Beyond Everest: Unveiling the Enchanting Sandakphu in West Bengal| Land Rover Ride | Homestay Booking

Sandakphu is the highest peak in West Bengal where no trip to North Bengal is complete. And if you want to see Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, and Pandim together in the same place, everyone must come to Sandakphu once.

Traveling to Sandakphu is not as easy as a bit offbeat like Kalimpong, Kurseng, or Gangtok. So today’s blog is to give you an accurate idea of ​​how to go, where to stay what to eat, and how much it might cost to enjoy this incredible beauty.

How to go to Sandakfu?

To reach Sandakfu you have to reach NJP or Siliguri first

How to Reach NJP from Kolkata?

How to reach New Jalpaiguri from Howrah or Sealdah station. These two stations are connected to any major railway station in the country. Below is a list of trains that will take you to Sandakphu from Howrah or Sealdah.

Sealdah to NJP	Howrah To NJP
1. Darjeeling Mail 2. Teesta Torsha Exp 3. Uttarbanga Exp 4. Kanchankanya Exp	Kamrup Exp

These above trains arrive at New Jalpaiguri from Howrah or Sealdah stations. The advantage of taking these trains is that they reach New Jalpaiguri station early in the morning.

From Manebhanjan, after 2 pm no more vehicle permission is available. So these trains are useful for quick departure from New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri station to Manebhanjan.

So on reaching Manebhanjan, there are some things to do like car booking and permission and it is better to leave early. Otherwise, you may have to stay here.

How much does it cost to reach New Jalpaiguri from Sealdah or Howrah?

There are different ticket fares according to the facilities you want.

Class	Cost
Sleeper Class	Rs. 330
AC 3 tier	Rs. 950-1000
AC 2 tier	Rs. 1300-1400

Vande Barat Express Ticket Price HWH to NJP

The ticket fare for Vande Bharat Express from Howrah to NJP station is Rs.1565 for the AC Chair Car and Rs. 2825 for the Executive Chair car

How Much is the Car Fare from New Jalpaiguri to Manebhanjan?

The first thing to do on reaching New Jalpaiguri station is to have breakfast and book a car. New Jalpaiguri station has plenty of cars and can be booked directly by talking to the driver. Beware of brokers here.

Rs. 3000-4000 for a small car And a big car will cost Rs. 4000

How to Reach from New Jalpaiguri to Ghum Station?

If you want to reserve a car, there are two routes, one is through Mirik, and the other is through Sukhia Pokhri. And if you want to go in a shared car it will be cheaper.

Go to Siliguri Junction with a rent of Rs. 20 per head. From Siliguri Junction, you can get a shared car going to Manebhanjan. Although this car will not go directly to Manebhanjan

First, you have to go to Ghum. The rent will be Rs. 250. It will take 2.5 to 3 hours to get from Siliguri to Ghum. If it is not time to have breakfast at New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri, then breakfast can be taken on reaching the Ghum station.

How to Reach from Ghum to Shukia Bazar?

Cars to Shukia are available from the opposite side of Ghum railway station. The rent will be Rs.100 to Rs.150. If you reserve a car from Ghum railway station, the fare to go to Sukhia Bazar will be Rs. 500, and from Ghum to Manebhanjan, the fare will be Rs 1000. It takes half an hour to travel from Ghum railway station to Shukia Bazar.

How to Reach from Sukhia Bazar to Manebhanjan?

From Sukhia Bazar by Manebhanjan share car, the fare will be Rs. 50 per person. The road from Sukhia Bazar to Manebhanjan is not very good. And it will take half an hour by car to go from Sukhiya Bazar to Manebhanjan.

How to book a car from Manebhanjan to Sandakphu?

You won’t find any share cars here like in New Jalpaiguri Siliguri or Sukhia Bazar. All car bookings are done through the Land Rover Association. This organization was established in 2004.

The full name is Singalila Land Rover Owner’s Association. Address Maneybhanjyang, Darjeeling Contact No +917047703308 +917047317764 +919647790545

If you book a car from Manebhanjan, you can reach Sandakphu, Tumling, or Tonglu on the same day. Both these places are remarkable in terms of natural beauty. So here too it is better to go to Sandakphu by adjusting to high altitude from one night.

What documents are required to book a Land Rover or Bolero car?

It requires any identity card like an Aadhaar Card or Voter Card and Mobile phone number.

What is the cost of Sandakpur Land Rover booking from Manibhanjan?

The cost of booking a Sandakphu, Land Rover, or Bolero car from Maneybhanjyang depends on the length of stay of the car.

Tour Duration	Land Rover Cost
1 night and 2 days	5500+1500=7000
2 nights 3 days	5500+3000=8500
3 nights 4 days	9500+4500=13500
For those who will tour up to Falut	Their car will cost 13500 rupees

Police verification and Forest Permission for Sandakphu Cost

• Once the car booking is done then go for police verification and forest permission. He will need an identity card and car booking paper. Once these are done, essential items such as dry food, water, and suitable winter clothing should be taken from Maneybhanjyang.

• Because there are no shops after that, you have to buy everything from the homestay, which costs a lot more. Singalila National Park permit should be issued after police verification.

• It will cost Rs. 100 per person and Rs. 400 for each vehicle. Your car driver will help you to do these tasks. After the work is done, you can have a meal at the hotel here. If you Lunch here will be between Rs 200 and 300

What Can Be Seen on the Way from Maneybhanjyang to Sandakphu?

Chitrey to Tonglu

After starting from Manebhanjan, the first thing to see is the Chitrey Monstery. Then Ramadura and Meghma Monastery one by one. Then comes Tonglu. Here you can stay one night. For accommodation, there are Government Treakers’ Hut and Raju ka ghar.

Tonglu Homestay	Contact No
Raju Ka Ghar	+919679256795

• Tumling

Spend some time here take a small break and proceed to Tumling. Niladir Homestay is also available here. Also Green Hill Paradise. Rs. 1400 per person including accommodation and meals. Also available for accommodation are Siddhartha Lodge and Sekhar Lodge

Home Stay Name	Contact No
Green Hill Paradise	+917063727464
Siddharth Lodge	+919593292971/ +919593320408/ +919735000615
Gurung Homestay	+916294574692
Sikhar Lodge	+919232695120/ +919564797551

Hotel Accommodation and food will cost Rs.1200 to 1500 per person. Also here is Gurung Homestay.Sunrise and sunset from Tonglu and Tumling look great with Kanchenjunga in front of us.

• Singalila National Park

After going a little beyond Tumling, you will come to the check post of Singalila National Park, here the ticket, phone number, and identity card will be checked and then the vehicle will be allowed to go.

The drive will continue through Singalila National Park and if you are lucky you might spot Red Pandas or Leopards. Red pandas are more likely to be found in the narrow bamboo trees along the road.

Homestay	Contact
Sigalila National Park Homestay : Red Panda	+918116434907

• Gairibas

Then the car will reach the Gairibas. The distance from Manebhanjan to Goiribas is 19 km. The road through Singalila National Park is very narrow and in most places, it is not possible to drive two vehicles at the same time.

Gairibas Homestay	Contact No
Magnolia	+917602168750 / +919815989501

The road from Manebhanjan to Gairibus is fairly good. But the next road is paved with boulders. Very few parts are cemented. Accommodation is also available in Goiribas.

There are government takers’ huts, moreover, there are homestays in Nepal. Here the cars are rested for a while and the tourists eat and drink.

There will be one more check in Gairibus. Then after signing the entry in the book, the car will start again.

Pros and cons of Land Rover

• Two types of vehicles are available from Manebhanjan to Sandakphu or Phalut. The British-era Land Rover and the modern-day Bolero.

• Journey in Bolero is more comfortable than Land Rover but if the bolero breaks down on the road it may be stuck on the road until a mechanic arrives if Land Rover breaks down the driver can easily recover it.

• The road condition from Gairibas to Sandakphu is very bad.

Trekking Route

A few years ago this road could only be climbed by trekking. Therefore, arrangements are made to make the road suitable for vehicular traffic. In time maybe this road will be as good as any other road. Land Rover driver’s skillful driving will reach your destination.

• Kalipokhri

Kalipokhri will fall before reaching Sandakphu. Accommodation is also available here, those who come for trekking stay here for one night. You can also take several pictures and videos here.

If you cross the road to Nepal, after Kali Pokhri, you will need to pay Rs 50 to enter Nepal.

What is the Best Time to Visit Sandakphu?

You can come from November to December when you get clear sparkling skies or from March to April when you get snow. You can get different types of flowers like Rhododendrons, and Magnolias. If you are lucky you will see mountains like Everest, Kanchenjunga, etc.

Where to Stay at Sandakphu?

There are a few hotels to stay in Sandakphu. Here are the contact numbers of the hotels and homestays in Sandakphu

1. Namah Buddha: 8116842745 / 9733329134

2. GTA trekkers Hut: 03323377534 / 9903174047

3. Shrpa Chalet: 8509252318 / 9679256795 / 06294236336

4. Hotel Sunrise: 9632110658

Sandakphu travel tips

• 1. It is always very cold here so come here with good winter clothes. Hand gloves, hats, mufflers, and socks must be brought along

• 2. Coming here but there is no network on the phone. You can contact home by phone from the hotel. Or you can use the hotel’s wifi to use the net.

• 3. The best sunrise can be seen from the 3rd floor of Hotel Sunrise.

• 4. So if you want to come to Sandakphu, try to book Hotel Sunrise first.

• 5. Food and drink can be served at Hotel Sunrise to the boarders of other hotels.

• 6. Hotel Sunrise has two types of packages either room only or per head per day. We have calculated the cost savings of room rent and meals separately compared to per day per head.

• 7. Drink Hot Water: Bring Thermoflux. If you fill it with hot water and then drink it as needed, you will get rid of the pain of drinking cold water. Although every hotel has provision of hot water for drinking.

• 8. No ATM Here: Sandakphu will come with sufficient cash in hand. Because there is no ATM here. However, you can make online payments using the hotel’s WiFi. Although online payment can be done, they insist on cash because they also have to withdraw cash.

• 9. Medicines to Carry: The height of Sandakphu is 11926 ft above sea level. So many people get shortness of breath when they come here. For which such kind of medicine should be brought. Can carry portable oxygen can. Also using diamox, camphor, or homeopathic medicine coca gives relief. An inhaler can be carried along

Sandakphu Tour Cost

If more people come, the cost will be less, but if not, the cost will be much higher, and per head will exceed Rs 10,000 per head.

Conclusion

Sandakphu is called Trekkers’ Paradise. We can reach by car nowadays. But you have true spirit to travel by trekking it will be a remarkable memory in your life. Let’s plan for your next journey.

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