Sandakphu Trek

Drive from NJP to Sepi

• Altitude: 6,400 ft.
• Drive Distance: 130 km | 7 hrs
• Accommodation: Tea House

Your journey to the beautiful Sandakphu will begin today. Today you will be driven towards Sepi, which is the base camp for the Sandakphu- Phalut trek. It is an uphill drive of about 130 kilometers to the base camp and takes about 7 hours. You will be passing through the native tea estates of Darjeeling and Sikkim as you drive towards Sepi. You must try momo and Thukpa, which are very delicious and simply mouth watering.

En route, your first stop would be Mirk, which is also a popular tourist destination in West Bengal. The picturesque and quaint hill station is located near the serene hills of the Darjeeling district. The climate and natural beauty of Mirik attract a lot of tourists here. We will reach Mirik at around 1 pm. There we will have our lunch. There you can try local delicacies, they are simply great. Breakfast and lunch are not included in the trek cost, however we will pause for meals.

After lunch, we will resume our journey again towards Sepi, which is a pretty campsite. On your way to Sepi you will also cross many other charming villages, the more you travel uphill, the more tranquil it becomes with a quiet environment.

You will stay in a homestay for the night, as you reach there you can freshen up, stroll around for short walks and then have dinner and rest for the following day.

Sepi to Samanden via Ramam

• Altitude: 7,500 ft.
• Trek Distance: 14-15 km | 7-8 hrs
• Accommodation: Tea House

It's the second day of your journey. When you wake up, have a warm delicious breakfast and lace up your trekking boots, today we are going to start our trek towards Sandakphu. Starting the day early, it is a considerably easy walk to Ramam with a gradual ascent and some steep sections. Maintain a steady pace and keep taking short breaks if needed. Ramam is approximately 3.5 kilometers away from the Sepi campsite.

The trail here is a constructed route for most parts and you will notice several cut fields and tiny dwellings on the way. Take a short break at Ramam if you need and then we can head towards Samanden.

As you move out of Ramam, the trails become more quiet with the huts disappearing and the forest trails opening up. Walking through the quiet forest with the sound of nature all around you is a great experience in itself. The Singalila Range is quite popular for its abundance of greenery and you can now feel the same. For about 6 kilometers you will traverse through the forests until you arrive at a bridge.

After the bridge, it is a steep climb for 15 minutes or so, following which you will arrive at a zone where there are stone benches, each dedicated to locals who have passed away. The locals made these benches with the intention that those who have passed away can serve the passerby even after their death by providing them with a place to rest.

From here the trail begins to ease out a bit, then you will arrive at a clearing dotted with wooden huts and farmlands. This is the beautiful Samaden village. Samaden has a very picturesque setting and the locals here are very friendly. You will be greeted with incredible hospitality, you can chat with the locals and hear interesting stories.

Samaden is an ideal location to halt for the night, you can rest here. At night have dinner, enjoy the night sky and then rest for the following day.

Samanden to Phalut via Gorkhey

• Altitude: 3500 m / 11500 ft.
• Trek Distance: 15 km | 7-8 hrs
• Accommodation: Tea House

Today we will begin early in the morning and trek from Samaden to Phalut. It is about 15 kilometers of trek and might take around 8 hours.

You can have a warm breakfast at the teahouse, then begin with trekking. From Samaden a few kilometers ahead is Gorkhey. There you can see the Gorkhey Khola that flows through the village of Gorkhey after which it is named. Crossing the picturesque setting we will head towards Phalut.

You will again cover long sections of forested trails today, be prepared as you will have to continue ascending for a long distance, and at some points, the ascent can be pretty steep. While trekking through the forested path you would spot many Oak and Rhododendron trees. Maintain a steady pace along the trek, keep taking short breaks and stay hydrated.

Phalut is one of the highest points of the Singalila Range, and the second highest point after the Sandakphu ridge. On your way to Phalut you will get to see the Singalila Range closely and you can get a stunning view of the Kanchenjunga. The closer you get to Phalut the more beautiful the landscape gets.

As you reach Phalut, you can have a delicious dinner, then rest. Keep in mind that Phalut does not have electricity, so keep extra batteries and power banks with you for your gadgets.

Phalut To Thokum

• ltitude: 3415 m / 11200 ft
• Trek Distance: 11-12 km | 6-7 hrs
• Accommodation: Tea House

Today, we will trek towards Thokum from Phalut. We will begin trekking in the morning after breakfast. If you didn’t know, Thokum campsite is located in Nepal, so we will be skirting the Indo- Nepal border into Nepal. Thokum is a beautiful campsite that falls on the way to Sandakphu between Sabargram and Sandakphu. The valley has a very soothing and relaxing vibe with beautiful meadows and a picturesque setting.

On your way to Thokum, you might spot a few yaks and cross a few meadows, then you would have crossed the Indo-Nepal border and would be in Nepal. Although it is a remote and unknown location, the views here are stunning and extremely admirable. The route to Thokum is also lined with a thicket of Rhododendron trees that remain covered in snow during the winters.

From Thokum, several routes branch into Nepal, and you can witness the sleeping Buddha formation in the backdrop as you cross some abandoned huts and cattle grounds. This will be your campsite for the night, we will stay in a tea house here, have dinner, and then rest for the next day’s trekking.

Thokum To Aal

• Altitude: 3500 m / 11600 ft.
• Trek Distance: 9-10 km | 4-5 hrs
• Accommodation: Tea House

Today we will trek from Thokum to Aal, which is about a 10 km walk. From Thokum, you will have to take the route that branches into the southwest direction towards Aal. Aal is the closest campsite to the Sandakphu summit and is situated at a scenic location. Today’s trek is not as tiring as other days and the trail is comparatively easier. A few kilometers ahead of Thokum lies the Aal campsite, which offers a very beautiful view of the Kanchenjunga ranges and the adjacent peaks. On a clear day, you can also see the Sleeping Buddha formation.

Enjoy a hot lunch at the Aal campsite today and you have the evening to spend at your leisure exploring the area. You will still be in the Nepal territory and as you move towards Sandakphu you will again move to Indian territory. You will stay in a Tea house in Aal and you can see the beautiful Himalayan views from here. At night you can have a warm dinner and rest well, tomorrow we will move towards Sandakphu.

Aal To Timburey via Sandakphu

• Altitude:
  • Sandakphu: 3650 m / 11900 ft.
  • Timburey: 2100 m / 6800 ft.
• Trek Distance: 14 km | 7-8 hrs
• Accommodation: Tea House

Today we will trek from Aal to Sandakphu and then to Timburey. The distance from Aal to Timburey is about 14 Kilometers.

We will begin early in the morning so that you can witness the majestic sunrise from the top of the Sandakphu. As we start from Aal after 3 kilometers we will reach Sandakphu.

This will be one of the most scenic experiences you will have throughout the trek, the first rays of the sun over the snow capped sleeping Budhha cover it in an alpenglow, the sun appears as if it is rising from above the clouds. The sight is once in a lifetime, and the beauty is difficult to describe in words.

You can click beautiful pictures and spend some time there, then we will head towards Timburey, our next campsite. From Sandakphu it is about 10 kilometers to Timburey and might take around 5 hours to complete the trek. As you head towards Timburey, Gurdum is the first Himalayan village that you will come across. Gurdum is a postcard- perfect village with only 4-5 dwellings. It is one of the remote Himalayan villages. Surrounded by forests and mountains, Gurdum also offers a private stay for tourists in its scenic setting.

From here Timburey is quite close, after trekking for another few kilometers you will arrive at Timburey. It will be the campsite for the night. There are also a couple of home stays here and we will stay at one of the local houses.

Timburey To Srikhola And Drive To NJP Via Sepi.

• Altitude: 1920 m / 6300 ft.
• Trek Distance: 3 km | 1 hr
• Drive Distance: 130 km | 7 hrs

Today will be the last day of your trekking and also the last day in the mountains too. Your beautiful journey to Sandakphu ends today. After breakfast we will start trekking towards Shrikhola. It is a 3 kilometers descent to Srikhola and might take up to an hour.

Once we reach Srikhola road, we will head to Sepi by drive to collect our left luggage then we will drive you back to NJP railway station. We will drive back from the same roads that we came with, you will return with a lot of memories and adventures from the mountains. After reaching NJP in the evening, then you can continue with your further journey.