Stage 5: The Descent (Phalut to Gorkhey) (15km, 4–5 hours)

Drop down through bamboo forests into the gorgeous valley of Gorkhey. With its cornfields and the meandering Gorkhey Khola stream, it looks like a scene from a storybook. It’s the perfect place to soak your tired feet in the river.

Next Steps: From Gorkhey, trek to Srikhola (another lovely riverside hamlet) and catch a shared jeep back to Darjeeling or NJP.