Sandakphu or Sandakpur (3636 m; 11,930 ft) is a mountain peak in the

Singalila Ridge The Singalila Ridge is a north–south mountain ridge running from northwestern West Bengal through Sikkim in the Indian part of the Himalayas. The district of Ilam in Nepal falls on the western part of this ridge. The ridge separates mountain r ...

on the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

between

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

. It is the highest point of the ridge and of the state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, India. The peak is located at the edge of the

Singalila National Park Singalila National Park is a National park of India located on the Singalila Ridge at an elevation of more than 2300 metres above sea level, in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It is well known for the trekking route to Sandakphu that ru ...

and has a small village on the summit with a few hotels. Four of the five highest peaks in the world,

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

Kangchenjunga Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the ...

Lhotse Lhotse ( ne, ल्होत्से ; , ''lho tse'', ) is the fourth highest mountain in the world at , after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. The main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu ...

and

Makalu Makalu ( ne, मकालु हिमाल, Makālu himāl; zh, t=馬卡魯峰, p=Mǎkǎlǔ fēng) is the fifth highest mountain in the world at . It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, in Nepal. One of th ...

can be seen from its summit. It also affords a pristine view of the entire Kangchenjunga Range.

Etymology

The name derives from the

Tibeto-Burman The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...

Lepcha language and translates as "the height of the poisonous plant" - in reference to the former abundance at the locality (around a century ago) of the poisonous plants ''

Aconitum ferox ''Aconitum ferox'' (syn. ''A. virorum'') is a member of the monkshood genus Aconitum of the Ranunculaceae. The common name by which it is most often known in English is Indian Aconite, while the Hindi names used by practitioners of Ayurveda inclu ...

'' and certain Rhododendron species. So great was the danger of fatal poisoning to sheep and cattle being driven through the area that they had to be muzzled to prevent them grazing/browsing upon these toxic species (''Aconitum ferox'' has a good claim to being the most poisonous plant species in the world). Sunbathed Kanchendzonga from Sandakphu

Trekking

India

The trek along the Singalila Ridge to Sandakphu and

Phalut Phalut or Falut is the second highest peak of West Bengal, India. Part of the Singalila Ridge in the Himalayas, it is located at the border of the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim and of Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, ...

is one of the most popular in the

Eastern Himalaya ] The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. It ...

s, owing not only to the stupendous vistas of the Kangchenjunga and Everest ranges which it affords, but also to its seasonal wildflowers and opportunities for

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

. Treks begin at

Manebhanjan Maney Bhanjyang (2150 m) is a small transit-town in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision, Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal in India. It is located at the gateway of the Singalila National Park, 28 km away from Darjeeling town. Th ...

which is 28 km (approx. 1 hour by road) from Darjeeling., ''Sandakphu'', Trek to Sandakphu, 1 August 2015

Ascent

The Sandakphu Trekking routes inside the Singalila National Park have four legs or stages. * Manebhanjan to Meghma (2600 m): This is a 4-hour trek through the lower forest. The route goes via Chitre. * Meghma to Gairibans (2621 m): There are two alternative trekking routes. They respectively go via Tonglu (3070 m) and Tumling (2900 m). From Tumling, a shorter trail cuts through Nepal and Jaubari (2750 m). Jaubari is ward no 07 of jamuna VDC ilam. * Gairibans to Sandakphu (3636 m): * Sandakphu to Phalut (3600 m): It is a one-day trek via Sabarkum (3536 m) covering 21 km.

Descent

* Retracing the way back to Manebhanjan. * A steep descent to the village of Sirikhola on the banks of the River Sirikhola, via Gurdum (2300 m), and from there to

Rimbick Rimbick is a village in the Darjeeling Pulbazar CD block in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision of the Darjeeling district in West Bengal, India. Geography Location Rimbick is located at . Rimbick is a village near the India-Nepal border. It ...

. Panorama of Peaks seen from Sandakphu and Phalut

Baruntse Baruntse is a mountain in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, crowned by four peaks and bounded on the south by the Hunku Glacier, on the east by the Barun Glacier, and on the northwest by the Imja Glacier. The mountain was first climbed May 30 ...

(7220m),

Chamlang Chamlang is a mountain in the Nepalese Himalayas, near Makalu. It lies in the southern section of the Mahalangur subrange of the Himalayas. Chamlang has an elevation of . In 2021 a new, direct line up the sheer north face was climbed by two Fr ...

(7319m), Chomo Lonzo (7818m), Lhotse (8516m), Makalu (8462m), Mount Everest (8848m), Nuptse (7861m), Kanchenjunga (8586m), Talung (7349m), Rathong (6679m), Kabru N (7353m), Koktang (6147m), Simvo (6812m), Frey (5853m), Kabru S (7318m), Kabru Dome (6600m), Kabru Forked (6100m),

Pandim Mount Pandim is a Himalayan mountain located in Sikkim, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List ...

(6691m), Tenchenkhang (6010m), Jupono (5650m) Villages At Glance: Gorkhey, Bhareng, Gairibas, Meghma, Maneybhanjyang, Rammam, Srikhola, Sepi, Molley, Gurdum

Nepal

The western part of Sandakphu peak is located in Sandakpur rural municipality (ward no. 2 & 4) of

Ilam District Ilam district ( ne, इलाम जिल्ला) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. It is a Hill district and covers . The 2011 census counted 290,254 population. The municipality of Ilam is the district headquar ...

of Province No. 1. The trekking starts from Ilam Bazar via Maipokhari, Maimajhuwa, Mabu, Kala Pokhri Bikhe Bhyanjyang to Sandakpur, and also from Ilam Bazar via Sulubung, Jamuna, Hangetham (a special area for birds such as the spiny babbler and

blue tit The Eurasian blue tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognisable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident and non-migratory birds, ar ...

), Piple, Kalipokhari, Bikhe Vanjyang to Sandakpur. On this trekking route, Jamuna is most valuable for trekkers. There are many beautiful places like Dhap Pokhari, Choyatar (special area for

red pandas The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...

). There is a three jungle Hile Samudayik Ban, Choyatar Samudayik Ban, Hangetham Samudayik Ban.

Gallery

File:Kanchendzonga from sandakaphu.jpg, Singalila Range and

Kanchenjungha ''Kanchenjungha'' (''Kanchonjônggha'') is a 1962 Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray. The film is about an upper class Bengali family on vacation in Darjeeling, a popular hill station and resort, near Kanchenjunga. Narrative structure The ...

from Sandakpur File:Sandakphu panorama.jpg, A panoramic view of Sandakpur. File:Domestic yak in Sandakpur.jpg, Domestic Yak File:Sandakpur top view.jpg, Top view of Sandakphu File:Sandakpur, Ilam Nepal.jpg, Sandakphu

References

External links

Mt Everest and Lhotse as seen from SandakphuIn the Land of Sleeping Buddha - A Guide to Sandakphu TrekLand of the Land Rovers - Community fleet of 57 Series I in daily use from Maneybhanjang to the Sandakphu summit20 Stunning Photos of SandakphuSandakphu Trek
{{Darjeeling Mountains of West Bengal Mountains of the Province No. 1 Villages in Darjeeling district Highest points of Indian states and union territories India–Nepal border Geography of Darjeeling district