Exploration and travel are avenues to experience novel cultures. The underlying reason for traveling, in my opinion, is the insatiable hunger to know the unknown. There is something about offbeat/ unseen places that calls to the regimented, overstimulated, city dwelling mind.
If you consider traveling as a culture, then it is comprised of numerous sub-cultures. Trekking is one such sub-culture that acts as the most common medium through which people access those remote destinations.
My first trekking experience was Sandakphu and it came at the end of my educational career; right before I shut myself in a cubicle. Sandakphu is the highest point in West Bengal and sits right on top of the Indo-Nepal border. It’s a ridge-line that snakes its way up north, along the international border.
Living in Kolkata and planning on a tight schedule, we naturally zeroed in on this spot. It is the nearest trek route from home that offers some of the best views of the Greater Himalayan range.
Day 1: Leaving Kolkata
As the trip was planned decades in advance, obviously no train tickets were left by the time we sat down to book transportation. So, an overnight intercity bus to New Jalpaiguri was the only option left. Usually, it’s a 12-14 hour journey, depending on road conditions.
En route, the bus made a scheduled stop for dinner and refreshments at Saktigarh. Here, we consumed whatever food was served, answered nature’s call and instructed nature to not call again, as answering on a moving bus would be problematic.
From then on, it was a bumpy ride till we eventually reached New Jalpaiguri at 9:00 in the morning.
Day 2: From plains to the clouds
When we finally reached the bus stop, our guide, Mr. Rai was already waiting for us there. Mr. Rai, or as we fondly called him ‘Daju’ is a lovely individual, filled with unbridled optimism and a permanently smiling face.
Daju had already arranged for a jeep beforehand, that would take us to our first stop, Chitrey. It is a small village situated above the town of Mane Bhanjyan.
Maney Bhanjyang is a busy mountain town, bustling with loud markets, schools and jeep stands. Travelers entering the Singalila National Park need to get permits from here. We spent an hour in Maney Bhanjyang, sorting out the permits and chatting with returning tourists.
Chitrey, is a short but steep ride up, beyond the town and as we got higher, we drove headlong into what seem like an enormous cloud.
At first glance, the scene looked right out of a horror novel. The jeep rolled onto a vast, moderately flat field whose edges were hidden by thick fog. The air was chilly and the mercury dropped further, as it started drizzling.
The homestay, which floated in and out of the clouds, sat right at the edge of the field. It was a cluster of slanting roofs and beyond that, the hill dropped off down below. A smiling, middle aged man appeared out of thin air and showed us to our room for the night.
Chitrey, as we found out from Daju, sits close to the Indo-Nepal border. So, after a simple lunch we ventured into the cold, windy afternoon to explore the hillside. Drizzle was being hurled at us from every direction and the slippery grass made it all the more challenging to navigate in the terrain.
The dense fog and the setting sun meant that visibility was poor. So, a relatively short hike took a long time to negotiate. Unlike other heavily armed borders around the country, the Indo-Nepal border is nothing more than a few arbitrary pillars wedged into the mountain side.
It was almost dark, by the time we returned to the homestay and as the place is so remote and off the grid, dinner‘s served quite early. Our lovely hosts brought us supper at around 7:30 in the evening and it was lights out soon after that.
Day 3: Reaching Sandakphu
It was 4:30 am when Daju knocked on our door the next morning. He woke us up just in time to see the sunrise. Now there are a few instances in life when an experience is so rich that you can’t properly express it in words. That sunrise was one of those moments. So, I will let the visuals do the talking.
Due to our tight schedule, we did not trek up to Sandakphu and instead took a car; hence saving a day’s worth of time in the process.
The road to Sandakphu is extremely narrow and in some places we had to get down as the angle was so steep that the car could not pull the extra load. But the views were magnificent. Some stretches were just a thin line of concrete following the spine of the ridge, with steep ravines on both sides.
Thankfully, it was a clear morning that day and we were above the foggy, cloudy valleys. So, while passing through Tonglu, a spot on the way, we got our first sighting of the Kanchenjunga Massif.
The stretch of tarmac near Sandakphu village was extremely steep and we had to get down again. The jeep huffed and puffed up the road with our luggage, as we followed an even steeper path up through the cliffs and slopes lining the road.
But the view that greeted as we staggered through the gates of the village was worth the struggle. A thin road slithered through a bunch of medium to small houses and disappeared into the ridges ahead. Houses were scattered across the top of the ridge and as we were higher than the surrounding, it gave the impression of floating in the clouds.
Having reached Sandakphu in good time, we offloaded our luggage at the GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) lodge where we were boarded and headed out for a short exploration.
The highlight of our first night here was a huge thunderstorm that literally steamrolled the village. Gale force winds bellowed through forests, alleys and blasted against our room walls like cannon balls. It was a hectic night to put it lightly.
Day 4: High Altitude Exploration
I was fast asleep and comfortably buried under layers of blankets when someone knocked on the window. Stumbling in the dark, the wrist watch showed 3:45 in the AM as I shivered across to the window.
Pulling back the curtains, I saw Daju’s face smiling back at me in the faint glow of dawn. He had come to wake us up, so that we could get a glimpse of the sleeping Buddha (Kanchenjunga range) in the clear morning air. I put on whatever jacket/sweater I could find and hurried outside into the semi darkness.
The cold immediately bit into the skin, and my eyeballs felt like they were freezing in the wind. A blue tinge from the horizon was lighting up the mountain in the distance and it was massive. I have never seen Mt. Kanchenjunga this close and the magnitude just took my breath away.
After having breakfast, we went out for some light hiking. Usually people trek to Phalut which is situated 20km from Sandakphu on the same ridge. Phalut sits further towards the north and offers even closer views of the mountains. But as we did not have the time for trekking to and from Phalut, our plan was to walk up halfway, spend some time and come back.
The way to Phalut is a ridgeline trail, so you can see for miles on both sides. On one side, there will be the mighty Kanchenjunga range and on the other side, beautiful green hills of Nepal, stretching to the horizon.
At noon we stopped at a small tea house on the Nepal side of the ridge and spent some time on the windswept slopes; watching yaks lazily grazing around. After that we headed back to Sandakphu. On the way back, Daju arranged for lunch at a tea house he knew quite well.
Day 5: Down trek through the forests
The next morning, after breakfast, we bid adieu to Sandakphu and started our down trek from the mountain. The trail down goes through heavily forested areas with beautiful clearings and truly inspiring views. You can see everything from large towering pine trees to thick bamboo jungles swaying in the wind.
As the route goes through remote parts it is generally advised to move in groups as brown bears and leopards are spotted from time to time.
The trail itself is moderately challenging, with some steep sections. But as we kept stopping to take shots and observe the beautiful nature around us, it took us some time to get down. And if it hadn’t been for Daju, it would have taken us longer.
By late afternoon, we reached Gurdum, a spot on the trail which has a lovely tea house and lodging facilities. It is a very popular stopover amongst trekkers of this circuit. But we had our accommodation for the night at Timburey, a village further down below.
So, after resting and having lunch at Gurdum, we set off for Timburey. It was evening by the time we walked into the beautiful hamlet, set in a narrow river valley. The village comprised of a group of houses with lovely flower gardens outside.
Day 6: Ending the trek at the beautiful village of Sepi
The last day of our trek was a short distance hike from Timburey to Sepi. After having breakfast at Timburey, we packed up our gear and headed out towards Sepi. This was a relatively short hike as the route was over metal roads and a few set of steps along steep slopes.
Sepi is technically a street along a road from where trekkers can hitch a ride to any major mountain town nearby. It acts as the traditional ending of the Sandakphu trek circuit, at the West Bengal side. Like in other places of the trek, our hosts were the friendliest people you can run into.
They had a very cool café/ hangout area with books, guitars and football club memorabilia. It started to rain after we reached our lodging and it continued to drizzle for most of the evening. But when the downpour ceased for a while we made our way down to the river below and soaked in the last evening of our trek.
We stayed in Sepi for a night and left for Darjeeling the next morning. We shared a cab to the mountain town and spent the next day and half there, before coming down to Siliguri for our train back home.
About our guide
Having a local guide, on these kinds of trips adds a new dimension to the experience. They provide a lens into the local way of life and makes interaction effortless. Our guide, Santibhirai Rai, AKA Daju, has spent all his life in the mountains.
An avid mountain lover, Daju is easily one of the fittest people I have ever met. Small, soft spoken but strong as a bull, Daju helped us navigate through the mountains without sacrificing our liberty to explore.
On observing locals like Daju, it is evident that mental toughness, patience and positivity run deep within the mountain culture. Life at these high altitudes is challenging; it toughens the mind and body by default. Even the simple chore of fetching water can make you more breathless than the most high octane Zumba class in Kolkata.
There is a lot to learn from the people of these remote villages, tucked away in isolation. A practical guide to a life of simplicity, without high speed internet, without too many stuffs but with activity, living in symbiosis with nature and a never say die attitude.
A very well documented experience. Created an aura of visualization as I kept reading through it.