India causes an unimaginable impression with its beautiful scenery, and the impact comes from all sides as you enter its customs and religiosity, or discover its rich variety of landscapes. Among blue clouds, whitish mountains and its incredible vegetation, this wonderful region is gigantic and full of spirits.
The commotion is total because India captivates all of your five senses, visiting the Taj Mahal, the desert of Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu or the foothills of the Himalayas. It is precisely this last place that offers majestic mountains, perfect for the best tour you can find.
On this short walk through the Himalayas you can start from Delhi with a 5-hour train ride to Amritsar, crossing the Dharamsala Parvati valley towards Manali. This trip will grant you with incredible views and give you the opportunity to take short walks in the foothills of the Himalayas.
A spiritual walk!
Your trek starts in Darjeeling, a mountain station north of West Bengal, standing in a rim majestically shaped like a crescent moon. And above, the mighty mass of Kangchenjunga at 8598 meters, rises majestically in the center of the stage. In this beautiful place, below the mountain, the deeply forested hills and terraced tea gardens hang down.
After getting to know Darjeeling, the walk starts at Mane bhanjyang, a small bazaar. From here, the path ascends through a thick forest surrounded by glaciers, where clouds and fog obstruct the view, leaving only the noise of the vehicles on the nearby track. Manebhanjyang has a spiritual environment for the bazaar’s inhabitants, and the Chitrey Monastery is a living example of that. With the chanting of Buddhist monks, you will see their heads bowing diligently as they recite the sacred scriptures in a dark corner of the prayer room.
During the tour, 6.5 km from the beginning of the trek, you will find yourself in Lamedhura, a place where drinking tea is a daily ritual. Here you will enjoy a steaming tea that will make you feel at home. After walking by a small amount of farms in Meghma, the road will lead you to the camp in Tumling, a place that will give you the best views of the mighty Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world.
Passing the spectacular views of Kangchenjunga, you will come across Sandakphu, where watching the sunrise is an unforgettable moment. In addition, you will go through Gairibas, where you will give your passport to the border control officers to be able to return to India. At this point of the trek you will have walked a few meters through Nepal, since the route establishes a close line between the two countries. When you reach the end of the day, the lake Kal Phokari will welcome you to enjoy the night.
The next morning, the road makes its way to the Valley of the Poison (Bikhebhangang), named for its abundance of poisonous plants. At 3636 meters, you will reach Sandakphu, the highest point of the route that offers, without a doubt, the most wonderful panoramic view of the entire trail. Full of mountainsides covered with rhododendrons and silver firs, this is the only point on the route where you can have the chance to see all the great peaks that rise towards the sky, the prayer flags flutter in the breeze and in clear days, you can even enjoy the view of Everest.
Knowing that with those beautiful landscapes it is difficult to get away, after this point of the hike you will have the option of heading south and down to end in Rimbick or west along the elevated terrain of Singalia Ridge, one of the most rewarding the walk. This is where you will feel you are in the heart of the Himalayas, with mountain peaks around you and tree-covered slopes.
Continuing the tour you will arrive at Phalut, then meet Sabargram and Sri Khola, both places full of bamboo rivers and rainforests, and the Raman river full of rocks.
Possibly there is no better end to the hike than afternoon tea, and there is no better place to drink it than in a working plantation at Glenburn Tea Estate, where the well-preserved colonial-style Burra Bungalow is home of generations of tea planters since 1860.
A natural dreamland is the best title for Darjeeling, and it is the only place where you can get a panoramic view of four of the five highest peaks in the world.
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