Sandakphu Trek

Sandakphu, the highest peak in West Bengal at 3636 m presents a panoramic walk on the Singalila Ridge through Kanchenjunga National Park bordering India and Nepal. This is a tea house trek and the beautiful villages along the way lead one to a fairytale land. The trek starts from Maneybhanjan, about 19 km from Ghoom. Ghoom holds the distinction of being the highest railway station of India at an altitude of close to 2258 m and is just 8 km away from Darjeeling. It’s the penultimate station from Siliguri to Darjeeling on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. There is a motorable road from Maneybhanjan to Sandakphu but the trekking route intersects this motorable road at some points along the way to Sandakphu, while the route from Sandakphu to Rimbick on the other side is a pure trekking trail without any interference of vehicles. The colonial era land rovers dominate the landscape on the motorable roads, which look vintage and eternally lost in the splendour of Kanchenjunga. The USP of this peak lies in the uninterrupted 180 degree glimpse of the Kanchenjunga and Everest range in a single frame. The revered “Sleeping Buddha” pose of Kanchenjunga with Kumbhakarna, Jaano and Kabru gives goose bumps as the absence of any barrier almost lends a psychedelic whiff to the whole proceedings. The walk through the lovely villages of Gorkhey and Srikhola with flower pots decorating the façade of the huts at the fag-end of the trek provides a renewed vigour in the wayward minds of the trekkers.