Sandakphu

19/12/2023

Hi everyone

12/08/2023

Natural beauty of singalila national park during off season

19/03/2023

19/10/2022

Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, is the third highest mountain in the world. It rises with an elevation of 8,586 m in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal delimited in the west by the Tamur River, in the north by the Lhonak Chu and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River.
Kangchenjunga Himal delimited in the west by the Tamur River, in the north by the Lhonak Chu and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River.It lies between India and Nepal, with three of the five peaks, namely Main, Central and South, directly on the border, and the peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's Taplejung District.

8,586 m (28,169 ft)
Ranked 3rd
Prominence
3,922 m (12,867 ft)
Ranked 29th
Isolation
124 km (77 mi)
Listing
Eight-thousander
Seven Third Summits
List of mountains in India
List of mountains in Nepal
Country high point (India)
Ultra-prominent peak
Coordinates
27°42′09″N 88°08′48″E
Geography
Kangchenjunga is located in SikkimKangchenjungaKangchenjunga
Location of Kangchenjunga
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Location
Taplejung District, Nepal;
Sikkim, India
Parent range
Himalayas
Climbing
First ascent
25 May 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band on British Kangchenjunga expedition
(First winter ascent 11 January 1986 by Jerzy Kukuczka and Krzysztof Wielicki)
Easiest route
glacier/snow/ice climb

Kangchenjunga and surrounding peaks at sunset from ISS, December 2019
Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world, but calculations based on various readings and measurements made by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 came to the conclusion that Mount Everest, known as Peak XV at the time, was the highest. Allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world.

Kangchenjunga was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition. They stopped short of the summit in accordance with the promise given to the Chogyal that the top of the mountain would remain intact. Every climber or climbing group that has reached the summit has followed this tradition.

19/10/2022

🏔🏔🏔

Singalila National Park is a national park of India located on the Singalila Ridge at an altitude of more than 7000 feet above sea level, in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It is well known for the trekking route to Sandakphu that runs through it.

Singalila National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Vast green meadows and hills in Singalila National Park.
Location-Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
Nearest city-Maneybhanjang
Coordinates-27°07′N 88°04′E
Area-78.6
Established-1986
Governing body-Government of India, Government of West Bengal

The park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1986, and was made an Indian national park in 1992. The region had long been used as the trekking route from Manebhanjang to Sandakphu (the highest peak of West Bengal) and Phalut.
The park has no significant history of human settlement. However, small settlements have grown up along the trekking route to Sandakphu and Phalut. There is a reasonably large village at Kala Pokhri, around the lake of the same name. The Singalila Ridge was used as an approach route by the first documented mountaineering team which unsuccessfully attempted to climb Kanchenjunga in 1905. The team was led by Jules Jacot-Guillarmod and the famous occultist Aleister Crowley.

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Because of the park's range in altitude, it includes three separate biomes, ranging from subalpine to subtropical, and three corresponding ecoregions:

The Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests ecoregion, of the temperate coniferous forests biome
Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests ecoregion, of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome
Himalayan subtropical pine forests ecoregion, of the subtropical coniferous forest biome
The subtropical biome roughly exists in the altitude range of 1800 to 3000 m, and the temperate biome exists in the altitude range of 3000 m to 4500 m.

Typical high altitude vegetation along the trek route from Sandakphu to Phalut

Thick bamboo, oak, magnolia and rhododendron forest between 2000 and 3600 m cover the Singalila Ridge. There are two seasons of wildflower bloom - one in spring (March and April) when the rhododendrons bloom, and another in the post-monsoon season (around October), when the lower forests bloom (Primula, Geranium, Saxifraga, Bistort, Senecio, Cotoneaster and numerous orchids). Sandakphu is known as the " due to the large concentration of Himalayan cobra lilies (Arisaema) which grow there.

The plant life has been surveyed in 2001.[1]


Mammals: The park has a number of small mammals including the red panda, leopard cat, barking deer, yellow-throated marten, wild boar, pangolin and pika. Larger mammals include the Himalayan black bear, leopard, clouded leopard, serow and takin. Tigers occasionally wander into the area, but do not have a large enough prey base to make residence in these forests feasible.

: The park is a birder's delight with over 120 species recorded including many rare and exotic species like the Himalayan Vulture, scarlet minivet, kalij pheasant, blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, brown and fulvous parrotbills, rufous-vented tit, and Old World babblers like the fire-tailed myzornis and the golden-breasted fulvetta. The park is also on the flyway of many migratory birds.

: The endangered Himalayan newt frequents the region and congregates around the lakes of Jore Pokhri and Sukhiapokhri and nearby lakes to reproduce. Jore Pokhri and Sukhiapokhri are within 20 km of the park boundary and are protected wildlife sanctuaries.



: Singalila National Park is well connected by road. But the roads are circular and the journey can feel like wave motion.
The road route from Siliguri
Siliguri > Sukna > Rangtong > Kurseong> Tung > Sonada> Ghoom> Maneybhanjang.

: The nearest railway station of is Ghoom Railway Station 31 km from Tonglu (entry point to the Singalila National Park).

: Singalila National Park is located 13 km from Bagdogra Airport in Bagdogra. That is the nearest airport, but by road it is less than 100 km and takes 3 to 4 hours.

19/10/2022

Don’t miss the chance 🙏

01/02/2022

#☃️❄️☃️
Lets_feel_the_Heaven_on_earth 🏔 🏔 🌋🏕⛺️⛰
Let’s make a plan to trekking in Sandakphu and phalut and enjoy the mesmerizing views of the

04/11/2021

Happy Tihar to everyone ❤️

07/09/2021

The Land Rovers arrived in the Himalayas in the 1940s and 1950s, brought to British-owned tea plantations in the waning days of colonial influence in India. Thus, many of them are early Series I models. As the British left, the Land Rovers got sold on locally. A few decades ago, dozens upon dozens of Land Rovers of all types of rare specification could be found running around Darjeeling as taxis, but now the 42 Land Rovers of the Maneybhanjang fleet are the only vehicles in the region in major commercial use.

Sandakphu is accessed by a steep, long, winding, rutted road, which was only recently minimally paved. The Land Rovers are the only vehicles that the locals trust to drive up it. They feel that they cannot be beaten for their capability, durability, and simplicity. The trucks are decorated with patriotic symbols, religious icons, and things like “LAND ROVER” and “ENGLAND ROVER” in big print on the tops of the windshields. Some still have old, metal GB country code ovals riveted to them. Some have been fitted with newer engines, many from Mahindra and other Indian companies, as well as power steering systems and other modern conveniences.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary, a few months ago Land Rover drove up Sandakphu with some of the elite local Series drivers in their vehicles along with some press in new Discovery and Discovery Sport models. The films sharing their story are beautifully produced and told, both the main one above and the others that you can see on Land Rover India’s corporate website.

The Land Rovers haul up the roads taking trekkers to the top of the mountain, as well as carrying supplies to the mountain huts at the top. They are an absolute lifeline in the Singalila National Park. The owners have formed an organization to advocate for and promote the Land Rovers, the Singalila Land Rover Owners’ Welfare Association. More than ever, their unity will be needed soon.

31/08/2021

❤️❤️❤️

Maney Bhanjyang (2150 m) is a small transit-town in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision, Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal in India. It is located at the gateway of the Singalila National Park, 28 km away from Darjeeling town. The income of the local residents is geared towards tourism, especially foreign trekkers. Maney Bhanjyang is the start of the trailhead for the trek to Sandakphu on the Singalila Ridge, the highest point in West Bengal. Conveyance for Sandakphu is also available mainly from Maney Bhanjyang in the form of Land Rovers of 1960 model. The 4-hour ride can be quite 'jumpy' as drivers maneuver their prized possessions along snaky curves and uphill roads.

Mane Bhanjang lies on the border between India and Nepal. The two countries are separated by a small culvert, which also acts as a motor stand for vehicles ferrying people to Sukhiapokhri and Darjeeling. This small valley is a residence of approximately 500 households with an approximate population of 6000. Being situated within the ranges of the Singalila National Park, expansion of this 'forest village' is strictly restricted beyond its current borders so as to protect the surrounding forest and its ecosystem.

The village has a renovated playground where a football tournament is organised in a very lustrous way every year during the Independence Day of India and from last 2 years, Mini Gold Cup has been organised by MFC(Maney Bhanjyang Football club) which has grown up to be a huge success lately.

Moreover, Land Rover Taxi Association of Maney Bhanjyang is the largest operator of Land Rover Taxis in the entire South East Asia. While there are some people who claims that, this is also the biggest Land Rover Taxi operator association. Keeping aside the debate and controversy; one thing is for sure that, these fleet of ageing Land Rover Series I vehicles are the "lifeline of an entirely remote area", where there is no tar topped roads, but only some rocks laid to be called as the 'Road'.

The association is known as the Singalila Land Rover Association, and it operates a total number of 45 Land Rover Series I vehicles. Although these SUV's are more than half a century old, but all of them still looks and performs as good as new. From the exterior, the iconic Land Rover Green badges are gone or completely faded away; instead there are aluminium plates with the iconic Land Rover symbols and the name itself. Surely those badges took the toll of travelling on the rough roads and cloud wrapped gushy wind.
Maney Bhanjyang has three schools in total. Maney Bhanjyang High School has classes from Grade V to Grade X and is upgrade to higher secondary school up to Grade XII. The course curriculum followed is that of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Other schools are Rhododendron Integratus Boarding School and R.C. Mission Primary School which are primary schools that teach from the kindergarten level to Grade V.......Thanks🙏🏻

26/08/2021

❤️❤️❤️

11/08/2021