A memorable Trip to Sikkim and Darjeeling in Winter

The breathtaking view of kanchenjunga, scenic beauty of valley and forest, snow covered mountains and peaceful monasteries...

Yes.... I am talking about Sikkim and Darjeeling.

After pandemic, I traveled to Sikkim and Darjeeling in the month of December 2021.

Content :

1. Is it good idea to travel Sikkim in winter ?
2. How many days required to travel Sikkim and Darjeeling ?
3. From where to start ?
4. Full itinerary
5. Cost 

 

Is it good idea to travel Sikkim in winter ?

 

This one is common question people have in their mind when they think to travel Sikkim in winter.

The answer is BIG YES... and there are many reasons behind this big yes...

I traveled Sikkim in December month. (Starting of winter). The average temperature goes down upto 4°c and sometimes upto 0°c... don't worry...you won't die😆 just carry some warm clothes with you...

 

If low temperature is not problem for you then none of the other season make Sikkim look so stunning. All places remains open for tourists. But after December, places at high altitude stay closed due to heavy snow fall. So I suggest to travel between November to December.

In winter season the weather is clear so you will get mesmerizing view of snowy peaks, frozen lakes grey forest and valleys and amazing view of the sky at night....

( And you can also count the stars with your loved ones from the roof of your hotel if you can resist extremely cold weather 🥶🤣)

Though winter is not a peak season but in last 2-3 years Sikkim become hidden paradise of India and number of people increased who visited Sikkim in winter...but in compare to peak season the crowd is less so it will be pocket friendly for you ( That saved money you can invest in you wife's / Girl friend's shopping🤑... Thank me later)

you can find hotel and taxi easily at lower price and at last minute as well...and due to smaller crowd you can visit all places more comfortably and click photo as well 🤳

 

 How many days required to visit Sikkim and Darjeeling ?

It's totally depends on you because Sikkim is a small state consist of 4 district...but if you want to enjoy actual beauty of nature...I think you need minimum 25 days ...There are so many mysterious locations so According to your itinerary and time if you want to see some loved and famous best places then 8 days are quite enough.

From where to start traveling ?

Sikkim don't have any major railway station or airport so if you are traveling by air then nearest airport is Bagdogra airport and if you are traveling by train then nearest major railway station is NJP (New jalpaiguri). NJP and Bagdogra, both are located in west Bengal.

You can start your journey of Sikkim from capital city GANGTOK or from DARJEELING. But if you take my opinion you should start your journey from Gangtok and end with Darjeeling...because when your journey come to end and you want to return NJP Railway station or Bagdogra airport...There is only one route available from Gangtok to NJP railway station or Bagdogra airport and If any landslide happened in between route or road block because of any other reason...there is chance to get stuck up and miss your train or flight. On other side there are two different routes from Darjeeling to NJP railway station or Bagdogra airport...so if you stucked on one route then you can take another route and reach at NJP railway station or Bagdogra airport on time.

Full Itinerary

Day 1 : NJP to Gangtok

Distance from NJP to Gangtok is approximately 120 km.

There are 3 options....

1) You can take state transportation (Government bus). It takes 5 to 6 hours to reach Gangtok and the fare of ticket is around Rs. 150 per person. But you need to go Siliguri bus station for pickup. Siliguri bus station is 7 km from NJP. You can get bus from early morning 06:30.

2) You can take shared cab (10 seater taxi). It will take 4 to 5 hours to reach Gangtok and fare is around Rs. 350 per person. You will get it from outside of NJP and Bagdogra. You will get share cab from early morning around 06:00.

3) You can hire personal cab. It will take 4 hours to reach Gangtok and fare depends on which cab you hire but it will be around 2500-4000 Rs.

We were 6 person on this trip, So I hired Innova car. The fare was 4000 Rs and the driver Mr. Sonu picked up us from NJP railway station at early morning 3 am and dropped us to Gangtok in just 4 hours. Here I am sharing the mobile number of Mr. Sonu (+91 9609521423).

Tip:

If you feel motion sickness or vomiting you can use any tablet prescribed by your physician, I used AVOMINE.

Mr. Sonu dropped us at our hotel "Retreat hotel and spa" . We booked our room at just 900 Rs for 1 Room from MMT and after staying at this hotel we felt that the amount we paid is totally worth it. The hotel have big and specious rooms with good interior, delicious food, well behaved staff and amazing view from hotel gallery.

Just one thing need to consider while booking this hotel is its too far from MG Marg and taxi driver will charge you 250-300 Rs for MG marg from hotel.

After your arrival in Gangtok you can take some rest at your hotel and then you can visit Rumtek monastery ( Dharam Chakra ) between green dark forest, 23 km from Gangtok. And in the same route you can enjoy the adventure sport "PARAGLIDING". The cost of PARAGLIDING is around 3000 Rs with video shooting. For Rumtek monastery route you will get taxi from MG marg and fare will 1800-2000 Rs.

The second option is... you can roam around the city. From MG marg you will get taxi for city tour. They have different routes and in every route the offer you to visit 3-4 tourist point like Hanuman tok, Ganesh tok, Gangtok ropeway ride etc.. Taxi will charge you 1800-2000 Rs per route.

After spending time at Rumtek monastery and Paragliding you can spend your evening at MG marg. The most beautiful place to spend time in evening. You can walk here aimlessly 🚶. The center point of Gangtok. It's actually a road surrounded by mall and shops, hotels and restaurants. You can have your dinner here. Make sure to leave for your hotel around 8 pm... after that it's quite difficult to get taxi.

 Day 2: 1 Day Trip To Nathula pass from Gangtok.

You can start you second day with 1 day Nathula pass trip from Gangtok. This trip is combination of 3 tourist point like Nathula pass, Tsomgo lake and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir and then return to Gangtok.

Nathula pass is an international border (India-china) at 14140 ft. Altitude and 55 km from Gangtok. To visit Nathula pass, Indian citizen needs PAP ( Protected Area Permit) and foreigners are not allowed to Nathula pass. They can get permit only for Tsomgo lake.

Note :- Nathula pass remains open for tourists only from Wednesday to Sunday.

The permits are issued by Sikkim tourism and you can obtain permit through local Registered travel agent and you can visit Nathula only in that vehicle which is provided by Registered travel agent. You cannot visit Nathula by self drive or in personal or private texi. There are number of Registered travel agent available. 

For obtain permit you have to submit Documents ( voters ID card and passport size photo) one day before to your travel agent and you will get your vehicle at CHHANGU TAXI STAND in which you will visit Nathula.

Here I am sharing contact number of Registered travel agent (mountain milestone travel agent)with whome I booked my 1 Day Nathula trip and 3 Days North Sikkim trip. And travel agent Mr.Ansari (+91 90641 85176) gave us a good deal. 

As mentioned, Nathula pass remains open only from Wednesday to Sunday...we booked this trip for Monday...so we missed Nathula pass...but we visited Tsomgo lake which is also known as Chhangu lake, which is on 12300 ft. Altitude and 35 km from Gangtok and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir which is 52 km from Gangtok.

The cost of this one day Nathula trip is around 1200 rs ( Nathula-Tsomgo lake-Baba Mandir )per person and around      800 rs ( Tsomgo lake-Baba Mandir ) per person on sharing basis, and around 8000 rs for reserved basis. The price includes all permits.

Note :- 

In this one day package they don't provide any meal... So carry some dry snacks with you.

Day 3 : 3 Day Trip to North Sikkim From Gangtok.

These 3 days are going to be unforgettable days  in your life because in these 3 days you are going to stay in the lap of nature and completely remote area. Here You will stay in freezing cold weather with most warm welcoming people's"Home Stay".

North Sikkim is a region that without visiting it, your trip to Sikkim will be incomplete.

The pristine view of snow covered mountains, loveliness of forests, vivid and colorful river and bustling waterfall, warm hospitality of innocent villagers of North Sikkim will get you the amazing feeling.

If you want to spend some days away from the crowded city life, then North Sikkim is the best destination for you.

I took 02 Night / 03 Days package for North Sikkim trip.Here also you need PAP ( protected area permit) and again Mr.Ansari (mountain milestone travel agent) gave us good deal. We paid 3500 rs per person for this trip on sharing base.

This trip include traveling by 10 seater car, Sightseeing, your stay in Hotel/Home Stay, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Your trip will start from GANGTOK. On your first day you will drive to Lachen (9000ft altitude, 127 km and 5-6 hours). Enroute stop by Butterfly water falls and then 1 hour drive to Rangrang and halt for lunch. After lunch you will drive to Lachen and enroute stop at Naga water falls. Then night halt at Lachen. Wether of Lachen is frosty cold in winter 🥶. 

Your second day will start at early morning 4 am, drive to Gurudongmar Lake ( The famous frozen lake )at high altitude of 17,400 ft. And 65 km from Lachen. The Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest altitude lakes in the world.The view of the lake and the landscape around the lake is breathtaking and the atmosphere is  peaceful to the mind.

Note: Avoid to visit this lake if you have breathing problem. Due to high altitude location, the level of oxygen is low.

After spending time at Gurudongmar Lake, drive back to Lachen for Lunch.After Lunch, drive to Lachung ( 8850 ft altitude/ 50 km / 02 hours ) enroute you will visit Bhim-Nala waterfall.

Lachung is small village , which is surrounded by snow covered pristine mountains and garrulous waterfalls.

Your third day start with early morning 06:00 AM, drive to Yumthang Valley. It's also known as valley of flowers. The distance of yumthang valley is 25 km from lachung and around 2 hours drive.

You will get extremely picture square view of snow covered mountains and shrubby slope and the captivating sound of Teesta river.

After spending some time at yumthang valley, get back to Lachung village for Lunch and then drive back to Gangtok.

After spending some time at yumthang valley, get back to Lachung village for Lunch and then drive back to Gangtok. The distance between Lachung to Gangtok is approximately 120 km ( Arround 4 hours drive) . Spend your night at Gangtok.

Note:  Ask for hotel photos to your travel agent. Sometimes they change hotel after your Booking.

Day 6: 3 days trip to Darjeeling

After spending night at Gangtok, it's time to say goodbye to Gangtok and move towards to Darjeeling.

The distance from Gangtok to Darjeeling is arround 120 km and 4 to 5 hours drive. In this journey you will get magnificent Himalayan ranges, tea gardens and sunflower gardens both sides of the road which offers impressive view.

There are 2 options to reach Darjeeling from Gangtok.

1)  You will get shared cab from MG marg or Deorali taxi stand. The fare is approximately 350 Rs. You will get taxi from early morning 6 am.

2) You can hire private car and it will charge you approximately 4000 Rs. (Pickup from your hotel).

I booked private car (Innova) for 06 person and we paid 4000 Rs. Here I am sharing contact number of our driver, Mr. Sachin (+918145364199).

We started our journey early morning 5 am and stopped for breakfast and after 5 hours drive Mr. Sachin dropped us to our hotel in Darjeeling.

We booked 3 rooms for 3 night in New Mandala(Golden Spa Resort) The hotel was too amazing and best thing is it's location. It's situated near Clock Tower, which is the centre point of Darjeeling town. We booked the room at 1500 Rs per night per room.

In Darjeeling you can find vegetarian food easily and there are many restaurants, we went to Benny's cafe for breakfast. They serve several cusines but famous cuisine of this cafe is Chhole-kulcha. We tasted many cusines here and all cusines are delicious 😋.

After having some rest, you can roam around Mall road at evening and you can visit The "Mahakal temple" which is situated upside of the mall road. 

Also you can visit Darjeeling Railway station which was declared WORLD HERITAGE SITE BY UNESCO. You can enjoy the " joy ride" of Toy train. 

Joy ride is a round trip in small train of 02 coaches and driven by steam or diesel engine on narrow gauge railway track. It's 16 km ride which take 02 hours , starts  Darjeeling station to Ghum, Batasia loop and return to Darjeeling.

You can book your tickets from Darjeeling Railway station. The fare of ticket is around 850 Rs per person and you will get time table at Railway station.

Day 7: Sunrise at Tiger Hill 

 

Tiger Hill is known for its splendid views. At sunrise, the snow covered Kanchanjanga mountain            illuminated before the sun is seen at lower elevations.

Tiger Hill is situated 11 km from Darjeeling and you need to start at early morning 03:30 to reach Tiger hill because there are thousands of tourists comes here everyday to visit Tiger hill and if you don't start travel early, there will be very long queue of vehicles and you have to walk to reach at Uphill.

You will get shared taxi from the clock tower at early morning 03:00 am and it will charge you 350 Rs per person. They give you the package for sightseeing which includes Tiger hill , Ghoom monastery, Batasia loop.

Also you can book private taxi for tiger hill and it will change you 1800-2000 Rs for the same package.

After tiger hill they drive you to the Ghoom monastery which is the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Darjeeling established in 1850 by Lama Sherab Gyatso.

 

After Ghoom monastery you can visit Japanese Temple and peace Pagoda located at the 10 min driving distance from the town centre.

I booked Tiger hill package and other sight seeing package from Mr. Kelvin. Here I am sharing contact number (+919775818527 and +917601893073).

After lunch you can take some rest at hotel and roam around market at evening. You can enjoy shopping at the "CHOWK BAZAR"  and enjoy fresh and delicious snacks like JALEBI, SAMOSA  at CHOWK BAZAR.

Day 8: One Day Package for city tour

I booked this one day package from Mr.kelvin. In this package they offer to Sightseeing of zoological park of Darjeeling and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Ride of Rope way and tea gardens.

 

The Darjeeling zoological park is only place in India where you can spot RED PANDA. Visiting hours from 08:30 am to 04:00 pm. The entry fee for Indian tourist is 20 Rs per person and camera fee 10 Rs. For foreign tourists fee is 50 Rs.

After spending some time at zoological park and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute you can enjoy cable car ride ride. The fare of cable car ride ride is 250 Rs per person. It's open from 09:30 am to 04:30 pm. From cable car you can get amazing view of valley and tea gardens.

After cable car ride you can visit tea gardens.You can dress up hear as locals and click photo.

After this one day tour you can spend your evening at Mall road and have your dinner at "Glenary". Here you can taste different cuisines with live musical show.

We paid to Mr.kelvin 3500 Rs for this one day trip of Darjeeling tour and car was Innova.

Day 9: Return to Darjeeling via Miric lake

Now it's time to get back to home but places to visit are not over yet. On the way to return NJP you will visit to the India-Nepal border and if you have time then you can get entry to Nepal. You need just your voter ID Card to enter Nepal. There is market named "Pashupati market" in Nepal which is on your way to NJP. Get enter to Nepal, visit market and buy something for your memory.

 

After spending time at Pashupati market you can visit Mirik lake. The atmosphere of this place is peaceful. Spend some time here and then you will be at NJP.

We paid 4000 Rs to Mr. Kelvin to drop us at NJP via Mirik lake. The car was Innova.

Cost of the trip :-

 NJP to Gangtok.                         = 4,000 Rs

Gangtok hotel.                             = 5,400 RS

(2 night 3 rooms)

1 Day Nathula trip                      = 4,800 RS

3 Days North Sikkim                  = 21,000 Rs

Gangtok to Darjeeling               = 4,000 RS

Darjeeling hotel                         = 13,500 Rs

( 3 night 3 rooms)

Darjeeling to Tiger hill              = 2,000 RS

1 Day Darjeeling Trip                = 4,000 RS

Cable car ride.                           = 1,500 RS

Darjeeling to NJP via Mirik      = 4,000 Rs

Small up down in Taxi              = 3,000 RS

Food                                           = 15,000 RS

                                                                          

Total                                           = 82,000 RS 

As mentioned, we were 6 person (3 couple) . The cost of this trip per couple is around 28000 Rs.

If you have any query, You can contact me on my Instagram Id :  kotecha_harshit or my mobile/whatsapp number: 9429483134