Summit Hotels & Resorts had Coordinate & Organised a Trekking Camp which was a success. A 6 member group from the prestigious Siliguri Round Table were kind enough to share the following travelogue with us.
Living Outdoors
– Siliguri Round Table 220
Like many other people in the world Siliguri Round Table
decided to take this journey so commonly travelled by trekkers and enthusiast
all around in a bid to encounter the experience first-hand. All the members who
embarked on this 3 day Trek were native to the place but most of us had never
made the journey beyond the comfort that lies within the City. But in the
unexpected we found profound bliss and serenity.
We
had our trekking days limited to 3 nights/4 days.
Day 1 – The Trek was flagged off from the Chairman Kuldeep
Chowdary’s residence. We travelled all the way from Siliguri to Maneybhanjang
via a scenic drive through the lush tea gardens & undulating hills
of Mirik. Upon reaching Maneybhanjang we changed Vehicles and hopped on to the
Land Rovers up to Chitrey. Once we reached Chitrey we decided to hike up to our
overnight destination Tumling. The
weather was however not on a favourable side since it was drizzling all
throughout the hike up to LameyDhura. Nonetheless we walked for 3 hours to our
pit stop – SHIKHER LODGE in Tumling which was one of the Best Lodges throughout
the Trek. The rooms were excellent and the service impeccable. The owners of
the lodge were courteous enough to arrange a special evening for us – Although
there is electricity throughout the area, never did we expect to have a Candle
lit dinner at an altitude of 2970 meters.
Day 2 – We started an early morning hike up to Tonglu
which is one of the best vantage point besides Sandakphu. One gets to see a 360
view of the whole Himalayan Range if the weather is favourable. It took us
about 1 hour to wind up the short hike up to Tonglu and head out to our base in
Tumling. After some serious breakfast at Tumling we headed for our next
destination Kalipokhari. As the name suggest the pond is black in colour no
matter how Green the surrounding area is. We ended the days Hike with a swift
Dinner at one of the Lodges where a Bonfire was arranged just before Dinner.
One could not help but notice the kitchen at these lodges. Most of the kitchen
and Dining area had a rustic and authentic feel to it which was very
interesting.
Day 3 – We were all geared up to reach to our final destination of
the Trek – Sandakphu at an elevation of 3636 meters. It was a cloudy day to
start the day’s hike which was later followed by light showers – All of us were
just hoping for the clouds to clear up. The final day of the hike was most
strenuous since it was a total uphill climb. After every half an hour we were
stopping by to catch our breath for few seconds. It was a relief when we
finally saw the milestone which read “Sandakphu- 0 Kms”. There was a sense of
relief at the same time a sense of achievement that we had finally reached Sandakphu which welcomed us with a slogan that read – “LEAVE NOTHING BUT
FOOTPRINTS AND TAKE NOTHING BUT MEMORIES”.
Since we reached early we decided to hike to a nearby camping site
called Goat which is approximately one and a half km away from Sandakphu. The
trail that led to Goat was simply breathtaking with Rododendren trees carving
the pathway ahead.
Day 4 – We woke up to the most mesmerising view of Mt. Kanchanjunga
which was a perfect way to wind up our trek. The mountain and the horizon
beyond changing its colour was simply breath-taking. We just stood there and
gazed at the mighty Kanchanjunga standing there with all its glory. Even the Hen’s
were paying homage to the mighty Mountain with their early morning croaks. Most
of us stood there taking pictures to capture the moment. After a brief moment
the whole range simply vanished in between the clouds. We descended back on the
Land Rovers but made a stop at “land under the clouds” rightfully known as
Megma where one of the oldest and highest Monastery stands upright. The locals
were kind enough to show us around the Monastery and reveal us facts about the
Buddhist traditions which gave the whole Trek a very spiritual ending.
Away
from the comfort and luxurious of the modern life one can find peace and
tranquillity at the heart of Nature. Maybe this was just a brief instance but
we made memories just like the Slogan said – We left nothing but footprints
behind...
SUMMIT HOTELS & RESORTS PROVIDES TREKKING SERVICES & FACILITIES
Call us:
Central Reservations Office:
Working Hours: 10.00am - 8.00pm
T - +91 353 2460241
M- 083-888-77-888
