Phoktey Dara ; A Peep in the Lord's Bedroom

Kanchenjungha comes from two Sanskrit words, Kanchan which is another name for the Hindu God of creation and destruction, Lord Shiva and Jangha meaning thigh. The entire Kanchenjungha or Kanchendzongha range looks like Lord shiva is sleeping and the main peak forming his raised thigh. No wonder when Buddhism spread and took hold in this part of the land Kanchendzongha became the sleeping Buddha. The more popular theory is that Kanchendzonga comes from 5 Tibetan words 'gangs' (snow), ' chen' (great), 'zgod' (treasure) and 'nga' (five).   In any case towering 8586 metres above sea level, the 3rd highest peak of the world is one of the most beautiful snow covered massif in the Himalayas. The sheer size of the mountain , precipitous peaks dwarfing everything​ around it, brings a sense of awe to the beholder.

Kanchendzongha/Kanchenjungha

Phoktey Dara is a hilltop situated near the intersection of three borders, Sikkim, West Bengal and Nepal, and it offers spectacular views of not only the Kanchenjungha range but also several Chinese peaks and Giants of Nepal, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuputse and Dhaulagiri. But to behold this heavenly site a good bit of hard work and sweat is required.

How to get There :

Phoktey Dara is a total 3 day trek from the village of Uttarey in West Sikkim. One can reach Uttarey in a single day from New Jalpaiguri Railway station or Bagdogra Airport.
You can  opt to reserve your own transport if you have a 6-10 person group or budget is not a constraint for you. Otherwise shared jeeps are available but you have to break several times.

Phoktey Dara

DAY 1: NJP to UTTAREY:

START EARLY ! as most direct jeeps to Jorethang leave early. If you miss those jeeps ( Like we did, because our train was a few hours late) take a jeep to Melli. These jeeps run from SNT Bus Stand ( Sikkim National Transport) which is just opposite to the Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus at New Jalpaiguri. From Melli one can get direct jeeps to Jorethang. Only 1-2 jeeps leave for Dentam or Uttarey beyond that after noon. So if you have a local trekking agent, or hotel contact at Uttarey ask them to book seats for you in those jeeps. We were lucky that the driver waited for us from 2pm to 4pm. In these mountain routes the drivers are very well known, they act not only as drivers but also as couriers, delivering money, greeting cards, household sundries and whatnot.

Uttarey,_West Sikkim

After we gobbled up tasteless veggie momos from Jorethang, the last phase of our journey began. We had very limited leave from our office and had to reach Uttarey and start the trek the next day at any cost. The driver's home was located at Dentam where everyone got off. This small village was  beautifully decorated with colorful lights to celebrate Diwali, the festival of light. Our destination Uttarey was just 9 kms ahead. It was 8pm and the road through the jungle was pitch black. The driver pulled over for a quick break and we got off to stretch our legs. The sky was studded with stars and we just stood there with awe. At that very moment our daylong grueling journey through broken and dusty roads, packed like sardines in uncomfortable jeeps seemed worthwhile. We reached Uttarey (2320 mtrs) at 8.30 pm. and after thanking the driver heartily we were ushered into the Sherpa Guest house managed by Pema Sherpa.He is a professional looking man with warm smile. He showed us our room and after 2-3 minutes of exchanging pleasantries came right down to business. He collected our ID cards and passport sized photographs (2 copies) in order for getting our trekking permits. The cost was 1500/- per day per person. After having our dinner we went to bed.

Here  are some contact numbers of local trek agents.
Pema Sherpa: +919733010501(Uttarey) 
Raj Nambang: +919733271137 (Hiley) 

DAY 2: UTTAREY (2320 mtrs) to ACHALEY (3100 mtrs)

After packing everything and obtaining our permits we set out for Achaley (3100 mtrs) with two porters and one guide at about 9.30 am. The first campsite Achaley is about 5.5 kms from Uttarey and we moved uphill after crossing a field. The first 1 hour was through small houses which looked like an extension of the village itself. We met the family of one of our porters and they were nice enough to treat us with tea. A couple of naughty children running around the hillside made our day even brighter.

We pushed further and after a few minutes we found ourselves in a narrow mud trail, covered with leaves. It looked like a 3-4 feet deep trench, sometimes narrower then a foot. We waddled through with our heavy ruck-sacks. The trail was clearly less traveled and  the forest so thick that we often wondered if the sky was becoming cloudy. At about noon in stopped for our pre-lunch noodles soup under the shadows of alpine trees. At about 1 pm we pushed on for the final phase of the day's trek. It took another hour of hard toil through small shrubs and bushes to finally reach the Achaley campsite. We took a breather and immediately got to work to set up our tents. This was the first trek with outdoor camping for both of us. But the 2 person tent we brought from Kolkata worked like charm and practicing tent-pitching on the roof of my house paid off.

Achaley Campsite

The vista from the campsite seemed to be unspectacular even with more than 180 degrees of clear view. We watched at the floating clouds at the Northern horizon and sighed. We had read that one can get marvelous view of the Kanchenjungha range from this location but we could not spot even a single snow-peak. A tad disheartened we clicked a few snaps and went in the kitchen tent to collect our lunch of mixed khichdi and papad and ate in the open. The warm food energised us and lifted our spirits as well. I went in the tent to arrange our things and change into my night clothes.

Kanchendzonga Range

 Suddenly I heard my companion shouting and urging me to come out. Reluctantly I took my camera and went out and saw my companion pointing northward. Straining my eyes I saw something whiter than the clouds peeping from behind them. The layers of clouds at the horizon were enough to coverup the mighty Kanchendzongha range. We stood there praying for the clouds to clear off. Mother nature answered our prayers and just before the golden hour the might mountain was unveiled in all its glory. We started shooting and running around like maniacs, this view alone was enough to make our trek a success.

Mt Pandim (Top), Mt. Kanchendjonga (Below)

After dark the temperature plummeted and we could already see the grass starting to get covered with frost. We put on our woolens and steeped out of our tent to take a few shots of the starlit sky. We were lucky enough to get a few decent ones with the beautiful milky-way. We also lit a small campfire to keep ourselves warm.

Milky-Way from Achaley

 Our guide was originally from Nepal and and after an accident during a climbing expedition he broke his hand and a leg and was lucky to be alive. Now he makes his living as a guide for small treks and as a cook. We tucked ourselves into our comfortable down sleeping bags after filling ourselves with delicious corn soup,chapatis, dal and alu-gobi sabji prepared by our talented guide.

DAY 3: ACHALEY (3100 mtrs) to KALIJAR (3600 mtrs)
The next morning was chilly, we found that the entire tent was covered in frost so is everything within 3 feet of the ground; a frozen world slowly coming to life as the first rays of the sun touched it. we watched this transition with childlike curiosity.

Frozen World

Mandatory early morning hot tea charged us up and we finished packing as the porters hurried to make our breakfast. We were surprised to see fried rice, poached eggs as our breakfast, we expected something much less grander. Without wasting much time we set out for Hageypani (3000 mtrs) just another km further.

Views Near Hageypani

The first half kilometer took us downhill through an alpine forest full with maple, pine and bamboo trees, with an occasional stream mingling with the trek route. Then  we climbed up to reach Hageypani which has equally mesmerizing views. Bus Achaley is better as a campsite because its bigger and cleaner. It took us a little less than 1.5 hours to reach another resting point/campsite,

Thulodhap

Thulodhap (3000mtrs). Thulodhap is a wide saddle like landform  with a small stream flowing across it. It is a great place to camp. We stopped  here for hot cups of tea and noodle soup. From Thulodhap it is a steep climb for about 2 kms with Kanchendzonga to your right all the while.

Blue-Fronted Redstart

 After that the last stretch is through meadows full of small bushes and shrubs. Kalijar is just at the base of Phoktey Dara hilltop. The porters had to go 2 km down hill just to fetch water for us as the nearby stream had gone dry. I have read that many people prefer Phoktey Dara as their campsite, but there is no water or anything to shelter you from the cold mountain air.

Rufous Vented Tit

After our lunch we pitched our tents and roamed about in search of birds. We had been at it till the sunset. At night we were overwhelmed by the large starlit sky. Because that day was Diwali, a new moon the stars were more prominent than ever.

Hotel Milky-way

We were able to to take a nice photo of the milky way along with our tents. We could also see the city of Darjeeling at a distance to the south of our campsite. We took several group photos in the light of the campfire and after a sumptuous dinner went to sleep.

DAY 4: PHOKTEY DARA (3733 mtrs) to UTTAREY

We woke up at 4am and after a few minutes we were out of the tent. Everything around us was frozen, the grass, the shrubs, the roof of the tents. Everything around us glittered like billions of diamonds in the light from our LED headlamps. After a few minutes our guide came out of his tent and greeted us. We started walking in pitch darkness with only our cameras and lamps. It was freezing cold and our lungs burned by taking in cold air too fast. We were panting heavily, but we moved on because there were no place to even stand as the entire place was covered in thorn bushes and the trail was quite risky in the dark.

Any false step would result in plummeting to one's death, or at-least grave injury. By 5 am we were on the top. Phoktey dara not only provides you with front row seats to observe the Kanchendzonga range but also the mighty mountains of Nepal and China.

Kanchenjungha as seen from Phoktey Dara

Everest Behind Lhotse

 As the sun's first rays kissed the white mountain peaks we stood there , speechless. This is as close to heaven you can get without actually dying. It is not just the scenery but that indescribable feeling that wells up inside which makes these moments etch into your memory, forever.

Top: Kanchendzonga; Below: Dhaulagiri

We could have stayed there for hours but even with woolen gloves our fingers were frozen and we could no longer operate our cameras properly. So we decided to get down to our campsite. Within the next hour we packed everything up, had our breakfast and marched on towards Chewabhanjang.  The trail in this part is clearly better maintained as it lies on the border of Sikkim and Nepal. Chewabhanjang is actually an army base where we had to show our permits and ID cards. Then we braced ourselves for a stupendous 2km downhill hike to Chitrey. Chitrey is another paramilitary base situated deep down in the valley well-hidden by the trees and hills. We pressed on after necessary formalities at the checkpost . We skipped the 1km detour to Mainebas falls. The last 7-8 km of the trek seemed to stretch on forever. We had to cross a stream by jumping on slippery rocks because the wooden bridge was broken. After 5-6 km the route goes through Barsey Rhododendron sanctuary. November is not the season to enjoy the beautiful flowers in full bloom but we did manage to see different types of birds and orchids on our way. Weary and hungry we reached Sherpa Home stay at Uttarey at about 3 pm.

The next day we returned to Kolkata, to the same mundane life. Looking back I could still see the mesmerising view of the mountains and the warm smile of the hill-folks.