The mountains are calling

When our son Sid turned 10, we wanted to give him memories to last a lifetime. So our gift to him was the Barsey Rhododendron Trek in Sikkim.

We were accompanied by a group of nine children (aged between nine and 14) and six adults. A friend from Kipepeo, a tour company, helped us organise the eight-day-long trip. We first went to Bagdogra and then reached Sombarey by road. It was a long drive with a beautiful view of mountains and River Teesta. 

Day two started with a good breakfast and tea prepared by the cooks who had joined us from here. We reached Hilley by road and went to Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary to start the hike.

As we entered the sanctuary, we were taken aback by the riot of colours and the different kinds of plants  like rhododendrons, ferns and bamboo. With our phones switched off, we were thrilled to enjoy nature at its best as we couldn’t even hear the sound of the vehicles as we went deeper into the lush green forest. 

We reached the campsite in Barsey, which is 9,900 feet above sea level, by afternoon and started pitching tents. The campsite was amidst the mountain ranges with a beautiful view and much to our pleasure, even the yaks joined us! Evening was playtime for the kids and the night was spent gazing at the stars while enjoying a delicious meal of hot ‘dal-chawal’.

The route that we took covered Barsey, Joreybotey, Thulo Dhap, Chittery and Uttarey and we had to hike 10 km each day. 

The next day, due to heavy rains, we just covered a short distance while a light drizzle and clouds kept us company. We woke up early to a spectacular view of the snow-covered peaks. The mighty ‘Kanchenjunga’ was simply enchanting. 

The route to Rhododendrons was mesmerising with the sun shining at the peaks. We spotted sun birds, bulbuls and minivets. Heading towards Thulo Dhap (9,500 feet), we passed the forest with a variety of bamboos, rhododendrons and white magnolias.

We also saw the Singalila Pass (India-Nepal Pass) on the way and called it a day at a large plain grassland with a narrow stream running next to us. The highlight of the trip was a football match among the kids and porters at an altitude of 10,000 feet! 

We skipped Chittery as we had lost one day to the rains and headed towards Uttarey (6551 feet). It was our last day so close to the forests and we savoured every moment of it. We picked strawberries on the way and by late afternoon, we were back to civilisation and went to Darap, a beautiful small village tucked among the hillocks. We crossed the Singshore Hanging Bridge (which is the second highest bridge in Asia) and visited the Pemagyatse Monastery. 

We travelled along the curvy, hilly roads and reached Khecheopalri Lake. Known as the ‘Wishing Lake’ (it is believed as the footprint of Goddess Tara and considered sacred among locals). We then headed to Kalimpong and spent the night in yet another cosy homestay. 

As we reached Bagdogra on the last day of our journey, we had a heavy heart. It was hard to say goodbye to the mountains and more importantly, to each other. But that was the start of yet another journey and we parted with memories to cherish for life.

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