Your Typical Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Delhi
All Expedition members are met
on arrival and transferred immediately to the hotel. After lunch you will receive the
briefing that covers: local orientation, basic healthcare, a brief idea on history of India
etc.
Day 2: Delhi
City tour of Delhi with an English
speaking guide. The group may also visit the Red Fort in the evening for the Sound and Light
Show.
Days 3-5: Trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh
Delhi –
Haridwar (Drive: six hours)
After breakfast, drive to Haridwar. Check in to the hotel upon arrival.
In the evening, visit Har-Ki-Pauri on the bank of river Ganges to witness Aarti. This is a
mesmerising ceremony performed every evening at sunset on the bank of river Ganges, where
many people light paper lamps and send them floating down the river with devotional
songs/hymns echoing all over the hills.
Day 6: Rishikesh
Early in the morning you will
take the cable car to Mansa Devi temple (Hindu temple). The view of the area is beautiful
from the top of the hill.
Later in the day you will drive to Rishikesh, which lies at the
foothill of the great Himalayas. Visit Laxman Jhula, a swing bridge, where you can cross
over and take a walk through the lovely forest to arrive at Ram Jhula – the crossover point
to the Right Bank. The area is lined with beautiful temples, an ashram, and small shops
selling trinkets.
Day 7: Return to Delhi
After breakfast, drive to
Delhi – check in at hotel on arrival and relax.
Transfer to Darjeeling
Day 8: Delhi – Darjeeling (depart 06:30 hrs)
Transfer to the railway station to board the overnight train for New
Jalpaiguri. The meals will be provided on board. Drinks are extra and not included.
Day 9: New Jalpaiguri – Darjeeling (Drive: 3hrs)
Arrive at New Jalpaiguri railway station. Expected time of arrival is around
10:25hrs. You will be received by our local team who will drive you to Darjeeling. Check in
at the hotel on arrival.
Day 10: Darjeeling
In Darjeeling you will visit the
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and take a walking tour of the town.
Days 11-16: 6 Day Trek to the Singalila National
Park
Trek Highlights
This trek follows the famous
Singalila ridge, a prominent spur of high ground that lies at the Southern end of a long
crest, which runs down from the Kanchenjunga massif and forms the border between Sikkim and
Nepal. One of the unavoidable necessities of trekking in the Himalayas is that the best
views are had from high up.
However, the trek along this ridge, passing through small settlements,
is perhaps the most scenically rewarding in the Himalayan region. There are spectacular
panoramic views of Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse and a host of other peaks all seen
in one stretch.
The Singalila National Park covers an area of 108-sq. km. and lies in
the tri-junction of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Nepal with the highest point at Sandakphu
(3636m). It houses some exotic endangered species as well as 80-90 species of mammals, about
500 species of fauna and 600 species of Butterflies. Some of the endangered species are the
Snow Leopard, Red Panda and the Musk Deer. This park is a bird watcher’s paradise,
containing about 30% of the bird species found in the Indian subcontinent. In the lower
altitudes, the species that are abundant are the pheasant, Hill Partridge, Scarlet Minuets,
Parakeets, Emerald Dove and the Maroon Monal.
The flora is among the richest found in the world. It has a vast
diversity of flowers scattered over the temperate (1525–3000m) to the alpine (above 3000m)
zone. In the temperate zone, the flora consists of Magnolia, Chestnut Oak, Laurel, Pines,
Alders, Junipers, Bistort, ferns, mosses and Lichens. The flowers range from Orchids, white
roses, magnolias to Lilies, Primulas, Cottoneaster and the poisonous Aconitium. Another
speciality is the Rhododendron – of which 26 varieties in various shades of red, white and
purple of varying heights are found. Rhododendron Grande is about 40 feet tall and
Rhododendron Nivale grows a few inches above the ground!
Level of trek:
Introductory
Highest Point: Sandakphu 3636m
Day 11: Darjeeling to Maneybhanjang/2150m (Drive: 1 hr)
Maneybhanjang to Tonglu/3020m (Average trek time: 4 hrs)
Maneybhanjang - At
2134m this is the starting place for our trek to the Singalila Ridge. After an early
breakfast and an interesting drive into the Himalayan foothills, you set off on the first
leg of your walk, a relatively short but steep hike up to Tonglu. Today, you climb around
1000m to the ridge top settlement of Tonglu. En route you have tantalising glimpses of
Kanchenjunga.
Night halt at log-hut with all meals included.
Day 12: Tonglu to Kalpokhri/2950m (Average trek time: 4 hrs)
An early start to get the beautiful view of Kanchenjunga massif in time for the
sunrise. Todays trek is mostly downhill through a picturesque Nepalese village where you
take lunch. After lunch it is back to the ridge for the short climb to the village of
Kalpokhri where there is a small lake.
Night halt at log-hut with all meals included.
Day 13: Kalpokhri to Sandakphu/3580m (Average trek time: 4
hrs)
You start the long climb up on to the Singalila ridge. It is a long, steady
trek. But the reward is a remarkable panoramic view of Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Everest,
Lhotse, Mt. Pandim and the other lesser peaks of Sikkim, Bhutan, Tibet and Eastern Nepal.
Night stay in a log-hut with all meals included.
Day 14: Sandakphu to Phalut/3600m (Average trek time: 5–6 hrs)
A long day of trekking on the most spectacular section of the Singalila Ridge.
There are ever changing views of the snow capped Himalayas to the north and Northwest. This
region is considered to possess some of the finest walking trails to be found in the world.
Night stay in a log-hut – all meals included.
Day 15: Phalut to Ramam /2560m (Average trek time: 5 hrs)
An early morning visit to the viewpoint for the last views of Kanchenjunga
massif. After breakfast you leave Phalut saying goodbye to the views of Kanchenjunga and the
eastern Himalaya. Descend for most of the day through forests of Rhododendrons and
Magnolias, with isolated patches of farmed land and a short climb up and then down to the
village of Ramam.
Night stay in a log-hut with all meals included.
Day 16: Ramam to Rimbik (Average trek time: 4 hrs)
Downhill again today through cultivated fields and crossing of the Shiri Khola
(river) where people can go for a cool swim where natural pools have been formed. Then it’s
uphill through largely forested terrain to the road head village of Rimbik. Your trekking
staff leave you at this point.
Night stay at a small guesthouse with all meals included.
Day 17: Rimbik to Bijanbari (Drive: 3-4 hrs)
After
breakfast we drive to Bijanbari.
Days 17-80: Bijanbari Volunteer Work
Note: six days
trip to Gangtok and Sikkim will be organised during your stay in Bijanbari. The remaining
days will be spent volunteering at the school.
Bijanbari
The distance from Darjeeling to Bijanbari
is 30km. There are four schools in the village, out of which three are private schools. By
convention the parents of these students are better off financially. The government-funded
school is called Vidya Sagar School, and is where you will be volunteering. It has Primary,
Junior and Senior wings. You will be volunteering with the junior wing that has a total
strength of 35 students studying from Class I to IV with just one teacher.
Most of the children come from nearby villages and walk at least 2–3km
everyday to get to school. Since these children are taught English from Class Five only,
there are limited opportunities for success in exams. Being from a poor family with limited
access to a good education, the children do not necessarily believe it to be a priority. All
these factors result in many school dropouts. However, there are always some students who
would like to do well in life but have no means or encouragement.
Aim of the project:
1.To teach English language to
the children in the primary classes. A detailed lesson plan is made in consultation with the
primary school teacher and will be explained to the volunteers when they reach the village.
2.To teach English, games and sports to children of the village in the
afternoon.
3.Another subject of equal importance is to spread awareness about personal
health care and hygiene amongst the village students.
4.Volunteers are also encouraged to
organise events.
What to bring along?
Volunteers are encouraged to
bring some teaching aids and some games so that the students from the village are able to
learn and join with them. This will help in personal development and encourage the children
to be more sociable with the volunteers.
Some of the indigenous games that the children play are marbles, chungi
(a bunch of rubber bands is bounced between two teams by kicking it to the other team) and
skipping (favourite with girls). Interestingly, football is more popular in the Darjeeling
area than cricket.
A brief idea about the daily life of volunteers:
The school is
located ten minutes walk from the accommodation. After breakfast, all volunteers go to
school to attend the morning assembly. Each volunteer will teach two classes a day - one
before lunch and one after lunch. School finishes at 2pm.
Each volunteer will be given charge of three students.
Evenings will be kept free for the volunteers, when you will be
introduced to the way of life in the village including dances, festivals, music, pottery
etc.
* The following address is to be used for receiving post in Bijanbari:
Attn: Your name
Trekker’s Hut
VPO Bijanabari
Dist. Darjeeling
West Bengal
(India)
Trip to Gangtok:
Day 1: Bijanbari to Gangtok
(Drive: 6hrs) - On arrival, check in at the hotel. Evening free.
Days 2/3/4: Local
sightseeing including a visit to the Rumtek monastery and the border area.
Day 5: Drive
to rafting point – after rafting, drive to Kalimpong. Night halt at Kalimpong.
Day 6:
Early morning drive to rafting point – at the end of the rafting, return to Bijanbari.
Days 81-90
Day 81:
Early
morning drive to railway station - departure from New Jalpaiguri station at 12:30 hrs
Day 82:
Arrival at Delhi – Free day
Six day Trip to Golden triangle and Ranthambhore Tiger Park
Day 83: Drive to Jaipur
Check in to the hotel upon
arrival – Free day
Day 84: Visit to Fort and Palaces in Jaipur
Today
you will visit the ‘Hawa Mahal’ (the Palace of the winds) and take an elephant ride to the
Amer fort. Return to the city and visit the city palace and observatory.
Day 85: Half day drive to Ranthambhore (Drive: 3-4 hrs)
Check in to the hotel upon arrival and relax.
Day 86: Ranthambhore
Horse rides into the National
Park (morning and evening session included).
The 392 Sq. Km park comprises of dry deciduous forests sprawling over
an undulating terrain of the Aravali and Vindhyan ranges. The park is one of the finest
Tiger reserves in the country under the Project Tiger scheme. Ranthambhore sanctuary has a
large number of Samber, Chital, Nilgai, Chinkara, Langur, Wild Boar and peafowl. In addition
to this, the park also boasts Leopards, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle Cat, Sloth bear and Pythons.
Day 87: Ranthambhore – Accra (Drive: 5 hrs)
Full
day drive to Agra with an enroute visit to Fatehpur Sikri.
Day 88: Accra to Delhi (Drive: 5 hrs)
Early morning
visit the Taj Mahal for a sunrise view. After breakfast, visit the Accra fort. After lunch,
the group will drive back to Delhi. On arrival, check in to hotel.
Day 89:
You will have a feedback meeting and the
rest of the day will be free for shopping/tourist activities.
Day 90:
Depart Delhi.
Please note: Itineraries and activities are subject to change depending
on time of year, weather, school holidays etc.
