I intend to trek the Sandakpu trail in the end of December so I will need heavy precaution. For camping you should go through a trek operator who would organize the trek. From Manebhanjhan you can go to various places like Mirik, Jhorpokhri, Tonglu, Tumling, Meghma, Sandakphu, Phalut. The main route to Manebhanjan from NJP/Bagdogra is via Mirik, Pashupati Nath Market and Sukhiapokhri (takes about 4 hours by car).
Manebhanjan with its numerous amenities has become the base for trekking towards the higher altitude destination of Himalayan region. Reaching Manebhanjan from Darjeeling is very easy and convenient. Manebhanjan is a little town located about 26kms from Darjeeling, 92kms from Siliguri, and on the border of India and Nepal at an altitude of 7,054 ft (2,150 m). Below you will find a friendly route map for Sandakphu and the Singalila range as a whole. Tonglu to Tumling and then to Gairibas is a gradual descent making an easy route for the trekkers. You can buy your essential items here and stock your provisions including mineral water, dry food etc. From Mirik you should get a shared Jeep (may not be to Mnebhnajan, but up to Sukhia where you may need to take another one). If yes, should we break our journey as follows --> Bagdogra -- Siliguri -- Mirk -- Maneybhanjan; or Bagdogra -- Siliguri -- Darjeeling -- Maneybhanjan.
Chitre Distances.
From Rimbik trekkers usually take a bus or jeep for a drop at Manebhanjan. As per suggestions in your website, we will start trek from Maneybhanjan. This route map will be useful for both trekkers who want to go on a trekking to Sandakphu & Phalut, as well as for tourists interested in Land Rover safaris in this region that can be availed from the gateway town Manebhanjan. Or alternatively take one from Manebhanjan heading towards Darjeeling and get off at Ghum, then change to another one for NJP/Siliguri.
Also this place is the gateway to Sigalila National Park which is full of rich flora and fauna and also home to the Red Pandas. The main economy here is based on trekking and tourism. We plan to reach to Maneybhanjan on the same day(25th) so that we can start trekking for Sandakphu from early morning on the next day(26th). Can you please suggest me any place likewise where I can stay for a night & park my car for 6 Days? There are probably only 10 to 12 Nepali families who live here. Now vehicles can easily reach in 2.5 hours although a stretch of the road from Gairibas onwards is still a boulder road). This route is shorter.
From here, the gravel road for vehicles continues towards Tumling. Check out While there are several small hotels, couple of them stand out from the rest for their popularity with trekkers and tourists. Sandakphu can be reached from Manebhanjan via Chitre, Lamedhura, Meghma, Tonglu, Tumling, Garibas, Kalipokhri and Bikebhanjan, the distance is of 32 kilometers. From Meghma, the trekkers usually take the trek route towards Tonglu. Bhanjayang in Nepali means Junction, and Mane stands for Buddhist Stupas. The 4 hour ride can be quite 'jumpy' as drivers maneuver their prized possessions along snaky curves and uphill roads. Chitre city is located in Panama at the 7.9667, -80.4333 coordinates.
You need to go to Siliguri stand which itself will take about 30-40 minutes.
There are also regular shared jeeps and buses up to Sukhiapokhri.
So alternatively you can come up to Sukhiapokhri (takes about one hour from Darjeeling) and then take an onward jeep up to Manebhanjan. The treks and the Land Rover safaris start from Manebhanjan in the morning. So if you want to warm up, you can even take this short trek. The point is, we will be reaching Bagdogra on 25th April around 12:30pm. Hi Raj...can you please give me information about the shared jeeps from Maneybhanjan to NJP or Siliguri. Most of the road is now tarred (earlier the entire road used to be a boulder road and required nearly 4.5 hours to reach Sandakphu. Can you suggest the safest way to get a vehicle to Manebhanjan directly.
In Sept 2018 we went to Manebhanjan from Darjeeling. People here are very helpful and co-operative.