Sandakphu has the views

At the outset, I'd like to clarify that Sandakphu isn't what one might call a 'major' trek. Schools from Darjeeling and nearby places take their students on this trail. It ranges from an easy to moderate trek, depending upon one's capability, and is sort of commercialised now because of its popularity. 

But don't knock it off. It has the views, and the most amazing of them is the up-close sight of the Sleeping Buddha. It is simply awe-inspiring. It is majestic because of its proximity, so much so that even the outline of the far-off Mount Everest did not arouse as much bedazzlement in me as much as the Sleeping Buddha did. 

And we were so lucky to get a window of clear skies that evening and the following morning while we were camped in Sagargram. 

What's interesting about Sandakphu is that four out of the five highest peaks of the world - Mount Everest, Kanchandzonga, Makalu and Lhotse - can be seen from here. Putting this incredible fact aside though, it is also true that every trail and every trek brings with its own set of joys. And hardships.

We got rains on 2.5 of the six days we were trekking. Leaches were upon us and the cold and wetness made us miserable. Still, our miscellaneous group that consisted of first-timers as well as veterans overcame their own little hurdles and saw meaning in it. 

I have heard regular (and not so regular) trekkers dismiss treks that are common, or popular, or easy as insubstantial or lacking character. But nothing can be further from the truth, and it's not in keeping with the ethos of mountaineering. Every mountain is sacred and special, right?

If my narrative has piqued your interest in the Sandakphu trek, and want to read more about the route, best times to go and places to stay, you might like this blog: Conflating Visions. To sign up with an organised group, i would recommend IndiaHikes.   

A glimpse of Arunachal

My introduction to the mysterious region of India’s North East was through a short (relatively-speaking) trek into the wilderness of Arunachal Pradesh. The most northeast I had been within India was to Gangtok and I signed up for this trip without too many expectations.

 

Our train from Guwahati to Naharlagun

Arriving at Arunachal

Reaching Arunachal itself was time-consuming. First, take a flight to Guwahati in Assam which in itself was a task because regional connectivity in India still sucks. Direct flights from a lot of cities are few and far between, specially from Mumbai, and are therefore expensive. From Guwahati, I took an overnight train to Arunachal’s capital city of Itanagar. The station is however called Naharlagun. From there, you need to call for taxis (Sumo) or look for state transport bus that will take you to your destination.  

 

There are a couple of check posts once you enter Arunachal. But tourists have no trouble. We weren't even asked to show our permit even once except at the station

Get a permit

To exit the station, you will need to show a permit to enter the state, even for Indian nationals. This, you can get from the Arunachal Pradesh Tourism office in your own city in advance which will cost anything between Rs 60 to Rs 90 depending on the city. But if you can’t, then you pay approximately Rs 450 for a single permit at the airport within 15-20 minutes. Beware though – do not apply for it online. Your application may never get approved!

 

A typical fence of a local home made of bamboo

Trek through a forest

I had signed up for a short 4-day trek that would take us through a forest in the Talley Valley that resides in the Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The Talley Valley trail winds up and down mountains, valleys and across rivers. On this trek, you cross the Pangey Valley, Talley Valley and Ziro Valley.

The trek is the easy if you’ve trekked before and a good stepping stone for those who haven’t done overnight treks. That said, it is perfect for those who love nature and enjoy just being surrounded by trees. If you want to experience and get to know the culture of Arunachal Pradesh, its best to skip the trek and just focus on visiting villages and towns like Ziro (famous for its annual music festival) and Hong.

Other spots to see

Of course, other spots are known to be much more beautiful like Tawang and Tuting but getting from one place to another takes a lot of time since the roads are in really bad condition. When we there, there was a sudden strike called on by the transporters to protest against bad roads. Unfortunately, by sheer misfortune of being the farthest state of India, Arunachal largely remains out of our government’s mind.    

 

We passed through huge rice paddy fields on the last day of our trek 

Arunachal actually has 12 different tourist circuits which makes it easy for you to choose your route. Check the details here. The state’s tourism ministry website has a lot of information on not just stay and places but also on ministry-approved tour operators who can help with ground arrangements.

Whatever you choose to do though, you will not regret it. Keep an open mind and you will realize that even a seemingly casual experience can have an impact and move you in ways that you may not have expected. Whether it is the people (we discussed state politics with an auto driver who seemed frustrated with the situation), the food (vegetarians have fewer choices though), or the culture (we were invited to share food at a local family’s house party held to celebrate the birth of a boy just because we were passing by).

 

Tall pine trees marked the end of our 4-day trek 

GOOD TO KNOW

Getting a permit

There are different permits needed to access different districts. So choose the spots you want to visit and apply for those permits accordingly.

  

Ziro Music Festival

This year, the festival will be held from September 21st to 24^th, 2017. It is billed as India's most fun outdoor music festival. So you can plan your trip accordingly.

Getting to Ziro

Ziro town is about 3-4 hours away by road from Naharlagun station. Once there, you may look up a homestay. We stayed at the state-owned Paradise Guest House, which was pretty decent.