Destination Sandakphu-Falut

just finally, my itinery for 2 people is as follows:

11th nov: kolkata to darjeeling by overnight train and jeep.
12th nov: free day in darjeeling to acclimitase, hire sleeping bags and jackets & book phalut lodge.
13th: jeep to dhorte, find a guide and a porter and trek to gairibans.
14th: trek to sundahkpu.
15th: trek to phalut.
16th: trek to samadin.
17th: trek to rimbik.
18th: early morning jeep to darjeeling.

does this look ok ? any further suggestions? thanks for all your help cliffhanger et al.

jason

hi challengechappers,
the itinery looks ok to me but u can can make few changes if ur time permits.....u can stay in samadin for a day or it will be beeter if u can reach sandakphu on the third day
1st day stay at tonglu/tungling
2nd stay at kalapokri
3rd sandakhphu
the trek will be more easy but tonglu/tunglin and kalapokri are nice place to stay atlist i like them more than gairibas. though the rout u choose is most common . again if somehow much time is lost in dhotre for porters or delay of jeep it will be better to stay in tungling....and there is no need to hire sleeping bags u will get adequet blankets throught the rout.....

hi manishah
there is no chances of snow at that time, may be little rain but that too very rare.the weather is generally very good at that time of the year.....

what do you guys do for water while trekking - chlorine or iodine tablets ? also, when hiring a guide/porter do i pay for their lodging and food costs at the lodges ?

for water we use whts available locally as we are used to it but u have to take some precotions as the water in that area is not good....
there ar two rates for guides and porters one is dry thats without food and the other is wet thats includes food....it will be better if u opt for the dry one it will cost few bucks extra but u dont have to warry about food . and thers no need to pay for their lodging............

excellent again - you are a gold mine of information ! but,that means more questions...... silk sleeping bag liners in the uk are about £25 (!!). do you know if we can purchase one cheaper in kolkata and if so, where ?

thanks. what type of material do u want for ur liners and exactly for what do u want it for as for this trek u dont need to take the bags..... i dont know where its available but i can get the information for u but for that u have to wait for few days.....

material: silk.
it goes inside a slleping bag to make it warmer but can be used independently when sleeping on trains or in cheap hotels where bed linen is suspect.

sorry it wont be available here in kolkata

hi- i'm taking a mosquito net to india. will i need to take it on the sandakphu trek ?

Mosquito net is not necessary in Sandakphu trek.

as i recently have had a dodgy neck and i'm travelling with a female trekker we will probably hire a porter to carry stuff (something i've never done before when trekking i've always carried my own gear). for two people will one porter and one guide/porter be enough to carry our stuff (ie for 2 people)? also, if we hire these guide/porters independently when we reach manabhanjang or dhorte how much would i expect to pay for a 5 day trek? ("dry")

Is there any way I can charge batteries for my handycam and cameras?as i heard there is no electricity en route to sandakphu

Guide cum Porter will carry 20 KG now you calculate the weight of your luggage and regarding payment it was Rs. 200 - 250 per day but don’t know the current rate.
There is a trekker’s hut (Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council) at Maneybhanjang and Mr. Rana (Ranajee) was the caretaker – you can talk to him for porter / guide. He’ll be able to arrange for a DGHC approved guide.
Electricity is there at Maneybhanjang but don’t depend on that plz carry loaded batteries with you.

Hi to all of you here, Babuji you are doing really a great job telling about the beautiful place thus awaring India.
I will definitely like to have a visit to the place.