Sandakphu Trek
also Sandakphu–Phalut, Sandakphu Trek, Singalila Ridge
Sandakphu is a 6-day trek in Singalila Ridge, Darjeeling, West Bengal, topping out at 3,636 m. On TrekBaba's normalized scale — the same formula applied to every trek in this catalogue — it scores 30.1/100, which puts it in the Easy band: a first Himalayan trek is realistic here if you can walk for several hours a day. Operators usually market it as "Easy/Moderate"; the gap between that label and the computed grade is exactly why the grade exists. With a high point of 3,636 m, acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a real possibility on the summit or pass day — ascend steadily and watch for headaches.
Operator says Easy/Moderate — normalized grade: Easy.
Photo: Firojali.art · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Explore the route
Scrub the trail — satellite view, live altitude. 30.0 km
Approximate route. No surveyed track exists for this trek yet, so the line joins its real waypoint coordinates directly — treat it as a shape, not a trail. Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics | Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Sandakphu route, point by point
5 recorded points from Manebhanjan to Phalut over about 30 km. Operators' day splits vary — compare them below.
- Day 1ManebhanjanRoadhead · 2,130 m
- Day 1TongluCamp · 3,070 m
- Day 2KalapokhriCamp · 3,100 m
- Day 3SandakphuSummit · 3,636 m
- Day 4PhalutViewpoint · 3,600 m5 peaks in view
Why Sandakphu is graded Easy
- Max altitude 3,636 m — altitude is weighted 35% and non-linearly, because AMS risk climbs steeply above ~3,500 m.
- Total ascent 2,400 m over 6 days — how much climbing your legs actually do.
- Longest day 21 km (about 8 h) — one brutal day makes a trek harder than the average does.
- Trail type: graded — exposure (snow, scree, ice, pass crossings) is weighted 35%, the same as altitude.
Score 30.1/100. Bands: Easy <40 · Moderate <64 · Difficult <85 · Very Difficult ≥85. How the formula works. Next step up: Sundardhunga Valley.
What you'll see from Phalut
From Phalut, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Kokthang (6,148 m), Mount Frey (5,889 m), Kang La Kang (5,562 m), Black Kabru (4,810 m) and Arrlungtsuk (4,619 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Only peaks proven visible by line-of-sight over the terrain — not nearby-but-blocked ones — placed by true bearing and sized by how much they fill the view.
Dawn & dusk from Phalut
In December, last light leaves Arrlungtsuk at 16:46 — from Phalut.
Nothing lines up this month.
Nothing lines up this month.
Nothing lines up this month.
- Arrlungtsuk27°
Sun times and azimuths come from the NOAA solar-position equations for this viewpoint's GPS; the peak bearings are our own viewshed moat. Times assume a flat horizon — a ridge to your east delays real first light on the ground, often by 20–60 minutes, while a high summit opposite catches it a few minutes early. The 12° and 35° bands are editorial choices, not physics: a peak 90° from the sun is side-lit, which is often the better photograph.
Best time to do Sandakphu
The best months for Sandakphu are March–May and October–December. February is shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. January, June and September are risky (Singalila National Park is shut mid-Jun to mid-Sep; leeches, no Kangchenjunga view). The route is effectively closed in July–August. Expect snow on the trail in December–February. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -8 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 12 °C in August.
Singalila National Park is shut mid-Jun to mid-Sep; leeches, no Kangchenjunga view
What the thermometer actually does up there
Computed from 10 years of Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (2016–2025), with every sample point lapse-rate-downscaled to its true altitude — this is Sandakphu at 3,636 m, not the valley town. Temperatures are downscaled to the point; wet and snow days come back at the reanalysis grid scale (~10 km), so read them as weather over the area. A climate estimate, not a forecast.
Sandakphu trek cost — operators compared
Sandakphu costs ₹9,250–₹29,999 per person with an organised operator (10 of 14 listed operators publish a price; the cheapest captured is Thrillophilia). That works out to roughly ₹1,914 per trek day. Fees typically cover meals, tents and guides from the base village; transport from the railhead, gear rental and permits vary — see the inclusion grid below. Prices are read from each operator's own page (latest capture 2026-09-22) and link straight to it.
- ₹9,250as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,599as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,700as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹11,980as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹11,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹12,499as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Show 8 more operators
- ₹13,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹13,400as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹14,450as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹29,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Operators self-declare difficulty. TrekBaba grades every trek by one formula — normalized: Easy. We link out to each operator; we never copy their words or photos. Prices were read from each operator's own page on the date shown — confirm with the operator before booking. Where we have read a price more than once, the sparkline is our own dated capture log, not the operator's.
Not affiliated with any operator. Prices are dated facts read from each operator's own page; confirm before paying. See every operator on the operators index.
How to reach Sandakphu & staying safe
To reach Sandakphu, the nearest railhead is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and the nearest airport is Bagdogra. The road ends at Manebhanjan, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Darjeeling / Sukhiapokhri (Manebhanjan unreliable) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Manebhanjan (tea houses at every halt).
No dedicated acclimatization day is needed at this altitude, but a steady first day still helps. At its most remote point the route is about 1.0 hours from the nearest drivable road (near Tonglu) — a floor for any evacuation, not a promise. The nearest hospital is District Hospital, Darjeeling, 26 km from the trailhead. Water: Tea houses at every halt; springs at Kalapokhri and Sandakphu.
How far you are from a road
Computed against our own route line and the OpenStreetMap drivable road network over Copernicus GLO-30 elevations: hours = (crowfly_km x 1.4) / 4.0 + max(0, elev_point - elev_road) / 600 [terrain factor 1.4, 4 km/h walking, 600 m/h descent]. It is a floor, not a promise — a real evacuation with a casualty is slower, and a crow-fly line ignores what stands between you and the road. Read it as relative remoteness: which part of this trek commits you. Nearest drivable ways: unnamed unclassified, unnamed track, unnamed track.
Estimated, not measured. Remoteness is computed from our own route geometry against the OpenStreetMap drivable road network (motorway-track) and Copernicus GLO-30 elevations; mobile coverage is a terrain line-of-sight estimate, not a carrier guarantee. Treat both as planning aids.
Sandakphu permits & restrictions
Permit required: Yes · Singalila National Park (West Bengal Forest Dept) — entry permit at the Manebhanjan gate; a registered local guide is compulsory
Foreigners register at the Manebhanjan check post; the route runs along the India–Nepal border (carry passport)
⚠ Guide from the local guides' association mandatory; the trail hops the Nepal border (tea houses on both sides); park closed mid-Jun–mid-Sep
Crowding, and where to go instead
When the interest arrives, relative to this trek's own busiest month (December).
A percentile of trailing-12-month English Wikipedia pageviews for Sandakphu (44 months observed)— measured within TrekBaba's own catalogue, bots excluded. It is a proxy for attention, not headcount.
Sandakphu trek FAQ
How difficult is the Sandakphu trek?
Sandakphu is graded Easy (30.1/100) on TrekBaba's normalized scale, which weighs max altitude (3,636 m), total ascent (2,400 m), the longest day (21 km) and terrain exposure identically for every trek. Operators label it "Easy/Moderate".
What is the best time to do Sandakphu?
March–May and October–December. February is shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. January, June and September are risky (Singalila National Park is shut mid-Jun to mid-Sep; leeches, no Kangchenjunga view). The route is effectively closed in July–August. Expect snow on the trail in December–February. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -8 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 12 °C in August.
How much does the Sandakphu trek cost?
Between ₹9,250 and ₹29,999 per person with an operator, based on 10 published prices captured from operator pages (latest 2026-09-22). The cheapest listed is Thrillophilia.
How many days does Sandakphu take?
6 days is the standard itinerary; operators run it as 6/7/8 days including travel from the base town. The longest walking day is 21 km (~8 h).
What is the maximum altitude of Sandakphu?
3,636 m (11,929 ft), which TrekBaba rates as moderate AMS risk.
Is a permit required for Sandakphu?
Yes — issued by Singalila National Park (West Bengal Forest Dept) — entry permit at the Manebhanjan gate; a registered local guide is compulsory. Foreigners register at the Manebhanjan check post; the route runs along the India–Nepal border (carry passport).
Which operators run Sandakphu?
Thrillophilia, Universal Adventures, Trekveda, Trekup India, Moxtain, Himalaya Shelter, Himalayan Hikers, Bikat Adventures, Indiahikes, Trek Nomads, Trekmunk, Himalayan High, Tour My India, Trek The Himalayas list Sandakphu. Each is linked to its own trek page above with the captured price, days and inclusions.
How do I reach the Sandakphu trailhead?
To reach Sandakphu, the nearest railhead is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and the nearest airport is Bagdogra. The road ends at Manebhanjan, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Darjeeling / Sukhiapokhri (Manebhanjan unreliable) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Manebhanjan (tea houses at every halt).
Is Sandakphu suitable for beginners?
Yes. Sandakphu is in the Easy band and is a sensible first Himalayan trek, provided you can walk 21 km in a day with a daypack.
Which peaks can you see from Sandakphu?
From Phalut, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Kokthang (6,148 m), Mount Frey (5,889 m), Kang La Kang (5,562 m), Black Kabru (4,810 m) and Arrlungtsuk (4,619 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Treks like Sandakphu
EasyUttarakhandKedarkantha
Govind WLS, Uttarkashi
6 days↑ 3,800 mfrom ₹5,238Dec–Apr
EasyUttarakhandDeoriatal–Chandrashila
Kedarnath WLS, Rudraprayag
6 days↑ 3,680 mfrom ₹3,100Mar–May and Oct–Nov
EasyUttarakhandBrahmatal
Roopkund area, Chamoli
6 days↑ 3,734 mfrom ₹4,762Dec–Mar
EasyUttarakhandPhulara Ridge
Govind Pashu Vihar, Uttarkashi
6 days↑ 3,700 mfrom ₹7,300Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov
Difficulty grade, peak horizon, per-camp climate, remoteness, sun alignment and the crowding index are all computed — the moats — and every one of them is an estimate, labelled as such where it appears. Found-fact and operator values are public approximations pending field + source verification, not citations. Peaks named on this page: Kokthang, Mount Frey, Kang La Kang, Black Kabru, Arrlungtsuk.