After deciding to save Nepal for another trip due to the recent political unrest, I started researching options for multi day treks in India to substitute our intended hikes in Nepal. While there are a lot of options, mostly north of Delhi, there were only a couple of good options for late November. Unless we wanted to hike in the snow, which unlike many domestic travelers who had not experienced snow these hikes appeared to be marketed to, we definitely did not. The best option turned out to be Sandakphu (meaning sleeping buddha- named for the most prominent mountain range that can be viewed in clear weather that resembles a resting buddha), a tea house trek that skirted the Nepal border. We planned our time in West Bengal around the hike.

After acclimatizing in Kurseong, we headed to Mane Bhajane, a small town right on the border that serves as one of the primary starting points for the hike. We checked in to our guesthouse and wandered through town and within about 30 minutes had secured a guide and itinerary for our five night, six day trek. The guides rotate within the guiding association and we were assigned James, who greeted us ready to go at 8am the day of the start of our hike.

With the first three km straight up hill, much of it stairs cutting diagonal across the switchback roads, we were soon shedding our coats and leggings for t-shirts. It would be a trip requiring many layers. James let us go at our own pace, ensuring we stopped for tea, water, snacks and views frequently at the teahouses en route. After the first few kms, the hike eased up, and we settled in. The landscape varied as we climbed, from grassland to pine forests as we rose above the clouds. The first night we spent at Tonglu at an elevation of 3100 metres, watching the sun set and rise and retreating to the warmth of our beds in the unheated teahouse accommodation.

Searching for Red Pandas

The next day was clear as well and pretty easy. We were passing through red panda territory- an endangered species in India- so we took our time, peering into bamboo forests for the elusive small animal. We were unsuccessful unfortunately, but it’s not surprising. We passed lots of domestic tourists with huge cameras who apparently stay in a lodge nearby for days searching for them.

We reached our destination by noon and sat basking in the sun for a few hours reading until the sun set and the cold set in rapidly. We had dinner with our first traveler friends of the trip, a couple from New York City who were coming for a wedding and tacked on the hike. Unfortunately, they miscalculated and realized they were a day behind (easy enough to do when it takes so long to get to India and you lose time in the time change) so we bade them farewell in the morning as we started our tough 13km trek up to Sandakphu at an elevation of just over 3600m.

With the clear weather, it was worth it, arriving in time for another trek to sunset where we clearly saw the Everest range across the way in Nepal. We actually crossed the border about five times with quick passport checks and hand written registrations. As foreigners, we weren’t allowed to sleep at teahouses in Nepal.

The next morning at 5am we were up again to witness sunrise on the Sandakphu range, with an exceptionally clear day. With a 21 km day ahead of us, we packed, ate and headed out along the ridge to Phalut, sitting at 3600m as well, just slightly below Sandakphu. The first half of the this hike was absolutely gorgeous, with undulating hills but nothing too strenuous. The last half of the day was much harder, particularly as the mist shrouded the views. We arrived in Phalut, slightly lower in elevation than Sandkaphu around 330pm in the fog.

We awoke at 530am and hiked up the hill to sunrise for stunning views of both the Sandakphu and Everest ranges. We lucked out with the weather. We headed down to the town of Gorkhey where we managed our first shower in days, with a bit of hot water we managed in a bucket. The sun was out though and we basked on some rocks by the river. 

Our final day was a bit confusing as to distance and timing of shared jeeps, but we ended up getting a car to take us to Mane Bhajang to grab our bags and arrange a taxi to take us to Kalimpong, another hill town, but much less higher in elevation. We were ready to warm up a bit and have real showers.