Trek to Singilila Range - Darjeeling - 11 Days

Our representative will pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the airport for the 1½-hour flight to Bagdogra. Upon arrival in Bagdogra, you’ll be met by the trip leader of Loben Expeditions, and transferred to vehicles for a beautiful three-hour drive to the town of Darjeeling. Lunch en route. The drive takes us through lovely forests, little hill towns, and past some of Darjeeling’s famous tea estates. The serpentine road follows the route of Darjeeling’s famous “Toy Train,” an antique steam train on a narrow-gauge track that is still in operation. We’ll spend tonight and tomorrow night at one of the Heritage Hotel of British Era.

If the early morning weather looks good for Kanchenjunga viewing, we’ll be awakened early for a drive to Tiger Hill to see glorious views of both Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest. (If this morning’s weather is foggy, we’ll try again tomorrow at sunrise.) We’ll return to the hotel for breakfast, then have a full day of guided sightseeing around Darjeeling. We’ll visit monasteries, schools, tea gardens, and landmarks such as the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, started by the late Tenzing Norgay..

We start early in the day to cover the distance form Darjeeling to Manebhanjang about 26 km. The drive takes about an hour and a half. After some break here . We commence our walk from Manebhanjang to Tonglu. A steep climb up to Meghma (7 km - 3 1/2 hr. walk). Meghma is a small hamlet with few houses and a small monastery and impressive Chorten (stupa). Meghma to Tonglu is another 2 kms.

The next days march from Tonglu to Gairibas (2621 m) and to Kalapokhari (3170 m). The firt let is downhill. With a distance of 9 km and it is a 3 hrs. walk. Gairibas to Kalapokhri is continuous climb through rhododendron forest - 6 km, 3 hrs.. There is a small pond at Kalapokhri (Black pond). The colour of the water is black and the amazing thing is that it never freezes.

From Kalapokhri the road decends to Bikhaybhanyang - Valley of Poison (Aconites grow here) and from Bikaybhanyang to Sandakphu with steep climbs, narrow turns and views of Darjeeling town and Mt. Kanchenjunga can be seen along the way. Sandakpur is situated at the beginning of the Singilala ridge and offers very good view of Mt. Everest and the Kanchenjunga range. The trek from Kalapokhari though steep, is short distance to bestow the clients with ample time of appreciate the views.

The trek from Sandkpur to Phalut is comparatively easy going there are not many ascent. The trail is up and down with less degree of ascent and descent. The trail basically runs of the ridge of Singilala with beautiful views of valleys, rolling hills and snowy peaks through out the walk through the sparse vegetation of silver fur and rhododendron. Phalut is a tri-junction of Sikkim, Nepal and West Bengal. The landscape is lifeless yet beautiful.

After a hike to Phalut height in the morning. We will descend down steeply into the Ramman valley till to the twin village of Gorkhey and Samaden at the edge of Sikkim border. After exploring these small but interesting twin villages we will walk further 3 hours up till we reach Rammam village through the dense temperate forest. Ramman small forest village has one of the old monastery offers with beautiful valleys of Darjeeling and Sikkim.

The trail to Rimbick is around 19 km. Rimbick is small village and is still an important trading point among hilly of Nepal and people of Darjeeling. The first track is downhill, where we will have our last lunch of trip nearby a Sri Khola river. After lunch, we will take a jeep back to Darjeeling

We will enjoy toy train ride from Darjeeling to Goan through famous Batasia loop. Way back by walk via Tenszing Norgary Road – a nice walk of 1 hour. We will visit tea garden and see workers working in the garden and in factory

Early morning transfer to Bagdogra airport. Fly to Delhi and home onward/ or book our optional extension trip to have Delhi sightseeing, visit of Agra or Golden triangle tours.