"LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOT PRINTS AND TAKE NOTHING BUT MEMORIES" read a signpost indicating we had reached Sandakphu. Sandakphu is located on Singhalila ridge and is an amphitheatre for viewing Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu, 4 of the 5 highest peaks. It was from Sandakphu that Everest was first sighted, when Kanchenjunga was thought to be the highest mountain in the world.
We had started from Delhi and reached New Jalpaiguri by train. Then we hired a Tata Sumo and passing through the tea gardens reached Manebhanjang. Manebhanjang to Sandakphu is a 31 Kms trek. Some part of it is jeepable. We decided to hire a Land Rover upto Tonglu (10 Kms) and then trek further 7 kms upto Gairibas the same day.
An Ode to Land Rover Before we had seen one, we had assumed Land Rovers would be like Land Cruisers. To our surprise, they turned out to be vintage vehicles dating back to World War II era. They could climb steep gradients with an ease that would have put most trekkers and all Land Cruisers to shame. The ride was thrilling. Looking back, it felt as if the Land Rover was climbing stairs. Soon we were above the clouds and the view was breathtaking. We passed an old monastery at Megma, Tonglu and finally reached Tumbling just in time to witness a spectacular sunset from above the clouds.
Kanchenjunga eluded us. The trek begins... Tumbling is a small settlement on the Nepal border. The trek to Sandakphu zig-zags between India and Nepal. We did not want to miss next day’s sunset at Sandakphu, so we had to reach Gairibas that day. For it, we had to trek in the dark through Singalila National Park which boasted of wild animals like Himalayan Bears and Snow Leopards. So we started trekking. The sun had almost disappeared and it was getting cold and dark. Soon we entered the Wildlife Sanctuary. It was completely dark and we were trekking with our torchlights on. The 7 Km stretch was mostly flat with a few ups and downs.
We reached Gairibas and checked-in at a Trekker’s Hut. Of Sandakphu, Everest but no Kanchenjunga... We woke up early the next day and started trekking. We passed Kayakatta and were elated to get a glimpse of Everest and Makalu. Soon we reached Kalapokhari in Nepal. It was becoming cloudier and more evident that Kanchenjunga would again elude us on the second day. We passed Bhikhebhanjang and reached Sandakphu and checked in at the Trekkers Hut. It was cloudy whole day. Some of us walked for a mile on Singhalila towards Phalut, while others preferred to sleep. The skies had not cleared up till sunset. There was no hope of seeing that fabulous sunset on Kanchenjunga. We still had the next day's sunrise. It was very cold at night. The temperature dropped below freezing point. Thankfully we had our sleeping bags. We were sleeping with almost 5 layers of clothes on so that in the morning we could just get up and go out.
Mobile alarms started ringing one by one at 4:30 AM. It was dark but we were out by quarter to five. Finally the Silver Lining behind the Clouds... Kanchenjunga had kept its tryst. There it stood. People must have seen sunrises and sunsets on Kanchenjunga but our first glimpse of Kanchenjunga was in dim moonlight. Soon there was enough light and the five treasures of snow were very clearly visible. Apart from that, other peaks in the vicinity like Kabru (Three sisters) and Pandim were also visible. Soon the Everest quartet (from L to R - Lhotse, Everest, Makalu and Chomolonzo) could also be seen clearly. Kanchenjunga slowly changed its colour from Greyish White at dawn to Reddish Pink and there was a beautiful sunrise. Its colour then changed to Golden Yellow finally settling for Snow White as the sunlight reached its zenith. The unhindered 180 degrees view of the Himalayas was too awesome to be described. The Eternity to Rimbick 25 Kms down to Rimbick in one day was dreadful. After crossing dense forests, negotiating steep slopes and passing the villages of Gurdum and Shrikhola, we finally reached Rimbick and spent the night there.
Next day we reached Darjeeling. The journey to Siliguri became interesting chasing the Darjeeling toy train carrying "mere sapno ki rani". The Rani was only in dreams but there were no regrets as the footprints that we had left and the memories that we were taking were for real.
Go to Sandakphu because you can see 4 of the 5 highest peaks of the world. Go to Sandakphu because you can view a beautiful sunrise on Kanchenjunga. Go to Sandakphu because you can ride in a Land Rover. Go to Sandakphu because you can be above the clouds. Go to Sandakphu because Kanchenjunga beckons.
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