RAVANGLA IN WEST SIKKIM

Ravangla, a peaceful hill town in South Sikkim, is a place that touches your heart the moment you arrive. This little paradise is situated at an altitude of around 7,000 feet, offering a magical view of Mount Kanchenjunga and the Eastern Himalayas.

 

Ravangla Homestay near Buddha Park offers the perfect stay to enjoy. These warm and cozy homes are run by friendly local families who treat guests like their own. Sipping hot tea with a clear view of Kanchenjunga and enjoying home-cooked Sikkimese food make every moment here special.

 

Staying near Buddha Park means you can take a peaceful morning walk, watch the sunrise behind the great Buddha statue, and enjoy the spiritual tranquility of the place.

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TAKDAH

Takdah is one of Darjeeling’s most peaceful and scenic offbeat villages. The village is surrounded by lush pine forests and rolling tea gardens. This former British cantonment town remains untouched by mass tourism.

Takdah Homestay is not just a place to stay — it’s a feeling, a feeling of coming home to the mountains. The homestay is lovingly run by a warm local family, who welcome you like a long-lost relative. Their smiles are real, and their food is from the heart — simple, soulful, and unforgettable.

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#Dawaipani

Dawaipani one of the famous and beautiful offbeat tourist place in Darjeeling. Dawaipani is only 20 km from Darjeeling. This hidden small beautiful village situated at an altitude of 6500 feet. If anyone not go to this village they will miss the spectacular views of this place. The kanchenjunga can be seen from almost the entire village and view is breathtaking. Darjeeling and part of sikkim can be clearly seen from Dawaipani, it looks nice at night when the lights are on.

The “khola” river passes through the Dawaipani village. This “khola” revers water know as Dawaipani in local language it means “Medicated water”. There is a beautiful story behind the naming this village. According to the local people one of the British cornal become very ill, there was no way he could be healed. But after drinking the Khola river water of this village he became completely healthy.

Dawaipani weather

Summer:- Avg 14 to 28 degree centigrade, Winter:-Avg 1 to 12 degree centigrade.

How to reach Dawaipani

The nearest airport is Bagdogra and nearest railway station is NJP. There is two way to go to Dawaipani one is from Teesta bazar another is from Jhorbanglo. On Peshok road a place known as 3 mile one uphill road enter into Dawaipani.

Best time to go Dawaipani

The best time to go to dawaipani is october to January, Kanchenjunga can be seen clearly at this time. Another time is march to july this time is summer and rainy season. This time you can enjoy cloud and foggy weather.

Place to Stay at Dawaipani

#Tinchuley

Tinchuley is a very popular tourist place in Darjeeling region. This beautiful offbeat hemlet hidden in the mountain. Tinchuley located at an altitude of 5900 feet and only 26 km way from Darjeeling. Tinchuley covered with clouds, pine forest and tea estate. This place is best for mountain lovers because Tinchuley offers breathtaking views of Himalayas. This place is face of the Kalimpong hills and Teesta river.

Tinchuley this word means “three oven” or “tin chullas”. The three hills surround this place in such a way that from distance this three hill look like “three oven” or “tin chullas”.

Gumbadara view point is a famous view spot in Tinchuley. The river teesta and Kalimpong hill can seen clearly below the peshok tea garden from Gumabadara view point. The view of Kanchenjunga from Gumbadara is unforgettable.

How to reach Tinchuley

From Tinchuley nearest Railway station is NJP only 85 km and nearest Airport is Bagdogra only 75 km. By car to reach Tinchuley one via Sevok road and another is via Kurseong road. From peshok one uphill road enter into Tinchuley via Gumbadara and another from 3 mile one down hill enter into Tinchuley via Takdha.

Tinchuley weather

Summer:- Avg 10 to 20 degree centigrade, Winter:-Avg 2 to 11 degree centigrade.

Place to stay at Tinchuley

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That’s when someone suggested Bhandardara. I had heard of this place as a monsoon destination & hence had not considered it as an option in the month of January.

So, did some research online & liked the place. There are many options to reach Bhandardara. We took a train to Igatpuri & then an auto to Bhandardara. There are many trains that you can opt for from Mumbai to Igatpuri. The other options are bus from Kalyan to Bhandardara or you can come in your own vehicle by road.

I had booked a room at MTDC Bhandardara. There are few other options as well but MTDC is located right next to big lake because of which it offers some amazing views. Of course, there are home stays available from the locals but we only came to know of them once we reached there. However apart from the average food there was nothing more to regret at MTDC!!

We reached the resort around 11 am & decided to spend the rest of the day at leisure. In the afternoon, we went for a stroll around the resort. The lake was amazing. It’s actually a river that forms a lake due to a dam. There are boating facilities in the lake. However, it’s not the usual paddle boats but country boats fitted with motors that ferry the locals. You can also arrange bonfire near the lake or simply spend time on the benches near the lake. The best part about Bhandardara is that it offers various activities at different times of the year. There are many places around that offer homemade food.

The next day we hired a cab & went for sightseeing. In Bhandardara if you go during monsoon you can see number of water falls. However, in the month of January the falls had dried up but due to good visibility from the top of the dams & mountain peaks the views were spectacular.

For trekkers, there are some good options during winter. You can trek up mount Kalsubai OR trek inside Sandhan Valley. Mount Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra. We had gone for the trek inside Sandhan Valley. This is basically a dried-up river bed which ends in a waterfall at one end. This river bed is active during monsoon. However, this is not a flat river bed & that’s where the trekking comes in. It’s a moderate intensity trek. We trekked for a few hours & then came back. The full trek can take upto 12 hours & exits at Shahpur.

We also visited Amruteshwar temple. Legend says that this temple was built by the Pandavas.

You can also visit Ratangad fort which is a moderate trek. By the end of the day we took a train back to Mumbai with some beautiful memories of the trip.

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I along with my three friends decided to go for the Sandakphu trek in Feb 2014. This place is a paradise for adventure lovers. This is the highest peak in Bengal. We chose a different route for Sandakphu. The normal route is via Maneybhanjan but we decided to go through Ribdi which is situated in West Sikkim. This was our base camp.

Sleeping buddha from Sandakphu

Sandakphu trek itinerary [Different route]

• Day 01- NJP to Ribdi [West Sikkim], Distance 128 km [4-5 hours] by car, night saty at Ribdi.
• Day 02- Ribdi to Gorkhey. Treking Distance –6 km [3-4 hours], night stay at Gorkhey.
• Day 03- Gorkhey to Phalut. Trek Distance – 14 km [7-8 hours], night stay at Phalut.
• Day 04- Phalut to Sandakphu Treking Distance – 22 km [9-10 hours], night stay at Sandakphu. 
• Day 05- Sandakphu to Sepi Treking Distance – 15 km [8-9 hours], night stay at Sepi.
• Day 06 – Sepi to NJP Distance – 126 km [5-6 hours] by car.

Ribdi village

DAY 1-We reached NJP (New Jalpaiguri) station from Sealdah via Darjeeling mail around 8 am. From NJP we booked a car and went to Ribdi. We reached Ribdi around 8 pm. After a long journey, we were tired but when we reached this place we felt very charged up and adventurous. Ribdi is the perfect point for starting a trek in this region. It’s a beautiful forest village located on the hill. Our trek guide was a local guy name, Krishna. He arranged everything for us.

way to Gorkhey from ribdi

DAY 2- On day 2 after breakfast, we started our trekking from Ribdi to Gorkhey. Ribdi to Gorkhey is around 6 km. We went through a deep forest. Day 2 we stayed at Gorkhey. It’s a beautiful valley on the border of Bengal and Sikkim. When you enter this valley you must get a permit for your camera. Here you can find the Gorkhey Khola river. This valley is surrounded by beautiful hills. We had a beautiful experience of a one night stay here.

Gorkhey village

Gorkhey homestay

DAY 3- On Day 3 after breakfast, we started our trek from Gorkhey to Phalut. We started our trek early morning because Gorkhey to Phalut is around 18 km. This route is very difficult because this is a steep upward trek. As we began the day Krishna said that this was the most difficult part of this trek. We walked through deep forest, waterfalls beautiful trees, and hills. Walking through the deep forest was a thrilling experience. Within a few hours after we started, we ran out of snacks and drinking water. We still had a long way to go. Luckily we found an army camp and they gave us drinking water. Moving on further we felt a sudden drop in temperature. We finally reached our destination hungrily and tired. When we reached Phalut I felt the beauty of the valley was  breathtaking. Phalut is one of the highest peaks of the Singalila range and is located in Darjeeling district at an altitude of 11,811 ft. This is the second-highest point in the Singalila range after Sandakphu (11,929 ft). The next day we woke up early in the morning at 5 am and went to Phalut top. The sunrise at Phalut top was majestic. We had an amazing experience.

Phalut top at 5.30 am

DAY 4- On day 4 after breakfast we started our trek at 7.00 am from Phalut to Sandakphu which is about 20 km. We packed a good amount of lunch with us because this is a full day trek. It was chilling cold. we had our lunch and found that even the drinking water we were carrying had completely frozen. We walked through the clouds. During the trek, we found snow in some places. This trekking experience was mind-blowing. We reached Sandakphu around 4 pm. The beauty of Kanchanzangha from Sandakphu was amazing.

Phalut to Sandakphu trekking

Way to Sandakphu

Sandakphu trek

DAY 5- on day 5 we started our trek from Sandakfhu to Sepi via Gurdum and Srikhola. Sandakphu to Sepi is around 17 km and steep downward trek with some steps being  slippery. We went through a deep and beautiful pine forest. We reached Sepi via Gurdum and Srikhola. We had our lunch at Gurdum. Sepi village is a small and beautiful hamlet. On that day we stayed at Sepi and we arranged a campfire at night. This was the last day of our trek.

Srikhola

Srikhola bridge

Sepi homestay

DAY 6- On day 6 after breakfast, we hired a car and came back to NJP via Darjeeling. From here we took an overnight train to Sealdah. Back in the crowded city, I missed Sandakphu very much. I recommend all of you to visit this place at least once.

Sandakphu height

Sandakphu height is 11,930 feet above sea level.

Best time to visit Sandakphu

Sandakphu is the highest peak in the Singalila national park. Therefore, the weather plays a vital role in planning a trip. the trek is open throughout the year. But the best time to visit in Sandakphu is From March to June, the whole valley is going to be filled with Orchids, Rhododendrons flowers. Most of the trekker prefer this time because avoid the chilling weather at nighttime time. and also the second season is Oct to Dec because most of the probabilities that the sky is going to be clear and people will get the view of all the peaks. you’ll also visit Jan to Feb if you enjoy the snowfall at Sandkaphu.

Sandakphu temperature

Mid-March to mid-June [Summer]- Temperature 15 to 25 degrees
July to Aug [monsoon ] – Temperature 10 to 20 degrees
Sep to Oct [autumn]- Temperature 5 to 15 degrees
Nov to Feb [winters]- Temperature -5 to 5 degrees

Is Sandakphu trek difficult

Sandakphu trek is considered a beginner trek. So it’s not very difficult it’s a moderate trek. Sandakphu height is 11,930 feet above sea level. The high altitude can cause problems and climatic conditions may change frequently. Therefore, you would like to require a good guide and also the necessary precautions before going.

sandakphu trek route

A famous and common route for the Sandakphu trek is via Maneybhanjan but you’ll also try via Ribdi.
Route1- Maneybhanjan-Tonglu-Sandakphu and return by an equivalent route- 112 km [5 to 6 days]
Route2- Maneybhanjan- Tonglu- Sandakphu- Phalut and return by the same route -152km. [6 to 7 days]
Route3– Ribdi – Gorkhey – Phalut – Sandakphu – Gurdum – Srikhola – Sepi -65 km [4 to 5 days] [Recommended route-3]

Sandakphu trek Homestays

Hotel Sherpa chalet [Sandakphu] – 9933488159/8509252318

Hotel Sunrise [Sandakphu] – 9679256795

Hotel Paradise [Gorkhey]- 9733293722 / 9733279901

Keshavs Homestay [Manebhanjan] – 9232695120 / 9564797551

Serpa lodge [Dhotrey] – 9883946880 / 9476386379

Himalayan sherpa lodge [Gurdum] – 9609818551 /9933602476 / 9733361799

Lippohochha Homestay [Sepi-Srikhola] – 8972859231

Sikhar Lodge [Tumling] – 9232695120 / 9564797551

Highlander Guides and Porters Welfare Association [Manebhanjan] –  9734056944 / 9933369449 / 9476151523 

How to book trekkers hut in Sandakphu and Phalut

All Trekkers Hut under the management of DGHC Tourism. Advanced Booking will be done through DDT, DGHC Tourism. Contact- Deputy Director of Tourism, Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, silver fir, Bhanu Sarani, Darjeeling.
+91 354 2254879/2255351, Fax : +91 354 2254214

How to prepare for sandakphu trek

Before you visit Sandakphu trek, you would like to possess a register trek guide and potter if you hear the tour operator they’re going to arrange all like potter, guide, permit, etc. you also need to get a permit from a check post for entering the Singalila national park. you have to make sure that you have booked the trekker’s huts/guest houses in advance otherwise you are carrying your camping equipment with you. you also need to carry a valid photo id proof and foreigners need to carry valid passport and visa for India.

Is Jio network available in Sandakphu

 Jio network is accessible in some places but not everywhere. But you’ll get the complete network of BSNl and Airtel
.

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