Tourists are now flocking to various hotels and homestays in Sandakphu and Falut, mountains about 12,000 feet above the plains of West Bengal state. To increase the attraction of Sandakphu and Falut for the tourists, the Yak or Chomrigai Tourism Festival has started from last Sunday (13.4.2025). Meanwhile, the snowfall in Sandakphu at the beginning of the two-day festival has given added encouragement to the tourists.
In English, the Chamri Gai is called a yak, which refers to both the male and female species, although in other languages bulls or cows refer to different sexes. The yak is a long-haired domestic animal found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, northern Myanmar, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Mongolia and Siberia.
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Yaks are long-haired, hoofed mammals found mostly in the Himalayan region, including Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of northern India. Known for their resilience, yaks thrive in harsh, cold climates at high altitudes where few other animals can survive.
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There are two main types of yaks: wild yaks and domesticated yaks. Wild yaks are larger, more aggressive, and found in remote parts of the Tibetan Plateau. Domesticated yaks, on the other hand, are vital to the livelihood of people in mountainous areas. They provide milk, meat, wool, and even dung for fuel. Their ability to carry heavy loads also makes them essential pack animals in rugged terrain.
Yaks have thick fur, a sturdy build, and a large lung capacity to help them adapt to the low-oxygen environments of high altitudes. Their calm temperament and usefulness have earned them the nickname "the lifeline of the mountains."
Chamrigai is a very famous name in Singalila forest. Earlier, the goods used to be brought by using this goat. The bags of the tourists going for trekking in Sandakphu were also carried on the back of this elephant. A few years ago, the Darjeeling district administration had imposed a ban on the movement of goods through Chamrigai. Living in the forests of Singalila, many people make a living by rearing Chamri Gai at home. The owner of the house used to get the opportunity to earn by accompanying the trekkers as a guide. But now that path has been closed.
Along with this, another aspect that has opened up is tourism with these Chamrigais. There is a lot of curiosity among the tourists around Chamrigai. This Chamrigai festival has been organized to increase the attraction of Sandakphu, Falut tourist places to the tourists.
Bookings for hotels and lodges in the region have been full for the entire month of April to participate in this festival.
Every year Chamrigai Tourism Festival is organized in Thakum. The festival is now in its eighth year. During this festival, tourists will get to see about 130 yaks in Sandakphu every year. Besides, there will be an exhibition and sale of various food items, including surpi, curd, ghee, cheese made from yak milk. At the beginning of the festival, tourists are very happy to see the second snowfall of the year in Sandakphu on Sunday.
This time along with the festival, the opportunity to ride in the traditional Land Rover car of Sandakphu is also available. A large number of tourists arrived at Falut in a Land Rover from Darjeeling on Saturday morning to join the festival. On Sunday, they attended the festival at Thakum, about 6 km uphill from Falut. From there tourists will also go to Sandakphu.
Many tourists have already reached Sandakphu to take part in the festival and enjoy the view of Chamrigai. However, the organizers of the festival said that many tourists could not be accommodated due to the lack of hotels and lodges in Sandakphu, Thakum and Falut.
According to the Singalila Land Rovers Owners Association, "Now tourists who want to go to the festival will have to go in the morning and return to Darjeeling in the afternoon. For the next few days, there will be no room in hotels and lodges in the area to stay overnight.
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