Few corners of the Eastern Himalaya reward the patient traveller as generously as this remote trio of villages clinging to the wooded ridges of the Singalila Range, within striking distance of some of the world's highest peaks.
Rimbik is the most substantial settlement, a dusty, cheerful bazaar town that serves as the traditional finish (or start) of the Singalila Ridge trek. Twelve kilometres downhill, Srikhola crouches beside a clear mountain stream in a forest of rhododendron and alder, barely a village at all, more a rumour of rooftops in the trees. Gurdum, a few steep hours above Srikhola on the Sandakphu route, is where the forest gives way to open ridge and the mountains reveal themselves with an abruptness that takes your breath quite as much as the altitude.
Together they form an arc of experience that is deeply Nepali in character, the dominant language, cuisine and culture all drawn from the hills of Nepal, yet entirely and unmistakably part of the Darjeeling hills. Come for the trekking, stay for the silence, and leave wondering why the rest of India doesn't know this place exists.
The Three Villages
Rimbik (~2,280m/7,480ft)
The largest and most accessible of the three, Rimbik is a genuine small-town bazaar with a clutch of trekkers’ lodges, a handful of shops stocked with biscuits and rum and a weekly market. It anchors the southern end of the Singalila Ridge trail and is the most common exit point for trekkers finishing at Phalut. The town itself is unremarkable but the setting, perched between forested ridges with long views south toward the Terai plains, is lovely.
Srikhola (~1,830m/6,000ft)
Arguably the most beautiful of the three, Srikhola is draped in subtropical forest along the banks of the Srikhola river. The stream, cold, fast and crystalline, is audible from every guesthouse. This is a serious birding destination in its own right; the forest transition zone hosts an extraordinary range of species. As a trek basecamp it is cooler and greener than Rimbik, with an atmosphere of genuine seclusion rarely found so close to a road.
Gurdum (~2,290m/7,500ft)
A small cluster of homes and a handful of teahouses on the flanks of the ridge above Srikhola, Gurdum marks the point where forest opens into high pasture. The mountain views here are extraordinary, with Kanchenjunga, Kabru, Rathong and Kokthang all visible on a clear morning. Some trekkers base here rather than continuing to Sandakphu. The community is tight-knit and welcoming; the night sky is extraordinary.
People, Culture & Religion
The communities of the Singalila foothills are predominantly Nepali-speaking Gorkhas, with significant communities of Tamang, Sherpa, Rai and Limbu people. There is also a Lepcha presence in some of the lower valleys; the Lepcha are considered the original inhabitants of the Darjeeling hills, with a culture and language of extraordinary antiquity that is now sadly endangered.
Buddhism and Hinduism sit lightly alongside each other here, in the easy syncretism typical of the eastern Himalaya, where Hindu prayer flags stand beside Tibetan Buddhist mani stones and village shrines resist any tidy classification. Monastery visits require respectful dress (cover shoulders and legs) and the removal of shoes at the threshold. Photography inside temples and monasteries should only be attempted after asking permission.
