Darjeeling, Sikkim & the Singalila Ridge

Customer Reviews

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  Joshua Brown

  · November 7th, 2013
  This was my 3rd trip to beautiful India in 3 years and by far the best. Dilip the leader was an inspiration to all leaders and that made the trip superb.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?I felt a great warmth from the locals that we kept meeting along the way in the villages that we walked through in the trekking week.What did you think of your group leader?Dilip was amazing and so friendly and gave us so much of his knowledge and kept the group's spirits high on the rainiest days!
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  Trip date: November 2013
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  Pam Peers

  · October 29th, 2013
  This was a fantastic trip with a wonderful team leader and support team. Lots of variety, as much free time as you wanted, good food and excellent company. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?This is difficult as there were so many ...the sun cleared immediately after our arrival at the first camp site, after an afternoon of misty conditions.  We were able to see Kanchenjunga clearly that afternoon and at dawn the following day.Dillo's amazing Bollywood-style dancing at the end of trek celebration :-) cocktails/pink gin at the Windamere (sic) Hotel in Darjeeling.  Dilip managed to get us into the guests lounge, usually out of bounds for non-residents.the overnight train journey was surprisingly enjoyable, and the arrival in Calcutta in heavy rain was quite an experience.Sikkim was lovely!What did you think of your group leader?Dilip was an inspiration, and the group benefitted enormously from his leadership and superb organisational and team-leading skills.  He has established an impressive network of local people from the villages on the route, and we were welcomed warmly wherever we went.  His leadership style is very hands-on, and he himself greeted us every morning on trek with a cup of tea. He was constantly cheerful, despite the freak weather conditions we encountered on the trek, and was always looking for ways to make things more enjoyable for us all.  The chips and pakora were perfectly timed to lift our spirits after a day when misty conditions had obscured the mountain views that we'd all been looking forward to.  He was very good at solving all our problems, large and small - for example, when a few of us were queuing for the ladies loo in Sikkim, Dilip persuaded the restaurant owner to open the VIP toilets in the presidential suite for us.  His leadership ensured that we all had a very enjoyable holiday, despite freak weather conditions,  which were a side effect of the worst cyclone to hit the Bay of Bengal in 40 years.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Take a good sleeping 4-season bag and the best mattress you can afford (or borrow).  It did get very cold at night on the high points of the trek.Don't hesitate to book if you're thinking of doing this trip - it's been the best holiday we've had for years. Is there anything else you would like to add?Manu Lai is a great cook.  The support team was wonderful.  We were very sad to leave India and are already looking forward to our next trip.
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  Trip date: October 2013
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  Andrea Beech

  · May 15th, 2013
  a perfect trip, half trekking half culture. time to experience the gorgeous countryside/mountains and then chance to see the loca life.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Seeing Everest and Kanchenjunga all before breakfast! finishing the trek and wanting to start it all over again. very good for someone that is usually quite lazy.What did you think of your group leader?Dilip was great - lovely chap, great knowledge, fantastic moustache, so passionate about India, pours a great cup of tea.  felt very safe and relaxed with him aorund. the cook was fantastic too.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?A great ttrip if you are not sure if you want to do a full 2 week trek or you want to trek and experince the local culture as well.It was my first piont to piont trek and camping trek and was nervous but was no problem. i think a great start introduction to this sort of thing. The altutiude is not too high but a chance to test yourself.Is there anything else you would like to add?A very busy trip, but well worth it. great mix, great veiws. Memories that will stay with me for life. A previous review mentions long drives but they are not long at all 5-6 hours tops. The drives are stunning, the changes in the scenery on the drives are amazing, with great views, passing through villages, tea plantations, along the toy train. i enjoyed drving along the river and pulling faces at the monkeys along the road side
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  Trip date: May 2013
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  Diana Grosser

  · May 14th, 2013
  one of the best treks for variety and views of the himalayan range - a great intoduction for another higher altitude trek, for fitness and acclimitisation - more than a walk in the Cotswalds as advertised - and Dilip was a superb guide - could not do betterWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip?views into Nepal India and Sikkim and of course the view of the himalayas from Everest to KuchenjungaWhat did you think of your group leader?Dilip was exceptional in every way - helpful, caring, informative,  good sense of humour, reliable and a really decent human being. He had good relationships with his staff, who were all happy, and clients.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?do it - its short and join it with another trek latergood combination with trek and cultural tourIs there anything else you would like to add?northern india is amazingly clean, safe and a non hassle environment - unlike somewhere like     Himalyan India is clean safe and hassle free - compared to areas like Kolkatta where we finished the trip expect windy and bad roads, and taking for ever to get places because of this - it is part of India and every time is an 'experience'!    
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  Trip date: May 2013
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  Jan Osborne

  · April 25th, 2013
  There is something very special about the Himalayas and this trip offers two very different cultural experiences. However, if long journeys and monastaries are not your thing then it may not be the trip for you. The days are long and the itenarary busy there is not much free time for exploring places and markets. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?It has to be the scenery;  because you travel slowly and for such long distances you really can immerse yourself in the beauty of it all.  The evening chants at the monestary in Kalimpong was fantasic don't miss it. The guest house in Gangtok was charming. Darjeeling and Gangtok were bustling. lively towns with a great atmosphereHot stone bath in Bhutan and the wild spring flowers What did you think of your group leader?Our Indian guide was absolutely fantastic, he was really good fun, highly experienced and incredibly good at bringing the group together. Lovely person we could not have wished for anyone better.The Bhutanese guide was more formal and quieter, he had a gentle manner and was very pleasant.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?pack for cold weather some of the nights were really cold      Â don't take travellers cheques and pack lots of warm layers you will need them especially at night.     Is there anything else you would like to add?The accomodation was much better than expected infact some of the places we stayed in were really lovely it was just a shame we had so little time to enjoy them. I would strongly recomend that you fly out to Delhi a day early to "aclimatize" as you hit the deck running from day 1 with another flight and an incredibly long car journey this is not fun if you are exhausted from a night flight out from London and very little sleep the day before.
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  Trip date: April 2013
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  Bill Ferguson

  · November 23rd, 2012
  A really good combination - a trek with marvellous scenery, including views of Kanchenjunga and Everest, coupled with the chance to tour round some very interesting parts of North East India, Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kolkata.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The sunrises over Everest and Kanchenjunga - spectacular and well worth getting up at 5h30 for.A fabulous sunset at Kalapokhari.Watching the steam locos prepare to pull the Toy Train from Darjeeling to Ghoom. From seeing the coal unloaded by hand through to making the journey itself.The chance to see Sikkim and its capital, Gangtok, the most unIndian place we've been to in India.What did you think of your group leader?Dilip was an outstanding leader, he was sensitive to the mood and desires of the group; he was a constant source of information and was very clear in setting out what each day held for us.On the trek, he had assembled an excellent support team from cook through local guide to porters and his deputy. How the cook, Mani Lal, turned out such high quality food at an altitude of >12,000 feet while using only 2 Primus stoves remains a mystery. If he comes to the UK , he can cook at our daughters' weddings next year. On the touring part of the holiday, he was flexible and understood when we wanted to spend more time at a Site or monastery but always made sure we made our important connections.He added a valuable, extra element to our appreciation of India and our enjoyment of the whole holiday.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?It gets very cold at night on the trek, particularly so in the period between finishing walking and eating dinner ( 5-7pm). You really need a 4 season sleeping bag and plenty of layers to keep warm. The hot water bottles were a lifesaver.Take a case as well as the Trek Bag. You will leave it in the Darjeeling Hotel and will have plenty of clean, fresh clothes to use in the second part.Is there anything else you would like to add?The walking part of the trek should not present any significant difficulty to someone who can walk for 4-5 hours in the UK. Although it hovers around the 12,000-13,000 mark most of the time, there is a lot of up and down but there is plenty of time so there's always the opportunity to enjoy the scenery.This is a great chance to combine an interesting walk with a visit to an equally interesting part of India. Go for it!
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  Trip date: November 2012