Sandakphu-Phalut-Rimbik Trek

The Sandakphu-Phalut-Rimbik trek is the extended continuation of the Singalila Ridge route in Singalila National Park, Darjeeling district, West Bengal. From Sandakphu the trail runs north for roughly 50 km along the India-Nepal and India-Sikkim border to Phalut (about 3,600 m), then descends through Gorkhey and the Srikhola valley to the road-head village of Rimbik at about 2,286 m. Most trekkers begin at Manebhanjan, reached by shared jeep from Darjeeling, register at the national park gate and take the compulsory licensed guide, so the full traverse takes six to eight days, with three to four of those beyond Sandakphu. The section from Sandakphu to Phalut is a high, open ridge walk of about 21 km on stony path and old track, with little shade, strong wind and the most dramatic views of Kangchenjunga and the Sleeping Buddha profile of the range. Elevation changes are repeated rather than sustained, and cumulative gain across the whole traverse is well beyond 2,000 m, which places the route in the hard category. After Phalut the path drops steeply through rhododendron, then bamboo and mixed forest to Gorkhey, a village beside the Rimbik river, where the surface turns to damp dirt and rock steps that become slippery in rain. The final stage follows the Srikhola valley to Rimbik, from which shared jeeps run to Darjeeling or Siliguri in about four to five hours. Overnight stops are trekkers' huts and basic tea houses at Sandakphu, Molley, Phalut, Gorkhey and Samanden or Rimbik, with simple dal-bhat meals. Water is available at the settlements and streams but should be purified. Shelter is scarce between huts, so stages should be timed to arrive before afternoon cloud. Practical turn-around points are Sandakphu and Phalut, since the lower valley is the only quick exit once the descent begins.