for the booked rooms to
confirm. But here I am with no bookings and no plans just a layman in a no man’s
land. After having tea there watching kanchenchunga in parts and pieces we
moved to the next stop called Aal which was 1 km away.
West bengals Highest peak View of kanchenchunga from Sandakphu
It was also the sunset
point and had 4 houses and a tent. My place was Pinky hut. Rustic and local just
like what you see in Hollywood Himalayan movies with a few local people around
smoking anything and everything out. My hut had 3 rooms and a small dormitory
and I got a small separate room there. I have reached where I intend to and all
I want was some good views of the Himalayan ranges tomorrow early morning.
After settling in gave my camera batteries to recharge from the only solar
power set up there. I have been hearing about a special local drink called Roxy for the past two days from
Ashok while getting to know more the mountain drinks and It was available at
several places but I knew this was the right time to try some shots because it’s
now confirmed that tonight the temperature will go down below 0 degree. Went to
the nearby hut and the Roxy party was actually fun as I was joined by two other
friends from Darjeeling and one carried a flute but knew only one bollywood
tune and he kept on repeating the same tune several times. A couple of glasses
made things ease up a little bit and I started to play the flute for the
remaining timeof whatever little I knew to play until they had their share of
Roxy. Music & Party time
Back to the room I had some hot noodles soup and the other team members
from Darjeeling also became quick friends. We chatted for sometime till rice
and curry with chilies came to the table. By 10 pm I wanted to go out and face
the cold for some time. After some 20 minutes watching the moon through the
dark superfast clouds the cold was deadly to me. My fingers have almost gone
completely numb. Back to the room which was made of wood but had umpteen numbers
of small holes. I was actually enjoying the struggle and got a couple of hours
sleep. Rest was managed by listening music through headphones from my mobile
until it clocked 5.15 am.
Sandhakpu – Phalut – Gorkey
( 36 km) The longest mountain walk ever on a single day.
With hot tea in hand
I went out to see one of the most stunning views of my life. It was the Everest
ranges. The sun was just about to rise in another 20 odd minutes. Soon ran
inside to cover up with all the remaining jackets and woolen hand gloves
because I know I will stay outdoors watching the Himalayan ranges for quite
some time. Grabbed my camera and started walking to the nearby hill top to get
a 360 degree view of the entire place. Along with other guys we reached the top
to witness The glowing Himalayan ranges with the sunrise. It was special
feeling.
Mt Everest Ranges
To the left the Mt Everest ranges, in the center was The Three Sisters
Mountains and to the right was the Kanchenchunga family which was slowly
clearing up from the mist. Others left but I stayed back. In the Mt Everest family,
Lhotse, Makalu and Chomolonzo peaks were clearly visible. The Mt Everest Mountain
was visible but the peak was hidden with clouds. Hard luck I waited and waited
but the clouds just stayed there.
Three Sisters peaks
Towards the Kanchenchunga, also known as “the
sleeping Buddha” has got its shape now after an hour of painful waiting and I
could finally see more and more peaks popping from the Pandim ranges which
extended to further right and probably some from the Bhutan ranges. Ashok came
by then and pointed out each and every peak. I was still staring at the Mt Everest
peak to check if there was any difference but there wasn’t. I was worried about
myself because If something went missing I know I will chase it another day. In
a way I thought that the Everest was inviting me closer and who knows I may be
on top of that one day. At least a base camp trek to Mt Everest is a sure shot
on my bucket list.
Kanchenjunga Ranges
2 hours of watching the snow capped glittering Himalayan
ranges was actually too short for me until I was distracted again by Ashok at
7.30am telling me that our today’s walk to Phalut was a long 21km so we have to
start by 8am. So got down from the hill and by 8am we were ready by having
Noodles soup at the nearby hut. If it was a clear day the views can be enjoyed
till Phalut, and Kanchenchunga from there is much closer and feels like it’s
just a Stone throw distance is what Ashok assured me. The guys from Darjeeling
had initially planned to walk till phalut but now changed their mind to hire a land
rover as some of them were in pain and not willing to walk. Hoping for the best
of climate we started at 8.30am.
A billion star Lodge 
Beautiful Rhododendrons with different color
palates of blue, red, orange, light violets the descend from the peak through
the roads was sunny and I stopped for a change of lighter jackets.
That’s when I met Dipankar from kolkata who
just crossed me with his guide. We hit off well and tagged along for the next two
days. I thought he was a solo trekker like me but he walked with his wife from
Chitrey and reached sandakphu yesterday. Today she left him alone and went
ahead in a land rover till phalut to wait for him. I thought he must then be an
experienced trekker to enjoy walking even when his wife was travelling in a
jeep but that was not the case he was trekking for the first time in his life.
The first 8km was just green meadows with broken or dead pine trees. It was a
total shift of environment from the last 3 days. By 10am we lost almost all the
Himalayan views but the long rolling green hills were a pleasure to walk.
Clashed with some of the groups I already met in the past days here and there
and met a couple from Uk, Alice and Mark. After 2 more km the meadows just
ended and we were back into the trekking trails.
One of the India - Nepal Border Army
By 11.30 Ashok took us to a
Yak shed with a small stone house where the family was producing Diary products
like butter and cheese. Not many tourists or trekkers visits these places because
it was off the road and not easily findable. Guides had some noodle soup and we
had some raw black tea. Fresh Roxy was available there and I bottled up half a
liter just for fun. The fire was easing us a bit from the cold breeze
outside and we sat there for some time chatting. By 12.30 we bid goodbyes to
the family and after climbing through the diversions the next two km patch was
stony and slippery.
After following a long ridge for the next 1 km we were off
to the roads. We still had 4 km more to reach Phalut and Dipankar was pushing
hard. His guide have assisted forest department census of red pandas and we
were discussing stuffs more of wildlife for the remaining walk. By 2.30pm we
were nearing phalut and it became completely misty.
My dreams of having some
Himalayan views from sandakphu to phalut collapsed. There was only one Gta
Guest house at Phalut and to top it all there was no rooms available. Some army
personals have blocked the remaining rooms but their occupancy was not
confirmed as well. We may or may not get to stay there. After waiting for another
30 minutes we had only one option left. To walk to the next stop called Gorkey
which is another 17km. I was ready for anything but the only factor was I will
be missing the views from Phalut tomorrow morning. Dipankar’s wife had faced
the same problem and had already left to Gorkhey this morning. Not much to
think about we decided to start our next leg. By 3.30pm Dipankar, myself and
our guides set out through the thick mist climbing down from phalut. It was fun
because all of us took the situation lightly and I always like things which go
completely absurd and finding a way out is where the thrill is.
After an hour
of nonstop walk it started drizzling. The plastic covers which all of us had come
to rescue. I had my rain jackets too. So everything was worn to protect the
camera and bags. Rains started to pour heavily and the trail started collecting
more water. We had no option but to walk through the dampening mud. I slipped a
couple of times. Suddenly I was realizing that something was poking my head
over the plastics. It was Hailstorm. Yahooo! I was experiencing this for the
first time. Everywhere it started pouring like diamonds, what if it was real
diamonds I could have travelled the whole world I thought, prolonged walk has
made my thinking process a bit awful I say. The stones were nearly half an inch
and some were bigger. I wanted to take some photographs and somehow took the
camera out through the rain jacket and plastic covers to click some pictures and
put it back quickly. I might have lost something in Phalut but I gained
something new here, this is what trekking is all about, just keep your eyes
open and be ready to receive what nature gifts you.
Hailstorm
After nearly two hours we must have crossed
some 8 kms. Since it was raining we couldn’t use any of the shortcuts as it was
too slippery. Our presence in a way made Dipankar to not think too much about
the remaining kms and the conversation kept us pushing. Another hour passed we
had to have a break and stopped for some time. It was slowly getting darker and
I had my headlamps ready and torches as well. Steps was built with supporting
wooden twigs with an extra one inch popping out which was very dangerous if our
shoe laces or pants accidently get stuck, a fall was sure so with the gloomy
torch lights all of us had to be extra cautious which decreased our speeds. Dipankar
was fused out and all I could hear from him was a repeated mantra called Baap
re Baap. I said for a first timer you are just doing great and finally we
stopped for one more break. From here we could see some lights from Gorkhey
village and sounds of the river. It started lightening and we moved down. I
took out the camera to record the night walk and even tried to click pictures
when lightening happened, crazy stuff.
Night walk
Finally by 8pm we reached Gorkhey and
Falguni was waiting for her hubby just like in the movie Roja they were finally
United. Epic ! We had rooms to stay there and went inside to sit for sometime
after a long long walk of 36km. Met Soumyadeep ghosh and Soumya Bosu from
Calcutta there. After freshening up all of us had dinner with some much needed
Sikkim Beer called HIT but it really failed to hit me. The roxy was given to
other guides. After dinner we had a campfire and it was party time with Dance
and music. Nearly two hours around the camp fire finally I sang Humma Humma to
sum it up and It was a fun night. By 11pm all of us were so tired it was time
to sleep it off.
Gorkhey – Ramam ( 8 Km)
At Sikkim now Dipankar & Falguni
Back to the lodge it was again music time and everybody was playing out
their best songs from mobiles through a loudspeaker. Soumya ghosh played me
some beautiful Bengali music and we just had enough time to enjoy all this
silently listening with a synced ambience with a Sikkim beer in hand. By 12 we had
a special lunch there. Special in the sense we had ordered chicken and it was
actually yummy. Before leaving the place a small viper came to say goodbye to
all of us and by 1pm Dipankar, Falguni, Soumyadeep, Soumya Bosu and myself with
the guides started our walk to Ramam. Now the group was big but slow. Everyone
was panting hardly at the start itself so ashok and I decided to move forward
and catch them later.
It was like a country walk because we have lost nearly
1500 meters from phalut and the first 3 kms really connected and remembered
ooty in every sense. The trees and plants were so familiar and after that we
entered into the forest trail for the remaining walk till Ramam. We were quick and with just 1 break and few
photographs we were nearing Ramam.Ashok always had some kinds of stories and experiences to share and there wasn’t any dull moment while he was nearby. Reached Ramam by 3pm and the place were not occupied by anybody else apart from our group. Kept the bags inside and waited for the rest while having tea.
Ramam – Srikola – Rimbick
( 15km) Further Drive to Darjeeling
From left : Soumya Bosu, Soumyadeep, Gazen, Anish, Dipanker, Falguni
At 6am I was having tea at the small fireplace inside the
kitchen deciding our routes for today with ashok. He has already called up the
jeep driver to book a seat for me from Rimbik and the last jeep leaves at
11.30am to Darjeeling. 15 km required at least 4 hours through the mountain. I
started packing my stuffs and got ready by 7am. Even though it was just two
days, I had a memorable time tagging along with the wonderful couple Dipankar &
Falguni and Soumyadeep and Soumya Bosu. By 7.30 left the team hoping to meet them
some other time we walked ahead through the small trail and Ramam village
extended for a while with more houses and then through their agricultural lands.
On the way there was lots of strawberries on both sides and we picked up a handful
tasting it on the way.
Some kind of stupas and small rock cut temples showed up
after every other km. Since there wasn’t much climbing involved today we were
actually very fast. Within two hours we could see Sepi on the opposite hills
but it required to walk down to the valley reaching the Ramam River and again
climb up. The river crossing had a curved bridge while the flow of ramam river
was mild. One more km to reach sepi from there it was a steep climb.
By almost
10am we reached the road which connects Srikhola to the right and Rimbick to
the left. I still had just 4 km to end the 92kms full circle trek around
Singalila National park and I was quite happy and sad at the same time. Ashok
was a terrific partner and his stories never seem to end. This stretch is now
in construction with new tar roads are being laid. I knew I was back into cement
civilization as more and more concrete houses showed up. Deep down I could see
the Ramam hydel power station which merges with Sikkim border.
At 10.45 we reached Rimbick and booked the jeep
and confirmed the side window seats for a 5hr long drive. Ashok will get down
at Maneybanjan and I asked him to take me to some special hotel for Thai food.
Bought some Nepali stuffs from the market for remembrance and by 12 our jeep
took off, the drive back through hundreds of mountains was feeling like as if I
was really leaving something behind. We had a stop at Dhotrey which is also
another entry point to this trek from the east. Ashok took me to one more hotel
to try their Tibetan delicacy called Momo. My solo attempt has shaped up
tremendously well and opened new barriers and couldn’t have asked anything
more. Reached Maneybanjan and Ashok got down there with big hugs asking me to
visit the place once again in November to catch some clear views of Mt Everest.
Yes someday with a land rover till Sandakphu would be nostalgic. Straight away
went to Darjeeling. I could have turned right from Ghoom to Siliguri but just didn’t want to leave the hills that
evening and wanted to taste some special Chinese or Thai cuisines and if
possible visit one or two places around Darjeeling. After checking inside a
cozy room my mind changed, I became tired all of a sudden I just wanted to sleep
but not without trying out some popular Tibetan food like Thukpa,shaphalay a
Tibetan bread which is stuffed with meat. Next day morning took a jeep
to siliguri and reached Bagdogra airport by 12pm.
Darjeeling Mountain Railways
Darjeeling Mountain Railways
My direct flight to Chennai
had one stop at Kolkata finally reaching Chennai by 7pm. Now that I’ve
experienced what a solo trek through the Himalayan ranges meant I am definitely
looking forward to make more such expeditions to the Himalayas soon.
Author : Anish vk
Clicked by : Anish
Team: Anish, Ashok
Place : Sandhakpu, Phalut, Rimbick
Km Covered : 5days || 92Kms
anish@ambikadigitals.com
