The Sandakphu Trek Day by Day

The shape of the route

The Singalila trail follows the crest of a long ridge that rises from Maneybhanjan in the south to Sandakphu and Phalut in the north, with the India–Nepal border running along the top. The first three days are a steady climb with one big dip at Gairibas. After Sandakphu you choose: a two-day descent to the east, or two more days along the ridge to Phalut before a long descent through river villages.

Distances below are the walking figures guides use; altitudes vary by 50–100 m between sources. Times are for an average walker with breaks, carrying a day pack of 7–9 kg. A licensed guide is compulsory inside Singalila National Park; your guide will adjust stages to your pace, the weather and lodge space. The guide rule and park fees change from time to time, so check current status before you travel.

Day 1: Maneybhanjan to Tumling

The first hour is the hardest climb of the whole trek. From the park office at Maneybhanjan, the old walking trail cuts straight up through pine and rhododendron to Chitrey, about 3 km and 400 m higher, where a small gompa and a white chorten mark the first rest. The Land Rover track loops around in long bends; the trail crosses it several times, and your guide will choose whichever is less dusty.

Beyond Chitrey the gradient eases. The trail passes Lamey Dhura and climbs to Meghma at about 2,600 m, a hamlet with a monastery and tea shops, where the border runs right through the settlement. The last stretch rises gently to Tumling, on the Nepal side, a dozen houses on a grassy shoulder at about 2,970 m. On a clear evening the whole Kanchenjunga range turns pink across the northern sky. Dinner is in a wood-stove dining room, and most people are asleep by 8.30.

If you start late or feel the climb more than expected, Chitrey and Meghma both have simple lodges, and stopping short of Tumling costs you nothing but a slightly longer second day.

Day 2: Tumling to Kalipokhri

The day begins with a short walk up to Tonglu or along the ridge for sunrise if you are keen, then breakfast and an easy start. The trail runs along the crest into Nepal and down to Jaubari, a Nepali village at about 2,750 m, then descends through oak, magnolia and thick bamboo to Gairibas at 2,621 m, the lowest point of the ridge. This forest is the best stretch of the trek for red pandas and birds, so walk quietly and keep your eyes on the bamboo.

From Gairibas the trail climbs hard, about 550 m, past Kaiyakatta to Kalipokhri, the 'black pond' ringed with prayer flags at about 3,186 m. This climb, at the end of a long day, is where altitude first makes itself felt. Go slowly, drink water and keep a steady rhythm rather than rushing between rests. Some groups stop at Gairibas for the night instead, which splits the climb and suits slower walkers.

Day 3: Kalipokhri to Sandakphu

A short day with a steep finish. The trail climbs gently to Bikheybhanjang, the 'poison pass', named in Nepali for the aconite that grows on these slopes, then turns uphill for the final pull of about 400 m to Sandakphu. The last zigzags are steep and exposed to wind, but the reward appears suddenly at the top: Kanchenjunga filling the north, and, on clear days, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu to the west.

Most trekkers arrive by late morning and have the afternoon to rest, walk around the summit area and watch the light change. Sandakphu, at 3,636 m, is the highest point in West Bengal, with a GTA trekkers' hut, family lodges and an SSB camp. Sunrise next morning is the main event; be outside with your warmest layers 20 minutes before it.

The evening at Sandakphu is cold and short. The dining room stove is the warmest place on the summit, and by 5 pm most trekkers are crowded around it with tea, comparing photos and asking the guide what the sky will do. Go to bed early, keep your phone and power bank inside your quilt so the batteries survive the cold, and set an alarm for about an hour before sunrise.

The short descent via Srikhola

If you have five days in all, turn east at Sandakphu. The trail drops steeply through fir, rhododendron and bamboo to the village of Gurdum at about 2,300 m, then on down to Srikhola on its river at about 1,900 m, a loss of roughly 1,700 m in one day. Knees take the strain; trekking poles help a great deal.

Srikhola has riverside lodges, warm nights and the sound of water after days of wind. The next morning a jeep takes you to Rimbik in 30–45 minutes, where shared jeeps leave early for Darjeeling. Some trekkers ride back from Sandakphu by Land Rover instead, which your guide can arrange.

The long way: Phalut and the river villages

With six or seven days, carry on north. Day four is the longest: about 21 km along the open ridge from Sandakphu past Sabargram to Phalut, facing Kanchenjunga nearly all the way, with no lodges in between. Start by 7 am, carry lunch and plenty of water, and turn back if cloud and wind come in early. Phalut, at about 3,600 m, marks the meeting of West Bengal, Sikkim and Nepal, and its view of Kanchenjunga, about 55 km away, is closer than Sandakphu's.

From Phalut the trail drops about 1,200 m through forest to Gorkhey beside its cold stream, then climbs out of the valley to Samanden and on to Rammam, roadless farming villages with family lodges. The last day descends to Srikhola and the jeep road. We describe this descent in detail in our separate Phalut, Gorkhey and Rimbik guide. Accommodation at Phalut is limited and its hut has not always been open, so check current status before you travel.

Pacing, rest days and practical notes

The Sandakphu trek is moderate, not hard, but its altitude and long days deserve respect. These are the habits that make the difference between a good trek and a miserable one.

• Sleep a night in Darjeeling before day one, and consider splitting day two at Gairibas if anyone in the group is slow or new to altitude.
• Keep a spare day for weather; a rest day at Sandakphu gives a second chance at the view.
• Start each day by 7 or 7.30 am, because cloud usually builds by early afternoon, especially in spring.
• Carry 2 litres of water, a rain shell and a warm layer every day, even when the morning is clear.
• Stay with your guide where the trail splits near the border; mist on the ridge can turn a simple path confusing.
• Carry photo ID, since SSB posts and Nepal police at Tumling, Jaubari and Kalipokhri may check it. The ID rules at border posts change, so check current status before you travel.