Trekking Sandakphu @ 3636mts

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

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