Sandakphu (11,930 feet), also known as Sandakpur, is a small Himalayan hamlet situated on the top of a mountain peak in the Singalila Ridge and Singalila National Park (famous for red Panda) on the border between India and Nepal. Sandakphu is the highest point of West Bengal. Situated above the normal clouds level, Sandakphu summit offers a pristine view of four of the five highest peaks of the world, namely, Everest, Kanchenjunga (the entire range), Lhotse and Makalu on clear days. The mountain formation is famously known as 'Sleeping Buddha' as the appearance resembles the head, face, upper body and feet of the sage Lord Buddha. The azure sky, green forests and the massive snowcapped Himalayan peaks make the place a photographer's paradise and a nature lover's dream destination. The only safe transport to Sandakphu is the local multi terrain vehicle Land Rover. The roads are good from Manebhanjan till Gairibas. After that, the last 12 kilometers' journey from Gairibas to Sandakphu is a nightmare. Being a trekking route, roads are almost nonexistent here. Even Land Rovers take nearly 1.5 hours to cover this 12 kms of bumpy, boulder filled narrow track. The road is dangerous and highly accident prone. We chose to visit the place on 30th December, ie, the middle of winter. The temperature was below freezing point (-3℃), a strong chilly wind was freezing us down to our bones, there was a cable fault resulting in no electricity and no room heater... but the surrealistic scenic beauty of the place compensated for all our discomforts. It was heavenly to watch Sleeping Buddha on a clear, full moon night followed by a spectacular sunrise on the following morning. Layers of warm garments failed to stop our shivering and chattering of teeth. But who cared when so much beauty was there in front for the eyes to behold? Sandakphu trip should preferably be avoided by people with attitude sickness and any respiratory disease. This remote place is also not suitable for comfort lovers as the few hotels present here can't always offer even the basic necessities. But if you are a none-too-complaining adventurous traveller and an ardent nature lover then Sandakphu is the right place for you to quench your wander thirst.

I have witnessed the serene beauty of Kanchenjunga from Sandakphu and Phalut. We started our trek(end of March,2021) to Sandakphu from Maneybhanjang(from where you need to make your permit to enter Singalila national park) and made our way via Chitrey, Kali pokhri. The route enthralled me with its unparalleled view. We have experienced heavy rain,thunderstorm,sunny weather... everything in this trip. Local people were so coordial and helpful. After reaching Sandakphu we stayed at GTA hut. Next day we headed to Phalut...and the mysterious road..green lush of highland..cold breeze...nature offered every possible way to enchant us.. After spending one day in Phalut we started descending..the road was surrounded by bamboo trees from both sides and it was nothing less than a dream trekking through it. After a long walk we reached Gorkhey,the small, beautiful and peaceful village. We took our lunch there with rice,local leafy vegetables,dal and egg curry. Gorkhey river(as per our guide Baichung said us 😊) adds up extra effort to make the village more beautiful. I assure you will feel real peace there. Though we wanted to spend more time in Gorkhey..but needed to return! After Gorkhey we passed Samaden...and I couldn't believe that place could really exist! It was like I came to visit any European village! I even can't express by words how I felt being there..I didn't want to return from there! Still we must go on! Our next stop was Rammam. We spend that night at Rammam. The last night of our trek and we enjoyed it to the fullest. Next morning we got a small vehicle (small truck like vehicle,local people transports vegetables and other necessities in that) to our return. The adventurous road and hanging bridge of Srikhola made our trip complete. Now coming to the challenges we faced- 1. The fluctuating climate of mountain: we faced heavy storm and rain till Sandakphu(the highest point of West Bengal,11950 ft). 2. The unavailability of local shops in the way to Phalut from Sandakphu. The distance is of nearly 21 km and that you need to cover in one day! But no local shops were there. Even we needed to carry ample food and water for the whole day. So try to keep your bagpacks as light as possible and fill it with lots of munchies (dry fruits, chocolate, biscuits etc) and obviously filled water bottle. Nature will never deprive you. Have a safe and happy trek ahead. P.S: Please don't throw any plastic or non biodegradable matter in your way. Try to keep the mountain clean and help it to breathe. You will get numerous waste bin in your way so please use them.

It is the beautiful place.and my suggestion is to please stey in hotel sunrise for the beautiful view of sunrise and Kanchanjangha. From the hotels top view is clear.you can feel the mount Everest also.its a great place to see Himalayan. I stand here from the morning 5.30 am and sun comming 6.13 am.and its a great scenic beauty. I love the place sooo much.

The trek was amazing, although accommodation along the way was very basic and quite unsanitary. Compared with similar treks in Nepal, from the cost and infrastructure perspective, this was much more expensive and not as good. Although the views of Kanchenjunga itself were incredible.

Sandakphu or Sandakpur is a mountain peak in the Singalila Ridge on the border between India and Nepal. It is the highest point of the ridge and of the state of West Bengal, India. The peak is located at the edge of the Singalila National Park and has a small village on the summit with a few hotels.

- Hard to view peaks of Kanchenjunga and Everest because of the clouds - The place also has smaller peaks close by which offer a great view of the valley as well as Everest and Kanchenjunga - There is a restaurant and some lodges besides the army camp which serve food, coffee as well as liquor

Road condition is bad after Goiribas. In case of snow, one needs to trek around 3 km to reach the top. The road goes via Nepal. The view of Kanchenjunga and Everest from this place is surreal.

Crazy ride in a vintage landrover, we stayed at Sherpa chalet. Stay was a bit difficult since there was no warm/hot water provided. It was frozen in the morning. But the sunrise view over Kanchenjunga was all worth it.. also, drove to Phalut in the morning, The view was amazing!

Sandakfu or in nepali term sandakpur is the highest mountain peak of state of West Bengal at elevation 3636 meters. You can watch an spectacular sunrise above the clouds if weather is clear ☺️. On the other side you can see magnificent Kanchenjunga, Everest, Kumbhakarna, Makalu ... The whole sleeping budha range. It's also have great variety of birds,cheetah, Himalayan bear, Red Panda 🐼 (only a few left).

There won't be a better place which is easily accessible, (actually not easily) for a view of the kanchenjuga and the Himalaya range including the mount Everest. I suggest you to take a 3 day trek from maneybhanjyang with 2 night halts in between to sandakphu. Everything ranging from the star gazing, sunrise and sunset is perfect from Sandakphu, a thrilling trek experience would be a perfect icing on the cake.

If you want to go for a pilgrimage,if travelling is your religion,then trek to Sandakphu.This is the only place from where you can see 4 of the highest peaks of the world...Everest,Kanchenjunga,Makalu and Lhotse...you can capture them in single frame. Then what are you waiting for?go,go,go.