Sandakphu Trek With Phalut

• Post Covid19 Lockdown, We have been running our treks since October 2020 in private and open groups with our stringent Covid19 Protocols. So far, all of our trekkers or local Guides and Leaders have been safe from Covid19. Thanks to all the stakeholders for following the strict protocol of small team size, proper sanitization, clean linens and lots of other rules which we follow to ensure safety.
• For Trekkers doing this trek, Covid Negative Certificate IS NOT REQUIRED for doing the Sandakphu Trek except for few passengers arriving from Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & Telangana who are required to carry a COVID negative report from an ICMR approved lab not earlier than 72 hours of arrival into the state of West Bengal.
• read more on Sandakphu Covid19 Travel Guidelines

Classified Spring months are from February end till Early May.

• During this Spring season, the Sandakphu Trek and Singalila National Park turns into a colourful fairyland due to the blooming of various species of Rhododendrons, Magnolias and so many other colourful flowers and bushes.
• Some of these are of very rare species and is unique to this region. The blooming flowers also add an intoxicating fragrance to the beautiful trail that winds up gently through the forest.
• During late February, the snow would have just receded and frequent fog adds to the extra element beautifying the trek, making it a fantasy photo frame in every corner you look towards.
• It's cold too, and especially the camp of Sandakphu and Phalut is freezingly cold, and temperatures go below subzero here even during the Spring season.
• The camps of Sandakphu and Phalut are always windy and it can drizzle or snow anytime during the Spring months.
• On the other hand, clear views of the mountain panorama can also be seen from Tumling, Sandakphu and Phalut, especially during the early morning hours.
• The sunset over the Terai seen from Sandakphu, with dense white clouds reflecting the dusky hues will leave an unforgettable picture deep in your heart.

Classified Autumn months are from October Mid till late December.

• Autumn is perhaps the best time to do this trek if you want to witness clear skies and barrier-free views of over 26 mountain peaks visible from Sandakphu. 
• During this time, the weather starts to get drier and stable after the monsoon recedes. The leaves and grasses start to change their colour from green to brown.
• The skies remain clearer giving you excellent views of the mesmerizing Himalayan peaks of Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan.
• The weather is colder and drier, and often very windy. The higher camps start to go below subzero temperatures during the night.
• The days are sunny and warm. It makes an excellent time to trek during the autumn season. It's one of the best time to do this trek.

Classified Winter months are from late December to late till February mid.

• It's a short but sharp winter on the Sandakphu trek.
• The dried land after the autumn season craves for some wetness in late December and Mother Nature gifts snowfall to cheer up the spirits of the locals, animals, birds, and lots of trekkers and tourists who crave to witness the beauty of a Snow-Covered Sandakphu Trek and its cold.
• The whole of the high alpine meadow of Sandakphu and beyond till Phalut gets converted into a white playground covered with snow.
• The descending trail through the jungle too gets a good amount of snow and makes it a romantic trekking trail to walk on.

• Historically, in older days, the Sandakphu peak and higher ridgelines of Singalila used to receive heavy snowfall during the winters, including the hills of Darjeeling. With time, snowfall in Darjeeling became a rare moment in winters. 
• Sandakphu receives fresh snowfall almost 6 - 10 times a year. The concentration of snowfall on the Sandakphu Trek typically happens during the end of the year around Christmas and goes on till the mid of February.
• Snowfall usually measures about 4 - 6 inches in higher reaches of Sandakphu and Phalut, while often crossing that limit on a few bad days.
• Once or twice a year, snowfall brings up a cheerful surprise to the people of the lower reaches of Kalipokhari, Tumling till Maneybhanjyang and Darjeeling as well. This typically happens in January and February.
• Here, 2 years of heavy snow is followed by a year of low snowfall.

This year, it has been less snowfall in the entire Himalayas, especially in the Eastern Himalayas including Uttrakhand, Nepal, Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan. It snowed very less in Sandakphu. While the year's first snowfall came quite early in the first week of December, after that it didn't snow well enough. However, the freezing wind did create magical frost over the trees and bushes making a surreal view. Currently, the trek route is free of any snow and there are fewer expectations for any more snowfall on the route.

Currently, the weather in Sandakphu is doing great after a few bad spells and a hailstorm day last week in the Phalut region. Hailstorms are a common thing once a twice a year on this trek route, especially the Phalut region. All our groups are doing well.

• Snow-Covered Trek To Sandakphu And Phalut: Walking through the jungle with the leaves of pine trees covered with snow and the wet ground turned into a white carpet feels amazing. The wide-open meadow on the Phalut route is just romantic to walk on where tall coniferous and leafless magnolias and rhododendron trees make a gateway for you. Not to miss the tall peaks that can be seen even during this time, especially in the early morning hours. If you are to trek the Sandakphu and Phalut for snow, it is a must that you need to do this trek in the months of December, January, and early February.
• Colourful and Flowerful Sandakphu Phalut Trek: During the end of February, flowers start to bloom as soon as they start to get little warmth from the heavenly sun. The months of the Spring season spanning from mid-February to early May offers a wide array of colours and fragrance as rare species of rhododendrons and magnolias bloom. Apart from the classic views of the Grand Panorama of over 26 Himalayan Peaks, this adds to yet another thrilling experience on the trek during this time. The entire trek route is filled with fragrance, some of which are intoxicating as well.
• Clear Blue Skies and Scenic Panorama From Sandakphu: The post-monsoon season of Autumn makes it the perfect time for lots of rare tiny colourful flowers and orchids to blossom, beautifying the trek route. The weather during this time is very stable and most of the time the sky is devoid of any cloud, offering an unimaginable blue background to the white snow clad tall Himalayan peaks

• Typically before the onset of winter, the temperature in Sandakphu and Phalut starts to go below the freezing point from the end of November and its very windy. Water starts to freeze and in the morning you need to be careful of verglasses. The Day time temperature ranges between 8 - 14 degree Celcius.
• Often on this trek, you enter a jungle trail where sunrays are limited and the temperatures will fall below freezing point. The small openings amidst the dense forest welcome warm rays of the Sun and offer a good resting spot.
• Temperatures in the lower points on this trek like Maneybhanjyang, Tumling, Srikhola, etc ranges between 3 - 8 degree Celcius in the night while hitting 10 - 16 degrees during the day.
• Being on the Eastern side of the Himalayas and closer to the Bay Of Bengal, weather often gets unpredictable here and it might be very chilly even in the lower villages. 
• During the Summer and Springs season, temperatures remain very comfortable and suitable for most of the people around. Many people consider this time as the best time to do this trek as this allows us to experience the colourful trail with blooming rhododendrons, magnolias, and many other flowers in the Springs and a barrier-free view of the grand mountains in the background.
• During these  Summer months, the daytime temperature ranges between 12 - 18 degrees, whereas the night temperature ranges between 8 - 14 degrees.
• We do have to note that being closer to the Bay Of Bengal, sudden rainfall drops the temperature by a huge margin and need to be prepared for it.
• The higher points of Sandakphu and Phalut is very windy and calls for good windproof wear. The wind chill factor may bring down the temperature to a freezingly cold experience on this trek. So be careful!

• As per our trek plan, in most of the cases, all the nights will have stay arranged in local homestays or tea-houses.
• These are in Maneybhanjyang, Tumling, Kalipokhari, Sandakphu, Phalut and Gorkhey.
• All the required beddings and linens will be provided by the homestay owners.
• It will mostly be in 3 or 4 sharing rooms with a single bed each.
• You may book private rooms at extra cost.
• Food will be served from the homestay only.
• Toilet will be a clean and hygienic wet toilet with western or eastern seats with running water or in buckets. 
• For the nights in Sandakphu and Phalut, we have a backup plan of staying in camps as well.
• Camping will depend upon wind speed in these camps and the availability of better rooms in the homestays.
• If we opt for camping, then all camping gears will be provided by us.
• Food in camps will be served from nearby homestays.
• It has to be noted that in order to avoid the touristic crowd and get you proper Himalayan ambience and solitude, we pass by Sandakphu and stay in an open meadow called Alley.

• Anyone who is generally fit with no cardiac problems should be able to complete the Sandakphu and Phalut trek without any problems.
• When we say 'Generally Fit', we mean he/she should be able to run a 6Km marathon and should be able to complete it. He need not come first but possess the stamina and powerful mindset to complete it with honesty.
• Having strong legs, shoulders and core strength helps a lot. You may do staircase climbing with or without weight to train your legs.
• Cycling, Swimming, or brisk walking should help build stamina. Plank helps strengthen your back and core.
• A few pushups and chin-ups should strengthen your shoulders and back muscles.
• Do note that you need not be a champion in marathon running or be a bodybuilder. You just need to have a positive mindset and a generally fit body used to exercises and a nature lover to keep yourself motivated. 
• Fitness is a lifestyle and while you are on the trek with an unfit body, the trek itself will teach you to get fitter. Be careful!
• It can be a worse punishment to trek in the Himalayas without being prepared, physically and mentally. That's the Himalayas for you - RAW, ROUGH and BOLD

Can Beginners Do The Sandakphu Trek?  This is a question many beginners ask us and the answer to this is Yes, they can do it very well, only if they keep certain things in mind before they jump off to do this trek.

The trek to Sandakphu and Phalut is perhaps one of the best treks in the Himalayas. Anyone, irrespective of being a beginner or experienced must not miss this trek. The sheer number of peaks that are visible on this trek, the unbelievable panorama of elegant mountains, innumerous variety of colourful flowers, dense forest, wildlife sightings, experiencing the local life and tastier food, exchanging knowledge with one of the most respectful and intrinsic tribes of our country, it a complete trek which boasts of so many factors and elements of the Himalayas.

Having said the better parts, we must also say that the trek is no easy trek as it involves long walks on most of the days. However,  we need to do justice to the trek by understanding that these long walks are not steep walks but either on a flattish trail with occasional humps or descends. So it's not difficult. On the other hand, the route is beautiful and hence keeps you motivated throughout the day's trek if you are a nature lover.

Rather than differentiating between a Beginner or Experienced trekker, it's more logical that we should differentiate between a Fit and Unfit trekker. For a fit trekker, whether Experienced or Beginner, this trek works out to be doable and easier with its challenges. While for the unfit trekkers, this trek will not care about your experiences. Unpreparedness will make you look funny amidst the mountains and other fit trekkers.

• The Sandakphu Trek and the Sandakphu Phalut Trek route is very safe from all the concerns of Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS).
• 95% of the trek route is below tree line and natural oxygen is readily available from the huge trees hovering above and around you.
• The open meadow of Phalut is above the tree line and here too since the altitude is just 3600 meters, it is safe from AMS concerns.
• The itinerary which we follow is a very well planned one and helps prevent AMS with controlled altitude gain. 
• The homestays where we sleep on the Sandakphu trek are warm and cosy and helps in good Comfortable sleep. This further helps a lot in acclimatization and keeping AMS away.
• Every evening we go on slight walks in around for views and this too helps acclimatisation and keep AMS away.
• Considering these facts, the Sandakphu Phalut trek is very safe from the perspective of AMS.

Having said all these, we also need to draw attention to our planned food menu on the trek which is focussed and rehydrating your body and keeping it warm which is a key factor in prevention from AMS. There is no substitute for acclimatization in the mountains. With Himalayan High, we prefer to acclimatize naturally and do not advise you to pop in Diamox without any need to or without understanding your body. Historically, none of our trekkers faced AMS issues on this trek. There were a few minor cases of exhaustion we experienced on this trek, which was more of a fitness problem and resolved on rest and slow ascends.

• Trail Safety: That trekking route of the Sandkaphu Phalut is very safe. The route might be longer but is not treacherous or risky at all.
• Excessive Snowfall: Sometime in the month of January and February excessive snowfall may disrupt your schedule. However, in such a situation, we take the best decision to prioritize your safety and comfort and provide you with the best alternate route. 
• High Altitude and AMS: This route is very safe in terms of Altitude and AMS. Our trek itinerary is well planned to keep the altitude factor in mind. There are natural trees providing a natural source of oxygen except for the camp of Phalut. We carry oxygen cylinders with us as a precautionary safety measure. However, to date over the last 6 years, we did not have to use it even once.
• Emergency Exit: Though the trekking route is different, the Sandakphu Phalut trek is accessible by road also. Hence it works out very easy to evacuate in case of emergency. For a medical emergency, we carry a first aid kit, oxygen cylinder, and our Trek Leader monitors the trekker team every evening by analyzing the behaviour change, physiology, and vitals with a pulse oximeter. He will the first responder to an emergency.
• Water On Trek: Water on this trek route is safe. It is sourced from natural streams and then filtered to be used. You should take precautions as per your own sensitivity and use water purification tablets or UV sterilized bottles like Steripen.
• Women Safety: It is typically very safe for women in the Himalayas. The locals respect them and treat them well. We haven't yet heard of any stories or incidents of bad treatment with women in this region. However, it must be noted that local culture and sentiments must be respected.

The Last ATM point on the Sandakphu trek route is Sukhiapokhari or Ghoom which is about 30 minutes before arrival in Maneybhanjyang. After you finish your trek, there is an ATM in Rimbik. However, we would suggest arranging for your cash in Sukhiapokhari or Ghoom itself beyond which you won't find any reliable ATMs

• Sandakphu has a fair amount of mobile connectivity and it is improving day by day.
• Maneybhanjyang, the starting point of the Sandakphu trek has working towers from Vodafone, Jio and Airtel. 
• On the trek, we do get occasional and surprising mobile towers from Airtel, BSNL, Jio and Vodafone.
• Jio and Airtel work from a few spots in Sandakphu.
• Nepal's NCell works well as well and your guide might be having it.
• Often the mobile towers work from specific corners or heights which your guide would be knowing.
• In case of an emergency, you may use your guide's mobile as well. 
• Nearing the end of the trek point, mobile towers, and the internet starts to work well and once you reach Ramam, everything works back to normal again.

• Gone are the days of zero internet connection on the Sandakphu trek. Now, a very good, consistent and reliable Internet connection through mobile data is available in the trek starting of Maneybhanjyang and endpoints like Ramam, Srikhola and Sepi.
• On the trek route to Sandakphu, the homestays on the Nepal side are currently offering internet connections through WiFi at a little extra cost varying from Rs. 50 - 200 on an hourly basis.
• Do note that the WiFi internet is not good enough to work on your laptops and hence keep them away from the trek, kindly.
• Phalut is the remotest part of this trek route and hence is the most beautiful as well as you are much closer to the mountains. It does not have any working internet availability so far which is good for the trek.

Maneybhanjyang is the starting point of the Sandakphu Trek and the Sandakphu Phalut Trek. It is a small and peaceful village very close to Darjeeling but fairly distanced from the hustle-bustle of a crowded city. A simple walk around the village of Maneybhanjyang will bring you close to the happy, cheerful, helpful and welcoming people of this belt. Many different tribes stay here in mutual harmony and work in the field of tourism and agriculture. This is a border village with Nepal and sitting security personnel is a common view here. Nepal is just a few minutes walk from here and in fact, on the trek to Sandakphu and Phalut, we stay in Nepal for 3 nights out of 6. It has a few homestays, shops and a taxi stand. People here love football and often matches are conducted on the football field down in the village. Momos, Thukpa, Sausages are common street food here.