Close to the end of 2015, a friend invited me to join him on a trek to Sandakphu and also help him plan for it. On doing some research, I was excited to learn that the trek route offers stunning views of highest Himalayan peaks including those in the Kanchenjunga range. The highlight of these sights being the view of these peaks from Sandakphu that resembled the Sleeping Buddha. Together, me and my friend identified a local agency that helped us arrange guides and other staff for this trek. After bagging a reasonable deal, we set off on the trek (with a few others) to Sandakphu in last week of January 2016.
Standing tall at 3,636 m (11,929 ft) Sandakphu is the highest peak in West Bengal. Located in the Singalila Ridge of the Himalayas, the Sandakphu-Phalut trek is popularly attempted in winter. While a relatively easy trek, the unpredictable weather (especially in the winter months) can make the route challenging.
The trek begins
We started off the trek by camping in a tiny village in hills. The mercury dropped considerably on our first night and all of us were bewildered by the intense cold. We retired wondering what temperature await us at Phalut. The following morning was thankfully warm and we started our trek.
After a couple of days we reached Sandakphu and checked-in to a small but lovely hotel. The hotel management informed us of some great photo opportunities of the sunrise and surrounding mountain peaks from a nearby hill. We scrambled to setup our cameras before daybreak and readied ourselves to be wowed by mother nature. We weren’t disappointed.
Because of some cloud cover, Mt. Everest wasn’t visible to us, but we did manage to get a fleeting glimpse of the Sleeping Buddha. The sunrise was simply magical though.
We marvelled at the stunning colours that the sun’s rays made when it touched the tops of the clouds and mountain peaks. Words cannot do much justice to the beauty that we were witness to. Soon, we had to tear ourselves away from the sights and sounds of dawn and prepare to navigate the longest and most beautiful stretch of the trek route.
Onward
As we continued our ascent, a co-trekker began to experience altitude sickness and started to slow down his pace. Not wanting him to be alone at the back of the group, I decided to walk with him to keep him company. I tried to motivate him to keep going and negotiate sections of the trail bit by bit. We would walk 20 steps at a time, rest for a minute and then attempt another 20 steps. The rest of the group continued ahead of us and soon we lost sight of them.
Night started to fall and with it came the cold. While we slowly made progress, the rest of the group soon reached the campsite and settled in for the night. We were alone in the quickly deepening dusk with only a dog for company. While I wasn’t too worried, I also wasn’t quite sure of the directions to the campsite as there were no markers. We continued walking the trail knowing that our trek leader would return to guide us to the camp.
Sure enough, we soon spot our guide standing at a distance waving a lit torch and yelling directions at us. I made note of them and we finally reached the campsite around 7/8pm.
That night, we experienced our coldest night yet at a bone chilling –17℃.
The sights this trek had to offer were simply spectacular and I’d go back in a heartbeat. Perhaps with a bit more insulation, though. *Brr!*
Trek itinerary
Bagdogra to Jaubari and stay (Drive)
Tumling from Jaubari | Trek | Stay at Tumling at Shikhar lodge
Tumling to Kalapokhari | Trek | 13 kms | Stay at Pandim lodge
Kalapokhari to Sandakphu | Trek |7 kms | Stay at Sunrise lodge
Sandakphu to Phalut | Trek |20 kms | Stay in govt. huts
Phalut to Gorkhey | Trek |15 kms | Stay at Eden lodge
Gorkhey to Sepi | Trek |14 kms
and finally, Maneybhanjyang to Bagdogra (Drive)
This is the fourth story (of many) in my trek journal series titled Himalayan Photo Stories.
Here are all the stories in the series:
Trek to Pindari-Kafni glaciers
Trek to Goecha La Pass
Roopkund
Trek to Sandakphu
Kashmir Great Lakes