Singalila Ridge trek with homestays
| country: | India |
| location: | Indian Himalayas |
| trip type: | Introductory/Moderate trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 15 Apr, 7 Oct |
| price: | From £1099 (11 days) excluding flights, based on 2 people travelling together. A discount will be offered to groups of 4 or more. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is a trekking holiday with a difference. Staying in home-stays is one of the best ways to experience the unique culture of the Indian Himalayas. Get back to basics and learn how these mountain people cook, sleep, farm and go about their day to day lives.
The views of the Greater Himalayan Range from the Ridge especially at Phalut and Sandakphu are considered by many as the best in the world. From east to west the peaks of Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan line up in a amazing panoramic arc. The sight of Mount Everest (8850 m) Lhotse (8516 m) Makalu (8481 m) and Khangchendzonga (8585 m) four of the five highest peaks in the world is simply breathtaking. On this adventure we visit beautiful villages and monasteries as well as hiking through lush forests and open meadows frequented by grazing yaks. We visit the Mountaineering Institute and Zoo in Darjeeling, as well as the world famous tea estates in the surrounding area.
We offer holidays of varying levels of physical difficulty. We ask clients for information about their level of fitness at the time of enquiry and then recommend an adventure holiday to suit. Age is not something we generally take into account as often it does not give an accurate indication of fitness. We offer trekking holidays of varying lengths and difficulty and our rafting and wildlife holidays are not physically demanding.
The views of the Greater Himalayan Range from the Ridge especially at Phalut and Sandakphu are considered by many as the best in the world. From east to west the peaks of Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan line up in a amazing panoramic arc. The sight of Mount Everest (8850 m) Lhotse (8516 m) Makalu (8481 m) and Khangchendzonga (8585 m) four of the five highest peaks in the world is simply breathtaking. On this adventure we visit beautiful villages and monasteries as well as hiking through lush forests and open meadows frequented by grazing yaks. We visit the Mountaineering Institute and Zoo in Darjeeling, as well as the world famous tea estates in the surrounding area.
We offer holidays of varying levels of physical difficulty. We ask clients for information about their level of fitness at the time of enquiry and then recommend an adventure holiday to suit. Age is not something we generally take into account as often it does not give an accurate indication of fitness. We offer trekking holidays of varying lengths and difficulty and our rafting and wildlife holidays are not physically demanding.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival in India. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Spend the afternoon and evening relaxing in your hotel room or taking in the sights of Delhi. Overnight Hotel. |
| Day 2: | Delhi to Darjeeling (2134 m): 5 hrs. After breakfast transfer to the airport for the 90 minute flight to Bagdogra. We try to get seats on the left hand side for great views of the Himalayas. We drive for 3.5 hours up hill to Darjeeling through tea plantations, villages and thick jungle. Overnight hotel in Darjeeling, the famous hill station. |
| Day 3: | Rest Day in Darjeeling: Rest up and sightseeing. Explore the sights of Darjeeling including visits to the mountain zoo, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Tibetan market. Overnight Hotel. |
| Day 4: | Darjeeling to Jaubari (2750 m): 6/7 hrs. Start early and drive one hour to Manibhanjan. From Manibhanjan we trek up hill through dense forest to reach Tonglu. We make a stop en route to visit a Buddhist temple. From Tonglu we walk a further 2 hours to each Jaubari. Overnight home-stay. |
| Day 5: | Jaubari to Sandakphu (3580 m): 6/7 hrs. We start the day by walking down to Gairbas (2620). From Gairbas there is a long and gradual ascent to Sandakphu via Kalpokhri. This is the first day one gets great views of Khangchendzonga and the Himalaya. Overnight home-stay. |
| Day 6: | Sandakphu to Phalut (3600 m): 6/7 hrs. We wake up early to see the sunrise and touch the giant Himalayan peaks, a photographers dream. Spend up to an hour marvelling at this sight followed by breakfast. From Sandakphu we hike through mixed terrain of forest and open mountain slopes before reaching Phalut. Overnight home-stay. |
| Day 7: | Phalut to Ramam (2560 m): 5/6 hrs. Another early start at Phalut for more great views, one stands above the clouds yet under the mountains. It is the perfect place to experience the might of the Himalayas. After breakfast we descend through mixed forest to the Raman river. A beautiful suspension bridge awaits us as we cross the river and continue to Ramam village. The views from the ridge are replaced by thick jungle and terraced farms as we travel through more fertile land. Overnight home-stay. |
| Day 8: | Ramam to Rimbik (2280 m): 5/6 hrs. We stay with the river for a further 10km before crossing by suspension bridge at Shirokhola. From there its a short walk through more villages to reach Rimbik. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 9: | Drive Rimbik to Darjeeling (2134 m): 5 hrs. We drive to Darjeeling through the intricate and beautiful valleys around Darjeeling, with free afternoon in Darjeeling for some last minute shopping at the Tibetan market. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 10: | Darjeeling to Delhi: 6 hrs. Drive for three hours back to Bagdogra stopping half way to visit a tea estate. Fly to Delhi. Transfer to the Hotel. |
| Day 11: | Depart India. After breakfast depart to the international airport for your flight home. Trip ends. |
Please note: We can organise sightseeing in Delhi, or a visit to the Taj Mahal at the start or end of this trip. We can also tailor this trip with a rafting expedition or wildlife safari.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We use locally run hotels in Darjeeling. We have a number of family run hotels we use and we try to rotate our business equally among them all. These hotels are full of character and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Staying is places like these ensures that money goes directly into the local economy.
We visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. This institute has a museum dedicated the great mountaineers of the Himalaya, past and present. They also train local people in mountaineering and guiding to a high standard and have produced some of India’s finest climbers. The money you pay to visit the Institute helps to keep the school open and ensures that the high quality of guiding in India continues. We also visit the Himalayan Zoo in Darjeeling. The entry fee to the zoo helps to keep the animals, pay for the zoo vet and funds research of rare Himalayan species. Staying in somebody’s home, experiencing their way of life, is undoubtedly the best way to view any country in the world. The kitchen is the hub of all activity in these houses. Watching your food being prepared over an open fire is always after a days trekking And of course, one couldn’t visit a home-stay without getting a taste of the famous Butter Tea, which incidentally is salty. Something that one would never forget are the traditional toilets. The good thing about them is that they are environmentally friendly, use limited resources and in fact ensure you contribute to the region. We have teamed up with an environmental organisation, Climate Care, that funds sustainable energy and forest restoration projects in India and all over the world. Climate Care facilitate us to offset or neutralise the harmful CO2 emissions caused by your flight. We offset your emissions on your internal flights, and we encourage you to offset the emissions on your international flights to and from India. We sponsor Clean Himalaya, a recycling and waste management project, dedicated to maintaining the sanctity and beauty of the Ganges and Himalayas. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |