Winter Treks in Sikkim

Really liked the trek, the preparation, the guide, the views everything was fantastic. Thanks thrillophilia.

The trek really amazing and those days were the best days of my life. The tour manager Mr. Kiran from Glacier Tour and Treks organized it very well

I thought I was going for a trek, but instead I went on a self actualisation trip. It had everything- fun, workout, snow, car journey, bonfire, and anything else you can imagine. Before the trip I was quite skeptical, whether or not I would be able to do it, whether or not the weather and conditions would be favourable, but it all worked out. Our trek guides, Bishu and Sasang, were both so amazing, so motivating, and so supportive, that they made our trip a success. At one point, I wasn’t sure if I could continue on this trek, since my legs were giving up, but our guide motivated us, told us we’re almost there, and made us complete the journey. We took shortcuts, we clicked pictures, we went 2km along the mountains just to see the beautiful sunset hiding in the clouds beneath us, and we came back changed. I recommend this trip to anyone who is reading this. The trek is for beginners with will power, and the journey is going to memorable for years, if not more.

It all started with my son wanting to do a trek on his birthday. A quick google search took me to Thrillophilia and Sweety Mallick was very helpful in finalising our itenerary for Sandakphu trek. Makkan Singh and Kavish Rathore were also quite helpful. On Day 1, our family of four reached our homestay at Kopidhara near Mane Bhanjan. We were greeted by Tashi and Anmol. We were soon joined by our other team members, three cousins from Gujarat, one Danish National and a lady from Mumbai. We bonded almost at once and enjoyed the Diwali cracker show at this small village and the simple dinner our hosts had prepared for the night. Tashi gave us a good brief on Dos and Donts for the long trek ahead. This was our first multi-day trek. On Day 2, we started off by 0830 hrs for a steep trek of 6 km through the pine trees. Our senior guide Santa Dada, a gentle soul in his 50s had joined us by then. He took the forward position and Anmol, our other guide in his 20s took up the rear. We were a group of nine with ages varying from 15 to 48 years of age. We had great view of Kanchenjunga and Singalila Range all through the day as we took a tea break at Meghma, lunched near Chitrey and stopped for the night in a homestay at Tumling. Our hosts at Tumling had arranged for a cosy fireplace. Santa Da and Anmol gave my son Dhruv a traditional Nepali greeting on his birthday. We enjoyed the Diwali celebrations at our host's place which was a musical one with the entire village in attendance. Some of us danced to the Nepali numbers sung by the locals. On Day 3, we started off by 0900 hrs and this time also weather was very pleasant with clear view all around. We trekked along a gentle climb to lunch at Kayargutta and finally reached Kalapokhri homestay by 1630 hrs for our night stay. After a simple dinner we retired early. On Day 4, we started by 0830 hrs for our last leg of journey to Sandakphu. It was a steep trek but we enjoyed each moment with the group. We finally reached Hotel Sunrise our last stop atop Sandakphu by lunch. We were surprised to see that the hotel was well stocked with goodies and variety of dishes. It was warm inside the restaurant. Towards evening we trekked to the sunset point and though we could not have a glimpse of Everest and other peaks due to dense fog and clouds, we could enjoy the various hues of the sky due to the setting sun. We came back to the hotel and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner consisting of Chowmein and fried rice. Electricity was available only through solar panels and diesel genset for a limited time. Water was also scarce since it had to be brought by tanker from halfway uphill. So we retired early. On Day 6, we woke up early in the morning (0430 hrs) to get a glimpse of Everest, Kanchenjunga and the other famous peaks along with Sleeping Buddha pose. It was quite foggy and the clouds made it difficult to catch the Mt Everest peak clearly, We then started our climb down back to Seppy through a steep slope. This time Anmol took the forward position and Santa Da took the rear position. We quickly reached our lunch point at Gurduk, Sherpa Himalayan Homestay. The climb down was arduous due to the steepness and rocky trail. We were very tired by lunch due to pressure on the knees. The weather was also very foggy and the mountain ranges were not visible. However the Shrikola river and Timbure village gave us scenic views. We reached our Homestay at Seppy by dusk and our hosts headed by Sushant made our stay comfortable by offering us veg momos with tea and later a simple dinner. We were very tired and quickly retired to bed. On Day 7, Sushant was very helpful in dropping us back to Kopidhara and arranging vehicle for the way back to Siliguri. The entire trek was made very memorable by the bonding within our group despite the varied age difference. We had great fun and will always remember the great time we had. We carry a lot of photographs for remembering those fun moments we had. Thank you Santa Dada and Anmol. Thank you Thrillophilia. Thank you all the hosts en route Sandakphu and back. Regards and Best Wishes.

"One of the best experience in my life till date. Sandakhphu trek had mesmerizing views and sceneries. Enjoyed like hell. Its great for beginners. So beautiful, so ecstatic, so adventurous. Trekking guide especially DK sir was so helpful and patient. Loved his songs. Food was great all the way. I would definitely recommend for everyone to try once in a lifeime. "

"The beauty of this trek is all about the landscape. You start of the trek from dense forest with fresh streams and then to Rhododendron trees when you gain altitude , later which you would come across a beautiful valley overlooking Mt Kanchenjunga. Try out the local cuisine in Yuksom. Thukpa and Chang are two things you need to try out. Although the trek is not recommended for first time trekkers you can still give it a shot provided you are fit and have taken all the items in checklist. "