[blackwasp]

Great pics PapaBravo! Good to see an AWD going places. The Duster is an understated car and still is one of the best rides today. A while back (~2016ish), we did ask for a TD of the Duster AWD and though we liked the car, it was big for what we needed. Finally settled in on the Punto Abarth.

I still remember the experience of taking that car on bad roads and not feeling a thing.

[Samfromindia]

Wow finally you did it ! I guess this makes you the fourth person with a AWD to scale its heights and perhaps the first one to do so without a convoy and group. I wonder why did you chose April instead of October/November when the views are mostly clear. However blooming rhododendrons has their own charm during this time. Rated 5 Stars.

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Walk back to our AirBNB

Attachment 1870855

This wasn't there last time i went. However its common in all cities & tourist points these days.

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Hulk at Upper Chitrey (Looks like Windows XP background, doesn't it)

True indeed, striking resemblance with perhaps the most popular wallpaper of all time: Bliss.

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

We were down at Maneybhanjan shortly and saw this board

Attachment 1871133

I have heard stories of fearless bikers making their way to the summit. I guess its no longer possible. Amidst all the unrest of LR association and the grim future for private 4x4 vehicles, i wonder how the Polo made it up that far

Originally Posted by Samba

Am jealous, very jealous!
So all i can say is, a fiery red Duster will look better with the red Rhododendrons.

We are eagerly waiting for that trip to see how Sandakphu will look through the eyes of your lens !

[arjab]

Ominous signs of LR Association's attempts at playing spoilsport for self drive enthusiasts wishing to go to Sandakphu in their own vehicle.
It's a sensitive topic actually. From the economic point of view, the LR Association has a point, but that doesn't mean you can hinder an individual's free movement in one's own country. From what I see, during peak season it'll be difficult, if not impossible, to drive up to Sandakphu oneself, without LR Association "approval"
Being, West Bengal, where things usually take it's own sweet time to "work out", I don't know how far the local police or administration will help the self drive owner to get a hassle free passage.
One way of minimising mutual heartburn is to institute a fixed road user fee, by the state administration, in aid of the people of the area , which self drive owners can pay and proceed

[fiestarry]

Congratulations on your wonderful trip. I wonder where you acquired the skill to drive on that path. I had trekked up to Sandakphu in 2012 but had to come down in a Landover 1953 model. It was a scary experience in the misty gloom with a visibility of less than 10 feet from the bumper.
Hope to do the trip sometime again.

[SamitMukherjee]

Great pictures and Travelogue PapaBravo. Sandakphu is always a favourite among mountain lovers.
Good to see that your Duster could navigate the slush and steep inclines without much fuss.
It's always a special feeling taking your own drive along to the extremes and it is sad that LR association is not allowing it. But they are also correct in their own terms.
Travelling to mountains in April has got its own charm as flowers makes the valley picturesque.
Looking forward for many more travelogue in your Duster.
Keep revving

[sayakc]

Wow Pawan! So, finally you too have found the holy grail.
Sandakphu is a very difficult route and reaching the top in an automobile is a stuff of legends. I have trekked to the Sandakphu/Phalut trail but whenever anyone someone drives, its awe inspiring - speaks of nerves and capability.

Thats great to hear! And you too should join her from now

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

This changed last year when my wife, Meghna, went for a 7 day trek to Sandakphu

BR,
Sayak

[ARAY]

Dear Pavanda,
You Sir have always raised the bar by few notches wherever you travel. I like an obedient disciple follow the track you have paved and paved really good for rookies like us. Lots of epic pictures to understand the terrain. Look forward to such great blogs from you. Long live DusterAWD ! Thanks for sharing this experience with us. Keep travelling !

[SS-Traveller]

Short and sweet write-up, PapaBravo. Like your style of writing.

So the Sandakphu LR Association, in their own economic interest, is cutting off journeys by private vehicles to the top. Though this might be environmentally welcome, the fallout may well be a drop in tourists and a resultant drop in business for the hotel owners at Sandakphu. Once the Land Rovers get replaced by other 4x4 vehicles (which they eventually will in the short to medium term), one of the charming aspects of going to Sandakphu would be lost forever. Unless, of course, Tata-JLR steps in and refurbishes all these heritage vehicles at a subsidised cost.

Wanted to see dashcam videos of your Duster negotiating the last few km through the slush and around the hairpins. Saved those clips?

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by Samba

Am jealous, very jealous!
So all i can say is, a fiery red Duster will look better with the red Rhododendrons.

Jokes apart.
Kudos to your driving skill for doing this trip all alone without the help of any backup vehicle. Excellent pics and write-up. Loved reading it.
Rated 5*.

Thanks a lot Samba!! Fiery Red Duster would awesome, especially through your lens.

Originally Posted by SJM1214

Ther road to Sandakphu top looks scary to me. I have seen many videos of AWD vehicle negotiating that tough patch. Great to see Duster AWD negotiated this route nicely.

Thanks, PapaBravo for a crisp report with amazing photographs.

Thanks SJM1214. The road to top is indeed scary. Not too many AWDs have been there. It is mostly part time 4WDs which have 4 Low that make it up.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Great pics PapaBravo! Good to see an AWD going places. The Duster is an understated car and still is one of the best rides today. A while back (~2016ish), we did ask for a TD of the Duster AWD and though we liked the car, it was big for what we needed. Finally settled in on the Punto Abarth.

I still remember the experience of taking that car on bad roads and not feeling a thing.

Thanks blackwasp !! Duster has kept me happy on numerous road trips. Even with the spartan interiors it is quite practical. Regarding the Abarth, I am sure Abarth will give you way more fun than the Duster.

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Wow finally you did it ! I guess this makes you the fourth person with a AWD to scale its heights and perhaps the first one to do so without a convoy and group. I wonder why did you chose April instead of October/November when the views are mostly clear. However blooming rhododendrons has their own charm during this time. Rated 5 Stars.

Thank you Sam !! We had a pre-planned trip last October to Bhutan, so this was given a miss. Rhododendrons made up for it.

This wasn't there last time i went. However its common in all cities & tourist points these days.

This is a new addition. Infact, There is a Kurseong & Mirik version of the same as well.

I have heard stories of fearless bikers making their way to the summit. I guess its no longer possible. Amidst all the unrest of LR association and the grim future for private 4x4 vehicles, i wonder how the Polo made it up that far

I am not sure whether to say it or not, but I don't think Polo can make it to 5 kms from the top. It is not just about the incline but the road condition as well. If Duster gets underbody hits, you can imagine the plight of Polo.

We are eagerly waiting for that trip to see how Sandakphu will look through the eyes of your lens !

Same here.

Originally Posted by arjab

It's a sensitive topic actually. From the economic point of view, the LR Association has a point, but that doesn't mean you can hinder an individual's free movement in one's own country. From what I see, during peak season it'll be difficult, if not impossible, to drive up to Sandakphu oneself, without LR Association "approval"

One way of minimising mutual heartburn is to institute a fixed road user fee, by the state administration, in aid of the people of the area , which self drive owners can pay and proceed

A sensitive topic indeed. No personal experience but have been told that if you give the fare for one landrover to the top, you can take your private car instead.

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Congratulations on your wonderful trip. I wonder where you acquired the skill to drive on that path. I had trekked up to Sandakphu in 2012 but had to come down in a Landover 1953 model. It was a scary experience in the misty gloom with a visibility of less than 10 feet from the bumper.
Hope to do the trip sometime again.

Thanks a lot fiestarry !! The route does have its scary moments.

Originally Posted by SamitMukherjee

Great pictures and Travelogue PapaBravo. Sandakphu is always a favourite among mountain lovers.
Good to see that your Duster could navigate the slush and steep inclines without much fuss.
It's always a special feeling taking your own drive along to the extremes and it is sad that LR association is not allowing it. But they are also correct in their own terms.
Travelling to mountains in April has got its own charm as flowers makes the valley picturesque.
Looking forward for many more travelogue in your Duster.
Keep revving

Thanks for the appreciation SamitMukherjee. It was a bit difficult for Duster but manageable.

Originally Posted by sayakc

Wow Pawan! So, finally you too have found the holy grail.
Sandakphu is a very difficult route and reaching the top in an automobile is a stuff of legends. I have trekked to the Sandakphu/Phalut trail but whenever anyone someone drives, its awe inspiring - speaks of nerves and capability.

Thanks a lot Sayak for the appreciation. It is indeed a difficult one.

Thats great to hear! And you too should join her from now

My wife has been asking me to join her on trek & I am quiet close to giving in. Don't be surprised if the next travelogue is on a trek . I have already started prep by doing Tiger's Nest (Bhutan) & Blue Lagoon/Double root bridge (Meghalaya).

Originally Posted by ARAY

Dear Pavanda,
You Sir have always raised the bar by few notches wherever you travel. I like an obedient disciple follow the track you have paved and paved really good for rookies like us. Lots of epic pictures to understand the terrain. Look forward to such great blogs from you. Long live DusterAWD ! Thanks for sharing this experience with us. Keep travelling !

You sir are far too kind with your words. Thanks a lot. Your Duster AWD is no less. I am sure if you were here in the east part, you would have travelled a lot more.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Short and sweet write-up, PapaBravo. Like your style of writing.

Thank you SS Da !!

Wanted to see dashcam videos of your Duster negotiating the last few km through the slush and around the hairpins. Saved those clips?

As luck would have it, there is no dashcam footage of the uphill drive. My dashcam was not working since Meghalaya trip & I had borrowed Sayantan's (Ghostrider28) dashcam from the trip. Never did I imagine that that would conk off as well. Formatted the cam at the top so have the downhill videos. Also, some phone recorder shaky videos of the uphill climb are available. Shall upload them on youtube & share.

Cheers,

Pawan

[DriveTrain]

Congrats Pawan for ticking off the apex bucket list item that pertain to Hulk with great finesse ! The speed with which you get your travelogue out after conclusion of each trip is exceptional. Your hallmark narration and beautiful snaps continue to keep us enthralled, eagerly looking forward to read about your next adventure.

For the initial steep downhill part, how good was the control with only engine braking , if that was at all possible ? I presume that you had the AWD Lock mode on during the critical steep ascent and descent phases ? The pictures of Hulk in that terrain are simply stunning.

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

Congrats Pawan for ticking off the apex bucket list item that pertain to Hulk with great finesse ! The speed with which you get your travelogue out after conclusion of each trip is exceptional. Your hallmark narration and beautiful snaps continue to keep us enthralled, eagerly looking forward to read about your next adventure.

Thanks a lot Angshuman Da !!

For the initial steep downhill part, how good was the control with only engine braking , if that was at all possible ? I presume that you had the AWD Lock mode on during the critical steep ascent and descent phases ? The pictures of Hulk in that terrain are simply stunning.

The gradient is very high. So engine braking was not able to hold the car, brake tapping is a necessity. Infact, on the steepest ones it is not possible to come down on one go. One has to brake stop start again. 4Lock was engaged on all steep ascents but only few steep descents.

Cheers,

Pawan

[Unavowed_X9]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Since we had left early, we had enough time to go slow & explore the places that we had left while going up. We stopped at a small lake by the side of the road. It was too foggy for any good pictures but here are some...

Oh my!
What an improvement on the roads! Glad to see the transformation, but not too happy with the after-effects that would follow - the crowd rather than the connoisseur.
Great TL and doing it solo without a low-ratio GB is a feat well acoomplished. My ride was the first Pajero to scale Sandakphu, and boy I am glad I did it when the roads were so bad!
Looking forward to another drive while on my way back from the North-East sometime.

Cheers.

[me_sid]

Amazing travelogue Pawan. And a great feat. What else can I say, other than 5 stars.

Regards
Sid

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by Unavowed_X9

Oh my!
What an improvement on the roads! Glad to see the transformation, but not too happy with the after-effects that would follow - the crowd rather than the connoisseur.

Roads have definitely improved but the last 5 kms remains as it is.

Great TL and doing it solo without a low-ratio GB is a feat well acoomplished. My ride was the first Pajero to scale Sandakphu, and boy I am glad I did it when the roads were so bad!
Looking forward to another drive while on my way back from the North-East sometime.

Thanks a lot Unavowed_X9 !!

Originally Posted by me_sid

Amazing travelogue Pawan. And a great feat. What else can I say, other than 5 stars.

Regards
Sid

Thanks a ton Sunny Da !!

Cheers,

Pawan

[BlackPearl]

Congratulations on reaching the Mecca of Four Wheel Drive lovers in Eastern India with your trusted steed!

Sorry for being late to reply to this thread. I cannot believe I took so much time to reply to a thread on Sandakphu!

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Day 2 : Darjeeling to Sandakphu
Got up early in the morning to see the mighty Kanchenjunga. Walked a bit to the view point to see the peak. All the pictures are taken by phone hence not of high quality.

I have told you in person and writing it here again, it is blasphemous to take just a mobile phone to click pictures in Sandakphu; not just Sandakphu, any place worth visiting. It is because of people like you, the camera companies will go out of business

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Another one with a Bolero 4WD. Hulk was the only vehicle on top with power windows

I read this line twice. It was like deja vu. I have seen something similar in a travelogue, long time back!

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Without any view, there was nothing to keep us on the top for more time and we thought of exploring more on our way back to Maneybhanjan. We started at 8am from Sandakphu on our downhill journey. Encountered fog and rain while coming down .....

Every season in Sandakphu has its own charm. With the mountains, you cannot be lucky all the time to get clear weather and who knows that better than you. The beautiful rhododendrons in full bloom this time along with fog and rain must have eased the pain of not getting a clear view of Kanchenjungha. During my visit in April with ADC da, the visibility in Phalut had reduced to less than 10 feet! Anyways, there is always a next time and wish you get a view like this in future -