Peaks Visible
Don’t get misled by the easy rating of Sandakphu. The trail still takes you to a maximum altitude of 3627 M and offers views of some of the highest mountains in the world. From the peak of Sandakhpu, we can see Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu! These are some of the most prominent 8000ers you can spot from India and being able to spot them all at once is extremely rare!
The Goechala trek takes you all the way to the base of Mt.Kanchenjunga! If that’s not good enough, the enormous pass offers views of 12 towering peaks that are surely the best highlight of the trek. Talung, Rathong, Simvo and Pandim are some of the peaks that make for a dramatic landscape with Kanchenjunga stealing the show in all her grandiosity and might.
While you can still see Kanchenjunga from Sandakphu, the Goechala trail takes you right to its base leaving you in awe of the mountain and processing just how close to it you really are.
Terrain and Seasons
While Sandakphu is an easy trek, it does have its fair bit of challenges in the form of a few steep ascents, slippery descents, long distances and unpredictable weather. A majority of the route takes us through thick forests and dirt trails that leave us at a quaint village at the end of the day. A few days into the trek we also encounter bushy patches here and there. The descent on the last day involves a walk on a bed of leaves which can be slippery, particularly if it has been raining. Sandakphu is accessible in both winters and summers, transforming its landscape from one season to the next.
The challenging trail of Goechala offers varying terrain throughout with steep ascents and descents. The first two days take you through thick forests and as you move up, you leave the treeline behind to enter into drier mountainous terrain. The forests are often infested with leeches which make the climb more challenging than it already is. The dry rocky terrain from Dzongri tests your endurance and demands proper acclimatization to keep moving forward. In winters, the trail is covered in snow and the entire landscape is painted white. This trek makes for a great choice for a winter trek for experienced trekkers looking for a rewarding challenge.
Flora and Fauna
Thick bamboo, Magnolia, Oak and Rhododendrons are a common sight on the Sandakphu trek. Sandakphu is also known as the ‘mountain of poisonous plants’ owing to its heavy concentration of Himalayan Cobra Lilies. Red Panda, Barking Deer, Leopard Cat and Himalayan Black Bear are frequently seen in the region. Birds like Blood Pheasants, Parrotbills and Old World Babblers are also found here.
Juniper, Silver Oak and Rhododendrons dominate the forests on the trail of Goechala. The trees get fewer in number and completely fade out as we make our way higher into the mountains. Similar to Sandakphu, Himalayan Black Bear, Red Panda and Barking Deers can be spotted on a lucky day.
