Sandakphu Trip Details through Nepal’s Route!

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Altitude: 3636m
Location: Ilam Border at West Bengal
Vehicle: Bike and jeep
Road condition: poor, off-road
Trip Duration: 1N 2D (as per feasibility)

Sandakphu is a popular Eastern destination in Nepal. It is commonly known as Sandakpur in Nepal and the endpoint of Sandakpur is known as Sandakphu. Well, you can find plenty of blogs on the Internet that give you details about the trip via the Indian route or Indian side. In this blog, I’m making sure that the people who are willing to experience the place via the Nepal side (Ilam) can reach Sandakphu with ease with the help of this blog. Trust me; it is not that easy if you go unplanned. I went to Sandakphu this week, without plans, and it was tough. So, I’m here to guide you so that you do not have to go through any troubles.

 

If you are anywhere away from East, that is, away from Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, or Ilam districts, you need to first reach here. Our trip began from Dharan (Sunsari). One has to reach Ilam Bazar to begin the trip. We took the first public bus from Dharan at 5:00 am and reached Ilam Bazar at 11:00 am for the price of NPR 650. You can find buses or jeep to Ilam Bazaar. Then, at Biplate, Ilam, we had our Travel Agency waiting for us.

Yes, we took a package from Ilam Bazaar to Sandakphu and back which was for 1 night and 2 days. It cost us NPR 3500 per person. Under this package, we were provided two times meal and tea on the first day and the second, breakfast and lunch. I think the package price was worth it as the distance from Biplate to Sandakphu (48 km) was difficult and troublesome. Fortunately, our jeep driver was experienced and made our trip safe.

It takes 4 to 5 hours to reach Kalapokhari. It was our last destination of the day. It is named after the Pond. The good thing is it didn’t snow. As we made a trip in January, snow was predicted. Surprisingly, despite the temperature drop of -6 degrees Celsius, it did not snow.

On the next day, we woke up at 4:30 am and took off to Sandapkhu at 5:00 am. After a jeep ride of an hour or two, we reached Sandakphu. There’s a little hill on Sandakphu which one must climb to witness heaven. The hilltop was full of a cool breeze. It felt heavenly. As it was a sunny morning, we did not feel much cold. After half an hour, we returned.

Food:

You will find good food at Sandakphu, Kalapokhari, and Ilam Bazar for a reasonable price. The specialty of the place is Tongba (local booze) which comes with aluminum straw in a wooden bucket for the price of NPR 200.

Accommodation:

If you go on busy times like October to January, you might have to make an early booking for lodging. The rooms are not as clean and comfy as in cities, but they are good enough to provide you warm sleep. The toilets again are not that clean and you might have to compromise with a squat toilet.

Things to Carry:

• Torchlight
• Ginger (to avoid altitude sickness)
• Medicines (headache, vomit, etc.)
• Extra jacket, woolen cap, gloves, socks (nights are super cold)
• Polythene bag (in case you want to vomit while in a jeep)
• Toilet roll

Budget Allocation from Dharan to Sandakphu and back:

• Public vehicle and reserve jeep (if 8 people): NPR 2500 per head
• Food: NPR 350 to NPR 500 per meal
• Tongba: NPR 200 per bucket
• Breakfast: NPR 250
• Hot water: free

Overall, for the price of NPR 7000, I was able to have an amazing trip to Sandakphu from Dharan. My expenses included two nights’ stay at Dharan and one night stay at Kalapokhari along with meals and travel prices.