Tumling Travel Guide: Where to Stay, What to Do, and What You Can Eat

A Brief Introduction of Tumling, its Location, and Trek Itinerary

First thing, a lot of people ask the same question: Where exactly is Tumling? I got multiple questions about the exact location as well as which country it belongs to – India or Nepal. To be honest, Tumling is a part of the Singalila National Park, and a stop on the way to Sandakphu. Sandakphu is considered, as per Wikipedia, ” the highest peak in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the highest point of the Singalila Ridge in Darjeeling district on the West Bengal–Nepal border.” Given the fact that the borders are quite blurred between West Bengal and Nepal in this context and no passports are required to reach Sandakphu, it can be said that this region is a bit of a no-man’s land, skewing more towards Nepal than India. That said, the amount of tourism obtained are primarily from the Indian subcontinent, so the conclusions drawn are entirely up to you. Tumling is located halfway through the Sandakphu trek, and a normal trek to and fro will be about 4-6 days, depending on route, efficiency, speed, and the general expertise of the persons undertaking the trek.

Sandakphu Trek Route

Ideally, your route should be as follows, from Maneybhanjan, for a Sandakphu trek:

• Day One: Maneybhanjan to Tumling
• Day Two: Tumling to Kalipokhri
• Day Three: Kalipokhri to Sandakphu
• Day Four: Sandakphu to Srikhola

From Srikhola, you can then take a car back to New Jalpaiguri, or if you want to continue exploration, you can go somewhere else. Now, many people may add a day’s trekking from Sandakphu to Phalut. That way, you can extend your trek to a couple of days more. Many people also stop at Chitrey or Meghma before Tumling to have a more relaxed trek, and that’s perfectly okay. Tumling is also a great day trip from Darjeeling or Kurseong – you have to book a car till Maneybhanjan and then take a land rover to Tumling, or even go all the way to Sandakphu. It will take you about 2.5-3 hours to reach Sandakphu, with breaks for tea/coffee.

How to Reach Tumling from New Jalpaiguri (Siliguri)

Since I had literally very little time in my hand and I was in no mood to trek, the decision was made to reach Tumling by car. We travelled to New Jalpaiguri Station via Darjeeling Mail (2AC). Once there, I had booked a car to Maneybhanjan from NJP Station with my trusted driver Bhajan, who has been driving me around the mountains of East Himalayas for years now. Bhajan can be reached at +917679941561 and the charges are between 3200-3500 for the current season (November 2020) for a four-seater car. He dropped us at Maneybhanjan, in front of the Singalila National Park Entrance. There’s a ticket booth there for Singalila Land Rover Owner’s Welfare Association, and you can purchase a one-way trip or a two-way trip, depending on how long you intend to stay there. The charges for a one-way trip to Tumling, as of November 2020, for a one-way ride, is INR 1500, and 3-5 people can comfortably make the journey in a land rover. You can call them and check the current rates at +917047703308, +918670206620, as well as +919647790545, for now.

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Since we were staying for two days, we decided to choose a one-way ticket, and then, right before entering the national park, we bought entrance tickets which cost us INR 120/- each from the Visitor’s Center at Maneybhanjan. We did not require to show an ID but it is advisable to carry an ID proof with your address on it on you at all times during travelling.

Note this: the park closes at 2 pm sharp, so if you are late, you will be stuck at Maneybhanjan for the night. In that case, just go down to Ghoom or Darjeeling from there, spend the night in a hotel, and come back next morning.

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We literally entered the Singalila national park with ten minutes to spare, and then it was a picturesque, if a little winding crawl up the hills to Tumling. It would take you anywhere between 1 to 1.5 hours to reach Tumling, and our driver, Tashi, kept us entertained with music. At around 3 pm in the afternoon, we reached Tumling.

Where to Stay in Tumling

Now, I had asked around where to stay in Tumling, and virtually everyone recommended Shikhar Lodge in Tumling. The best way to contact them is via WhatsApp. The contact person at Shikhar Lodge is Nila di, who is available at +918597283906. Send her a text or give her a WhatsApp call at that number to book your room. Shikhar Lodge is a gorgeous cottage situated very close to the main road, and is beautifully maintained. You can also check out multiple such hamlets when you search Google. There’s Satkar Lodge right beside Shikhar Lodge, as well as Siddarth Lodge.

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Staying in Shikhar Lodge, Tumling

The initial plan was done by Debjani for the stay, who called up her friend in Tumling to discuss a plan. We had first thought of staying in Chitrey, but her wise friend said that the view was far better here in Tumling, and it was also better for walking around and trekking. Taking his advice, we booked Shikhar Lodge in Tumling and paid INR 1200/- per person per night for stay as well as breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.

As we reached Tumling, it was already 3 pm, but Nila di had kept some warm food for us, and we ended up eating a very basic meal of rice, dal, fried potatoes, a simple side dish of vegetables, and egg curry.

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There were several interesting and unique pickles to choose from, and while I loved the hot bamboo shoot one, D (hereto Debjani should be called that) fell in love with the sweet tamarind pickle and would demand it with virtually every meal. There were more admirers of this pickle, especially amongst the trekking and photography circle, as I discovered later.

The rooms in Shikhar Lodge are all named, and we were assigned Saipatri, room no. 9. I had the opportunity to visit several other rooms, and I have included some photos to provide an idea about the stay situation. Rooms come with attached bath and western-style commode, and hot water is available by the bucket in the morning.

Nila di uses solar panels to heat water required for washing and cooking, and also to charge some of the room lights. This is both sustainable and practical, and something I wholeheartedly approve of.

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After lunch, I lay down for awhile to adjust my breathing a bit, since I am an asthmatic dumbass with a passion for high altitudes. An hour later, I felt much better and ventured out to see what is one of the most beautiful sunset hues I have ever experienced in my life. As I watched, mesmerized, the dogs in the house came over to cautiously sniff and then befriend me, and we ended up spending a quiet few moments sitting there.

The cold was increasing at a steady pace, so we went into the main lobby to enjoy the heat from a small stove and eat some snacks. We were served crunchy cabbage fritters and hot, milky tea, and then the rest of the evening was spent listening to music and drinking some brandy that D had judiciously picked up. We also had picked up some peach wine, which was so sweet that I gave up after a couple of sips.

Dinner was more or less the same as lunch, except for the addition of a devastatingly simple but incredible radish and fresh chhurpi (yak cheese) pickle, with some pounded dalley chillies added for the extra zing. I might have had more than my share of it, while D consumed my share of fruit custard.

We were also offered some Tongba (a millet drink traditionally associated with the Limbu people) which we politely declined. Both of us had tried it before, and we both felt it wasn’t our cup of tea, so we stuck to the brandy which was more to ward off the cold than anything else.

Next morning, I woke up to bright sunlight coming through the windows. D had gotten up much before me to catch the sunrise, but I was in no mood to follow her path, and instead, headed up to the top of the hill towards the pagoda, a mere 10-15 minute walk from the lodge, to catch a glimpse of the magnificent and unrestricted view of Kanchenjunga.

Turning my gaze to the left, I further spotted some more mountains which I couldn’t identify but I figured they were peaks close to the Everest. I walked further up the road to Tumling Fatak (gate), and the mountains to the left looked closer and closer to what I had seen in maps. It was quite clear to me what I was seeing ahead was not a small peak but probably Makalu, and quite possibly, Everest. I am going to link my photo with a reference photo taken by Subro Das from the Indiahikes web page here.

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A Brief Overview of Tonglu and Where to Stay There

We then walked towards Tonglu, which is another hamlet you can stay in, about 1 kilometre down the line. With a beautiful lake and wild horses grazing around it, Tonglu offers a beautiful vista that, in the words of a fellow photographer, “brings you back over and over again”.

There’s a rather lovely property you can stay in there, Tonglu GTA, for which you can call Pemba at 9635231248 to book a room or a bed in the dormitory. As of November 2020, beds in the dorm are available at INR 250/- per bed.

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We then headed back to Tumling. Lunch was similar to the previous days’, but in the evening, after a brisk walk, we were offered some homemade Rhododendron wine by Nila di, and a side of fried chicken, which was thusly converted to Chilli Chicken later the night, and we had it with some fried rice and more fruit custard.

Next morning, armed with some more Tibetan bread, i.e., woeshang phalay, we headed back to Maneybhanjan. Tashi drove up around 9 am and we were back after our brief stint. From Maneybhanjan, we took a car to Darjeeling, which cost us, at November 2020, INR 1500/-.

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Our brief stay in Tumling was, I can safely say, one of the most relaxing ones I have had recently. As Tumling didn’t have any network, if you’re headed there, be prepared to go without internet for the stay, and you’ll get phone network only in the main road, and that too in a very small space. It does give you a digital detox, something that I absolutely loved, and I will probably return for another round of it soon.

Travelling in Indian Railways post-COVID-19 and Safety Measures Afterwards

I did take the train to NJP, mostly to see the situation of Indian railways post-Covid. At present, stations are stricter when it comes to checks and you may have to wait for sometime to enter the platform, since we did get our luggage checked before entering the platform. Some of the things you should keep with you while travelling via train during this time are as follows:

1. Sanitizers are a must, and you will have to sanitize your seat very thoroughly before entering.
2. Wear a mask as much as possible. I used Lee and Lou Masks throughout my trip, and they were very comfortable to wear and can be washed over and over again.
3. Carry your own blankets and bedding if you intend to sleep or are doing a long journey.
4. You can book a packaged meal via the IRCTC app, but it is a really good idea to carry your own food and water. Pantry cars are now not functioning, so the best idea would be to stick to dry food and packaged drinking water, or water you’re carrying with you.
5. Check with the state you are travelling to and see if you need any specific permit/protocol/guide. Since I was travelling intra-state, I did not require this, but you will find a guideline in the IRCTC app.
6. The Aarogya Setu app isn’t mandatory, but is recommended, and can be downloaded to your phone if you want.
7. In case you have COVID-19 symptoms or are still in COVID-19 quarantine period, it is best to not travel for fun. Initially, we were travelling in a group of three, but one of us had a fever, and she decided to not travel.

Safe Practices and Ensuring Reduced Contagion

1. It is always a good idea to travel with the best safety practices. While travelling, WEAR A MASK as much as possible, especially when you come in contact with people.
2. Maintain social distance as much as possible, especially if you are going to a place where other people are also there.
3. Carry sanitizers and use them wherever you feel its necessary. Remember, it pays to be a germophobe.
4. Please carry your own medication as well as first aid, especially if you are travelling to a remote region.
5. Once back to your destination, ideally prepare a room (with a separate bathroom if possible) where you can stay in isolation for at least 3-4 days, if not more. Before leaving I had to clean up my attic and am currently there as I type.
6. In case you develop COVID-19 symptoms after travelling, immediately get a test done.

In Conclusion

I hope this post was able to give you as much information as possible about Tumling. This was truly a wonderful trip for me, and as I sit here in my room, away from the family, to avoid infection, I have to admit that the changes that have happened in the last few months are truly devastating. Every single person I have spoken to during this trip talked about the humungous financial as well as personal losses that have happened, and a lot has changed. During the five days of travel, I was told about some incredibly painful stories and truths that have shaken me to the core, and as a blogger, I would urge you all to be careful, maintain all precautions, and pray for the best.