On day 1 of the trek and the last day of the trek, you can stay in comfortable homestays which provide a list of dishes such as Thukpa (noodles made of buckwheat), Tibetan pieces of bread and other Nepali-style dishes. 

On all other days of the Sandakphu trek, you get to stay in Tea houses which are distinctive from one other. Staying in Tea houses is one of the best parts of the Sandakphu Phalut trek, as it offers a rich cultural heritage experience. You can observe the local’s culture and their practices very closely. When staying in Tea houses, you can see the way the locals cook food and their way of leading life. These terrific tea houses would give you the best experience one ever could get on a trek. 

The tea houses are painted in blue, yellow, and all other colours of the flag to represent the positive vibes of the place. They also have pleasant colourful flowering plants that add extra sparkle to the tea houses. How exciting it would be to stay in a colourful tea house surrounded by beautiful floral plants under the mesmerising mountains? Well, Sandakphu phalut trek is awaiting to offer you this larger-than-life experience. 

Sandakphu trek is the only trek in India that offers you a great stay in terrific tea houses, where you can immerse yourself in Nepali culture.

Sandakphu Phalut trek is a must to do trek for trekkers. It is one of the few places in the world where you can see four out of five world’s highest peaks. No other trek in India offers such a beautiful view of places ranging from sleeping buddha to Mount Everest. Sandakphu trek is a cluster of rich culture, adventure, fun, and marvellous views. 

Can’t stress it enough, Sandakphu Phalut trek is a must to do trek in India.

Sandakphu has a lot of Tea houses. See if you can stay here.

Can We Stay in Sandakphu?

Sandakphu Stay in Sandakphu Phalut How to Stay? Stay in Sandakphu Tea Houses tea houses

Sandakphu and Phalut trek is one of the best treks in India as it is one of the few treks on earth from which you can see 8,000-meter peaks. Gaze at the stunning Everest, standing at a Sandakphu altitude of 11,930 feet. 

Those outshining Lhotse and Makalu, the fourth and the fifth highest peaks in the world would make you go wow! You can see the world’s third-highest peak, the beautiful Kanchenjunga with its cluster of peaks on your right. 

The best part about Sandakphu is seeing the magnificent view of the Sleeping Buddha from day 1 of the trek which continues to attract you until day 4 of the trek, which also gets larger and closer day by day. How about enjoying hide and seek with the sleeping Buddha for the first 3 hours of the trek?

The Sandakphu mountain trekking is the only trek which offers a view of eight thousand-meter peaks like this. That is why it is a must-do trek in India.

Sandakphu trek is the best trek to get an idea about the Indo-Nepal border experience. Trekking in Sandakphu gives you a unique experience, as it takes you through the trails of both India and Nepal and it astonishingly confuses you whether you are in India or Nepal. The Indo-Nepal border provides an absolute eccentric experience of having dinner in Nepal and Sleeping in India.8

Explore the various aspects of Indian, Nepal, Buddhist, and Tibetan culture in the Sandakphu trek. Meet the locals, and try to comprehend the cultural side of Nepalis, how their day starts, their daily chores, and the way they lead their lives. Taste the toothsome authentic food of Nepalis. Do not miss out to taste the spiciest chilli, ‘Dhalle Khorsani’, the famous thing to try during the Sandakphu trek.

Spot the various species in Singalila national park as you trek through the Sandakphu route. On day 1 of your trek, you will trek through the dense forest which is covered with Oak trees. You will trek through the trails of Samanden which are coved with Bamboo trees, on day 2 of your trek. Admire the beauty of Rhododendron on your trekking trails, especially during March and April. You will spot numerous Yalks and rarely you will get to see Red Pandas and Tragopan as well during the Sandakphu trek.

Sandakphu and Phalut trek is one of the best treks in India as it is one of the few treks on earth from which you can see 8,000-meter peaks.

Why is Sandakphu Famous?

Sandakphu FAQs, Sandakphu Famous Why is Sandakphu Famous

Sandakphu-Phalut trek is located in West Bengal.  The unique elegance of the sleeping Buddha will never let you feel lonely throughout the Sandakphu trek. It is a great companion that anyone would wish for. You will get an unobscured view of the sleeping buddha once you arrive at Molley. 

The villages of Samanden and Aal are another beauty to admire during the Sandakphu phalut trek. The place also offers spectacular longest-distance views, which gives you the gist about your upcoming days of the trek. 

 A route map of the Sandakphu-Phalut trek

You will find five different colours of the flag across each stream, which is known as ‘Panchdhatu’ and it represents water, air, fire, land and clouds. Explore the prayers written on these flags and how the people who live here believe it to be a sign of positive vibes as it blows along the wind.

Sandakphu and Phalut trek is one of the few treks on earth from which you can see 8,000-meter peaks. Click to know if its in West Bengal or Nepal.

Is Sandakphu in West Bengal or Nepal?

Want to do a trek without any trek company? Say yes to Sandakphu Trek!  Sandakphu is a good trek to start trekking on your own. You have reliable sources around the area to take shelter or to have a cup of tea. In addition, one of the strong points of this trek is its connectivity with roads. Unlike the treks of Himachal and Uttarakhand, you won’t be feeling isolated. Therefore, the Sankaphu trek is not risky. However, this trek is not to be done entirely on your own. According to the rule, it's mandatory to take a guide always, this could be a bummer, but it will help you, especially if you are doing this for the first time.

Guide charges as of 2020: Approx Rs 1000 

1. Mane Bhanjang: Mane Bhanjang is a small village surrounded by a few shops. This route for trekking is active and popular. There is an association of Land Rover Owners; from there, people can also book cars for their trips. There are two guide associations in the small market of Mane Bhanjang; its setup is like an arcade. You can find association offices on the right and left sides of the road. Approaching them is easy, you have to explain your requirements, like the date and time of your trek, and your guide will be allocated.

Your trek will start from Mane Bhanjang, after crossing Tumling and Kaliphokri, you will reach Sandakphu, and then you can choose your exit point.

2. Srikhola: This route is three hours drive from Mane Bhanjang.Unlike Mane Bhanjang, this route is less crowded and doesn't have connectivity with the roads. So, you won't see many people moving around in a car on this route. 

The route to Srikhola is through Rimbick, a crowded place similar to Mane Bhanjang, the distance between Srikhola and Rimbick is 40 mins. You can buy essentials and also approach a guide in Rimbick. However, there is only one Guide Association in Rimbick called Rimbick Tours and Associations; from there, you can get in touch with a person who can assign you a guide. But, nobody usually prefers this route for trekking because it's not very popular or active.

Take this route if you wish to do the Sandakphu-Phalut trek on your own. 

Things to remember when you are looking for a guide 

Registration of guides with associations as per their location, and the forest division office is essential. The range officer will have the list of registered guides of Maneybhanjan and Rimbick. You should remember the following things while looking for a guide:

The guide should be registered with the association and the forest division office

The entire trek runs in Singalila National Park. You will have to pay for the following:

1. Pay it concurrently: There is a forest office in Maneybhanjan near the entrance of the National Park; over there you will get all the permits.

2. Pay on the go: Once you enter the National Park, you will come across different forest beat offices; you can take the permits for each day.

In detail, there is no fee for Mane Bhanjang to Tumling because you are not in the National Park yet; however, when you go towards Kalipokhri from Tumling, after a 10 min walk, you will reach a forest beat office from where you get your necessary permits. There are two separate fees for visitation and Camping.

For Indian Citizens: Between Rs 120 to 150 per trekker per day, for tents: Between 100 to 150 rupees, and for mules: 400 rupees.

For foreigners: Per trekker per day: Rs 400

Since the trek moves in and out of the Singalila National Park, we recommend getting permission daily at each forest check-post, based on the route you choose every day.

What to expect while trekking on your own

You can find many tea houses during your Sandakphu trek. Those are the homes of the people, they provide lodging as well as food. So, it is like a hotel, but the setup is more intimate. Also, during your trek, you will come across many spots for having lunch or snacks. 

1. Evacuation is easier compared to any other trek. If you want to discontinue the trek, you can with the help of people around the place. However, getting a car will be expensive

3. Not an isolated trek; you can always reach out to people. 

1. The only concern in this trek is the guide. The cost for a guide till 2020 was 1000 rupees.

2. The six days of trekking would include the following places: Tumling, Kalipokhri, Caral, Sabalgram, Samande, and at last, Rimbick. So, the cost for the guide would be 6000 rupees for six days. 

3. Stay in tea houses at Tumbling, Kalipokhri, Caral, Sabalgram, and Samande for  five days. However, there are no tea houses in Sabalgram; you can see a small forest office and a room office. The in-charge of the office permits people to stay there, he charges 500 per day for the room and provides basic snacks.

4. The charge for the remaining four days would be 800-1000 per day If you reach at a tea-house during the evening and leave by breakfast. So, 800 rupees for four days would be 3200 rupees. You will have lunch on the way and at least one snack each day, costing around Rs 1000. So, the following is the cost breakdown of guide, stay, and accommodation:

Therefore, the total budget would be around Rs 10,900. 

One more add-on to the cost is the permission. The charge for the permission is 150 rupees. You will have to take a permit for four days. You have to take permits for Kalipokhri, Caral, Sabargram and Samanden. Therefore, the cost for four days' permission would be 600 rupees. So, your total cost would be Rs 11,600. 

This trek is more expensive compared to other DIY treks; however, I would like to recommend this trek for people who like to trek on their own but have no idea about it, because this trek is safer and you will feel more secure. 

When NOT to do the Sandakphu trek on your own 

From Mid-December to Mid-January, as it's near Christmas and new year, the place will be crowded. So, during this time, many people from Darjeeling and Nepal come to this site to spend their holidays. Due to that, there will be a shortage of tea house accommodations. Also, the cost of tea houses will be much higher than in other seasons, and the quality of hospitality will also be affected.

1. Always take a guide, and don't forget to look for their registered ID card. 

2. Choose the popular route, as that would be safer. 

3. We recommend getting permissions daily at each forest check-post, based on the route you choose daily.

4. Avoid doing this trek from December mid to Jan mid, as it will be challenging to find a place to stay.  

So, What are you waiting for?! Pack your bags and go one step ahead in the world of trekking and explore it on your own.

If this is the first time you are doing a high-altitude trek and do not want to do it on your own, Indiahikes organises the Sandakphu Phalut trek. 

This article gives your a guide on how to do the Sandakphu trek on your own.

How to do the Sandakphu Trek on Your Own

Sandakphu, Trek to Sandakphu on your own, Srikhola, Maneybhanjan, Rimbik, Guide for Sandakphu

Yes, the Sandakphu Phalut trek offers a splendid long-distance view of the Mount Everest cluster. Standing at an altitude of 11,930 feet on Sandakphu, you can witness the Everest cluster on your left. On day 2 of the Sandakphu trek, slightly ahead of Molley you get an amazing view of Mount Everest. On day 4 of the Sandakphu trek, you will reach Sabargam, where you get the best view of the Everest cluster.

Sandakphu Phalut trek will never disappoint you, especially in terms of offering the best views. Treat your eyes to the stunning sunsets and sunrises that give you a feel of standing up above the sky, and make you feel like you are one among the clouds floating in the sky. Witness the sunsets below you as stand on the elegant viewpoint. 

Winter (from December until January) is the best time of the year to see this magnificent view of Mount Everest. During winter, there would be heavy snowfall, which appears in a mixture of white and brown colours. Whereas in monsoon, the snowfall appears in green colour that falls on lush green trees of the dense forest.

Is Mt. Everest visible from Sandakphu. Click here to find out more.

Is Mt. Everest Visible From Sandakphu

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Please note that this is a special trek designed for stargazing enthusiasts. The trek fee is slightly more than the regular fee. Know more about the trek here. 

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Our treks are transformative

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Trekking in the Himalayas comes with challenges such as heavy rain, roadblocks, floods, landslides, and permit restrictions imposed by the government. These situations are not within Indiahikes' control. 

Before you register, please be prepared for the possibility that your trek might be called off due to these uncontrollable factors. In such cases, Indiahikes will make every effort to offer you a safe alternative trek. If that isn't possible, we will cancel your trek and issue a voucher for the trek fee in line with our standard cancellation policy.

However, if you would like to receive a full refund of your fee under such circumstances, opt for the Indiahikes Shield while registering. This shield grants you the option to receive a refund in case your trek is cancelled due to external reasons. 

Why you should opt for Indiahikes Shield 

Security concerns and government orders often lead to last-minute cancellations in Jammu & Kashmir. While we make all the preparations to run the trek, we cannot guarantee that the trek will run. If such a situation occurs, we will try to organize an alternate trek within J&K or Himachal Pradesh, wherever possible. If not, we will cancel the trek and our cancellation policy will apply.

Such circumstances are under nobody's control, but it's best to be well-prepared.  As trekkers ourselves, we understand the loss that you go through when such circumstances arise. To protect against such circumstances, we have the Indiahikes Shield - where you can avail a return of your full trek fee by paying a small additional charge.  

We suggest you opt for the Indiahikes Shield, which will protect your trek fee during such uncertainties. You will find the option during the registration process.

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We will provide you with a weather-resistant kit bag to transfer your belongings.

The kitbag will be carried by mules or porters.

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