Sandakhphu - Phalut Trek

Now call me a savage or an ape but it stifles my breath to keep myself contained within the four walls of concrete. Hence the desperation to make it up with Mother nature. Year 2020’s Covid 19 was the biggest obstacle on the way. A couple of weeks’ of intense confusion and uncertainty finally lead me to the amazing Sandakphu-Phalut Trek.

Sleeping Buddha on the way from Sandakphu to Phalut

I have never really wanted to do this trek because of the immense popularity and the surge of tourists it sees every year. But I realise this now - what a fool I would have been if I never did this! This year was different. There was not a single soul to be seen on the way. Our guide had four of us on his trail and apart from us, I could spot another group of three and that was about it. Perfect!

On arriving at the Bagdogra airport, things started to feel normal. Covid seemed to be a distant nightmare and trekking seemed to be a jolly good possibility. I took a ride to Maneybhanjan where the local Highland Guide and Porter’s office was located. After a brief enquiry, things were sorted – a guide, couple of other loners like me and a ticket to the Singalila National Park.

Map of Singalila National Park Trek Routes

We got into an age old classic Landrover to drive up to Tumling. This drive was terrifying. The jeep road all along this route was steep, narrow, rough and broken enough for an atheist like me to start praying for life. Thankfully, I was half asleep the whole time. An overnight stay at the airport, early morning flight, 4hours journey to Maneybhanjan and then another hour of this bumpy ride to Tumling – nothing could keep my eyes open.

Garibas Village on the way from Tumling to Sandakphu

Reaching Tumling was a refresher. We stayed at the Shikhar Lodge. It was a comfy accommodation on the side of the mountain slope with a view of Kanchendzonga in the distance. You can also see the Tonglu top from here. To our dismay, the fog blocked the view of the mountain peak that day but to my delight, I enjoyed the eerie mystic feeling of a foggy mountain evening. We walked to the top to check out the sunrise viewpoint and pottered around aimlessly along the grassy meadows and few randomly placed stupas.

Greens and Blooms at Tumling

The next morning, we woke up sharp at 4:30 and went out for the sunrise. It was bluish dark and colder than I expected. With locked knees, we started climbing up the road and just then a couple of dogs started barking ferociously at us. We ran back to our room. The guide later told us we made a good choice because that dog apparently had a habit of biting people!

On the way from Tumling to Sandakphu

After a sumptuous breakfast of homemade Tibetan bread, we started our walk from Tumling to Kalipokhri. It was a 13KM walk along the winding roads of hilly jungles full of silver pines, rhododendron bushes, magnolia trees etc. There were glimpses of blue misty sky enticing us with the hidden jewel of Kanchendzonga behind the fog. We stopped at Garibas – a Sashastra Seema Bal camp for a cup of black tea before starting the steep climb up to Kalipokhri.

KaliPokhri

In Kalipokhri, the scene changed completely. It greeted us with a lake (pokhri) that’s assumed to be sacred. Apparently, the tale tells that the water in this lake never freezes, no matter how cold it is. The Buddhists consider this as a holy lake and have a few colourful flags tied along the lakeside with a few incenses filling the area with an aroma. The rugged green slopes circled around the lake. We were chilling by the lake just when a bright ray of sun hit us amidst the otherwise foggy weather. Ah, the sun had peeked, finally, gifting us the beautiful sunset view amongst the green mountains and the white fluffy cloud!

Sunset at Kalipokhri

The night at Kalipokhri was freaking cold. The hunger made it even colder. After the 13KM walk with no lunch on the way, tummy was growling for some fodder. We were staying at a little homestay called Pandim and the owners were the usual warm hilly people. I can’t say this enough – how much I love the people up in the mountains – smiley, warm, always eager to help and they treat you as their own. They prepared a piping hot meal for us. I don’t care much about the taste (it wasn’t the yummiest to be honest) but it was hot, filling and served with care.

View at Kalipokhri

The morning at Kalipokhri was what we had been yearning for - clear blue sky with bright sunshine. I peeked through the window and the view made me jump out of bed with a newfound enthusiasm. We started our 2^nd day of 6KM climb from Kalipokhri to Sandakphu. The start of this stretch was a slow gradient, getting steeper and then quite steep towards the end. But ah the reward!

1KM climb to Sandakhphu

After making it through the final stretch at Sandakphu, we made ourselves comfortable in the Sherpa Chalet – a proper hotel at the top. I was hungry like a hound. I fumbled through my backpack and gobbled down half a bag of nuts, a pack of biscuits and then ordered an omelette and tea and was still thinking of what to eat next! It was pretty cold up here. I slipped under the duvet and sat by the window. Almost knowingly, the Kanchedzonga peeked from behind the cloud just on time. The Sleeping Buddha made its magical appearance.

Kanchendzonga!

We walked half a KM in the afternoon to enjoy the sunset. The yellow orange glow on the snowcaps of Kachendzonga was mesmerising. And this view stayed with us all along the rest of the trek. The next morning when we woke up at the dawn break, the same orangish light reflected from the snow peak. The orange turned to yellow and then as the daylight broke, the white blue jewel of the snow-covered peaks started glistening. It was breath-taking.

The Peaky Horizon of Phalut in the Morning Glow

The 3^rd day of the trek was the longest. It was a 21KM stretch from Sandakphu to Phalut. We started early in the morning. The usual carry on pack on this walk was boiled eggs and potatoes! We gathered some of that from the hotel and started our walk. This bit of the walk was mind-blowing.

On the way to Phalut

I know Sandakphu is probably more popular, but I would be damned if I didn’t do Phalut. You turn your eyes at any direction and its just magic all around. We walked amidst rolling green hills and meadows. There were vast stretches of spectacular undulations with a constant reminder of the sparkling snowy peak up in the sky. On the way, we saw a few local shepherds, a few yaks and also spotted a wooden makeshift room which the guide told us was a cheese-making area. Apparently, they make cheese from Yak’s milk there.

Green zest - Way to Phalut

Our first stop on the 3^rd day was Thakum. In the middle of nowhere, this place boasted of a single forest cottage and a view of wilderness. We had our boiled egg and potato pack and some black tea. After spending some time there and catching our breath, we continued the walk. 

Near Thakum - On the way to Phalut

The next stop was Sabargram – which was at the mark of 14KM on the day. After this we headed towards Phalut. The views started getting more and more beautiful. Our legs were cramping up now. Nearing the end of 3days walk and a big stretch of the day from early morn was starting to take a toll on us. We kept dragging ourselves up and then suddenly a view of the Phalut top unfolded before our eyes. Bathed in the yellow light of the setting sun, the green solid mound of the Phalut top was enticing. This last stretch was again getting steeper, but we kept going.

Phalut top at Sunset

The sun started setting. It was a walk amidst a display of different colours on the sky and on the slopes of the mountains and then gradually it became dark. We put our headlamps on and trudged along. When we reached the top, the dark night with twinkling stars welcomed us.

Horses grazing the foggy meadows

There were only two places to stay at the Phalut top – GTA dormitory and A forest cottage. The forest cottage was already occupied, so we made our way into the GTA dorm. There was no electricity at this place. They lit a single candle in a huge dorm room. The whole area was spooky and to top it, it was frigging cold. I sat in the bed with my hands and feet shaking in the cold and fought hard to keep my eyes open until dinner. At about 8 in the evening, we went out into the kitchen. I was wearing three layers and yet my body was still trembling out of cold and hunger and tiredness. The kitchen felt warm with the oven burning and hot food getting prepared. There was rice and dal and papad and some veggie. I mixed them up and slurped the whole lot in a jiffy. Hot and filling – that’s the only two things I was looking for, I presume!

Phalut abode in the middle of greenness!

The next morning in Phalut was exhilarating. We started climbing up to the sunrise viewpoint at 5 in the morning. The golden glow welcomed us at the top as it slowly started spreading its warmth on the entire stretch of the Himalayas. 

Stupa marking the Indo-Nepal border at Phalut

The Kanchendzonga, Kumbhakarna and Pandim peaks forming the Sleeping Buddha at one end and the chunk of peaks along with neatly shaped equilateral triangle like Mt Everest at the other end with the three peaks of Seven Sisters in the middle created the most exciting horizon I have ever seen! The colours of the rising sun added the extra spoonful of spell to the range of peaks.

Phalut top with Sleeping Buddha at the backdrop

I didn’t want to come back from Phalut. Some places are meant to be stayed and soaked in. Phalut was definitely that kind of a place. 

Stupa marking the border between India & Nepal

Another such place was our next day’s stopover – Gorkhey village. It’s the prettiest village sitting cosy in the lap of the mountains. After a 15KM climb down from Phalut through tricky mountain canopy, the path suddenly opened to the view of this postcard pic village of Gorkhey. 

Glimpse of Gorkhey village before we climb down there

As we climbed down the steps into the village, we could see loads of home farming done at each step. There was an abundance of blooming flowers of different shapes and colours along with different veggies being grown at every nook and corner of the village. The most commonly noticed veg grown was the – Ash Gourd (chalkumro).

Gorkhey home farming !

Once again, the people of the mountains took my heart away. We were yearning for some aloo paratha as the guide had promised earlier. On arriving at Gorkhey, we realised, they were running out of potatoes. To bring some potatoes from the market was a humongous task as someone would have to do go down to the mountain base and get some and then climb all the way up to the village. But as usual the villagers were the sweetest. They did some internal exchanges and loaned some potatoes from a fellow villager to make us aloo paratha! Oh, the gesture and ooh the taste! Melt my heart!

Pretty stream cutting through the Gorkhey village

I didn’t want to leave Gorkhey either. The small cutesy village with a small stream of river cutting through the middle, a wooden bridge across the river connecting the two zesty green meadows, small cottages adorned with loads of flowers and veggies, the tall pine trees surrounding it gave me jelly legs. With a heavy heart, I said adieu to the village only to be captivated by the next village on the way – Samanden. 

Samandan village view

Visit the classy green looks of Switzerland in the Summer and it looks exactly like this not-so-well-known village of Samanden. I could not take my eyes off the green vast rolls and could not take enough of the fresh crisp smell in the air. Along with this freshness, you could also see stretches of corn fields here, making it even more endearing. Damn my limited holidays!

Smitten at Samanden !

Climbing up and down the hilly roads from Samanden, we gradually approached Srikhola which marked the end of our 5days trek. With another 16KM walk on this last day (which surprisingly took only 5-6 hours), we made it to Srikhola.

With the promise of Next time

With throbbing calf muscles, dry and sunburnt skin and a smitten heart full of loveliest memories, I got into a car to spend a last leisure day at Darjeeling before heading home. The hangover of the amazing Sandakphu & Phalut mountains stay with me until the next one…Sayonara.

Savandurga Hill Trek

I checked the time. It was 2:59 a.m. The alarm was due to buzz at 3.00 a.m. Impressed with my bio-clock, I got up to get ready for the cab. Nature’s call is always a trouble at this weeny time of the morning. But c’est la vie. The cab was right on time and so was my friend. We both set off right at 4’o clock for our Savandurga Trek.

Savandurga Hill, view from the side

When we left the city and took a right turn towards Savadurga, the scenery changed drastically. It was a narrow road surrounded by forest on either side and there were no other cars to be seen. Our driver stopped suddenly. “You see there is a bhaalu (bear) standing there?” Eeek! Both of us sat bolt upright and narrowed our eyes. We couldn’t see anything in the dark but just then the driver ran over a big rat and the ambience was starting to get a little spooky, especially with the road signs saying ‘Drive Slow. Leopard Crossing’!  

Whilst climbing..

It was about a 50km drive. We arrived at the beginning of the trail at around 5a.m and started the walk right away. Savandurga is one of the largest monolith hills in Asia. The single massive rock coupled with the darkness and the silence set a unique atmosphere. 

Savandurga Hill

The climb at the very start was steep and the slope ran two ways - downwards as well to the right. This made walking harder. I had my headlamp on. But since we were blinded by the darkness around and couldn’t really see too far ahead, our confidence dropped. We wanted the sun to be up soon. There was a couple and a group of four who already looked like they were stuck. We laughed nervously, discussing ‘what the hell’ but we trudged on.

Boulders on the way

The climb didn’t get any flatter. There were places where we had to go on all fours to crawl up, jump up the big rocky bits, sort of hang from tree branches to get from one boulder to the other, walk in between a tiny gap formed by two boulders. At times, we wanted to stop so much to catch a breath, but we couldn’t because our ankles were precariously angled, we felt we shouldn't stop. 

Hanging off the branch :D

The hill is very bare and has an uneven rough rock surface. The coarse surface is the only reason this climb is possible. Had it been any smoother, it would have been very challenging. Also, starting to climb early is advisable. It can get very tiring with a strong sun directly overhead. The hill looked very brown and bare with a few cactus and cherry blossoms along the way up. I was very surprised to see the white and red cherry blossom trees on such a bare rocky surface! Towards the top, there was much more greenery and we could also hear a lot of chirping birds. I spotted a few chameleons as well.

Cherry Blossoms!

The trail continued to be steep until it got to what’s known as the Savandurga Peak Fort. It looked like a ruined brick wall of the fort. Just before we got there, the climb shot up from an angle of 45 to 50 degree or so it felt like. 

Savandurga Peak fort at the distance

But the most magical part of this was – we somehow made it to the Fort, found some solid ground, turned back and the red sun just peeked out of the cloud. Ah, the timing! We stood there, watching the sun rise over the Arkavathi river flowing across the Deccan plateau before us. 

View from the top

We were told to follow the electric posts and the arrow marks. This was a puzzle in itself! Often, we couldn’t find the arrow marks and the posts were laid out on tricky surfaces at places. It was only later while descending that we realized that there was a much easier route on the side.

The Peak Fort view from the top

We made our way through boulders and finally saw the little white Nanda Fort Temple at the top of the peak. It didn’t look like there was any path to that top. But there was, hidden amongst trees and rocks and boulders. 

Nandi Fort Temple at the Peak in the distance

We made it to the top finally. The view all around was mesmerising. The rocky spread of the plateau with hills, rocks, greens and the river at one side looked beautiful in the soft glow of the sun. We sat there, soaking in the view, munching our summit-celebrating ‘snickers’ for a while.

At the top.

Whilst we were there, this one person came to the top, bare foot. He sat there, meditating. When we began our descent, we started following him as it looked like he knew the route better. It was so humbling to see him, bare-foot, strolling down the hill with lazy effortless steps and a look of ‘nirvana’ on his face!

The Nandi temple at the top.

Anyway, the Saturday early morning trek to this massive monolithic rock came to a lovely end. The descent was not that difficult, and we were very pleased with ourselves. We visited the Manchanabele Dam on our way back and then took the liberty to make a stop at UB City. We were conscious of our smelly sweaty clothes as we entered the big mall, but we didn’t care. I’m pretty shameless anyway when it comes to food. We called it a day after gorging on plates full of chicken and fish and baklava.

Sweat it off and then hoover it up! Ying and Yang, until the next one!  

Crawling up the Tadiandamol Peak, Coorg

The eve of a long weekend is always restless. Itchy feet of a travel freak nature-lover is an acute condition and I’m a fortunate victim!

On the trail. Pic Courtesy : Saptarshi

The plan was to trek the Tadiandamol Peak, the highest peak in Coorg, also known as the Scotland of India. Now, I wouldn’t go into the technicalities and righteousness of such comparisons. But Coorg is green with rolling hills, small and big waterfalls, rocky terrains and a sweet temptation to be out in the open.

On the trail. Pic Courtesy : Saptarshi

The onset of the trip was full of drama. Just the day before the trip, we got to know it might get cancelled because of some stuff that had come up at work. It was upsetting. The day went by in dilemma, finding half-hearted alternatives and browsing the cancellation process. It was about 7'o clock in the evening when suddenly the trip was back on again! And within an hour or so, me and my peers walked out of the office, hurrying back to our places to pack for the drive that very night.  

View from the 'HillStay Cottage'

The overnight drive to Coorg was bumpy, sleepless. But the next morning when we arrived at our AirBnB – HillStay Cottage, the Sun just peeped out from behind the hills, breaking the day with smiles and freshness. Our host was very cordial and brought us hot coffee, made from the fresh coffee beans. This area had coffee plants growing all around it – short stubby trees with big leaves and bunch of beans hanging low.  After filling our tummies with Rice Dosa, Chutney, Coconut Idly, we were set for the day. Whilst two in our group decided to take rest for a bit, two of us went out for a stroll.

Pic Courtesy : Saptarshi

The road from our cottage took a steep uphill on one side. We both found ourselves breathing heavily as we climbed up. ‘Ooh! Tomorrow’s trek is going to be interesting!’. As we continued, there was a bushy path to the left, lined all along with coffee plants, ferns, wild flowers, copper beach trees and other greens and reds that I don’t know the names of. We walked inside the canopy and found a small waterfall hidden in the hilly crest. One of the caretakers from the cottage said, this was the ‘Chelavara waterfalls’. 

Chelavara waterfalls. Pic Courtesy : Indrajit

We sat there for a while, looking at some little white fish like creatures that formed bubbles in the pool of water and a few spiders which swam efficiently in the fall water. We continued our walk through unknown lanes dotted with pretty cottages here and there. We went to the Nalknad palace (the last refuge of the King of Coorg, built in 1700s) and then continued pottering around. There was one point, when we appeared to have lost our way and found ourselves walking across a valley surrounded all around by hills and stretches of farm land. It was beautiful. We could just imagine the sunrise from this place would be picture perfect. After being ‘lost in the woods’ the whole morning, we finally found our way back to the cottage for the much-needed lunch.

Lost in a valley. Pic Courtesy : Indrajit

Post-lunch, we drove to Madikeri and did some touristy sightseeing there. We went to the very popular Abby Falls, Raja’s tomb, did some snooping around the local spice market and handloom & boutique shops and finally ended the hopping tour with a view of the sunset at Raja Seat. By the time we went back to our cottage, it was pitch dark. The sky was clear and studded with stars, big and bright. Such a relief to the eyes which were otherwise used to the concrete jungle in the cities. The day ended with a little bit of star gazing, a yummy dinner and rolls of laughter.

Raja's tomb. Pic Courtesy : Rana

Next day was the trek day! I am not sure when I dozed off in the night, but it was 5:30 in the morning my alarm buzzed, and it felt like I had just gone to bed. After a quick shower, I went outside, all geared up for the climb. The Sun wasn’t up yet, just a pinkish glow tinted the sky. I stretched my legs, examined a few flowers in the garden and finally took position to watch the sun rise. The two in our group who were asleep the day before when we had gone out for a stroll were sleeping this morning as well whilst the other two of us savoured the sunrise moment.

Sunrise or Sunset...forgot which one this was!! 

After a negligible delay, we finally set off. We were meant to get a drop off at the WestWinds Cottage to start the walk but our driver was hesitant looking at the road condition. So, we added some extra miles to our trek and started from just after our cottage. The walk up to the gate of the national park was quite steep in places. So, we were in for a surprise when we realised that the trail hadn’t started yet we were already panting. We got our tickets at the gate (which is meant to mark the real start of the trail) and the path from here seemed easy. 

Coffee plants along the way.

With the rolling hills on both sides, we walked along, sometimes through a canopy, sometimes through a wide valley. With each turn, we ended up debating which one in front was our peak of the day! We got to a point where we found all the trees and bushes on either side of the path were burnt down and there was a small hilly mound in front which was completely black with burns. We were not sure why this had been done. But it was not only a terrible eye sore but also very sad. From this point onwards, the path started getting steeper and rockier again. We crossed the valley and went inside a thick foresty bit with big steps entangled between tree roots and boulders. 

Just before getting stuck for a while.

The path started getting interesting from here. We came out of the ‘forest’ (Its funny how the locals called this bit forest) and there waited a steep gravelly path in front. We started climbing up and soon were down on all fours trying to get a grip on the loose soil and pebbles. At one point, we were completely stuck. We couldn’t go up or down, too scared we were going to slip bad. I was sat there, flat on my bottom, trying to get support with my hands and couldn’t get a footing for what seemed like forever. We almost decided to give up. Gradually, I scraped across the path to the other side of the rocks and suddenly things seem to change. I was able to stand up, found my grip and stability and saw a few people taking a different route to get to the top. Gradually, we got back our confidence and finally, all four of us crossed over to this other route.  

We found the way!

You are stuck with a problem and you keep hammering it one way. And then you change your approach, ever so slightly and the problem just cracks open…easy peasy lemon squeezy! Every trek teaches you so much!

Aah! The view from top!

There was no stopping after this. What we thought was the peak was a deception (as we had read before) and the moment we crossed the gravely hurdle, the actual peak revealed itself. The climb from here to the top was a little rough in places and demanded full attention. The wind picked up too. It was the most amazing feeling to stand on the top, your face in the wind and the endless hilly folds in front. Beautiful.

View from the top again

We celebrated our summit, munching snickers and peanut chikkis. After soaking in the views from the hill top for a while, we slowly started our descent along the same way. It was about 3o clock in the afternoon when we finished our walk and I was back in the cottage with blisters on my feet. (Never wear stupid short socks with trek shoes like I did!) A hot and delicious meal of chicken biriyani, chicken curry, veggies, salad and fruit awaited us when we got back to our base! You couldn't ask for a better finish to the trek! 

The trip came to an end as we started our drive back that evening. It was a short and sweet weekend gateway and as for the trek, every hill and mountain is dear to me. What specifically stood out in the Tadiandamol trek was our initial setbacks. I felt I grew a little wiser, humbled by Mother Nature, as always.

Can never get enough of the greens! 😍