Sandakpur : A Hidden Paradise In Illam
Sandakpur
Sandakpur is the Nepal-India border area. Sandakpur is a beautiful place 3636 meters above sea level on the border of Panchthar, Ilam of Nepal and West Bengal of India. It is located on the border of Phalelung Municipality of Panchthar and Sandakpur Municipality of Ilam.
Thousands of tourists visit Sandakpur every year as Kanchenjunga and Kumbhakarna mountains can be seen up close. Due to the lack of roads and geographical difficulties from Nepal, most of the tourists come to Sandakpur via Indian routes.
About 90 percent of Indian tourists visit Sandakpur and the remaining 10 percent are European and American tourists, said Chiring Dorje Sherpa, a Nepali who lives in Sandakpur. Even though most of the territory of Sandakpur falls to Nepal, the Indian side has been taking all the benefits. From the Indian side, there are Border Security Force, Park Office and Administration Office. There is no presence on the border from Nepal.
Though there are 15 hotels in Sandakpur, there are only two Nepali hotels, said Chhiring Dorje Sherpa, manager of Hotel Sunrise.
Suman Lama, who visited Sandakpur from Phidim of Panchthar, said that there was no place to tell the problem to Nepali tourists in Sandakpur.It is seen that the development of these areas can be achieved by constructing footpaths from Panchthar to Sandakpur, Pauwa Bhanjyang, Sukepokhari, Chintapu and Goruwale in an integrated manner.
After landing at Chandragadhi or Biratnagar by plane, reach Birtamod directly by car. Vehicles for Ilam can be found in the new bus park of Birtamod and if you have to reserve, you can find vehicles around Mukti Chowk. Rs 250 per person for public transport up to Ilam and a maximum of Rs 5,000 for reserve. It takes an average of three hours by car to reach Ilam, 83 km from Birtamod.
On the first day, you can stay in Ilam Bazaar. In Ilam market, you can get meat from Rs. 170 to Rs. 400 and Bhej food from Rs. 100 to Rs. 200. The lodge costs between Rs 250 and Rs 3,500 per person. Before staying in Ilam, you can contact the officials of the Hotel Association in Ilam to get help. The second day’s journey starts from Ilam Bazaar via Biblyante and Maipokhari.
From here, the Land Rover can reach Maikhola of Maimzhuwa in two hours. Or it is fun to drive to Maipokhari. If you walk, don’t forget to check out the Todke Falls between Maipokhari and Maimzhuwa. One hundred meters below the road is the longest (85 m) Todke waterfall in Ilam.
There are two roads from Maimzhuwa to Sandakpur. One is the path of the oxen, the other is the path through the pond. Dhandbari of Maimzhuwa can be reached by walking directly from Ratekhola or by climbing from the place Khorsanetar which is a little ahead. As there is no house or settlement on the hill, it is necessary to take food with you. It is a bit difficult but adventurous to go the way of Goruwale. When you reach Sandakpur through Lampokhari, you get an opportunity to see the wild horses found on the road and the thieves left in the pastures.
There are no houses on the way, there are cowsheds to relax and there are plenty of lovely ponds on the way. The thief and the lascar come to be the traveling companions. If you can’t climb a seven-hour climb in one breath, it’s best to take the Kalpokhari route. When you use that road, you will definitely find houses along the way.
There are hotels and lodges in Kalpokhari. One can stay in Kalpokhari for one night and climb the rest of the hill or reach Sandakpur directly. Sandakpur is an hour and a half uphill from Kalpokhari. Rare red pandas, bundels and bears can also be seen in the forest along the road. From Ilam, the road to Mabu can also be used instead of Maimzhuwa.
If you want to take a Land Rover car, the car will take you to Kalpokhari. If you can’t walk, you have to go to Sandakpur using Indian route from Kalpokhari. Currently, the Indian road has to be used as the road from Kalpokhari to Sandakpur from Nepal has deteriorated. While using Mabu’s road, one can see historical monasteries, Red Panda’s Dowate and other places along the way.
There are two hotels in Sandakpur on the Nepal side. On the Indian side there are a few more but the rate is the same on both sides. The rate of food is very expensive. The real joy here is to pitch a tent in the grass. Or there is a passenger building here, where you can sleep for Rs 5 to 10 a night. There is a place called Ahalgari, a 10 minute drive from Sandakpur.
Accommodation and meals are available at affordable prices in the hotels available there. When you reach Sandakpur, you can leave the road and go back another way. If you return by Indian route, you can get tired at Tanglu, a tourist spot in Jogmai, Ilam. This road leads to Pashupatinagar, passing through the headlands and Bhanjyang of many hills including Jaubari, Tumling, Meghma and Manebhanjyang in the border area.
Chintapu is another way to return to Ilam Bazaar from Sandakpur. At an altitude of 2,946 meters, all 16 districts of the eastern region can be seen from Chhintapu. Chhintapu is another popular tourist destination of Ilam. From here, you can also reach Ilam Bazaar by coming out of Maipokhari.
If you are thinking of going to Sandakpur,
Phone no. For hotel and other arrangements in Ilam Bazaar. 9842741000/9842636567
Home stay of Maimzhuwa (Puran Gurung): 9814950937
Homestay of Kalpokhari (Chhewang Bhutia): 9742635747
Hotel in Sandakpur (Dawa Galje Sherpa): 9742660043
Homestay of Sandakpur: (Pemba Chhiring Bhutia): 9742614814/027690832
Hotel Shandakpur (Sherpa Chalet): 027691127
