[1100D]

Originally Posted by Samba

One can always argue and go in without paying for the LR, but during a trip, it's best to avoid getting involved into a controversy with the locals.

Even at the cost of agreeing to daylight robbery? Also establishing it as an unwritten rule?

Anyways, easy for me to write this, as I am not headed back to Sandakphu ever, or in a long long time, as I am done with it.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Was never LR only territory.

All these years I was basking in the glory of my own candle until you blew it out

Originally Posted by dip27in

I did engage 4WD only for the last 7kms or so and LLC for the last 1km climb.

In my opinion one should engage 4WD whenever it is necessary. No point in putting pressure on the clutch when one has the option of engaging 4WD. I engaged 4WD in the Pajero Sport long before Gairibas.

Originally Posted by dip27in

BTW, my car is running 82k with stock clutch, it already had some vibrations due to minor slippages even during city runs but still it did it without any drama or fuss.

All the more reason to engage 4WD and save the clutch.

Originally Posted by Samba

White Sandakphu will remain a dream for me, until i own a vehicle with a proper low range!

I don't think so. It is just a matter of time and I am sure a vehicle like Duster under your capabale driving will easily make it. In fact the electronic aids on the Duster will be a lot more helpful than having just a low ratio gearbox without electronic aids.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

In my opinion one should engage 4WD whenever it is necessary. No point in putting pressure on the clutch when one has the option of engaging 4WD. I engaged 4WD in the Pajero Sport long before Gairibas.

No point in trying to prove any point and stressing the vehicle without any rhyme or reason. For obese vehicles it becomes that much more important to use the 4WD wisely

[sayakc]

I have a friend who is a brilliant bird photographer. So, in the initial days whenever he used to post photos of birds everyone used to gasp at his photography skills. Such, beyond par was his photography and we used to marvel at that.

His photography continues to be beyond par, but now those oohs and aahs have reduced.

Why? Because there is no word that we can use as an adjective.

And I think, its the same with you, Samba. Your travelogues, documentation and photography are par excellence. We can only marvel at that

Ei, ektu beshi hoye gelo hoyto

Best Regards,
Sayak

[dip27in]

I thank @blackpearl for encouraging me continuously for this trip and it indeed paid off finally.

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

No point in trying to prove any point and stressing the vehicle without any rhyme or reason. For obese vehicles it becomes that much more important to use the 4WD wisely

I don't think i tried to prove any point. Just that i never felt I was straining/stressing the car, may be my nerves are weak and I miss bit of informations from road surface or the car. I don't regret my decision either even after the trip. Will take the car again in similar territory, it's addictive and I don't think I will experiment otherwise.

To me, the entire road upto gairibas is doable in a rearwheel drive car. Except for the last 7km where gc is the main concern and not the gradient. IMHO.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by dip27in

To me, the entire road upto gairibas is doable in a rearwheel drive car. Except for the last 7km where gc is the main concern and not the gradient. IMHO.

I hope there was no Ground Clearance Issue with the Pajero SFX, Pajero Sport or the Scorpio. Although on Samba's ownership thread I saw that the Duster got a few underbelly hits. I guess more than the GC, people driving vehicles with longer wheel base will have to toil more and their skills will definitely come into play in this specific terrain.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Even at the cost of agreeing to daylight robbery? Also establishing it as an unwritten rule?

Actually once the trend is set by someone else, it gets very difficult for us to contradict later on.
Mostly, now we are left with 3 option's -
Comply with them.
Hire their vehicle.
Avoid going.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I don't think so. It is just a matter of time and I am sure a vehicle like Duster under your capabale driving will easily make it. In fact the electronic aids on the Duster will be a lot more helpful than having just a low ratio gearbox without electronic aids.

Actually in Duster the electronic aids helps more in climbing up, rather than coming down.
Even in 1st gear and 4wd Lock/Auto the car was not crawling while coming down. I had to constantly use the brakes.

Originally Posted by sayakc

And I think, its the same with you, Samba. Your travelogues, documentation and photography are par excellence. We can only marvel at that

Thanks a lot dada.

Originally Posted by dip27in

To me, the entire road upto gairibas is doable in a rearwheel drive car. Except for the last 7km where gc is the main concern and not the gradient. IMHO.

Originally Posted by AJ-got-BHP

Although on Samba's ownership thread I saw that the Duster got a few underbelly hits. I guess more than the GC, people driving vehicles with longer wheel base will have to toil more and their skills will definitely come into play in this specific terrain.

Am not the right person to comment on Sandakphu, as this was my first drive to Sandakphu. Am jotting down my understanding.
Veterans of Sandakphu please correct me, if i am wrong.

Till Sandakphu, my Duster hardly got one or two minor underbelly hits. The one i referred in my ownership report was on the way to Gote, which was towards Phalut. The 2 km stretch till Gote had lots of big boulders.

Upto Sandakphu, a minimum of 200 mm ground clearance should be okay.

Till date this is the steepest road i have seen in my life. If anyone is looking for more steeper inclines, then taking obstacles in an OTR is the way to go!

For an AWD -

You need to maintain a proper RPM. If one has to stop on an incline, he/she needs to rev and release the clutch.
So an AWD with a good turning radius will be manageable.
But an AWD with a bad turning radius & long wheelbase will be in trouble. Every-time the clutch will be abused when the car will require a 3 point turn or have to stop on an incline.

A long wheelbase AWD should not be taken!

For a 4x4 with a low range

A 4x4 with short turning radius, good articulation and short wheelbase is the ideal car for Sandakphu.
A long wheelbase 4x4 can be managed in the hands of a good driver too. But that will require some extra skill, where it will require 3 point turns. A long wheelbase Suv with poor articulation will again be a pain for the driver. So taking the turns from a correct angle will be very crucial.

Being slow is the key, so one can get more time to judge the road ahead and place the front wheels accordingly.
Honk once or twice on the turns, the local drivers have a sharp ear, they generally give their best to give way to the vehicles going up & in return they expect the same from us.

[lovecars21]

Superb detailed travelogue and excellent pictures.
These photo are one of the best photos of Sandhakphu that I have seen.
The TL reminded me of my Sandhakphu trip(2015) in my MM 550 and has made me fix my mind to do it this time in my XUV AWD.

Kudos to the team 5 stars

[navsjab]

Lovely snaps as usual from your side, Samba. Loved the short and crisp write-up. Congratulations on completing the Sandakphu drive.

Great pictures shared by BlackPearl, SoraC, dip27in and PapaBravo as well.

I miss this place so much after moving to Bangalore. This TL reminds me of the trip we made back in December, 2017. Very similar moments captured as well. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...cond-time.html (Red Rhino goes to Sandakphu for the second time)

One from that trip.

[Fordlover88]

Superb travelogue with drool worthy pictures Samba da. Weekend trips for mortal's like us include nearby malls, highway runs or popular tourist places around kolkata. But your travelogue has changed the very meaning of weekend trip.
Sandakphu has been in my bucket list for a long time now & your as well as other TL's on sandakphu are compelling me to visit it soon. Is it possible to park my ecosport at garibas & hire a landrover from there?

[Samba]

Originally Posted by lovecars21

These photo are one of the best photos of Sandhakphu that I have seen.
The TL reminded me of my Sandhakphu trip(2015) in my MM 550 and has made me fix my mind to do it this time in my XUV AWD.

Thanks a lot. Will be eagerly waiting to see your Xuv5oo on Sandakphu top. Though am not sure, I guess till date no Xuv5oo AWD has scaled Sandakphu. Yours should be the first one!

Originally Posted by navsjab

One from that trip.
Attachment 1946191

Thanks Navtej, the picture is beautiful. The Sandakphu trail is Thar's home ground!

Originally Posted by Fordlover88

Is it possible to park my ecosport at garibas & hire a landrover from there?

Thanks a ton.

You cant hire a LandRover from Gairibas. You need to hire it from Manebhanjan. What you can do is, hire a LandRover from Manebhanjan and keep driving your Ecosport till where you can. The place from where you wont be able to go further, the LandRover driver will help you to park your car in a secured place and you can hop into the LandRover.

Going till Gairibas is possible when dry, in case it rains/snows, it will be still possible but things might get a bit tricky or risky for a two wheel drive car!

[Darpan666]

Dear BHPian Samba sir, as usual an enthralling and jaw-dropping travelogue from your side.

BHPian Blackpearl sir, and your travelogues have really smitten me since the very beginning and encouraged me to hit the roads to conquer Himalayas.
Till now I've done multiple Darjeeling, Gangtok circuit, just managed to finish Thimpu, Chelela circuit this December as well.
All thanks to the distinguished BHPians' detailed and informative travelogues.

Driving in the hills has been a pleasure except a few times, especially handling steep switchbacks. During my initial days, my vehicle stalled twice in the Pankhabari Circuit. Since then I've tried to make adjustments in my driving style i try to maintain sufficient momentum while approaching the switchbacks, especially the left side curves, where the visibility is a bit less and also try to maintain enough rpm range and downshift accordingly.

But still even after driving through numerous switchbacks in multiple trips, i still somewhere lack sufficient confidence while negotiating steep switchbacks (left ones, especially) and i felt the same lack of confidence while taking the Mungpo/Jorebunglow route up to Darjeeling this time.

Everything falls into place, except negotiating the switchbacks. I always stay in a constant quest of managing not to stall my vehicle while negotiating these switchbacks. Hence I'd request your kind hearts, if you can throw some light in this matter, with your vast experiences in such situations.

What is it that i should keep in mind while taking on such switchbacks, so that i can confidently drive through them.
I drive a Nuvosport by the way.

Thanks in advance.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by Darpan666

What is it that i should keep in mind while taking on such switchbacks, so that i can confidently drive through them.

It is difficult to understand the problem you are facing without being present there. But as general advice you can follow these things -

1. Sit with a seasoned hill driver and notice what he or she does in the turns

2. Slow down to crawling speeds just before the turn, downshift to first gear and take a wider turn. As soon as you can see the exit of the turn, press the accelerator harder so that you can take the incline easily.

3. Don't worry too much about it. For people from the plains, it takes a lot of practice to drive really good in the hills. I am sure you will become more confident as you drive more miles.

[Darpan666]

Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions.