Sandakfu: Travel trek to Paradise

Ghum_MapSandakphu  (3636 m; 11,930 ft) is the highest peak in the district of Ilam, Nepal and West Bengal, India. It is the highest point of the Singalila Ridge in Darjeeling district on the West Bengal-Nepal border. The peak is located at the edge of the Singalila National Park and has a small village on the summit with a few hostels. Four of the five highest peaks in the 

world, Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu can be seen from its summit. It also affords a pristine view of the entire Kangchenjunga Range.
The trek along the Singalila Ridge to Sandakphu and Phalut is one of the most popular ones in the Eastern Himalayas due to the grand vistas of the Kangchenjunga range and the Everest range which can be seen from the ridge, and also for the seasonal wildflower blooms and birding. Treks begin at Manebhanjan which is 28 km (approx. 1 hour by road) from Darjeeling.

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The trekking routes inside the Singalila National Park have four legs or stages.
  • Manebhanjan to Meghma (2600 m): This is a 4-hour trek through the lower forest. The route goes via Chitre.
  • Meghma to Gairibans (2621 m): There are two alternative trekking routes. They respectively go via Tonglu(3070 m) and Tumling (2900 m). From Tumling, a shorter trail cuts through Nepal and Jaubari (2750 m). Jaubari is ward no 07 of jamuna VDC ilam.
  • Gairibans to Sandakphu (3636 m):
  • Sandakphu to Phalut (3600 m): It is a one-day trek via Sabarkum (3536 m) covering 21 km.
  • Retracing the way back to Manebhanjan.
  • A steep descent to the village of Sirikhola on the banks of the River Sirikhola, via Gurdum (2300 m), and from there to Rimbick.
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Panorama of Peaks seen from Sandakphu and Phalut:
Baruntse ( 7220m ), Chamlang ( 7319m ), Chomo Lonzo ( 7818m ), Lhotse ( 8516m ), Machhapuchhare ( 6993m ), Makalu ( 8462m ), Mount Everest ( 8850m ), Nuptse ( 7861m ), Kanchenjunga ( 8586m ), Talung ( 7349m ), Rathong ( 6679m ), Kabru N ( 7353m ), Koktang ( 6147m ), Simvo ( 6812m ), Frey ( 5853m ), Kabru S ( 7318m ), Kabru Dome ( 6600m ), Kabru Forked ( 6100m ), Pandim ( 6691m ), Tenchenkhang ( 6010m ), Jupono ( 5650m )
Villages At Glance: Gorkhey, Bhareng, Gairibas, Meghma, Maneybhanjyang, Rammam, Srikhola, Sepi, Molley, Gurdum.
 Gallery

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en-route Chitrey from Manebhanjan

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Top view from Sandakfu Sleeping Buddha
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Domestic Yak

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Coffee break at Lamey Dhura en route Tumling
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fixing the back pack towards Gauribas
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