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Essay On Sikkim

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  • Updated on  
  • Dec 24, 2021

Essay on Sikkim

Essay writing is a way to discern the general knowledge, language skills and creativity of the writer. This is why it is included in several Indian competitive exams, international entrance exams, and even in aptitude tests conducted by employers and companies before hiring. Many competitive exams like UPSC Mains, CLAT , SAT , IELTS etc. use the essay section to test the candidates’ thinking prowess and general ability. Essay writing includes a wide range of topics, from current affairs to descriptions and even personal anecdotes. Hence, it is best to practice a few topics before any competitive exam. In this blog, we will cover the tips and format for writing an essay on Sikkim, to help you prepare creative and informative writing pieces!

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This Blog Includes:

Tips and format for essay writing, sample essays on sikkim, sample 1: essay on sikkim.

  • Sample 2: Essay On Sikkim 

Essay writing can be argumentative, narrative, descriptive, analytical or comparative in nature. If you have to write an essay on Sikkim, you must keep these tips in mind. This form of writing can be easy and creative if you follow certain steps and tips:

  • Brainstorm arguments related to the topic and form a specific structure before you start writing.
  • Make notes about the topics before you start writing so that your arguments and descriptions are coherent and clear.
  • An introduction is the most important aspect of any form of writing, thus, try to keep it short, engaging and precise who that the reader knows the intent.
  • Avoid repetition and rambling while writing. 
  • Proofread! Always read your essay before turning it in to ensure no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. 

The writing format for an essay is straightforward and direct. The purpose of any essay is to inform or present an argument to the reader. It will be the same if you have to write an essay on Sikkim. It has three components: Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion.     

To write an informative and creative essay on Sikkim, you need to research, determine your intent for writing and form a proper structure. Once you have your outline for the essay, you can start writing and include interesting facts and anecdotes to make your essay exciting and readable. Here are some samples for writing an essay on Sikkim!

Tucked away in the majestic Himalayas lies the small, quaint hill-city of Sikkim. Blessed with scenic beauty, rich cultural and ethnic diversity, the state has emerged as the best tourist spot for Indians and foreigners. From picturesque tourist attractions like Gangtok, Pelling, Lachung and Namchi to mouthwatering Sikkimese cuisine to snow-capped mountains, Sikkim has it all! Despite being one of the smallest, obscure states in India, Sikkim is widely known for its hospitality, natural beauty, multicultural diversity and ethnic cuisine.   This landlocked state of India has a rich and tumultuous history that began in 1642; the kingdom of Sikkim fought many wars with its neighbours to assert its independence. Surrounded by powerful nations, the kIngdom of Sikkim in 1950 signed the Indo-Sikkimese Treaty with India to protect its international interests and preserve the nation’s integrity. After a referendum in 1975, the state decided to join India as a state, becoming the 22nd state. While Sikkim may not have been a part of the struggle for preserving India, the state has since elevated the name of our subcontinent: Sikkim has been at the forefront in several domains, the state has the best educational system, awarded the cleanest state in India and is the only state to transition to organic farming.  The state makes tireless efforts in preserving and developing the human resources of the city. Sikkim’s government actively encourages prominent technical colleges like IITs, NITs, and Manipal University to set up institutions to ensure that their students have the best in terms of education and research. Despite having a largely agrarian economy, the state has diversified its economy by encouraging tourism, trade and small -scale industries to set up in the region.   Sikkim may be one of the smallest cities of India but its philosophy and ideals are larger than life. The commitment to the preservation of nature as well the cultural history of the nation and city is what makes Sikkim so great and powerful. Indian states have much to learn from this small city who is leaving all the big cities behind in terms of success and human development.

Facts about sikkim

Sample 2 : Essay On Sikkim 

In 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state to join the Indian subcontinent following a people’ referendum. Since then, the state has contributed to upholding the integrity and sovereignty of the Indian state with its commitment to human development, democracy, and economic upliftment. Bordering three different countries, Sikkim’s city is home to beautiful tourist hot stops like Khangchendzonga National Park, Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake, and beautiful monasteries and temples.     The rocky terrains and cool temperature make the city an ideal spot for travel. The alluring city is one of the most visited and highly sought after tourist destinations in the world so much so that the city has two airports in its vicinity, railway connectivity and national highway to encourage tourism and local development. While Sikkim may not have the largest economy in India, it does have the fastest growing economy with its small- scale industries, organic farming and blooming tourism. The state is dedicated to the environmental cause and is the only Indian state to have the status of ‘Nirmal State’ for campaigning to become free of public defecation.  The real beauty of Sikkim lies in its people and their culture. Sikkim is a multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic and multireligious state with 4 different official languages and several regional languages. It is home to a diverse group of people hailing from Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet etc. Its people follow other religions, different cultures and lifestyles yet live together in harmony and peace. This harmonious amalgamation makes Sikkim so special and unique even in a deeply diverse country like India. Sikkim’s natural beauty and ecology are breathtaking; the state is replete with diverse flowers and holds the International Flower Festival every year to celebrate biological diversity. It has over 552 unique types of birds and over 600 different species in butterflies. They have wild animals like snow leopard, red panda, Tibetan wolf etc. Sikkim is a beautiful city to visit and live in. The state has achieved great heights in terms of health, education, sanitation, public welfare and environmental preservation. Sikkim, despite having limited resources and industrial development, continuously works towards the betterment and enhancement of its people. 

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Hopefully, this blog guided you on how to write a compelling essay on Sikkim for competitive exams. Essay writing is an integral part of the admission process in several universities and colleges, thus learning and practising how to express your opinions and arguments is extremely important. For more educational content, follow Leverage Edu ! Follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook and Quora .

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An ardent reader and writer, Gitali loves to create meaningful and well-researched content on studying abroad, scholarships and exploring student life hacks. When she is not busy working, you can find her doodling in the corner or discussing why Seinfeld is the greatest sitcom ever.

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Essay On Sikkim In English | Art & Culture | Tourism | Religion | Summary

Essay On Sikkim In English

Essay On Sikkim In English | Art & Culture | Tourism | Religion | Summary

Hello, Friend, In this post “ Essay On Sikkim In English | Art & Culture | Tourism | Religion | Summary “, We will read about Everything about Sikkim As an Essay In Detail. So…

Let’s Start…

“Attracts a lot of Minds of tourists, Sikkim was called Switzerland of the East.”

Essay On Sikkim In English

Introduction of sikkim.

Sikkim is a hilly state located in North-Eastern India . and Sikkim is also the second least populated state in India.

English, Gorkha Khas language, Lepcha, Bhutia, Limbu, and Hindi are the official language of Sikkim.

Hindu and Vajrayana Buddhism are the main religions of Sikkim .

Gangtok is the capital as well as the largest city of Sikkim . Kanchanjanga, the world’s third-highest mountain range is also located in Sikkim.

Sikkim is the 22nd state of India. Nowadays the Chief Minister of Sikkim is Mr. Prem Singh Tamang .

And the population of Sikkim is 610,577 . the area of Sikkim is 7096-kilometer square .

History of Sikkim

Sikkim came into existence in 1642, when the Phuntsong Namgyal was declared the first Chogyal (king) of Sikkim .

Namgyal was declared king by three Buddhist monks .

The Monarchy started in Sikkim in this manner. After which the Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim for 333 years.

And India attained Independence in 1947. After this, different princely states were merged in India under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel .

In this series, A referendum was also held in Sikkim in 1975. In the referendum, 97.5% of the people were in favor of India.

After which the Constitution Amendment Bill to make Sikkim the 22nd state of India was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 23rd April   1975.

It was passed the same day by a vote of 299-11 . And in the Rajya Sabha , the bill was passed on 26th April , and on 15th May 1975, as soon as president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signed the bill, the rule of the Namgyal dynasty came to an end.

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Geography Of Sikkim (Essay On Sikkim In English) 

Essay On Sikkim In English

Sikkim is a hill state located in the northeastern part of India . It is one of the smallest states in India.

Sikkim is bordered by Tibet to the North and Northeast, by Bhutan to the southeast, by the Indian State of West Bengal to the south, And by Nepal to the west. The Capital is Gangtok , in the southeastern part of the state.

The third highest peak in the world, Kanchenjunga , which is considered to be the defense goddess of Sikkim , exudes its enchanting natural beauty Sikkim is one of the 18 major regions of the world full biodiversity.

Culture Of Sikkim

Sikkim is mainly inhabited by Bhutia, Lepcha, and Nepali communities.

Maghi Sankranti, Durgapuja, Lakshmi puja, and Chaitra Dasai/Rama Navami, Dasai, Sonam Losung, Nomsoung, Tendong Halo Rum Phat (Worship of the mount of Tendong) , Losar (Tibetan New Year) are the major festivals of the state.

other festivals include Sakeva (Rai), Sonam Lochar (Gurung), Barahimzong (Magar) , etc .

Costumes Of Sikkim

The Costumes of Sikkim Reflect the social and cultural lifestyles of the major communities that are Lepcha, Bhutia, and Nepali .

The three communities of Lepcha, Bhutia, and Nepal wear different costumes which further enhance the diversity found in the state.

Among the prominent Costumes Of Sikkim are Bakhu/Kho, Chuba, and Gho .

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Folk Dance Of Sikkim

The Major Dances of Sikkim are Chhu Phat dance, Singhai Cham or Snow Lion Dance, Yak Cham, Denjong Nenha, Tashi Yangku Dance, Khukhuri Dance, Chutki Dance, Maruni Dance, etc.

Food Of Sikkim

Rice is a staple food, and fermented food traditionally constitutes a significant in Sikkim serve various types of Nepalese cuisine , such as the Newa and Thakali Cuisines . Tibetan Cuisine has also Influenced Sikkim’s Cuisine .

Source Of Livelihood Of Sikkim People’s

In Sikkim, More than 64% population depends on agriculture for their livelihood . Arable land in Sikkim is about 1,09,000 Hectares, which is 15.36 % of the total geographical area.

Maize, rice, wheat, potato, larger cardamom, ginger, and orange are the major crops here.

Sikkim is the largest producer of large cardamom in the country. Ginger, potatoes, orange, and non-seasonal vegetables are other cash crops .

Though industrially Sikkim has been declared a backward state, many centuries ago there have been artisan-based traditional Sikkim cottage industries .

Transportation Of Sikkim (Essay On Sikkim In English) 

Roads of sikkim.

Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim , is connected to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri , and all the district headquarters of Sikkim by road. 41000 km the total length of roads in the state, including national highways, is 2,933.49 km. out of this, 873.43 km roads have been built by border roads organization .

Railways And Aviation Of Sikkim

The nearest railway stations of the state are Siliguri (113km) and New Jalpaiguri (125km) from where one can travel to Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, Lucknow, and other important cities of the country.

There is no airport in Sikkim . helicopter service is provided between Gangtok and Bagdogra .

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Famous Tourist place of Sikkim (Essay On Sikkim In English) 

Sikkim Is one of the major tourist destinations in India with peaks, sacred lakes, ancient monasteries, orchid nurseries, and stunning trekking routes making Sikkim a perfect holiday place.

The major sightseeing places of Sikkim are Gangtok, Mangan, Yumthang Valley, Lachen Village, Gurudongmar Laake, etc .

Best Time To Visit In Sikkim

The best time to visit Sikkim state is in the months of April and May . the Sikkim states receive four months of snow in the winter and are prone to landslides during the monsoons.

Therefore, the summer season is considered to be very pleasant and suitable for visiting.

Conclusion (Essay On Sikkim In English) 

Sikkim State is one of the most beautiful states in the country.

Sikkim captivates everyone with its natural beauty. the snow-capped mountains and naturally flowing waterfalls of Sikkim are very beautiful scenery is definitely worth visiting .

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Perfect for trekkers of every level, the treks in Sikkim are adorned with Rhododendrons and Orchids.

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About Sikkim Tourism

Despite being the smallest state in North East India, Sikkim is one of the most popular places for tourism in India. Its marvelous landscape is dotted with high-altitude lakes, rolling green mountains, colorful rhododendron groves, crystal-clear rivers, milky waterfalls, beautiful monasteries, and the unparalleled views of the third highest mountain in the world, Mount Khangchendzonga.

Sikkim shares its borders with the neighboring countries of Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan and is divided into 4 districts namely East Sikkim, West Sikkim, North Sikkim, and South Sikkim. Each of these districts has something unique to offer to the tourists. Sikkim’s culture is a reflection of its neighboring countries as well, being in such close proximity they share common traits.

Read along to find out more about Sikkim tourism and what you can expect as we at Tour My India bring you a complete guide on Sikkim tourism to help you plan your trip better.

East Sikkim: Icy lakes, monasteries & Gangtok!

District headquarters: Gangtok

Starting with East Sikkim, as most tourists to Sikkim do, one is sure to be mesmerized by this land. Its lush forests, icy lakes, and monasteries make it a wonderful place to visit. Gangtok, the state’s capital, also serves as the district headquarters of East Sikkim.

The capital city of Gangtok lies in the East Sikkim district of the state. It is the most popular destination of Sikkim and attracts a number of tourists every year. Elevated at a height of 5,500 ft. Gangtok is a popular hill station and is a preferred destination for couples on their honeymoon.

Nestled in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, the city makes for an ideal trekking spot with its terrains and weather that remains cool throughout the year. Gangtok loves its quiet and serene monasteries as much as its vibrant nightlife. It has something for everyone.

Tsomgo Lake is another destination that should be on your East Sikkim itinerary. It is a glacial lake and is situated at a height of 12,313 ft. The lake is a beautiful sight to behold as it sits amidst the snow clad mountains which are reflected back in the lake’s water. Depending on the seasons, the lake changes colors from blue to a dark green. Tsomgo Lake remains frozen throughout the winter in complete contrast with the spring when the valley is covered in colorful rhododendron flowers.

One of the highest motorable passes of India, Nathu La is situated at a height of 14,450 ft. among the snow clad mountains of Sikkim. Earlier a part of the ancient silk road, the pass now functions as an open trading border post between India and China and is a major participant in the Sino-Indian trade. En route to the pass, you can also view some beautiful waterfalls and mighty mountains of Sikkim all around.

East Sikkim also has the Baba Mandir, a shrine-cum-memorial built in honor of Harbhajan Singh, a soldier of the Indian Army who went missing one day during his patrol. According to a legend, he appeared in a dream to his colleagues and informed them about his death and that he wished for a Samadhi. The Old Baba Mandir is built at the site where he was posted during his service. Since it is difficult to climb the site, a New Baba Mandir has been constructed as the samadhi for tourists to visit at Kupup.

If you are looking for an offbeat destination in East Sikkim, then Zuluk is the place for you. Roughly at a distance of 100 kilometers from the city of Gangtok is the small village of Zuluk, sitting at a height of 10,000 ft. Zuluk used to be part of the ancient silk route connecting to Tibet but is now an emerging point of interest among tourists who tend to visit the place to get a perfect view of the mighty Khangchendzonga.

West Sikkim: The embodiment of Sikkim’s beauty!

District headquarters: Gyalshing

The small hill town of Pelling is a popular tourist attraction of Sikkim after Gangtok. Situated at a height of 6,800 ft. the town is at a distance of 10 kilometers from the district headquarters of Gyalshing. The landscape of Pelling is dotted with monasteries, lakes and waterfalls along with mesmerizing views of Mount Khangchendzonga.

The Pemayangtse Monastery and the Sanga Choeling Monastery are popular among tourists in West Sikkim. The Sanga Choeling Monastery was built in the 17th century and is an important site for the devotees of Buddhism.

Close to the monastery is the Chenrezig Statue with India’s first ever Skywalk. With a height of 100 ft. and the transparent bridge, you will feel you are actually walking in the sky. Other places to explore in Pelling are the holy lake of Khecheopalri, Khangchendzonga Falls, and the Singshore Bridge, Asia’s second highest suspension bridge.

The villages of Kaluk & Rinchenpong became popular tourist attractions of West Sikkim recently, both drawing visitors for their dreamy beauty. At a height of 5,600 ft. the quiet and picturesque village of Kaluk provides magnificent views of Mount Khangchendzonga.

Rinchenpong is just 3 kilometers away from Kaluk and is popular for its monasteries, the Gurung Monastery and the Rinchenpong Monastery which houses a beautiful statue of Lord Buddha.

Yuksom is an important town for the people of Sikkim, since this is where the first Chogyal, or the monarch of Sikkim was crowned by Buddhist Lamas. The Dubdi Monastery of Yuksom is the oldest monastery in Sikkim and is a place you must visit. The town of Yuksom serves as the base for Dzongri & Goecha La treks.

North Sikkim: Sightseeing overloaded!

District headquarters: Mangan

You could visit Lachung, a scenic village situated by the side of River Lachung, popular for its apples, peaches, and apricots, and the Lachung Monastery. North Sikkim is also popular for its Zero Point, located near Lachung. It is the final destination civilians can travel before reaching the country’s border with China.

Yumthang Valley is another tourist spot you must visit when you venture into North Sikkim. The valley is known for its hot springs and the beautiful rhododendron flowers during spring.

North Sikkim receives heavy snowfall during December and is a good time to visit if you want to enjoy the snowfall. The temperature often falls below zero and the entire landscape gets covered in snow. Everything turns white!

One of the highest lakes in the world, Gurudongmar Lake sits at almost 17.800 ft. and is a mesmerizing site during the winters when it decides to freeze completely. The Khangchendzonga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also located in this district of Sikkim.

It functions as a national park as well as a biosphere reserve. At the park you may get to see rare Himalayan wildlife species like Himalayan Tahr, Himalayan Blue Sheep, Himalayan Black Bear, Tibetan Wild Ass and the Red Panda.

South Sikkim: Culture, nature and adventure!

District headquarters: Namchi

A Sikkim tour is incomplete without visiting South Sikkim. Its surreal beauty ensures that it’s included in any Sikkim travel guide. It is home to Namchi, famously known as the cultural & religious hub of Sikkim. Two famous tourist sites are the 108 feet tall statue of Lord Shiva at the Siddheshwar Dham and the 118 feet tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse Hill. The 17th century Ngadak Monastery is also a destination that you must visit to experience the serenity and peace of South Sikkim.

The Temi Tea Garden at Ravangla is a matter of pride for the district and the state. It is Sikkim’s only tea garden and is known for its great quality tea. If you visit the garden during the month of November you can enjoy the beautiful cherry blossom trees that adorn the area.

Ornithologists and bird watchers definitely should visit the Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary at Ravangla. This sanctuary of South Sikkim has a number of bird species such as the Dark-throated Thrush, Babblers, Blood Pheasant, and Cuckoos. Not just birds, the sanctuary also has native animals like the Red Panda, Goral, Barking Deer, Civet cat, and the Leopard cat.

The terrains of South Sikkim allow for treks that you will surely enjoy. The lush green forests, the cool weather, the view of the beautiful Teesta River along with the mighty Khangchendzonga. What’s not to love here!

There’s also Sikip, along the banks of the Rangeet River which offers amazing opportunities for river rafting and angling. And if you just want to relax among the captivating mountains of Sikkim, try out the hot springs at Borong and Ralong. These are natural hot springs and are rich in sulfur content, which means they are healing for your skin. Relax in the hot waters amidst the mighty Himalayas.

Sikkim: Name any adventure activity, Sikkim has it!

Even though Sikkim is known for its quiet monasteries and mighty mountains, it is equally known for its adventure tourism.

There are so many activities in Sikkim for adventure enthusiasts such as climbing the rough and tough mountains like Mount Frey and Mount Thinchenkhan, paragliding through the city of Gangtok, river rafting through the River Rangeet and Teesta, Bungee jumping at the Singshore Bridge, riding a Yak at the Tsomgo Lake, cycling and mountain biking on the Silk Route, and trekking.

Some of the popular treks in Sikkim are Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek, Yuksom Goecha La Trek, Dzongri Trek, Green Lake Trek and the Darjeeling Sandakphu Singalila Ridge Trek. You can also try camping along the Teesta river bank and experience the beauty of Sikkim and its mountains much closer.

Sikkim: A mélange of cultures!

Sikkim’s rich culture can be seen in its villages, monasteries, festivals & cuisine. The cultural attires of the people are as fascinating as its numerous structures built in traditional style and architecture. The three main tribes of Sikkim are the Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali who exist harmoniously with their different culture, customs and traditions.

Nature plays a big role in the state’s everyday lifestyle.The people of Sikkim believe that the spirits of the land reside in its mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests. The people highly hallow Mount Khangchendzonga and consider it to be the guardian deity of their state, who maintains the peace and prosperity in Sikkim.

Another way of getting an insight into its rich culture is attending Sikkim’s various fairs and festivals. Some of the popular ones are Saga Dawa, Losar, Losoong, Jorethang Maghey Mela, Bhumchu, Dentam Rhododendron Festival, and the Kagyed Chham.

A lot of the famous festivals in Sikkim are marked by the masked dance, performed by lamas adorned in colorful robes & accessories. The dance is often a dramatized representation of the victory of good over evil and is accompanied by loud drums and horns. The shining swords and the traditional jewelry tie the performance together and lift the spirits of the people to create a euphoric atmosphere.

Sikkim: To see the exotic & rare Himalayan wildlife!

Sikkim’s hills, forests & mountains harbor a variety of rare & exotic Himalayan wildlife. Many of these animals and birds are exclusively found at high altitudes. Spotting them in their natural habitat is a rare privilege.

There are several national parks & sanctuaries in Sikkim where you can observe its wildlife leisurely. The most famous of these is the Khangchendzonga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can spot animals like Himalayan Black Bear, Tibetan Wild Ass, Himalayan Blue Sheep, Goral, Takin and the Red Panda. The Red Panda is a mammal species native to the Eastern Himalayas & southwestern China.

Other famous wildlife sanctuaries in Sikkim are Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary, Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary and the Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary.

Best Time for Visiting Sikkim for Holidays

Summer is a good time to be in Sikkim. Being at such a high altitude, the pleasant weather of the state is the best for enjoying sightseeing & adventure between the months of March and June.

November to February is winter in Sikkim. During the winters, Sikkim is covered in snow, but looks extremely beautiful. A lot of the state festivals are held during winters and is also a good time to visit if you can bear the cold weather.

It is better to avoid the monsoon season during the months of July to September. Even though the weather is pleasant, there is a risk of landslides.

A Quick Information About the State - Sikkim

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Gangtok with Pelling Tour

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Darjeeling Gangtok Tour

Treasures of Sikkim Tour

7 Nights - 8 Days

Treasures of Sikkim Tour

Sikkim tour packages by theme.

Family Tours

Family Tours

Honeymoon Tours

Honeymoon Tours

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Religious Tours sikkim

Religious Tours

Adventure Tours sikkim

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Buddhist Tour sikkim

Buddhist Tour

  • Best Time to Visit Sikkim

Summer Season in Sikkim

Summer Season in Sikkim

Summers in Sikkim last from March to June. Temperature ranges between 5°C to 25°C.

Monsoon Season in Sikkim

Monsoon Season in Sikkim

Monsoon arrives in July and lasts till August. Temperature ranges between 4°C to 15°C.

Winter Season in Sikkim

Winter Season in Sikkim

Winters start from November and last till February. It can be extremely cold. The temperature ranges between 4°C to 7°C.

Best Places to Visit in Sikkim

Gangtok, sikkim

It offers a little of everything: culture, nature, entertainment & Tibetan food. Visit monasteries & views of Mt. Khangchendzonga from Tashi View Point

Pelling, Sikkim

Views of Mt. Khangchendzonga will leave you captivated. Waterfalls, breathtaking views and plenty of adventure opportunities.

Ravangla, Sikkim

It is a haven for bird watchers and ornithologists. Spot birds like dark-throated thrush, babblers & cuckoos. You can also go on several treks

  • Hot Springs

Namchi, Sikkim

Visit Namchi, because it looks like a portrait. Attend the Namchi Mahotsav in October. It’s also home to the 108 feet statue of Lord Shiva & 118 feet statue of Guru Padmasambhava

Yuksom, Sikkim

It's the origin of several treks & is blessed with exceptional beauty. You will find the oldest monastery here.

Lachung, Sikkim

Mountains, waterfalls, orchards, rivers: this is Lachung’s landscape! Visit it for adventure, honeymoon vacation, natural beauty & Saga Dawa festival (in June).

Aritar, Sikkim

A small town in East Sikkim, Aritar is blessed with lush forests, glacial lakes, snow covered mountains, and quaint monasteries. The place is perfect for trekking and other adventure activities.

Legship, Sikkim

The gateway to West Sikkim, Legship is situated on the bank of Rangit River. It is abundant in natural beauty, adventure sports, treks, and has immense religious significance

Geyzing, Sikkim

The district headquarters of West Sikkim, Geyzing is primarily a Buddhist centre but is a delightful destination for nature lovers as well.

Mangan, Sikkim

The district headquarters of North Sikkim, Mangan is also called the Cardamom Capital of India. It is a quiet place and is ideal for adventure activities like paragliding, rock climbing, and mountain biking.

Lachen, Sikkim

A small village which is called the twin sister of Lachung, Lachen is situated in North Sikkim. It is the base for Gurudongmar Lake, Chopta Valley and numerous treks.

Yumthang Valley, Sikkim

  • Yumthang Valley

You should visit Yumtnang Valley for its exotic, wild and rare flowers. But visit it during the monsoons to see it in its fullest glory.

Zero Point, Sikkim

Located at 15,300 feet, Zero Point’e real name is Yumesamdong. It’s called Zero Point because the road ends here. The Indo Chinese border is quite close.

Top Things to Do in Sikkim

River Rafting Sikkim

Seekers of adventure can try paragliding in Gangtok, white water rafting in Teesta, yak ride in Tsomgo Lake, besides several trekking opportunities.

Monastery in sikkim

Monasteries

See the Buddhist art & culture at famous monasteries like Pemayangtse, Rumtek, Enchey, Phodang and Lacheng.

Lakes in sikkim

Visit Sikkim’s lively, sacred & pristine lakes which are Gurudongmar, Cholamu, Khecheopalri & Tsomgo.

Shopping in sikkim

Go shopping in Sikkim for prayer flags, Tibetan woollen carpets, scrolls, Tibetan paintings, prayer wheels, incense sticks, Yak Cheese and Chang.

Wildlife in sikkim

Spot Sikkim’s rich Himalayan wildlife at Khangchendzonga National Park, Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary & Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary

sikkim cuisine

Try the famous dishes in Sikkim like phagshapa, thukpa, thenthuk, momo, sel roti and the local drink called chang.

village tourism sikkim

Village Tour

Enjoy homestays with the locals. Take a peek into their daily lifestyle. Visit traditional village healers. Attend cultural programs. Cross cane & bamboo bridges.

Top Tourist Attractions in Sikkim

Nathula Pass, Sikkim

Nathula Pass

One of the highest motorable passes in the world, Nathu La Pass is the top attraction in Sikkim.

Gurudongmar Lake sikkim

  • Gurudongmar Lake

One of the highest lakes in the world, Gurudongmar Lake is considered sacred by Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus.

Siddheswara Dham Sikkim

Siddheswara Dham

Perched on Solophok Hills, Siddheswara Dham is the top Hindu pilgrimage in Sikkim.

Budda Park Ravangla sikkim

Also known as Tathagata Tsal, Buddha Park is situated near Ravangla and is the top Buddhist attraction in Sikkim.

zuluk sikkim

A small town in East Sikkim, Zuluk is known for offering incredible views of the Himalayas including Mt. Kanchenjunga.

tsomgo lake sikkim

Tsomgo Lake

A beautiful glacial lake in East Sikkim, Tsomgo Lake or Changu Lake is a must-see place near Gangtok.

Khangchendzonga National Park sikkim

Khangchendzonga National Park

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Khangchendzonga National Park is a high-altitude national park that is home to several alpine animals.

Temi Tea Garden sikkim

Temi Tea Garden

The one and only tea estate in Sikkim, Temi Tea Garden in Ravangla is quite a popular place to visit in Sikkim.

Khecheopalri Lake sikkim

Khecheopalri Lake

A sacred lake in Sikkim, Khecheopalri Lake is an important part of Buddhist pilgrimage Circuit in the state.

Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple sikkim

Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple

Named after Sepoy Harbhajan Singh, the temple near Gangtok attracts tourists for its unique legend.

samdruptse hill sikkim

Adorned with a 45m tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava, Samdruptse is a popular Buddhist place in Sikkim.

  • How to Reach Sikkim

By Air

The nearest airport to Sikkim is the Bagdogra Airport, at 124 kilometers. From there, it’s a 2 hours ride via taxi/private vehicle.

By Train

The nearest railway station, NJP, is almost 148 kilometers away. Taxis/private vehicles can be hired outside the station.

By Road

Travelling to Sikkim by road is an adventure in itself. Sikkim is connected to Siliguri via NH 31A. You can also reach Sikkim from Darjeeling, Kolkata, Kalimpong and Bagdogra.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. how to get to sikkim.

Sikkim is well-connected by airways and roadways. Pakyong Airport connects Sikkim with some major cities in India.

You can fly to Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri (WB), then take a taxi to Gangtok. Alternatively, you can take a train to New Jalpaiguri (WB) then take a taxi to Gangtok.

Q. Can I obtain a permit for Nathula Pass online?

There might be some update regarding online permits in the future, but currently permits are not issued online. You can obtain a permit when you reach Gangtok.

Q. Is alcohol allowed in Sikkim?

Yes, alcohol is available almost everywhere in Sikkim. Liquors like whiskey, brandy, rum etc are cheap in price in Sikkim as compared to other parts of India. The bars in the state remain open till 11pm.

Q. In which month does it snow in Sikkim?

Sikkim receives snowfall in winters (October to March), while some places in the state remain covered in snow throughout the year. Winter is the best season to visit Sikkim to see snowfall.

Q. Is smoking allowed in Sikkim?

Smoking in public places is banned in Sikkim. If you are caught, you will be fined between INR 200 and 500.

Q. Where can I find snow in Sikkim?

The best places to visit to witness the Snowfall in Sikkim are:

  • Thangu Valley
  • Lachen Village
  • Chopta valley in North Sikkim

Q. What is the famous dish of Sikkim?

Sikkim is a place with few but delicious dishes. Some of the famous dishes of Sikkim include momos, thukpa and gundruk.

Q. What can I buy in Sikkim?

The best things to buy in Sikkim are:

  • Prayer Flags
  • Canvas Wall Hangings
  • Woollen Carpets
  • Chosees (Traditional Folding Tables)
  • Sikkimese Traditional Dress
  • Fruit Juice

Q. Which permit is required to visit Sikkim?

Sikkim is under a restricted area regime due to close proximity to countries like China. Thus, permits are required to enter Sikkim. There are two kinds of permits required - Restricted Area Permit (RAP) or Inner Line Permit (ILP) or Protected Area Permit (PAP). RAP is required by every international tourist and PAP is required by both domestic and foreign tourists to enter certain parts of the state like North Sikkim.

Q. Which are the neighbouring states and countries to Sikkim?

Nestled in the Himalayas, Sikkim has Tibet to its north, West Bengal to its south, Bhutan to its east, and Nepal to its west.

Q. What is the best time to plan a holiday to Sikkim?

The best time to plan a holiday to Sikkim is between March to May (summer) and October to December (winter). Monsoon months of June to September aren’t ideal to plan a holiday to Sikkim because heavy rains can lead to road blocks and landslides.

Q. Are any special permits required to visit Sikkim by international travellers?

Yes, to visit Sikkim foreigners must obtain a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) previously known as Inner Line Permit. Those international tourists coming for the purpose of trekking also require to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP).

Q. Is any permission/permit required for the Indian nationals to visit Sikkim?

Yes, a Protected Area Permit (PAP) is required by Indian nationals to visit the entire North Sikkim district and some areas of East Sikkim district.

Q. For which areas in Sikkim permits are required?

International tourists require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to enter Sikkim. Domestic travellers require a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to enter North Sikkim and few areas of East Sikkim.

Q. What are the best family holiday destinations in Sikkim?

The best family holiday destinations in Sikkim are:

Q. What are the top places for a honeymoon in Sikkim?

The best places for a honeymoon in Sikkim are:

Q. What are the must-see popular cultural festivals in Sikkim?

The must-see popular cultural festivals in Sikkim are:

  • Pang Lhabsol
  • Losoong or the Sonam Losar
  • International Flower Festival

Q. What are the best winter holiday destinations in Sikkim?

The best winter holiday destinations in Sikkim are:

Q. Which places are good in Sikkim for summer vacation?

The best places for summer vacation in Sikkim are:

Why Choose TMI for Sikkim?

Experienced

Experienced

An experienced Sikkim tour operator, with a team of an experienced travel enthusiast ensure to give our clients well-designed Sikkim Gangtok tour packages

Certified

We are certified by major tour and travel associations in India and world like IATA, IATO, TAAI, IMF & MOT (Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India).

Happy Customers

Happy Customers

TMI has received numerous accolades from its happy customers for its excellent services and best Sikkim holidays.

Local Offices

Local Offices

We have local office in Sikkim for our customers to find assistance anytime and anywhere

Sikkim Essential Information

  • Accommodation
  • Travel Tips
  • Restricted Area

Where to Stay in Sikkim?

You will find a variety of accommodation options in Sikkim. While Gangtok offers a variety of staying options including hotels and resorts ranging from budget to luxury, other destinations have hotels in budget and mid range categories, and offer basic accommodation facilities. The picturesque locations of the hotels, delicious Sikkimese cuisine & traditional architecture will win your heart.

Major Activities for Tourists in Sikkim

The northeast part of India is blessed by nature’s bounty. Sikkim bears testimony to that. The lakes, snow capped peaks, rivers, monasteries, orchids, waterfalls: it’s the way nature writes her poetry! Sikkim will fill every kind of tourist with beautiful memories. It will leave adventure seekers thrilled & spiritual seekers satisfied. It will be the perfect host to your romantic getaway. The monasteries will bring a smile as much as the positivity of the people. You will come across rare Himalayan wildlife & meditative lakes. Visit it once, and you will have many reasons for visiting it again.

A Few Important Travel Tips Before Visiting Sikkim

  • Prepare your trip after acquainting yourself thoroughly with its weather. While the summers can be pleasant, winters are quite harsh.
  • Carry antibacterial creams, sunscreen lotions, woolen garments and a first aid kit.
  • Foreigners require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP), previously known as Inner Line Permit, to visit Sikkim. International tourists who want to enjoy trekking are required to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP).
  • Indians too need to obtain a Protected Area Permit to visit the entire North Sikkim district as well as some areas in East Sikkim district.
  • Carry your identity proof with you at all times. You will be required to produce them at different checkposts.
  • It is advisable to read about Sikkim’s policy about birds and animals, visiting sacred places, eco-tourism and interacting with tribals.

Sikkim Visa Information

No separate visa is required to visit Sikkim. Foreign tourists are required to obtain a visa (e-visa or regular visa) to visit India. However, foreigners do require an Inner Line Permit or Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to enter Sikkim. The permits can be obtained and issued from all Indian Missions, Tourism Office located at New Delhi, Sikkim Tourism Office, Kolkata, and Siliguri on the strength of an Indian Visa.

Sikkim Restricted Area

Due to the fact that Sikkim is a border state that shares its boundaries with Tibet (China), and thus requires an Inner Line Permit to be entered by the foreigners. The Inner Line Permit is also called Restricted Area Permit.

There are regions like North Sikkim and some parts of West Sikkim that can only be visited with a Protected Area Permit (PAP). Even Indian nationals require the permit to enter the protected area in Sikkim.

Documents Required for Restricted Area and Protected Area Permits

  • Passport (photocopies with original)
  • Passport-size photo in addition, you can also carry
  • Voter's ID card (photocopies with original)

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Quick Links to Important Information in Sikkim

Sikkim travel information at a glance, about sikkim.

  • People & Culture of Sikkim
  • Sikkim Festivals
  • Sikkim Folk Dance & Music
  • Sikkim Food
  • Shopping in Sikkim

Sikkim Destinations

  • Gangtok Tourism
  • Lachung Tourism
  • Lachen Tourism
  • Pelling Tourism
  • Yuksom Tourism
  • Legship Tourism

Sikkim Tourism Packages

  • Gangtok Tour Packages
  • Lachung Tour Packages
  • Lachen Tour Packages
  • Pelling Tour Packages
  • Yuksom Tour Packages
  • Legship Tour Packages

Sikkim Holidays by Interest

  • Sikkim Family Packages
  • Sikkim Honeymoon Packages
  • Sikkim Religious Packages
  • Sikkim Trekking Packages
  • Sikkim Buddhist Packages
  • Sikkim Adventure Packages
  • Helicopter Ride
  • Bird Watching
  • Wildlife Safari
  • Paragliding

Sikkim Attractions

  • Gangtok Attractions
  • Lachung Attractions
  • Lachen Attractions
  • Yuksom Attractions
  • Legship Attractions
  • Pelling Attractions

Hotels in Sikkim

  • Hotels in Gangtok
  • Hotels in Lachung
  • Hotel in Lachen
  • Hotels in Yuksom
  • Hotels in Legship
  • Hotels in Pelling

Other Imp Links

  • Entry Formalities to Sikkim
  • Restricted Area Permit
  • Do's and Don'ts
  • Brief History of Sikkim

sikkim

Sikkim - The Untouched Beauty of Nature

To witness the untouched beauty of nature, Sikkim is the best option to explore. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Sikkim is the second-smallest state and is inhabited from 27 to 28 degrees latitude in the north and 88 to 89 degrees in the east.

Despite being India's second-smallest and least populous state, Sikkim is a paradise for those who love nature. Situated in the northeastern part of the country, Gangtok is the largest city of Sikkim and is also the capital of the state. The city of Gangtok is located at an altitude of 5,500 feet on Shivalik hills. The total area of ​​Sikkim is about 7,096 sq km. ‘Kanchenjunga,' the third highest mountain peak in the world, lies on the border of Nepal in the northwestern part of Sikkim. The geographically small state of Sikkim is renowned for its animals, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, plants, and mountains. It is the most attractive state of India, which is full of sublime natural beauty, magnificent mountains, beautiful waterfalls, and some fantastic landscapes.

Let's Explore Sikkim

sikkim landscape

For those who love mountains, Sikkim is no less than a paradise. Many areas in Sikkim are mountainous and have a height ranging from 280 m to 8,585 m. One can be tempted by showing a glimpse of the scenic view of hilly areas. Sikkim, the North East state of India, is worth-seeing. Some of the best places to visit in Sikkim are as follows:

Thangu Valley

sikkim thangu valley

Thangu Valley, the hub of tourist attractions, is one of the most beautiful valleys of Sikkim, which is 30 km north of Lachen town. Trekking can also be done at places like Green Lake around Thangu. Between March to June is considered the best time to visit Thangu valley.

lachung sikkim

Lachung is a beautiful village close to the Tibetan border. During snowfalls, its beauty increases to such an extent, that its picturesque can make anyone in awe. That is why there is a flow of tourists from all over the world.

Gurudongmar Lake

A beautiful and mesmerizing Gurudongmar Lake is one of the divine lakes of the state, which is situated 190 km from Gangtok. The lake is at an altitude of 17,800 feet above sea level.

yumthang sikkim

Located in the north district of Sikkim, Yumthang Valley is also known as 'Sikkim Valley of Flowers sanctuary.' It is a beautiful place, full of rivers, hot springs, and yaks with grazing pasture.

Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park

Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park is located in Bulbulay, 3 km from Gangtok. Situated at an altitude of 1780 meters, this place offers a fantastic view of Mount Kanchenjunga. Established in 1991, the Himalayan Zoological Park is located in the north-eastern part of India, which is home to a variety of fauna. Common ling, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan palm civet, snow leopard cat, Himalayan monal pheasant, Himalayan red panda, and crimson-horned pheasant. Tourists visiting Gangtok can visit the Zoological Park and enjoy the astonishing natural beauty surrounding the place.

Dwelled in the lap of the eastern Himalayas, Mangan is counted among a worth seeing tourist spot in the country. Mangan has a number of tourist spots, one of which is Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary. It is home to forty species of rhododendron trees. Singhik is the village of Mangan, situated at an altitude of more than 500 feet, from where one can take a view of Kanchenjunga.

The Seven Sisters Waterfall

the seven sisters waterfall

Seven Sisters Waterfalls, as the name itself suggests, consists of seven different waterfalls situated on a wide rugged cliff, which look very different from a distance. The waterfall looks very beautiful during the rain, which attracts a lot of tourists visiting the state. Seven Sisters Waterfall is located 32 km from Gangtok on the Gangtok-Lachung Highway. Seven Sisters Waterfall is an ideal and popular tourist destination to spend time with your family and friends.

Banjhakri Falls and Energy Park

Banjhakri Falls and Energy Park in Gangtok is an extraordinary sightseeing place for tourists, which is spread over two acres of area. Energy Park has a swimming pool for tourists to enjoy.

Kabi Lungchok

It is considered as a historical place, which is located at a distance of 17 km from the northern capital of Gangtok. This place with amazing historical stories attracts tourists.

Best Time to Visit

Either March and May or October and mid-December is the best time to visit Sikkim due to its pleasant weather during these months.

Famous Food of Sikkim

sikkim food

Sikkim is a state where you get food that resembles many ingredients, styles, and elements of Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and India. The cultures and religions around it inspire the cuisine found in this state. For food lovers, Sikkim is famous for traditional Himalayan cuisine. Rice is the principal food of Sikkim. Also, many well-known restaurants serve non-vegetarian Indian, Tibetan, Nepali, Chinese, and Italian dishes. Dumpling (Momos) is on the top of the list of famous cuisine of Sikkim. Other mouth-watering cuisines of Sikkim include Thukpa, Phagshapa (Gya Thuk), Dhindo, Dal Bhat, Sha Phaley, Gundruk, Sinki, etc.

Popular Festivals of Sikkim

sikkim festivals

The citizens of Sikkim celebrate all major Hindu festivals of India, such as Makar Sankranti , Durga Puja, Ram Navami , Diwali , and Dussehra. Losar is considered as one of the main festivals of the state. Lhabab Duchen, Pang Lhabsol, are other important festivals of the Sikkim.

Losoong Festival is a major festival of Sikkim, celebrated at the end of the tenth month of the year according to the Tibetan Lunar calendar. During this festival, people pray for a good harvest and excellent prospects in the coming year. Losoong Festival is celebrated every year in the month of December. It is the New Year of the Sikkimese Bhutia tribe. Losar Festival is celebrated in the month of February as the Tibetan New Year. Yak dance is very popular in this festival, and a procession is also taken out in it.

How to Reach Sikkim

Despite being a hilly region, Sikkim is very well connected to the entire country. The Sikkim Tourism Department also operates a five-seater helicopter from Bagdogra to Gangtok as it is a favorite destination of tourists. Two railway stations connect this province to the rest of the country, one Siliguri and the other New Jalpaiguri, which are 114 km from the capital and 125 km, respectively.

Sikkim does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is Bagdogra (near Siliguri) in West Bengal, which is located about 125 km from Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The state is connected to Kolkata, Delhi , and Guwahati by several airlines such as Indian Airlines, Deccan Air Service, Jet Airways, and others.

By Roadways

Though Sikkim is situated in the lower part of the Himalayas, there is an extensive network of roads. Sikkim can be reached through the northern part of West Bengal. Darjeeling , Kalimpong, and Siliguri are directly connected to Gangtok and other cities in the state, where on the other hand, frequent landslides in the monsoon cause temporary problems in road transport.

There is no rail network in Sikkim. The nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri (near Siliguri) in West Bengal, which connects several major cities in the Northeast, including Gangtok. Apart from this, it is well connected to all the major railway stations in India - Kolkata, Delhi.

History of the State

The history of Sikkim goes back to the time when the Lepchas were the original inhabitants of this state. Sikkim has a special political past in which several important events have taken place related to the tribal rulers, British power, and the joining of this state in India. When the British arrived in India, the dynasty of Sikkim formed an alliance to fight against Nepalese and Bhutanese, who was becoming a threat to Sikkim. After India gained independence in 1947, Sikkim became a protected state under India, and India took responsibility for its defense, foreign relations, and strategic connectivity. However, over time, the people of Sikkim wanted more political freedom through democracy, then the first five elections were held in 1975.

People of all communities in Sikkim live in mutual love and goodwill. Sikkim has people belonging to different religions and is the state of communal harmony and most peaceful in the Indian Union.

sikkim mountains

Sikkim is the second smallest state in India and is geographically located at 27.33 degrees north and 88.62 degrees east. The Himalayan Range surrounds Sikkim from eastern, western, and northern borders. It borders West Bengal in the south, Tibet in the north and northeast, Nepal in the west, and Bhutan in the east.

Kanchenjunga, which is considered the defense goddess of Sikkim, showcases its natural beauty. Sikkim is one of the 18 major regions of the world full of biodiversity. The Sikkim Himalayas are rich in biodiversity, where 5000 species of angiosperms are found. Sikkim has 144 species of mammals, 450 to 500 species of orchids, 40 species of oaks, 36 species of rhododendrons, 4000 species of flowering plants, 500 to 600 species of birds, more than 400 species of butterflies and insects as well as many species of reptiles are also found here. The rare blue sheep, Tibetan mastiff, and red panda are also found here. There are only four districts in the second smallest state of the country, which includes East Sikkim, West Sikkim, North Sikkim, and South Sikkim.

Different climatic conditions of Sikkim

The north part of the state has a tundra type of climate, while the southern part has subtropical seasonal conditions. Due to the tundra type climate, the northern part of the state is covered with snow for about four months of the year, and the night temperature goes up to zero degrees. The weather of Sikkim is mainly of five types, which include Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn, and Monsoon.

Sikkim has a population of 6.19 lakhs, with a total literacy rate of 81.42%. Out of which the males and female literacy rate of the state is 86.55% and 75.61%, respectively. There are only two religions widespread in Sikkim, Hinduism and Buddhism. Though there is also a small Christian community which was of Lepcha origin at first, later converted to religion by the colonial British. There are even fewer Muslims than them. In spite of having many religions and sects in different proportions, there has never been tension or communal riots in the state.

Economy and Infrastructure

The economy of Sikkim rests exclusively on tourism, farming, some industries, and horticulture. Due to its rich natural beauty, attractive weather, and rich cultural heritage, tourism has flourished in this part of the country and has become the backbone of Sikkim's economy.

Despite most of the area of ​​Sikkim being covered by mountains, farming is possible to a large extent. Sikkim is particularly rich in tea and cardamom, besides other crops include rice, maize, potato, wheat, orange, and ginger.

Government in Sikkim

sikkim government

The government of Sikkim adopted the structure of other states of India in 1975 after being separated from its dynastic roots. There is a legislative body with many ministers headed by the Chief Minister. In the state legislative assembly, 32 members are elected through assembly elections in 32 assembly constituencies spread over four districts. One of these seats is reserved for a Buddhist representative according to the tradition of kings. The Chief Minister of Sikkim is Prem Singh Tamang serving since 2019.

Sikkim lags behind other states in India in terms of education due to the mountains and lack of facilities. There are around 1150 schools which are providing primary and secondary education to children. More than half of these are run with the help of the government and the rest by private institutions. Some schools belong to the Central Board. There are about 15 colleges in the state that impart higher education to aspiring students. There are other private universities like the Sikkim Manipal University of Gangtok, which offer degrees in engineering, management, and medicine. Sikkim Central University is also located in Gangtok.

Society and Culture

The cultural heritage of Sikkim is vibrant and prosperous due to the mixed tradition of Lepchas, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Apart from this, the state of Sikkim mainly consists of people from the Bhotia, Lepcha, and Nepali communities. Since the people of Sikkim follow Buddhism, their festivals are less grand and plain but colorful. Buddhist festivals such as Drupka Teshi, Saga Dawa, Lusong, Pang Lhabsol, and Dasen are widely celebrated in the state. Folk songs and dances are ubiquitous in such ceremonies. The masked dance performed by the Lamas in the courtyard of the monastery in Sikkim is the most colorful dance in North-East India, which shows the true essence of the culture of the place.

People living in the state use a total of six languages ​​for communication. Nepali is the common language here due to a large number of Nepali people. This language belongs to the Indo-Aryan family. The second most spoken language is Bhutia, which has strong ties to the Tibeto-Burman family. Other languages, ​​which people speak fluently are Lepcha, Sherpa (spoken language), and Limbu (spoken language). All these languages ​​are taught in various schools and are declared as the official language of the state.

Shopping in Sikkim

Sikkim, the second smallest state in India, is situated between Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. The hills, green forests, ponds, and rivers make Sikkim an excellent destination for the holidays. Apart from this, there are many places to shop in Sikkim, which can add some extra charm to the beauty of the state.

mg road gangtok

  • MG Road: MG Road is a quite famous place in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, which is renowned for shopping and a large number of restaurants. One can buy traditional Thangka paintings and Choksi tables. Apart from this, the traditional dress of Sikkim, souvenirs, shoes, etc. are also famous in the state. This place is considered to be the best for shopping in Sikkim.
  • New Market: One of the famous shopping destinations in Sikkim, New Market is a small market located in the core area of ​​Gangtok. Dry fruits, barfi, and dried sweet mango peels are mainly available in this market.
  • Old Market: Sikkim's old market is quite known for fashion wear and accessories. The Old Market is always buzzing with tourists. Dogra Jewelry and Handicrafts are quite famous in this place.

Lastly, the state of Sikkim is mostly a maze of plunging, super-steep valleys with an attractive, natural, and cloud wrapped places that refreshes the hearts and minds of the tourists.

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  • Chopta Valley
  • Gurudongmar
  • Kabi Lungchok
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  • Yumesamdong

sikkim tourism essay

Sikkim is an Indian state in the North East of the country. The Himalayan state borders Chinese Tibet in the North, Nepal in the West, the Indian state of West Bengal in the south and Bhutan in the East. It is one of the smallest states in India and has a population of just over 6,00,000. Tourism is the main industry in the state. In fact, the annual tourist inflow in the state has surpassed the population of the state.

The state is legendary for its peaceful nature and simplicity. Famous for Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world at 8586m, the mountain state offers a tremendous variety of plants and wildlife besides a diverse ethnic mix of people with rich cultural traditions.

Tourism in the state

Tourism in Sikkim gained popularity during the last decade with an increasing number of tourists visiting this hilly region for its natural beauty. Till the early ’90s, few tourists would visit this landlocked state. Even those who visited hardly went beyond Gangtok, the state capital. During the last two decades, tourism has seen a major boost in the state with close to a million tourists visiting Sikkim every year.

Getting There

Bagdogra (120 km from Gangtok) is the major airport in the region. Regular flights connect Bagdogra to major airports in the country. New Jalpaiguri Rail Station (115 km from Gangtok) also known as NJP is the major railhead. All trains travelling to the North East passes through NJP. Siliguri (110 km from Gangtok) is the main junction where Road, Air, and Rail traveller gets down before travelling to Sikkim.

There are two main entry points. Tourists visiting East and North districts including the capital Gangtok, enter Sikkim through Rangpo. The other major entry point is through Malli which is the entry point for the West and South districts.

Permits and entry rules

Indian tourists do not require any permit to enter the state. However, some of the tourist destinations are known as ‘Restricted Area’ and Indian tourists also require a permit to visit these 'restricted' places. These places include Nathula - Tsongo Lake – Zuluk – Memenchu area in East, entire North district, Dzongri – Goechala area in West district etc.

The State of Sikkim is divided into 3 areas based on travel restrictions. Some part of the state requires Inner Line Permit, some parts require a Protected Area Permit and some other part require a Restricted Area Permit. The entire state of Sikkim falls under one of the three categories.

If you are an international traveller and have already come to the region without obtaining a proper permit,   HUMRO TOURS  will assist you in arranging the same. Foreign visitors must first get a tourist permit before entering Sikkim. This Inner Line Permit (ILP) is issued at a number of places but most tourists collect it on arrival at Siliguri or at the entry check post. Double-check your ILP details with our executive if you are travelling during a holiday or arriving late in the evening as the issuing offices do not remain open 24 hours.

Foreigners can avail of only 15 days permit to visit Sikkim which can be extended for a further period of 30 days in two spells of 15 days each. This extension is given by the Sikkim government home department in Gangtok. The permit can be arranged very easily at several places including at Siliguri, Darjeeling or at Rongpo and Malli on the Bengal - Sikkim border. The permits can also be obtained from the Indian Embassy in different places. International travellers need to carry two copies of the photograph and passport. The process barely takes 15 minutes for an individual, if you are travelling in a group, the time required for the formality would proportionately increase.

The restriction for visiting Dzongri - Yuksom is slightly more strict. You should be part of a group of a minimum of 4 persons in order to visit Dzongri (in West Sikkim ) for the purpose of trekking, you should also be travelling with a recognized Indian travel agent.

There are further restrictions on visiting several places deeper inside Sikkim. Both domestic and foreign visitors require special permits to visit Tsomgo , Nathula area which is a day tour from Gangtok . Foreigners can only visit Tsongo but not Nathula. Similarly, special permits are required to visit  North Sikkim where foreigners are not allowed to visit the Gurudongmar lake area, although permits for the trek to Green Lake in the same area can be arranged.

All the permits can be collected from the Indian Missions in different countries. It can also be collected from Foreigners' Regional Registration Offices in Calcutta, Delhi, Madras & Bombay or the Office of the Assistant Resident Commissioner, Govt. of Sikkim, Calcutta or the office of the Deputy Director (Tourism), Govt. of Sikkim, New Delhi.

Exception : visitors from Pakistan, China, and Myanmar can be given inner line permits only after approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in New Delhi. For Bhutan , and Nepal nationals there is no restriction on entering Sikkim. Foreign diplomats, United Nations officials and members of International organizations need to obtain their permits from the Ministry of External Affairs at New Delhi.

Tourist Destinations

Gangtok is the most important town and the capital of the state. It lies on a ridge with fine views of the Kanchenjunga. This is the most common tourist destination in the state. You can easily spend 2 to 3 days sightseeing around Gangtok. If you intend to travel to North Sikkim, you must spend two nights in Gangtok on your way and back.

Pelling is the second most popular tourist destination. It is the original capital of Sikkim and the ruins of the erstwhile capital are still well preserved. Pelling also offers excellent views of the Kanchenjunga range of mountains.

North Sikkim offers natural beauty at its best. Lachen and Lachung are the two main tourist towns; Lachen acts as a base for a trip to Gurudongmar and Lachung is the base for visiting the Yumthang valley area.

To really see this Himalayan state, it is necessary to leave the hamlets and travel to the remote areas. It is impossible not to be awed by Sikkim's sharp, lush hills, leaping waterfalls, thundering rivers, and placid lakes.

The people, sculpted by lives of low-tech farming and mountainous travel, have behind them generations of communal intermixing. Sikkim is divided into 4 districts, South , North , East and West . The South District has a lower altitude and Namchi is the district capital. The Samdruptse monastery and Char Dham have brought Namchi into the tourism landscape. The other important tourist destination here is Ravangla . Gangtok is located in the East District. West District offers destinations such as Pelling and Yuksom as well as beautiful treks such as the one to Dzongri . The North district bordering China offers excellent high-altitude destinations such as Yumthang Valley and Gurudongmar .

Tour Packages

Most tourists visit the common tourist destinations on a leisure tour. These packages are often combined with Darjeeling. If you are interested in Leisure tours, please check our Holiday tour ideas for Darjeeling and Sikkim .

Forests and nature-based tourism

The mountain state is rich with a wide variety of flora and fauna. About 450 varieties of orchids, over 600 species of butterflies, and 500 species of birds along with red pandas, snow leopards and other animals can be seen in Sikkim. The largest collection can be seen at the Kanchenjunga National Park which covers an area of 850 square kilometres. As a result ornithology tourism is also gaining in prominence in Sikkim.

The National Parks in Sikkim include Kyongnosia Alpine Sanctuary in the East district. You will pass through these forests on your visit to Tsongo lake or Nathula from Gangtok. Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary in South Sikkim can be visited based in Ravangla. Short treks in the area are also organized. Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary in North Sikkim is located near Yumthang valley and can be visited during the North Sikkim tour. Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary in West can be accessed either from the Rinchenpong Kaluk area or from the Hilley area. There are nice treks inside the Sanctuary where trekkers' huts are also available.

Sikkim was an independent state till very recently. It was annexed into India only in 1975. Till now people from the state enjoy a host of special privileges due to this reason. The original capital of the state was Rabdantse near Pelling. The ruins of the erstwhile capital are well preserved and can be visited by tourists during their tour to Pelling.

People and Culture

Lepcha is the original inhabitants of the land. Over time, the Lepcha people lost much of their cultural identity. However, in recent times there has been an attempt to revive the culture and tradition of the Lepcha people. The Dzongu area of Sikkim has been declared a Lepcha reserve.

The culture of Sikkim is also heavily influenced by Tibetan traditions. The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in Gangtok has one of the largest collections of Tibetan books in the world. Many Buddhist monasteries are repositories of artistic treasures, including wall paintings, Thankas, and bronze images.

Travel Tourism and agriculture are the basis of the local economy. Sikkim is India's major producer of cardamom. The local forests have great economic value in timber and wood pulp. The state's cotton and wool weaving, carpets, rugs, blankets, and bamboo work are also well known.

Although it was historically a Buddhist kingdom, the Hindus currently represent the majority. Sikkim has close links with Tibet and it's the home of over 250 monasteries of mostly the Nyingma-pa sect. Buddhism is an integral part of the people and their culture, and many of the recommended trips around Gangtok have a monastery as their ultimate destination. The monasteries that are closest to Gangtok are Enchey, Rumtek, and Phodong. Click here to see a list of monasteries of Sikkim.

Nepali is spoken by the vast majority of the population, and Tibetan and Lepcha languages are spoken by specific communities. Hindi is understood and spoken throughout Sikkim, English, and Bengali are spoken in tourist centres.

The annual rainfall varies from 50-200 inches (mostly from June - September), and perennial snow in the upper levels often accumulates to a thickness of a few meters. The best times to see orchids in bloom are April - May, July - August, and November.

Temperature varies with altitude. The lower altitude South Sikkim is relatively hotter. In the North district, the temperature is much lower and may remain below the freezing point for most of the year.

Map of Sikkim

Services that we offer.

Package Tour -   HUMRO TOURS organizes regular package tours to Sikkim. All our tours are customized according to guest preferences. You can check our Holiday Ideas section for ideas about package tour options.

Hotels in Sikkim - The best hotel options are available at Gangtok. But other major destinations also have good accommodations. Check our list of hotels in Gangtok and other destinations of Sikkim.

Adventure Tours - Whether you want to go for a trek to Dzongri - Goechala or a biking tour through the east and west, we have unmatched expertise in this region.

Car Rental -   HUMRO TOURS  owns its own transport car and lends them on hire.

Gangtok

Gangtok Gangtok the capital of Sikkim, is a unique hill resort in northeast India and undoubtedly one of the oft-visited ones. Perched on the ridge of a hill at an altitude of 1700 mt, the town is famous for its scenic beauty and spectacular ... [+]

Pelling

Pelling The pleasant little town of Pelling is famous for magnificent views of the snow-capped Kanchenjunga range, the third-highest peak in the world. Pelling is about 130 km away from Siliguri and 115km from Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, ... [+]

Lachen

Lachen Lachen is the sister village of Lachung in North Sikkim and is the base for tours to Gurudongmar lake and Chopta valley. Situated at an altitude of 8838 ft, the small town is a good 6 to 8 hours drive from Gangtok (depending on road ... [+]

Lachung

Lachung Basic Information Altitude - 8610 ft Latitude - 27.54° Longitude - 88.64° Weather - Most cold varies between 12-20° C in Summer and Below freezing point in Winter. Lachung is one of the most exquisite villages in the valleys ... [+]

Chopta Valley

Chopta Valley - Sikkim Basic Information Altitude - 14,000 ft Latitude - 27.9 North Longitude - 88.52 East Weather - Below 10° C throughout the year. Below freezing point in Winter and in night. Wonders never cease in North Sikkim. With ... [+]

Chungthang

Chungthang Chungthang is a small town at the confluence of the Lachen and Lachung rivers. Here the river Teesta, the lifeline of Sikkim is formed. The two most picturesque and common tourist destinations of North Sikkim, Lachen, and Lachung, ... [+]

Dzongri

Dzongri At an altitude of 4,200 m, Dzongri is among the best trekking destinations not only in Sikkim but also in India. The sights of the milky white peaks all around Dzongri are bound to keep you gazing with awe. The view from this place ... [+]

Gurudongmar

Gurudongmar Lake Gurudongmar is a high-altitude lake close to the Tibet border in North Sikkim. It is the land of Yaks, blue ships and other high-altitude animals of Sikkim and Tibet. The snow-fed milky water of the lake is one of the major ... [+]

Kabi Lungchok

Kabi Lungchok Kabi Lungchok is a place of religious and historical significance in Sikkim. The place is located about 18 km away from Gangtok close to Phodong town. The place that saw the historic swearing of blood brotherhood between the ... [+]

Khecheopalri

Khecheopalri Lake Khecheoplari Tsho is a large lake located 27 km from Pelling and is a common tourist sightseeing point. The lake is considered to be one of the sacred lakes of Sikkim. The lake remains hidden in the rich forest cover. It is ... [+]

Monasteries in Sikkim

Monasteries in Sikkim With a total of about 250 monasteries, the culture of Sikkim is closely linked to Tibetan Buddhism. Monasteries form an integral part of Sikkim. Most monasteries belong to the Nyingmapa Sect or the Kargyupa Sect. Rumtek ... [+]

Nathula

Nathula Pass Nathula is a pass on the Indo-Chinese border (La meaning Pass in Tibetan). The place is 56 kilometres from Gangtok and passes through Tsongmo Lake. The place is covered with snow for the most part of the year. The pass was traditionally ... [+]

Namchi

Namchi The district headquarters of South Sikkim has come into tourist prominence only during the last few years. Previously Namchi used to be considered just a large town with little or no attraction for tourists. However, under the aegis ... [+]

Phodong

Phodong From Gangtok, as you drive further North towards Mangan, The district capital of North Sikkim, you will soon come across Kabi Langchuk, a place of significant historical value. After you have crossed Kabi, Before you have even caught ... [+]

North Sikkim

North Sikkim A land - where heaven touches the earth, the ambience creates mystery, a landscape dominated by elements, silence can be heard, vision tends to travel beyond the horizon, the soul starts meditating- unknowingly, the mind gets rejuvenated; ... [+]

Ravangla

Ravangla This is a relatively new tourist spot in South Sikkim. Situated at an elevation of 8000 ft the small picturesque semi-town on the Gangtok-Gaysiling highway, Ravangla is becoming a hot destination for its breathtaking landscape and ... [+]

Rinchenpong

Rinchenpong and Kaluk At an altitude of about 5576ft, Rinchenpong and Kaluk are a recent addition to the tourist map of West Sikkim. The place is famous for the beautiful view of the Kanchenjunga range of mountains. The Kaluk - Rinchenpong ... [+]

Singhik

Singhik Singhik is a small village close to Mangan town. You can get the most glorious views of Kanchenjunga from here. Situated at an altitude of over 5000ft, Singhik offers the desired break to travellers on the way to Lachen or Lachung. ... [+]

South Sikkim

South Sikkim South Sikkim is a district in the North Eastern state of Sikkim. The state is divided into four districts based on the four geographical directions of North, East, West, and South. The North district comprises of high altitude ... [+]

Thangu

Thangu 30kms beyond Lachen lies Thangu at an altitude of 13000ft. Months of May and June see this valley carpeted with alpine flowers which are replaced by snow from October up to March. The small picturesque hamlet with a scanty population ... [+]

Tsomgo

Tsomgo Lake Basic Information Elevation - 3780 meter Latitude - N 27° 22' Longitude - E 88° 45' Getting There 38 km from Gangtok, Tsomgo lake can be visited as part of a half-day sightseeing tour from Gangtok. No overnight ... [+]

Uttarey

Uttarey Uttarey is a small village close to Nepal border in West Sikkim. The place is about 30 km from the popular tourist destination of Pelling. Uttarey is popular among tourists for the serene environment of the place and many tourist attractions ... [+]

Varsey

Hilley and Barsey (or Varsey) The Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary is a picturesque natural sanctuary located in the Indian state of Sikkim, in the eastern Himalayas. It is renowned for its stunning landscapes, diverse flora and fauna, and, most ... [+]

West Sikkim

West Sikkim West Sikkim is a district and is famous for Pelling and Kanchenjunga. There are a number of smaller offbeat destinations in the area. Pelling Pelling in West Sikkim is about 133km away from Siliguri and 125 km from Gangtok and ... [+]

Yuksom

Yuksom (West Sikkim) Basic Information Elevation - 1700 meter Latitude - N 27° 22' Longitude - E 88° 13' Places Around Pelling - 36 km Gangtok - 140 km Ravangla - 75 km Bagdogra / NJP - 165 km About 35 km from Pemayangtse ... [+]

Yumesamdong

Yumesamdong Yumesamdong is a valley on the Lachung river about 15Kms ahead of Yumthang. The place is close to the Chinese border. Yumesamdong is an hour's drive beyond Yumthang through the rugged mountain road (15300ft), an area where the ... [+]

Yumthang

Yumthang Valley This famous valley in North Sikkim lies 140km north of Gangtok. Lachung provides the base for the exploration of Yumthang, the valley of flowers. Situated at an altitude of 11800 ft ( 3564m) in close proximity to Tibet, Yumthang ... [+]

Zuluk

Zuluk Orientation Zuluk is a relatively new tourist destination in East Sikkim. It is a small village with a large military settlement, given that the Indo-Tibet border is nearby. The village itself is an attractive tourist destination for ... [+]

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Everything you need to know to plan an EPIC trip to Sikkim

Glittering glacial lakes, endless pastures, waterfalls at every turn, quiet monastery towns, and scenic drives on some of the worst roads we’ve encountered on our travels made our trip to Sikkim an adventure we will never forget

Gurudongmar lake Sikkim

The state of Sikkim, nestled in the North Eastern part of India, isn’t exactly on the tourist radar. But it should be. The state has so much to offer to visitors. You will fall short of words to describe its natural beauty. Towns such as Gangtok and Pelling have some gorgeous hotels and sights that ensure a memorable holiday.

But the lack of infrastructure, especially in areas such as North Sikkim, make the journey challenging. If that makes you apprehensive, skip North Sikkim and visit just Gangtok and Pelling on your trip to Sikkim or choose a trip to Ladakh, India instead (similar panoramas, better infrastructure). However if you’re an adventurer at heart, then here’s our itinerary that covers most of Sikkim for you:

ITINERARY FOR A TRIP TO SIKKIM

Day 1: fly to bagdogra airport and transfer to gangtok, days 2-3: explore gangtok and surroundings.

  • Days 4-6: North Sikkim Tour: Visit Gurudongmar Lake, Lachen, Lachung
  • Day 6: Yumthang Valley and transfer back to Gangtok

Day 7: Transfer to Pelling

Days 8-9: explore pelling and surroundings, day 10: transfer to bagdogra airport and flight back home.

North Sikkim tour in a rental cab

BUDGETING FOR A TRIP TO SIKKIM

Expenditure (true of October 2017)  on a  10 day trip for a couple – INR 90,000 (£1000).  Of course this sum varies depending on where you’re flying from or the kinds of hotels you’re choosing. Here’s the breakdown:  

  • Flights (New Delhi- Bagdogra) INR 12000 per person
  • North Sikkim Tour (2N/3D) including transfers, hotels, and permits INR 25000
  • Bagdogra Airport- Gangtok Private Transfer INR 3500
  • Gangktok 1 day cab rental for sightseeing INR 2500
  • Gangtok- Pelling Private Transfer INR 4000
  • Pelling 1 day cab rental for sightseeing INR INR 2500
  • Pelling-Bagdogra Airport private transfer in a big car (please do not opt for a small car with low clearance for this stretch, the road is horrendous) INR 4000
  • Hotels in Gangtok and Pelling – this depends on your preference but we’d suggest setting aside at least INR 4000 for a comfortable hotel  
  • Miscellaneous meals, entry fee etc INR 6000

GETTING AROUND IN SIKKIM: CABS AND ROADS

Self drive isn’t an option in Sikkim as there are no rental cars available. You could drive your own car from a neighbouring state but you will need multiple permits to visit various places of interest. Due to the presence of multiple taxi unions and requirements for permits, we suggest booking your transportation with a local tour agency that will sort out both cabs and permits for you

Irrespective of whether you choose a company recommended by us or your family/friends, make SURE (we cannot stress this enough) that you have written confirmation of the kind of transfers you have chosen (private/shared), the kind of car that will be provided to you (4×4, 2 wheel drive etc), and a list of inclusions (e.g. cost of permits, day trips etc) in order to prevent paying more at a later stage.

We booked ALL our transfers and North Sikkim tour with Galaxy Tours  (contact Tenzing)after reading several good reviews on Tripadvisor. They were prompt in their communication online which put us at ease. We chose private transfers all along and a 2N/3D North Sikkim Tour. There were a few minor hiccups in service once we got there but overall we would definitely recommend them.

Driving around in Sikkim in Xylo Innova

DAY BY DAY BREAKDOWN OF A TRIP TO SIKKIM WITH LOTS OF TIPS 🙂

On this day you will arrive at Bagdogra Airport. As you collect your luggage and exit the airport, expect a chaotic mass of taxi drivers, tourists, and travel agents. You can choose a taxi at the spot but we would suggest booking one in advance so:

  • You know you are in reliable hands and have someone who can be held accountable should something go wrong
  • You do not have to waste time finding a cab and bargaining on the spot.

Whether you book a cab right there or book one in advance, a private transfer to Gangtok should cost between INR 3000 and INR 3500. This cost goes down significantly if you choose a shared transfer. The road from Bagdogra Airport to Gangtok is one of the few decent roads in Sikkim, so expect a comfortable journey with a few bumps along the way.

Accommodation in Gangtok

There is no dearth of accommodation to suit all budgets in Gangtok. We chose to stay in a luxurious boutique hotel that boasts of a history like no other. Elgin Nor Khill used to the Royal Guesthouse of the King of Sikkim. It has now been refurbished into a hotel but it’s grandeur remains intact. The lobby is bedecked with artifacts and artwork that reflects the rich culture of Sikkim. You could choose a room in the older, more traditionally-furnished wing or the modern wing that boasts of clean cuts and contemporary furnishings. We were greeted with cherry liquor and huge smiles at check in and this continued for the length of the stay – the staff at Elgin Nor Khill well and truly stands out. We really enjoyed our stay here!

Do beware – the hotel is located right next to the iconic Paljor Football Stadium, perfect if you enjoy the sport but a bit of a nuisance if you don’t as the sound of matches, practices floats through the windows.

suite in Elgin Nork Hill Gangtok Sikkim

Gangtok  is the largest town in Sikkim and the perfect place to explore the sites and sounds of East Sikkim. The bustling town is also home to some amazing eateries. Spend your days in Gangtok sampling local food, sipping on a cup of local black tea as you watch the locals go about their lives, and visiting impressive sites in the area.  Here are a couple of places we’d recommend in Gangtok

  • Go for an aimless stroll on MG Road. Pick up some souvenirs or just sample some local foods such as momos (steamed dumplings) and  thukpa (a hearty noodle soup)
  • If you’re looking for scrumptious momos (steamed dumplings) try Taste of Tibet and the iconic Momo Roll Corner located up a flight of stairs. Both these hole-in-the-wall eateries are situated on the busy MG Road. Here there are momo shops by the dozen and we tried a fair few, but these are the two we liked best. Visit for a super affordable snack/meal on the go.
  • If you’re looking for a more comfortable place to while some time away, then visit B ibliothéque café or the café at Bookman’s B&B for breakfast or brunch.
  • Spend an afternoon at The Tibetology Museum to acquaint yourself with Buddhism and learn more about the fascinating monasteries in the area. Combine it with a visit to Rumtek Monastery.
  • If you’re not visiting North Sikkim, then we would recommend renting a car for a day (see the budgeting section for approximate prices) and visiting some sites in the area including the glittering Tsomgo/Changu Lake and Tashi View Point. However if you ARE visiting North Sikkim, then you can skip these sites because you will be lots of waterfalls, glacial lakes, and panoramic view points there.

Walking around and having momos in Gangtok MG Road

Days 4: North Sikkim Tour: Drive from Gangtok to Lachen

Let the fun (and back aches 😉 ) begin!! For the next 3 days, you will be spending over 12 hours a day in your rental car on roads that aren’t worthy of being called roads, so make sure you’ve stocked up on snacks, some music, and optimism!

An early wake-up call followed by an arduous but scenic drive 8 hour drive will bring you to Lachen. Lachen is a small village, which is the perfect place to break the journey between Gangtok and Gurudongmar Lake.  The drive to Lachen is laden by nature’s marvels – stop for photographs with waterfalls, marvel at meandering brooks, or just sip on a cup of tea at a small eatery that offers stunning views of the Himalayas. Roads in North Sikkim are in bad shape, so the drive is bound to leave you exhausted. Rest well because you have a long and exciting day ahead of you.

Lachen village drive in North Sikkim

Accommodation and meals in Lachen :

Basic accommodation and meals are included in the price of the North Sikkim Tour we mentioned in the budgeting section (INR 25000/£300). But do beware that this accommodation is as basic as it gets – think home-stays, unpredictable electricity, questionable bedding, and tiny rooms. However the hosts are hospitable and always willing to provide hot water or an extra blanket should you need it.

If you enjoy comfortable accommodation, then we’d suggest opting for a North Sikkim Tour that includes just a cab and a driver and booking accommodation yourself. In this case, you could stay at the slightly more upscale Apple Orchard Resort in Lachen . The hotel was closed at the time we visited but we heard great things about it.

Day 5: Visit Gurudongmar Lake and sleep in Lachung

You will need to leave your hotel by 3 am for the long and exciting drive to Gurudongmar Lake , one of the highest and most remote lakes in the world. The journey takes about 5 hours each way from Lachen. You will be off-roading for the majority of this time as a lot of the ‘roads’ in the area are just gravel and pebbles. Having said that, the mountain views around you will hypnotize you into oblivion. As you near Gurudongmar Lake, bright blue skies and crisp mountain air will beckon you into submission. Before you know it, you will be staring at a glistening water body, surrounded by mountains and glaciers. This is it- you are here!

At 18000 feet there’s little you can do other than stopping and staring at nature’s wonders. But do click a photograph or two to preserve the moment for posterity. Gurudongmar Lake is spellbinding and the definite highlight of a trip to Sikkim. Due to the lack of oxygen at such high altitudes you should only stay here for 30 minutes or so. This is followed by another long and gorgeous drive to Lachung, where you will stay for the night.

Couple at Gurudongmar lake in Sikkim

Accommodation and meals in Lachung :

Basic accommodation and meals are included in the price of the North Sikkim Tour we mentioned in the budgeting section (INR 25000/£300). Lachung is bigger than Lachen and consequently more developed. The hotel included in the tour is an extremely basic hotel – ok for a stop over for the night but nothing else!

If you enjoy comfortable accommodation, then opt North Sikkim Tour that includes just a cab and a driver and booking accommodation yourself. In this case, you could stay at stay at the Yarlam Resort in Lachung . The hotel provides gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and it’s easy to spend a couple of nights in the lap of nature here. However do beware that connectivity is a problem in the area, so you might not want to stay longer than necessary.

Day 6: Yumthang Valley, Zero Point, and transfer back to Gangtok

The third and last day of your North Sikkim tour will take you to lots of interesting sites. Yumthang Valley is particularly resplendent during the month of April when it is covered with purple flowers. At other times of the year, it offers some stunning panoramas. Continue onto Zero Point, if the idea of seeing snow fascinates you. You could give this a pass during summer months but this place can be gorgeous and dramatic during winter months (if you’re lucky and the road leading to it isn’t snowed under!). On your way back to Gangtok, stop and stare at the dozens of waterfalls along the way.

The one we specially enjoyed was Bhim Nala Falls (also known as the Amitabh Bachan Falls) – we opted out of visiting Nathula Pass and consequently escaped the hordes of day trippers that stop by these falls at the exact same time of the day. We were the only ones around and had a great time. The roads of North Sikkim continued to be the worst we’ve ever encountered on our travels. Needless to say, we arrived in Gangtok feeling sore and exhausted! But there’s nothing a hot bath and a hot meal can’t solve.

Amitabh Bachchan waterfalls in North Sikkim

In case you thought your tryst with the disastrous roads of Sikkim was over, you were mistaken. On this morning, we’d suggest getting up without an alarm clock and enjoying a languorous breakfast before setting out for monastery town of Pelling. The drive is bumpy but once you get to Pelling, you will be stunned at how peaceful it is. Spend the next 3 days relaxing, exploring monasteries, and chasing waterfalls around Pelling.

Accommodation in Pelling 

Saved the BEST for the last! We stumbled on a gorgeous property in Pelling and couldn’t believe it hasn’t made it to a ‘100 hotels you need to see before you die’ kind of listicle yet. The Elgin Mount Pandim is a luxurious experiential property which used to be the summer residence of the King of Sikkim.

Rooms are spacious and well-equipped and meals are scrumptious. But the highlight of a stay here is the outdoor spaces. The hotel building is surrounded by 8 acres of private farmland and overlooks some gorgeous Himalayan peaks including Mt. Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak of the world. It’s easy to spend hours sipping on a cup of coffee or nursing a cocktail and staring at the view. Every other guest we met at the hotel felt the same.

The hotel is located away from the hustle bustle of Pelling, right next to the secluded Pemayangtse monastery. We would definitely recommend a stay here if it suits your budget! You can find the best prices here .

Elgin Pelling room view to Kanchenjonga

A three day tour of North Sikkim is bound to leave you exhausted. So we would suggest taking Day 8 to relax and absorb the fresh mountain air. If you choose to stay at The Elgin Mount Pandim you can hop over to the gorgeous Pemayangtse monastery next door or go bird watching in the complex. Take time to absorb the natural beauty of Sikkim and linger over meals – you deserve it!

On your last day in Sikkim, rent a cab to explore the area a bit. There are lots of waterfalls and monasteries in the area, so you could opt for a whole day trip. This is also a good time to see the Pemayangtse monastery if you haven’t seen it yet. Having seen so many waterfalls in Sikkim, we rented a car just for a few hours to go and see the iconic Kanchenjunga Falls and Rimbi Falls – you could do that too. Kanchenjunga Falls  are gorgeous, especially during monsoon months. But if you’re a keen photographer, we would suggest leaving your hotel early and reaching Kanchenjunga Falls before 8.30 am if you want to avoid the crowds.

Night sky at Pelling sikkim with a view of Mt. Kanchenjunga

Spend your last evening in Sikkim relaxing and recounting adventures from the past 10 days.

You might be well rested and fresh but the roads of Sikkim truly have the last laugh – the Pelling-Bagdogra road is one of the worst we encountered in Sikkim and that’s saying something. We suggest starting early and leaving aside at least 9 hours to cover this stretch of 140 kilometres. Gravel roads, potholes, squelchy soil – there’s nothing you won’t encounter here! We are by no means dissuading you, just providing a reality check 🙂

So leave in time and relish the memories of Gurudongmar’s dancing waters, seductive waterfalls, panoramas that wouldn’t be out of place in a fairytale, and the cutest and friendliest locals as you board your flight back home.

Local kids in Sikkim

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204 thoughts on “ everything you need to know to plan an epic trip to sikkim ”.

Sikkim is surely one of the most beautiful yet underrated places in India.You should also visit east Sikkim. I went to Zuluk, Lungthung ,Nathang Valley,Elephant Lake, Nathu La, Changu Lake and Baba Mandir. It was truly breathtaking. Also, visit in February or March as you can also play with snow then.??

It truly is – Sikkim is gorgeous and has some beautiful spots 🙂

hi Savi Vid, beautifully captured and written. Wanted to know if end December good time to visit Sikkim, are things closed and cant be visited.

Did you get any details on it if good to go in Dec end ? I’m planning to go there on Dec end by self drive and not sure if it’s good to self drive and any permission issues. Any suggestions, please reply back.

Hey Ashish – wouldn’t suggest self driving in December. Would suggest renting a car with a driver from the area

ou have made great discoveries. Wish you always have more health to have more interesting journey.

Thanks a ton 🙂

plan to go sikkim next weak. thanks for sharing.

Glad you found it so helpful 🙂

Hi guys, I have been following your site for 2 years and would have loved to show you around Gangtok. I missed out on stumbling on you. Roads- very bad however people are very good.

Hey Bikash – hope our paths cross whenever we are in Sikkim next. You’re right – the roads are so bad but the people are great 🙂

Planning next visit to sikkim. Thanks for information.

Hey Savi and Vid,

I have been a long time follower of your website and always enjoyed reading your experiences. Reading about your Sikkim trip reminded me of my trip which I took back in 2009 with exactly similar itinerary visiting Gurudongmar Lake, Pelling etc in that very order.

Sikkim is absolutely breath-taking and back-breaking 🙂

Btw, Kanchenjunga is not the second highest peak of the world but the third highest. You missed K2 in the Karakoram range.

Hey Vatsal – thanks for pointing it out, will correct that now. Glad you enjoyed reading the article 🙂

Thanks for sharing!

Happy to know you enjoyed our post…thanks a lot!

Beautiful pictures. This looks amazing in your post. Thank you so much for sharing it.

We are happy to know that you enjoyed reading the post..thanks!

Awesome photo snap 🙂 🙂 nice to read it

Glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂

interesting article to read

Awesome experience! Stunning pictures ?

Hello Savi, Can you please tell me if Dec end is a good time to visit Sikkim?

Hey Nainy – December is a good time to visit Sikkim if you’re keen on witnessing snow but some of the lakes etc might be closed due to snowed under 🙂

Hi …..we want to visit Sikkim in June . Especially for gurudongmar. Can we expect clear blue skies in June?

It all depends on the weather and blue skies are something you can never guarantee. That said, June is a great time to visit

We are seniors in good shape. Need comfortable, but not luxury accommodations. We like to hike. Where in Sikkim would you suggest we go. We’ve been to Nepal and Bhutan. Great, but never saw Himalayas from the ground due to air pollution 24/7. Want to go back to see those peaks. But not if they are often covered in pollution. Are quality numbers in Sikkim pretty bad. Can’t get honest answer from anyone in travel biz. What do you recommend?

Iim planning to travel in may last week or june first week.. What do you suggest

June is better 🙂

NICE AND INTERESTING ARTICLE TO READ THANKS FOR SHARING 🙂

NICE AND HELPFUL BLOG

AWESOME POST ! BEAUTIFULL PLACE TO VISIT!

beautiful place to see !

Hi guy, that’s a lovely itenery… planning a trip with mom and dad in March/April Any special recommendations?

Hey Devanshi – you’ll find ALL our recommendations in the article above 🙂

Great comprehensive article! We recently visited Sikkim and found it so beautiful. Lot of fresh white fluffy snow everywhere. 🙂

Hey glad you enjoyed Sikkim – we were there during the peak of monsoon, so not much snow but plenty of greenery 🙂

Hey! Lovely pictures. We are planning a four day trip to Sikkim in July. As you also went during peak monsoon, please suggest us some nice off beat places we can cover in the short vacation. Thanks!

Hello you will find all our favourite places for a trip in Sikkim, including offbeat suggestions, in the article above!

This sounds like a real afventure! The nitty-grittiness of this particular trip just shows what well-rounded travelers you guys are 🙂

Thanks for the love Adele – we always love hearing from you and really appreciate the time and effort you spend leaving such lovely comments for us 🙂

we want to visit sikkim in January end.Is it preferable during this month?

Hey Harkita – it can get quite cold in January but other than that, it’s a great time to visit Sikkim 🙂

Hey Guys, Brilliant work! Curious question- Are there are visa restrictions to visiting parts of Northern Sikkim (Gurudongmar, Yumthang, Lachen) for non-Indians? We visited Sikkim late 2016 and pretty much most areas to outside of Gangtok & Namchi were a strict no-no unless paperwork was available well in advance- In fact our trip to Tsomgo lake had to be canceled for the same reason.

Keep them posts coming

Hey yes that’s right – a lot of areas in North Sikkim are not accessible to foreign citizens

Hello savi you said Roads are bad but can you tell me are they safe? Means if we compare with Rohtang pass road (Manali).

Hi yes – they are safe but they are in a worse condition that the roads at Rohtang Pass Manali

Hi, Love you both. Me and my husband follow you and love your post. We are planning to visit sikkim in june. I wanted to know whether we have to take any special permission letter or something like that from government or office? All those permit and transfer work is done on spot or something else need to be done. God bless you.

Hey Nihan – You do need some permits, but all the transfer and permit work is done by the travel agents as mentioned in the article above.

We are planning a Family trip to Sikkim in June first week. Plz share your contact details to get a customized itrnerary from you.

Hi we do not customise itineraries. You can use the article above to plan your trip to Sikkim!

I plan to visit in June? What kind of weather to expect and is it a good time to visit Sikkim? Its our first anniversary and I wanted to do something different.

Hey June is a good time to visit Sikkim. Roads are open and accessible and the temperatures range from warm to mild depending on which part of the state you’re in!

Hi Savi and Vid,

I am in love with your blog. Planning to visit Sikkim this september. Do you recommend it during September? Will we have snow during that time?

Regards, Divya Bharadwaj

Hey Divya – thanks a ton. September doesn’t see much snow. However you might find snow if you head to North Sikkim. It is hard to give exact answers as the conditions vary from year to year!

With which travel agency did you book your north sikkim tour of 2N/3D?

It’s mentioned in the article above. Please see the “Getting Around In Sikkim” section of the article 🙂

“Love is in the air” ! It seems you both wear totally lost in the serene surroundings and lush green environment of Sikkim. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hey Guys ! Amazing Itinerary, described beautifully 🙂 I’m also planning to visit Sikkim during X-Mas/NY’19 to witness snowfall and would like to try snow activities such as skiing/snowboarding in Lachung or Yumthang Valley. But not able to find any accurate information on that whether these activities are performed there or not, or is it right time to go there ? Also, will there be any problem due to winters ? like Closed roads or inaccessible places ? Can you enlighten me on this ?

Hey Shubham – snowfall ranges from year to year. That’s why you couldn’t find accurate information. Yes a lot of roads leading to Gurudongmar etc tend to be inaccessible during that time. But this differs from year to year depending on how heavy the snowfall is!

We are starting for Sikkim from Nov 26 . Will we find Gurdongmar lake open that time

Hey you have to check for updates as that is dependent on weather conditions from year to year 🙂

We are planning to visit sikkim in first week of dec. Is it preferable during this month?

Sure why not 🙂

hi savi and vid.

I am planning a small getaway from delhi to darjelling and sikkim in 1st week of december with my family. only constraint is time . we can have maximum 6N/7D trip . Could you please help us out in planning a itenery in which we can cover both the places .

thank a ton.

Hey Atharv – you can cut out North Sikkim from the itinerary above and add Darjeeling instead 🙂

very nice posts keep up the good work

Hi Savi and Vid

enjoyed reading your experiences about sikkim. We are planning to visit Sikkim from 15th Dec on 8 days & 7 nights tour.

Wanted to check if we need book the Lachen/Lachung tour in advance or can we do booking after going to Gantok. We plan to leave for Lachen on Day 3 and back to Gantok on Day 5

Also if you dont mind can you share the name of the travel agent

Hey the travel agent is Galaxy Tours – check out the ‘GETTING AROUND IN SIKKIM: CABS AND ROADS’ section above for more details. We booked the entire North Sikkim Tour with them before reaching Sikkim 🙂

Hi Savi & Vid,

We have also planned for a 10 day trip to Sikkim. Going to follow the same itinerary. Thank you guys for making our planning simple 🙂 . The view from the Elgin Mount Pelling hotel room looks so beautiful. Is the window behind the bed? Can you let me know which room did you go for?Thanks.

Hey the window is usually to the side of the bed 🙂 Forgotten the exact room number, should’ve noted it down. Damn! Send us photos from Sikkim when you go

We are visiting in Sikkim from 9th to 17th feb,

Will we be able to go to Gurudongmar?

Hey Reena – you will have to check the snow and road conditions upon getting to Sikkim – most years you can visit Gurudongmar Lake in Sikkim during winter months, but sometimes the roads leading to it are completely blocked!

Hi savi, thanks for writing a very informative article about visiting Sikkim. It would be very nice if you also mention about Pakyong Airport which has be opened in Sikkim to serve the need of tourism. hope to read more article about Sikkim in future.

thanks and regards Sudhanshu

Hey, can you tell which month of the year did you visit Sikkim? Is November a good time to visit?

We visited end October / early November and it was beautiful 🙂

Which places do you recommend for a weekend trip to Sikkim?

Hey Surabhi – would recommend sticking to Gangtok and surrounds for a weekend trip in Sikkim 🙂

Hey guys! Have been following you guys very dedicatedly! Love your posts! We have planned the exact ten day itenarary suggested by you guys In June mid. Hope it goes well! And yeah the Elgin Mount Pandim room looks gorgeous. Can’t wait to get there !

Hey Varsha,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but hope you had a great time in Sikkim 🙂 Do update us about your experience

Hello, loved your blog. We are doing a Sikkim trip in May. Instead of Pelling, would you suggest Kalimpong or Darjeeling. We are looking for great home stays in this area. We decided to exclude Pelling since it is too far from the airport. Please advise.

Hey yeah Kalimpong/Darjeeling are good but VERY crowded especially in summer months but you’re right getting to Pelling is a NIGHTMARE 😀

Excellent blog. very informative. Id like to add to this. While your excursion seems to be well planned and quite independent, many inexperienced tourists find themselves at the wrath of local taxi mafia. It would be good if you can throw some light on these nuances. There’s a chain of operators who operate on whatsapp. They will meet you outside the airport, and everything will be good as they wheel you away from the market and other players. Once they have got you to gangtok, you are stuck with them. They ruin your trip, dont turn up in time, provide awful vehicles and everything else that can go wrong. Plus, theyre also very creepy and you never know when they attack.They have common names like sikkimcabs, etc. after charging the ignorant tourist for a large part of the sum, they keep them on tenterhooks by extorting advances. then they cartelise so that you cannot engage anyone from the open market, leaving you no choice and slithering in the midst of your vacation. They have everyone involved so you cannot even complain to the police. This is especially the case for people operating out of siliguri. It is better to get services from people in gangtok than be stuck with someone who operates out of bengal. Sikkim is an amazing place to visit except for the local mafia of these cab services. I just thought its advisable for anyone planning a trip to keep this in mind.

Thanks for that. It’s for that very same reason that we have shared details of the operator we went with and did not have any trouble at all. But I agree, a lot of hill stations in India are currently facing this problem.

Hey which are the best months to travel to sikkim to avoid rains, is june end advisable for the same ? Or winter months are preferable ?

I believe June should be good. Not so sure about Winter as some roads might be snowed under?

We went in October and the weather was great!

North East holidays is awesome and you have added valuable information for the keen visitors to experience this amazing place.Pictures are so beautiful, thanks for sharing this awesome post with us.

Happy to know you enjoyed reading about Sikkim!

Thanks for sharing very helpful for me

Hey hi Firstly this blog has tons of valuable information. i had read several other blogs for Sikkim but by far yours was most informative and well connected. I am planning to visit Sikkim in first 2 weeks of December this year. I intend to do Gangtok, North Sikkim and Darjeeling. What is your take , will the weather be suitable for visiting all the places in north Sikkim .???

Thank you very much 🙂

Hi Yavnika,

Well, can’t really comment on weather – it’s unpredictable isn’t it? From what we have heard, December should be great to visit North Sikkim BUT it all depends on the vagaries of the weather. We’d suggest confirming this with a local tour operator. We went to Sikkim in October and loved the weather at that time

Went through your blog. Well explained. Beautiful pics. I truly congratulate you in doing an awesome job in promoting Sikkim as a new tourist destination to the world. Thank a lot

So detailed and written after so much thought.

Thank you Karan 🙂

We are planning to visit Sikkim, Gangtok and Darjeeling in Last week of October. Is it preferable during this month? is it a good season to visit there with family

We went in October too so should be fine 🙂 We had a good time.

I just loved the photo in Gurudongmer Lake. I become nostalgic. It reminded me the trip of my life with my love. I have been to so many places, read lots of articles but it is one of the best because of all the images you shared. I am feeling lot more romantic. Infact I am unable to express it in words.

So happy to hear that Ranadeep 🙂

You just perfectly described our Sikkim trip and all memories just flashed in front of my eyes. Just wanted to mention that people in Sikkim are the best. So honest, sweet, warm and kind. Polite as anything. They make you feel at home be it cab driver, hotel staff or police all are sweet. We did get stuck in the snow storm where the army helped us and prepared food for more than 1000 people. They gave us their beds and stood awake taking care of us whole night. the most annoying part was people who did not realise how much our army guys were sacrificing for us and kept demanding stuff and were not ready to adjust for even one night. I would rather have them frozen in minus degree outside.

Yes the people are absolutely lovely – this is so true 🙂

Our experience of visiting West and South Sikkim, Darjeeling Sikkim was our first trip to the Northeast. We went in December and the weather was fine, not very cold. Sikkim is a scenic place with rolling hills, blue mountains and leafy, misty woods. You come across the turquoise blue waters of River Rangit and Teestha (WB) almost everywhere. The people are simple, warm and friendly and instinctively smile at strangers. The Baiguney Club Mahindra resort where we stayed is also a beautiful place, on the right bank of River Rangit beyond which rises a mountain. Sikkim is all mountains and streams and valleys carpeted with wild flowers. Roads are very good and road-widening is going on at some places. The Sidkeong Tulku Bird Park at Gyalshing in West Sikkim district is another lovely place. Set in the most dense forest I have ever seen, it is a half an hour exhilarating walk through silver oaks and other trees that reach for the sky. Sun light hardly falls through the dense canopy. The walk leads to the ruins of ancient capital of Sikkim, Rabdentse, and the fort offers expansive views of the Kanchanjunga range. We visited the 17th century Sangchen Pemayangtse Monastery where ancient scrolls of Buddha’s teachings are kept. Pelling is a quiet holiday station. There is a skywalk which offers beautiful views of mountains. The periphery and outskirts of Darjeeling are very scenic but Darjeeling town is over-rated. The tea gardens are really lovely and refreshing. You can enjoy the views from cable car also. The cable cars are a bit scary but it was safe. Darjeeling hill station is congested and jammed with traffic. There is an army memorial at Darjeeling worth visiting. We took a 30-km drive from Darjeeling to Nepal border town of Pasupathinagar. The route via Ghoom, Sukhia Pokhari, and Simana is very scenic with pine forest slopes on both sides of the road. It is a beautiful and memorable drive. We went into Pasupathinagar inside Nepal which is a tax free zone. Although people claim that the goods are all original but cheap, I found most of the items to be clever duplicates. It is a good place to buy jackets though. There is a little town named Jorthung, 3 kms away from Baiguney. It has a well laid out market centre…good place to buy trinkets and souvenirs. Outside the Biguney Club Mahindra, about 100 metres away on the Nayabazar-Legship-Reshi Road, we discovered a little eating place lovingly named Baiguney’s Rasoi. It is a small joint run by two women, and their home-cooked food was delicious and hygienic. And the food is reasonably priced. You can have sumptuous breakfast of Aloo Parathas, Puri Sabzi or bread omelette there itself on neatly laid out tables with the sun streaming in over the mountain. They prepare vegetarian and non-vegetarian lunch and dinner also if you inform in advance. There are lots of Oyos and other small hotels in Jorthang, Pelling, and Gyalshing. The Geyzing market was interesting with fresh fruits, and the Taatopani hot spring. We spent most of the time in West Sikkim and South Sikkim districts. We will do Gangtok and above next time. If you have a morning flight (between 9 am- 12 noon) from Bagdogra, it would be a good idea to start early from Gangtok, Baiguney or Jorthang as landslides can sometimes block the road. If you have a very early morning flight, better to return to Bagdogra the previous evening. https://sreenivas-janyala.blogspot.com/

I spent 3 years there during my work life. It is a Visual Delight.

Absolutely agree 🙂

Useful piece of information. Very well described and the pictures are extremely beautiful.

What a great article, you provide a alternate perspective to the place. So beautiful pix to accompany the article.

Such a beautifully written blog…well it fills the heart to read the article. Thank you so much.

Loved the pictures! Some say Sikkim is no less than a piece of heaven. In my opinion if you want to learn about the local lives of Sikkim while enjoying your trip, one of the best places to stay is in a homestay. But it depends on what you want, hotels are also best for many travelers.

Very well described article about Sikkim, lot of information about the state and its tourism destinations. We will be sending guests from Kolkata who frequently ask for destinations to visit from kolkata.

Beautifully Described ! No doubt Sikkim is Travelers Paradise ! It has all the element to serve its Visitors ! Thank you for sharing about your experience visiting Sikkim loved reading every bit of it

Beautifully described ! Not doubt Sikkim is one of the most visited place in world. It has all sort of destination to serve its visitors ! Photos taken were really awsome ! Thank you for sharing your experience with us..

amazing! India is an amazing place lots of things to explore… different culture, religions and food and so much of history to know..

Hi Savi and Vid. First things first- Love you both!

Now, I want to ask if it will better to plan a trip like Baghdogra-Pelling-North Sikkim- Gangtok- Baghdogra instead of what you have planned Baghdogra- Gangtok- North Sikkim- Gangtok – Pelling – Baghdogra ? Why did you go to Gangtok twice?

Hey Shruti,

Thanks for the love 🙂

That was because it’s easier to travel from Gangtok to North Sikkim. I believe even if you go from Pelling to North Sikkim, you will have to take a break in Gangtok 🙂

Hope that helps

Beautiful pictures. You’re an inspiration and I am following your journey – awesome work!

The pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing this article. A trip to Sikkim can truly be a memorable one. And visiting Sikkim during the winters is one of the best decisions to take for holidays.

Such a lovely article, thank you for this. I wanted to visit sikkim as early as possible.

Sikkim is a beautiful place to explore. Amazing pictures with full of information. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Hey, From where and when you saw these “Star trails over Mt. Kanchenjunga”?

That was in Pelling, Sikkim 🙂

I was wondering a trip in North Sikkim and found out your blog with some amazing picture & details knowledge of the destination. The photos are so vibrant that one can’t escape it’s sight. Hotels, Sight-seeing, rivers in there can easily melt anyone’s heart. Hope soon I could cover this mesmerizing destination with the help of your detailed knowledge.

very informative post thank you

Sikkim, India’s smallest state surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains and unique culture in the foothills of Kanchenchanga, the world’s third-highest peak, attracts a large number of tourists every year.

Such an in-depth travel guide you have written. I am planning to visit Sikkim in March. Your suggested itinerary will be very useful for sure.

Beautifully written travelogue. Very informative. Thanks a lot dear Sasi.

Can we go to these places in March 2021. Any covid problems for travel?

Yes you can – would suggest getting RT-PCR test before leaving for Sikkim as a lot of airlines & local checkpoints ask for it 🙂

Fabulous article and some great advice.. we’ve got the hotels booked for later this month already and had some of the listed sights on our itinerary and then stumbled upon this blog and still managed to takeaway some v useful inputs so thanks for the comprehensive info. Regarding the RT-PCR test though, is this required or ‘good to have’? The Elgin don’t need it but you mentioned checkpoints so I thought I’d check with you if this is indeed required.

Hey yes that’s right – it is not required but good to have as there can be checkpoints which ask for reports sometimes 🙂

many thanks 🙂

I am planning for my honeymoon to Gangtok in the month of July. Is this a good time to visit? I know it will be monsoon. But me and my wouldbe wife love rainy season. Please suggest your views

Hey Abhishek – yes rain might mean your plans for exploring can get spoilt sometimes, but if you enjoy monsoon, then you would enjoy it 🙂

We plan to travel in March 2021 and have around 7 to 8 days to travel. What is the best itinerary that you would suggest . Also wanted to know if Pelling is worth visiting or we can skip it. Please suggest

Hi Ishita – would definitely recommend visiting Pelling if you have the time. It was one of the highlights of our trip 🙂

Sikkim is the most beautiful place. I am planning to visit Sikkim this year.

Thank you for such lovely description of my favorite holiday destination.

Nice article.well articulated!

Wonderful & informative article. I think these tips and advice are much helpful for those who move more places. I really like this one… Great Sharing

Sikkim is beautiful but the road and traffic is horrendous. We were stuck in traffic for hours with no signs of any respite.

Omg yes – the roads are really really bad as we mentioned!

wonderful post thanks for sharing!

Hi, I was just planning a trip to Sikkim but this covid situation hurts me more and due to that I just Cancel that pla but next year surely I will visit there. Thank You & keep smiling!

Thank you for such detailed description of the destination. Sikkim is one of the most beautiful locations for a holidays.

Hi! Thank you so much for sharing a detail & informative blog. We are planning for our North Sikkim Tour, Your valuable information’s will help us to plan our tour more properly. The pictures are amazing! It has boosted our enthusiasm more to feel the beauty of the nature by our own eyes. The itinerary you have shared is really good, and all the sightseeing places you have highlighted, helped us to enrich our Sikkim Tour more. Thank you for sharing.

Amazing pictures!! You guys nicely described ‘Sikkim’ the east beauty of India. It’s such a beautiful place for traveling.

Indeed sikkim is a wonderland as stated above.The scenic view of mountain terrian ,waterfalls and colourful valleys are breathetaking.Travelling to places gives peace of mind and travelling to places like Sikkim adds memory to our life.

A proper planning is very much essential to have a beautiful journey.If we end up with some mess or regret then it will be the worse part of our journey.We are spending our crucial time and money , so explore things on internet first .Make a listing of things you wish to do at sikkim,contact the best guiders for your help .

And most importantly do not try to go randomly by yourself,i dont say you cant make the journey,yes ofcourse you can but again you may find so many obstacles that may be very unpleasant or unwanted for you.

So never take that chance,add the things in your listing that you would love to do.Decide your days for journey and accordingly plan it,do not hassle to cover maximum place in short time as well,it will ruin your journey.Travelling is all about creating beautiful memories ,love your fellow beings and enjoying the journey to the new place ,rather than involving in unwanted discussion and creating a nuisance during your journey.

So plan first,there are so many guides ,blogs,videos that will help you to make your journey pleasantly succesfull.You can also follow my site for any help or query ,like how should i plan darjeeling sikkim tour plan ? darjeeling gangtok tour plan or any relevant imformation about your visit to sikkim

Such a well-crafted post capturing the picturesque beauty of Gangtok. However, to fully enjoy the magnificence of such a place, luxury rooms are a necessity for a comfortable stay. Look no further, stay at RoseDell Inn. It is a myth that comfort requires spending a fortune. RoseDell inn is a burning example of it. It has wooden furnished rooms with room service that offers food that captivates your senses already enthralled by the beauty of the mountains. All of these while relishing the exotic food our resort has to offer. Blame it on our traditional cooks if you must. Enjoy the majestic mountains from the comfort of our resort. Book Now: https://rosedellinn.com/booking.php#closee

Thank you for describing Sikkim in detail. Sikkim is a wonderful state.

Hi, Is this Gurudongmar Lake picture??? All the posted images are fabulous sir.

Yes it is Gurudongmar Lake.

Thank you for such lovely description of my favorite place. I have never explore west Sikkim part properly but among rest of it. .. I find North Sikkim is the most colorful and with picture perfect scenic beauty.

Thank u very much, Excellent pictures with full of information. Can u please let me know, will I able to see flowers in yumthang valley in the month of ocober?

Not really – the flowers in Yumthang usually bloom around April/May

Such a comprehensive & most importantly “realistic” experience you have jotted down! It was a pleasure to read. 🙂 Planning a trip in December… Thanks for all the inputs again!

So happy to hear that 🙂 Sikkim is beautiful, you’ll have a great time

Great article. Keep up the good work.

which month is a good time to go

Best Period to Visit to experience snow caped mountain

Thanks for sharing such a great blog with us. I would also like to share my experience with you. I am an author on the travel blog and I travel a lot around the world.

wonderful pics and description. seems this itinerary is best for honeymoon trip, right?

Thank you for shearing Sikkim in all detail with best picture. Our next planning in north sikkim tour, Your valuable information’s will help us to plan our tour more properly. Thanks again for this great article.

Nice article indeed! , Image selection and the way of writing is very nice, Sikkim is one of the best places of North East India to admire the real beauty of nature. Your blog it realy helpfully to plan Sikkim. I will explore it soon!!!..

Hi! You have mentioned due to lack of oxygen we should not wait at gurudongmar for long, so is it advisable to travel with a 5 year old

Hey wouldn’t advise going with a 5 year old

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions and explicit details. I just have one question. Why did you not take a flight to Pakyong Airport? Is it not advisable?

We chose the flight that was convenient for us as we were flying from Delhi 🙂

To write a beautiful post it is very important to write a beautiful content and you have created a very good design and the content you put in it is beautiful and I got inspired a lot from your post and I also want you to be as nice and beautiful as you Post be in my life.

Hello Savi and Vid, I am going to Sikkim with my family in May 2022. Our itinerary is mostly similar to yours. We have booked vehicle through tour operator, while flights and hotels are booked by us. I just wanted to know how much walking would be involved in your trip as per your itinerary. Regards

Hi Bharti – there is quite a bit of walking in North Sikkim. Other than that, not much 🙂

Very Useful, Thanks for sharing!!!

Just FYI, I contacted Tenzing and he informed that they do not take bookings sans accommodation. Do you know any other taxi/tour operator?

No – none that we have used and can personally recommend 🙁

Thanks for sharing such a well-explained and Descriptive article on Sikkim Tour.

Excellent guide for Sikkim Trip 🙂

That’s an amazing article

this is a nice post about the tourism of sikim thanks

i like to read blogs about travel and this one is really nice and helpful for traveler thanks

Thanks for sharing great information…

Your recipe looks really amazing, I really got water in my mouth, I will definitely make such a recipe at home, your comment is really amazing all the bast for all your recipes

Thanks for a wonderful blog posting, It is very interesting & way to get knowdable about the topic.

Hello Savi,

It was Really nice reading about your experience in Gangtok. In your Next visit serenade your senses with a breathtaking view of Mt Kanchenjunga from Hotel Tashi Delek.

Located in the heart of MG Marg, it is a must visit if you come to Gangtok. We would love to have you at our outdoor rooftop bar with the view of the mountains and the city all at once.

Glad to see such a beautiful Article. Thanks For Sharing

A good blogger is one who has the vision to test this world so that what he sees, he writes in his blog or article so that people also get some knowledge and you know very well that I am not saying this to praise you. because i get inspiration from people like you

Praise Blogging Journey Sikkim

Gamers Geek One blogger has write his/her journey to Sikkim from another State. I am also a blogger and from Sikkim, how do I praise his/her work ?

You could praise the blogger for their attention to detail in their writing, for their ability to capture the essence of the journey, and for providing an interesting and engaging account of their experience. Additionally, you could mention that as a fellow blogger from Sikkim, you appreciate their perspective on your home state, and that you enjoyed reading their take on the culture, landscape, and people of Sikkim.

Gamers Geek Please write a message I just finished reading your blog post about your journey to Sikkim and I have to say, it was a pleasure to read.

Your attention to detail and ability to capture the essence of the journey was truly impressive. As a fellow blogger from Sikkim, I really appreciated your perspective on my home state.

Your take on the culture, landscape, and people of Sikkim was both interesting and engaging. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

I just finished reading your blog post about your journey to Sikkim and I have to say, it was a pleasure to read.

thanks a million Varun 🙂

Hello Guys Thanks for such in depth review. Can you tell one thing : is the sikkim trip safe for someone who is 6 month pregnant. I am expecting and planning a trip for there but not very sure if it would be feasible, considering my pregnancy

Hey would suggest skipping North Sikkim for sure as the roads are very bumpy and might not be suitable for you ?

Sikkim is the heaven which the lower class people can also afford . such a beautiful place existed in earth , once you visit those place you will forget the all the daily life tensions and will feel a inner joy in your soul

Your writing style is so engaging and I can tell you put a lot of thought into this post. Thanks for the great read

Sikkim is nice place in North east part of India. A perfect place for mountain lovers.

Nice photography, it looks like pleasant photos.

Lovely to know Sikkim is getting the attention that it deserves. Have been there in 2018, and it is just still untouched.

Such a great Article.Thanks for Sharing

very good and nice services..

It was fun reading it. Please writing these kinds of beautiful articles.

Thank you for this comprehensive Sikkim tour guide! Your article has provided valuable insights and tips that will definitely help me plan my visit efficiently.

It’s really amazing to visit such a beautiful place. No doubt Sikkim is among one of the most mesmerizing and picturesque destinations. You have shared such wonderful pics that one cannot say no to a tour to Sikkim.

thanks for sharing nice information and very easy to understand your blog

You wrote a very detailed article about the tour. The photos are amazing and the content is very helpful for tourists visiting Sikkim.

Nice article on sikkim , It is famous tourist place love you.. thanks for provided us informative details about the destination. love this destination lot

nice to visit

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  • 48 Places To Visit In Sikkim In 2024: Extraordinary Realms In The North East

23 Mar 2023

Sikkim is one of the beauties in the northeastern part of India. It is nicely tucked away and beautifully landlocked with immense natural beauty, it has all the components which would soothe you from the tiredness of vigorous day-to-day activities.

Apart from stunning sights, one can also experience the bliss of snowfall in Sikkim when on their Sikkim holiday. To make it a wonderful exploration, here are a few places to visit in Sikkim that must make it to your plan.

48 Best Places To Visit In Sikkim

Here is the perfect list of the most famous places to visit in Sikkim on your trip. Keep scrolling down and read along to have a holiday experience like none other with your loved ones! All the places that one can visit in Sikkim have something hidden for everyone and anyone. Do not forget to note down your favorites. Add these attractions to your list of places to see in Sikkim.

  • Tsomgo Lake: Famed As Changu Lake
  • Yuksom: Spend Some Time Amidst Nature
  • Nathula Pass: The Mesmerizing Spot
  • Lachung, Lachen And Yumthang Valley: Explore All Three
  • Ravangla: The Quaint Town
  • Namchi: Witness Snow-Capped Mountains
  • Zuluk: The Beautiful Hamlet
  • Teesta River: Relax Amidst Tranquility
  • Gangtok: The Capital City
  • Pelling: Explore The Lush Forests
  • Singalila National Park: S pot Wild Animals
  • Phodong Monastery: Meditate And Relax
  • Gurudongmar Lake: A Serene Spot
  • Goechala: Go For A Trek
  • Khangchendzonga National Park : Spot Snow Leopards
  • Aritar: Witness Temples And Monasteries
  • Do Drul Chorten : An Impressive Temple
  • Rumtek Monastery: Marvel At The Paintings
  • Mangan: Get Mesmerized
  • Cholamu: The 14th Highest Lake
  • Tendong Hill: Enjoy Splendid Views
  • Geyzing: Capital Of West Sikkim
  • Biksthang: A Serene Village
  • Yangtey: Treat Your Eyes
  • Kanchenjunga Base Camp: World’s Third Highest Peak
  • Singalila: Witness Vibrant Flowers
  • Green Lake: A Unique Attraction
  • Zero Point: Famous As Yume Samdong
  • Tso Lhamo Lake: Known For Its Turquoise Blue Waters
  • Thangu: Savor Breathtaking Views
  • Enchey Monastery : An Architectural Marvel
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden: A Great Picnic Spot
  • Namgyal Institute Of Tibetology : An Encounter With Tibetan Culture
  • Tashiding Monastery: The Oldest Monastery
  • Zemu Glacier: For All Adventure Seekers
  • Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park: Go For A Wild Safari
  • Ganesh Tok: Dedicated Lord Ganesha
  • Hanuman Tok: Seek Blessings
  • Bakthang Waterfall: Savor The Riveting View
  • Ridge Park: Click Pictures
  • Casino Mahjong: Try Your Luck
  • Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple : The Mystic Spot
  • Banjhakri Falls And Energy Park: For A Fun Outing
  • Pemayangtse Monastery : Take A Break And Relax
  • Khecheopalri Lake: Enjoy The Clear Waters
  • Singshore: The Highest Bridge In Sikkim
  • R abdentse Ruins: Architectural Marvels
  • Kanchenjunga Falls : Take A Stroll

1. Tsomgo Lake: Famed As Changu Lake

Snow covered peaks surrounding the Tsomgo Lake

Image Source

Tsomgo lake which is located just 38 km away from the capital city of Sikkim, Gangtok, is among the most popular tourist places in Sikkim. A snaky road through rocky mountain topography and strident mountains which takes you to the Tsomgo Lake is a lot of adventure in itself. If you are looking for best places to visit in East Sikkim then, you must explore this place on your trip. This is surely amongst the best places to see in Sikkim .

Key Attractions:

  • Migratory ducks like the Brahmini
  • The beautiful flowers such as Primulas, Blue and Yellow Poppies, and Irish
  • Yaks and ponies ride

Precautions: Start early to avoid late night travel; and roads are not properly laid out How To Reach: A cab ride from Gangtok will take 2 hours for you to reach almost all Sikkim tourist places Best Time To Visit: Jan to Mar for snow; April to May for Rhododendrons and Orchids; and Oct to Dec.

  Seven Sisters Of India: An Introductory Guide For A North-East Tour

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2. Yuksom: Spend Some Time Amidst Nature

A small hut in the Yuksom - one of key places to see in Sikkim

One of the most popular Sikkim tourist spots , Yuksom is an old historic town, which is considered to be amongst the best places to visit in West Sikkim bestowed with natural beauty and uninterrupted trail for trekkers. If you are looking forward to spending some quiet moments in the shadow of nature away from the hustle-bustle of the city, then this is it.

  • The historic Norbugang Park
  • Tashi tenka, which was a historic royal palace promises wonderful views
  • The oldest monastery the Dubdi Gompa
  • Kathok Wodsalin Gompa a newly constructed monastery, also famous for the statue of Guru Padmasambhava
  • Goechala Trek
  • Khangchendzonga National Park

Precaution: Poor lighting on the roads How To Reach: 6 to 7 hours by road via Jorethang from Jalpaiguri, the nearest railway stop. The nearest airport is Pakyong airport. Best Time To Visit: March to June and September to November

Suggested Read: 12 Places To Visit In Sikkim In May That Will Blow Your Mind Away With Its Allure

3. Nathula Pass: The Mesmerizing Spot

Nathu La Pass in Sikkim

Nathula pass, located in the Himalayas, connects India with Tibet is considered to be amongst the best places to visit in Sikkim Gangtok . The pass, at 4,310 m above sea level forms a part of a side-shoot of the prehistoric Silk Road. Definitely one of the places to visit in Sikkim without fail. Plan a visit during the best time to visit Sikkim , and this mesmerizing place will stay in your memory forever!

  • Border Gates of India and China
  • A beautifully built war memorial
  • Exhibition Centre of the Indian Army
  • Mt Chomolhari

Precautions: Oxygen levels are low, and there could be traffic jams due to adverse weather conditions How To Reach:

  • By Road : 4 to 5 hours by bus from the east of Gangtok (54 km)
  • By Train: Nearest railhead is Siliguri, 165 km away, and takes 4.5 hours by taxi.
  • By Air : Flight Nearest airport is Pakyong airport.

Best Time To Visit Nathula: May and October; Opens for Indians only from Wednesday to Sunday

  10 Beautiful Places Near Indian Border That You Must Visit

4. Lachung, Lachen And Yumthang Valley: Explore All Three

Yumthang Valley in Sikkim

Lachen is a distant village in North Sikkim and the winter home for Tibetan nomadic tribes. Lachung is also a high altitude village of Tibetan and Bhutia people in North Sikkim. And Yumthang is a beautiful valley bounded by snowcapped mountains. All three are extremely beautiful tourist places in Sikkim. One must visit Lachung as it is the most famous among the list of places to visit in North Sikkim and for experiencing snowfall in Sikkim.

  • The picturesque journey from Lachen to Gurudongmar Lake
  • Gurudongmar Lake which is often frozen in winters
  • The colorful rhododendron bloom
  • Lachung Gompa where the largest Buddhist shrine is located
  • Lachung Monastery, Handicraft and Lachung Village
  • Mt Pandim, Mt Kabru, Mt Simvo, Mt Jopuno, Mt Khangchendzonga and Mt Siniolchu enroute Gangtok Rhododendron Sanctuary
  • Sub-zero temperature and 360 degree snowcapped highlands at Yumesamdong / Zero-point

Precaution: Low oxygen levels How To Reach: Take a taxi from the nearest railhead in New Jalpaiguri (Siliguri). The nearest airport is Pakyong airport. Best Time To Visit: March and June are pleasant; and December and January for snowfall

5. Ravangla: The Quaint Town

Ravangla is a popular tourist place in Sikkim

Furrowed by dense forests and outstandingly balanced on a ridge superintending an extensive swish of western Sikkim, Ravangla assures one of the most beautiful mountain views. It is a popular tourist place in Sikkim and draws many nature lovers every year.

  • Tathagata Tsal, a Buddhist park
  • Mane Choekhorling Gompa
  • Pang Lhabsol, which displays religious prayers and songs
  • Hikes and treks

Precaution: Forests are very dense, beware of wildlife. How To Reach: Take a cab ride after Jalpaiguri station, which is 94 km from Ravangla Best Time To Visit: March, June

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6. Namchi: Witness Snow-Capped Mountains

Lovely yellow flowers at Namchi

Namchi is blessed with fresh air which is fragmented with the aroma of lush flora. The beautiful sight of snowcapped mountains and the woodland mountain valleys adds to the scenery and makes it an important spot amongst the places to visit in South Sikkim .

  • Khangchendzonga range
  • Sherdup Choeling Monastery
  • The beautiful tea gardens
  • Rock Garden
  • Namchi Mahotsav in October

How To Reach: Take a cab for 77 km from the Jalpaiguri metro station Precaution: Roads are not properly laid out Best Time To Visit: March, June, October, and November

7. Zuluk: The Beautiful Hamlet

A small picturesque village Zuluk

One of the offbeat Sikkim tourist places, Zuluk is a small village located at a high altitude and has a very empowering history due to its connection with the Silk Route. It promises great views of the snowcapped mountain ranges especially during winter and is a fabulous place to see for those looking for snowfall in Sikkim or looking for the best places to visit in Sikkim and Darjeeling .

  • Mt Kanchenjungha
  • Thambi View Point

Precautions: Be prepared for a foggy climate How To Reach: Take a cab ride for 91 km from Jalpaiguri railway station Best Time To Visit: August and September

  20 Road Trips During Monsoon In India That Every Biker Ought To Take

8. Teesta River: Relax Amidst Tranquility

Shimmering summer view of the Teesta river

A different one among places to visit in Sikkim, Teesta River is stunning to look at when it is frozen in winters. During spring, however, the river is shimmering in the sun rays and displays a perfect habitat for blooming flowers.

  • River rafting and kayaking during the summers
  • Bird spotting
  • Lush green fauna and flower beds on the banks
  • Sangam of river teesta with it tributary the Rangeet River
  • Dikchu bridge on way to Lachung

Precautions: River can get a little rough and ice pieces are often found How To Reach: Take a cab for 33 km from Darjeeling railway station Best Time To Visit: AprilMay; and November

9. Gangtok: The Capital City

Gangtok

Gangtok is the capital city of Sikkim and has loads of gems in its kitty; you would be awestruck by the never-ending walking trails, gorgeous silver-fir trees, and most importantly the hospitality by the locals. Make sure it is on your list of places to visit in Sikkim.

  • Paragliding in the valley
  • Jhakri Falls and Kyongnosla Water Falls
  • Lively nightlife
  • Snowcapped ranges of Mt Kachendzonga
  • Bird-eye view from the ropeway
  • Enchey Monastery

How To Reach: Take a cab for 148 km from New Jalpaiguri railway station. The nearest airport is Pakyong airport. Best Time To Visit: October to June

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10. Pelling: Explore The Lush Forests

mountains in pelling

The second most-visited attraction after Gangtok, Pelling will sweep you away with its lush forests and varied wildlife. Since it is a small town, you can easily discover it on foot. It provides plenty of sightseeing opportunities.

  • Sangachoeling Monastery
  • Sewaro Rock Garden
  • Singshore Bridge
  • Rimbi Waterfall
  • Kanchenjunga Fall

Precaution: Even though the road conditions are fine, it is best to take a sumo vehicle to reach here. How To Reach: Pakyong Airport is the nearest airport from Pelling and New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (152 km) is the nearest railway station. Best Time To Visit: Mid February to June

11. Singalila National Park: Spot Wild Animals

red panda in national park of sikkim

Unlike any other national parks in India, the Singalila is amongst those beautiful places to visit in Sikkim that even a non-wildlife enthusiast would love to explore. Offering breathtaking view of Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest peaks, it is a place you definitely can’t miss.

  • Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga peaks
  • Sandakphu and Phalut
  • Birdwatching

Precautions: Since it’ll be a long trip, be prepared with a sturdy pair of shoes and bottles of water. How To Reach: You can take a cab from Ghoom Railway Station, which is 31 km away from Tonglu, the entry point to the park. Best Time To Visit: March to April

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12. Phodong Monastery: Meditate And Relax

phodong monastery

Situated in the Phodong village, some 28 km off Gangtok, this 18th-century monastery is amongst the premier ones in the state to visit. From ancient murals to beautiful paintings, this place offers an insight into Sikkim’s spectacular past.

  • Murals and paintings
  • Picturesque view of the city
  • An insight into Sikkim’s glorious past

How To Reach: You can take a cab or a regular bus from Mangan to reach this famous Buddhist monastery. Best Time To Visit: Throughout the year

13. Gurudongmar Lake: A Serene Spot

Gurudongmar Lake

Located in a high plateau area of Sikkim is one of the highest lakes in the world, Gurudongmar Lake. This beauty is located at an altitude of 17,800 ft. The lake is to the north of Kang Chengyao range and is fed naturally by the glaciers. It is considered sacred not by one religion, but three, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. From the months of November to a major part of May, the lake is totally frozen.

  • The wildlife found around the lake – yaks and blue sheep
  • Snow-covered mountain views

Precautions: Do not forget to take the permit before visiting the lake How To Reach: Bagdogra Airport is the closest domestic airport at a distance of 270 km from the lake while the nearest railhead is Darjeeling Railway Station at a distance of 171 km. Best Time To Visit: November to June

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14. Goechala: Go For A Trek

Goechala Trek in Sikkim

If an adventure trip to Sikkim is on your mind, then Goechala is what should top your list. Goechala is a mountain pass in Sikkim known for trekking and hiking. It is also the base camp for those looking to indulge in difficult yet breathtaking treks. If you like challenges in life, then this challenging trek is looking your way. And if trekking isn't something you want to indulge in, the pass is still amazing to visit and one can view the beautiful Mt. Kanchenjunga from here along with a lot of other magnificent peaks. This is undoubtedly among the best places to visit in Sikkim .

  • Base camp for a trek through the beautiful Kanchenjunga National Park
  • Magnificent views of Mt. Kanchenjunga
  • Watch the pristine sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjunga range

Precautions: Do not embark on the trek if you are a beginner at trekking How To Reach: The nearest domestic airport is Bagdogra at a distance of 103 km and the nearest railhead is New Jalpaiguri at a distance of 106 km. Best Time To Visit: April to June

15. Khangchendzonga National Park: Spot Snow Leopards

Khangchendzonga National Park

Khangchendzonga National Park is a national park which made its place in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2016. It is also the first Mixed Heritage site of India. The park acquired its name from Mt. Kangchenjunga. Rich in flora and fauna, it is famous for nature lovers. One can spot snow leopards here. This is surely one of the best places to visit in North Sikkim.

  • Rich fauna including the red panda, snow leopard, and Himalayan black bear
  • Breathtaking trekking trails leading to Goechala, Yuksom and other beautiful places in Sikkim

Precautions: Do not break any of the national park rules How To Reach: The nearest town is Yuksom at a distance of 34 km while Gangtok is at a distance of 46 km from the park. One can hire a taxi to get to the park. Best Time To Visit: October to December

  Tashiding Monastery: A Path To Finding Peace & Solace In Sikkim

16. Aritar: Witness Temples And Monasteries

Aritar

Aritar is famous for its virgin beauty, impressive temples and monasteries. It is located in the east of Sikkim and considered to be an important town of the region. Surrounded by forests and streams, Aritar is a true delight for any traveler who loves to spend a quiet time in the woods. Stroll along the forests or walk by the streams to get a taste of the pristine environment here. Plan a visit during the best month to visit Sikkim , and this place will surely enthrall you.

Key Attractions

  • Best spot for paragliding
  • Aritar is a right place for other adventure sports as well

Precautions: Avoid travel during monsoons How To Reach: Aritar, in East Sikkim, can be reached from Gangtok via Pakyong in 4 hours by taxi or cab. Best Time To Visit: March to May

Suggested Read: Mountaineering In Sikkim: A Handbook To Give You An Insight

17. Do Drul Chorten: An Impressive Temple

Do Drul Chorten

Once believed to be haunted by evil spirits, the Korten Stupa was an infamous spot in Sikkim until the revered Lama Trulshig Rnpoche came here in 1946 and built a stupa.The deity, Vajra Kilaya who is respected as one of the most eminent chortens in Sikkim, is placed on the top of the stupa. Inside the place, you will find a lot of holy Buddhist texts and other religious paraphernalia. This is amongst the best Sikkim attractions and welcomes visitors from across the world.

Key Attractions: The Stupa has nearly 108 prayer wheels which you can actually count on your visit. How To Reach: Do Drul Chorten is located in the Deorali area of Gangtok. Taxis are available to take you here. Best Time To Visit: March to mid-June

Suggested Read: 7 Luxury Villas In Gangtok Which Are The Ultimate Staycation In Sikkim!

  14 Best Places To Visit In Sikkim In Summer To Witness Nature’s Grandeur!

18. Rumtek Monastery: Marvel At The Paintings

Rumtek Monastery

Witness some of the exquisite and rare artworks of Buddhist culture at the Rumtek Monastery. It is a treat to sore eyes. Built in the 12th century, the Monastery belongs to the Kagyu sect in Sikkim. In a sad state of affairs, the Rumtek Monastery was left to ruin for some years until 1960 when Gyalwa Karmapa reestablished it. The monastery is a treasure trove of unique hand paintings, murals and sculptures. There are 1001 miniature Gold sculptures which is a sight to behold. Not only amongst the top famous places in Sikkim , the place also holds religious significance and is known for its peaceful ambiance!

  • At the rear end of the wall of Rumtek Monastery, there is a small alley that leads to the stunning Golden Stupa

Precautions

  • It is suggested to go here with a travel guide.
  • Do not consume alcohol or smoke smoke at the monastery.

How To Reach: Rumtek Monastery can be easily reached by a private vehicle from Gangtok. Best Time To Visit: March to May; and October to December

Suggested Read: A Brief Guide To Trains From Delhi To Sikkim For First Time Travelers To North East India

19. Mangan: Get Mesmerized

Mangan

Mangan is a charismatic place that offers beautiful sightseeing spots. It also serves as a transit point to other parts of the state. Every year in December, a three-day music festival is organized here. You can cheer the bands that come from all over the region, as well as from the other states of northeast India. The perfect combination of hills, music, and cold weather makes it a great experience. There are several other attractions such as traditional cultural songs performance and food festivals. It is surely part of all the popular Sikkim sightseeing  tours.

  • Mangan has become a sanctuary for nature lovers lately. Many travelers have flocked here to get a clear glimpse of white peaks.
  • During December, an exhibition cum sale of local handicrafts takes place.
  • It is always advisable to take the help of a guide.
  • It is suggested to take only the designated trails while walking.
  • Avoid littering around streams and lakes.

How To Reach: To reach from Gangtok, you can either take a private cab or local bus and reach directly to Mangan. The time taken is nearly 2 hours. Best Time To Visit: April, May, June, and July.

Suggested Read: Pemayangtse Monastery: A Guide To This Historical And Spiritual Retreat In Sikkim

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20. Cholamu: The 14th Highest Lake

Cholamu Lake

The 14th highest lake in the world and the only highest lake in India, Cholamu Lake is a wonder of Sikkim. It is located at a height of 18,000 feet above sea level. On the descent from the top of the Donkia La pass, which is located at a height of 18300 feet, you can get a glimpse of this almost frozen lake. It is a famous tourist attraction in Sikkim and needs a special permit to enter the zone. This place is surely amongst the best places to see in Sikkim !

Key Attractions Tibet border is very close to Cholamu Lake.

  • Avoid visiting the place during monsoon or winter.
  • Travelers going with families are advised to visit Gurudongmar Lake instead.
  • A special border permit is required to visit the lake. Make sure to book in advance.

How To Reach: Bagdogra Airport is the nearest domestic airport that is around four and a half-hour drive from Lachen. Hire a cab or taxi to reach Lachen and then take a jeep to go near the Lake. Best Time To Visit: October and November

Suggested Read: 12 Gorgeous Hotels In Sikkim That Are Your Getaway To Rejuvenation

21. Tendong Hill: Enjoy Splendid Views

Tendong Hill

Looking for beautiful S ikkim tourist spots ? Tendong Hill is one of the famous tourist attractions in Sikkim. One gets stunning views of the valleys in Sikkim from this hilltop. Tendong Hill is located at a height of 8530 ft above Damthang in Southern Sikkim. It is a perfect spot for meditation. The peaceful aura of this place makes it the choicest destination for a quiet holiday.

Key Attractions: The entire range of Singalila, Chola, part of Gangtok town, Nathu La, Darjeeling, and part of West Bengal plains are visible from here.

  • Do not travel without a guide.
  • Do not disturb the wildlife here.
  • Avoid alcohol and smoke while you are here.

How To Reach: Taxis and buses are available from the nearest airport to Damthang-Tendong Hill. Best Time To Visit: months of March, April, May and June

Suggested Read: Tso Lhamo Lake: Visit The Highest Lake In India On Your Sikkim Trip

Pemayangtse Monastery: A Guide To This Historical And Spiritual Retreat In Sikkim

22. Geyzing: Capital Of West Sikkim

Geyzing

Not only one of the important towns in the West District of Sikkim, but Geyzing is also the district headquarters of the state. Popularly known as Gyalshing to the local people, it is just 10km away from Pelling. Geyzing has become a major tourist spot in these years. Since it is also the main trading and commercial hub of the district, Geyzing remains busy throughout the year. You can reach the river Rangeet to get stunning glimpses of the Mt. Kanchenjunga. There are several impressive monasteries here which also make Geyzing a hotspot for tourists.

Key Attractions: Yangtey, a hilltop, can easily be reached from here. It offers majestic views of the city underneath. Plan a visit during the best time to visit Sikkim and the panoramic sights will make you fall in love with the destination. How To Reach: Located only 124 km away from Bagdogra Airport, Geyzing is easily accessible by taxis or cabs. Best Time To Visit: months of March, April, May, and June.

Suggested Read: 10 Pelling Hotels For A Comfortable Stay In Sikkim

23. Biksthang: A Serene Village

Biksthang

Located at a distance of 119 kms from Gangtok, Biksthang is a quaint village. It is situated in the middle of splendid scenery and mountains. Biksthang is also famous for offering a blazing view of Mt. Kanchenjungha. On staying at the farmhouse, you will directly be facing Gangchen mo Nga (Khangchendzonga), which is the source of five treasures, and stands for the five peaks of Mt Khangchendzonga, Mt. Gabur Gangtsen (Kabru), Mt. Pandim, Mt. Narsing and Mt. Simvo. A famous bird watching spot, Biksthang offers a pleasant view of the wilderness around.

  • Impressive view of Mt. Kanchenjunga
  • Spectacular sight of the Khecheopalri Lake

How To Reach: Biksthang is located just 124 km away from Bagdogra airport. Cabs and taxis are available for Biksthang. Best Time To Visit: months between October and February.

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24. Yangtey: Treat Your Eyes

Yangtey

Yangtey is a small hamlet located only 9 km from Pelling. It is closer to other famous tourist attractions such as Khecheopalri Lake, Khangchendzonga waterfalls, Rimbi Waterfalls, Rabdentse Ruins, Sewaro Rock Garden, and others. Excluding the stunning vistas of the Himalayas, Yangtey is also famous for the beautiful Tashigang Resort which is situated right in the middle of green gardens and lawns. It is a wonderful place to spend a quiet holiday. The place should not be missed out if you are looking for the best Sikkim sightseeing experience.

  • Spectacular views of Mt. Kanchenjungha
  • Trek to Khecheopalri Lake

How To Reach: Yangtey, located only 2 kms from Geyzing, can be reached by bus or taxi from Geyzing, West Sikkim. Best Time To Visit: Winter season

Suggested Read: 6 Amazing Things To Do In Yuksom On A Culture Trip To Sikkim

25. Kanchenjunga Base Camp: World's Third Highest Peak

sikkim tourism essay

If you have the daring to reign the mountains, then you should sign up for Kanchenjunga Base Camp. Located at a height of 14,000 ft, the arduous trek will give you an opportunity to lay your eyes on the pristine Himalayas. Obviously, the mountainscapes you get to see on the trek will obviously be more unique and raw. It will also be a chance for you to brag about climbing the base camp of the world’s third-highest peak.

Precaution: If you do not have physical stamina, then you shouldn't sign up for the trek How To Reach: The trek begins from Dzongri which the last road head. Best Time To Visit: April-June, Sep-Oct

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26. Singalila: Witness Vibrant Flowers

sikkim tourism essay

The amazing thing about Sikkim is that you get to explore a number of treks and mountain trails in the region. Singalila Ridge Trek is another popular trail where you unravel the majestic views of Kanchenjunga, Mount Everest, Makalu, and Lhotse as you reach the top. Singalila Ridge Trek is a moderate-level trek that requires fitness and stamina. You will also get to see unique species of flowers and medicinal plants along the trail that are used for making medicine. It is one of the safest places to visit in Sikkim during coronavirus.

Precaution: The climb is steep. So, wear proper trekking shoes How To Reach: The trek begins near Darjeeling and ends in Rimbik Best Time To Visit: March-June

27. Green Lake: A Unique Attraction

sikkim tourism essay

One of the less explored and unhindered destinations in Sikkim, Green Lake is a visual treat to the eyes. Surrounded by the snow-clad mountains and glaciers, Green Lake is a pristine embodiment of water formed by the melting of glaciers. It is located in the Kanchenjunga National park. So, if you are headed to the base camp, you will pass through the lake. It is one of the top Sikkim points of interest.

Precaution: If you have medical conditions, you should not sign up for the trek. How To Reach: It is a 10-day trek from Gangtok. Best Time To Visit: October-December, March-June

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28. Zero Point: Famous As Yume Samdong

sikkim tourism essay

Also known as Yume Samdong in the local language, Zero Point is one of the most popular points of interest in Sikkim. It is located at an altitude of 4,724 m away from all civilization. Enjoy the striking views of snowy valleys and azure skies when you are at the Zero Point. It is only 15 km from Lachung Valley. So, if you are already on your way to Lachung, then you should make a point to visit this place too. It is one of the alluring tourist places in Sikkim.

Precaution: Wear enough layers as the weather can be harsh. How To Reach: The only way to reach Zero Point is by car. Hire a private taxi from Lachung Village. Best Time To Visit: April-May

29. Tso Lhamo Lake: Known For Its Turquoise Blue Waters

sikkim tourism essay

Lakes in Sikkim are in abundance and the top places to see in Sikkim . Most of them have not even been explored yet. located in the North Sikkim at an altitude of 5,330 m, Tso Lhamo Lake is probably one of the highest lakes in the world. The journey all the way to this lake is not an easy one but worth every breath. The surreal reflection of the mighty Himalayas in the turquoise blue waters of the lake is an appealing reward.

Precaution: Since it is difficult to reach, people with no prior trekking experience should not attempt to go here. How To Reach: The only way to reach is by trekking Best Time To Visit: October-December, March-June

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30. Thangu: Savor Breathtaking Views

sikkim tourism essay

The valley of Thangu will captivate your senses with its breathtaking views and scenery. Come summer, the entire valley is covered with a carpet of colorful flowers. While most people visit Lachung and Yumthang, you should add this place to your itinerary to go offbeat. On either side, you will find massifs hovering over you. Don’t worry. You won’t be bored here because you will find plenty of things to do here like trekking and exploring the village and tribal life.

Precaution: It is a rural settlement. Don’t except fancy accommodation or eateries in this place How To Reach: Thangu is 141 km from Gangtok and the only best way to reach here is by getting a private taxi. Best Time To Visit: May-June

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31. Enchey Monastery: An Architectural Marvel

sikkim tourism essay

You won’t believe it but the 19th-century monastery is one of the most popular attractions in Sikkim. The Chinese Pagoda design of the monastery is an architectural marvel and is inspired after China’s sacred mountain which was also the spiritual dwelling of Jampelyang, the God of knowledge.

Precaution: Dress modestly when visiting the monastery and maintain quiet. How To Reach: The monastery is just a 10-minute drive from the city center. Best Time To Visit: 6 AM – 4 PM every day

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32. Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden: A Great Picnic Spot

sikkim tourism essay

Another one of the most popular places to go in Sikkim is next one on our list. If Rumtek Monastery is on your itinerary, then make an impromptu stop at Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Gardens. Sprawling across a huge area in Yumthang Valley, this is where you will find a huge variety of orchids, rhododendrons, and other gorgeous Himalayan flowers. There is a small lake inside the park where you can enjoy a little picnic while kids enjoy their time in the playground.

Precaution: Don’t pluck any flowers from the garden How To Reach: Take a taxi from Gangtok for a day tour to Rumtek Monastery and botanical gardens. Best Time To Visit: April-June

33. Namgyal Institute Of Tibetology: An Encounter With Tibetan Culture

sikkim tourism essay

In case you are fascinated by Tibetan culture and lifestyle, then you should definitely visit the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology where you will learn so much about Tibet from their clothes to culture and language. There is a museum in the institute that features coins, valuable statues, thangkas, and scriptures from various languages on display.

Entry Fee: INR 10 How To Reach: it is only 2 km from Deorali Timings: 10 AM – 4 PM, Sunday closed

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34. Tashiding Monastery: The Oldest Monastery

sikkim tourism essay

Flanked on a hilltop, the Tashiding monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in the region and a center of spiritual enlightenment for the followers. The magnificent views in the backdrop alone will make you feel at peace the monastery was built in the 17th century and it is believed that it cleanses you of all the sins and wrongdoings.

Don’t Miss: Attend the grand Bhumchu Festival in the monastery How To Reach: Take a private taxi to get around places in Sikkim Timings: 7 AM – 7 PM

35. Zemu Glacier: For All Adventure Seekers

Zemu Glacier

Zemu Glacier is the eastern base to climb Kanchenjunga and is frequently visited by adventure seekers. It is a 26 km long glacier that serves as a key source to the thriving Teesta River. You can either go for a trek to this glacier or visit to admire the surrounding beauty, the place will surely enthrall you! It is one of the places to see in Sikkim that will put you in a state of sheer awe.

  • Easter base camp to Kanchenjunga
  • Offers stunning sights

Precautions: It is a long trek and you have to be well-equipped before heading to this place. How To Reach: Starting from Gangtok, you reach Lachen in North Sikkim by road and then head towards Jakthang on foot. Best Time To Visit: From March to May and September to December

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36. Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park: Go For A Wild Safari

Animals in Zoological Park

Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park is spread over a sprawling lush green area of 230 hectares. The park comprises forested hills and has been serving as a paradise for nature lovers who visit Sikkim in search of impeccable sights. This is one of the best places to visit in Sikkim. Book a stay at one of the comfortable hotels in Sikkim , and plan a day excursion here.

  • Adorable Red Pandas
  • Witnessing big cats
  • Go for a wild safari

Precautions: Do follow the guidelines mentioned by the department How To Reach: It is located in Bulbulay, that is, east Sikkim. You can take public transport from Gangtok to reach here. Best Time To Visit: Anytime during the day Timings: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (except Thursday)

37. Ganesh Tok: Dedicated Lord Ganesha

ganesh tok

Ganesh Tok is located at an altitude of 6500 feet and is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. Its proximity to Tashi Point makes it a popular tourist spots in Sikkim. You can catch the impeccable glimpse of the snow-capped peaks of Himalayas from this serene place.

  • Stunning views of Kanchenjunga Peak
  • Serene ambiance, away from the hustle-bustle of city

Precautions: Be careful while climbing the stairs that lead to the narrow passage to worship the idol How To Reach: Public transport is the best alternative to reach here. Best Time To Visit: Throughout out the year.

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38. Hanuman Tok: Seek Blessings

Hanuman Tonk is among the most serene places to see in Gangtok

Hanuman Tok is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is frequently visited by the locals of the area. According to the folklore, it is believed that Hanuman rested for a very short while at this place while he was carrying Sanjeevani to Lanka. Currently, the temple is taken care by the Indian Army.

  • Stunning views of the nearby valleys and mountains
  • Chaperoned by the Mt. Kanchendzonga

Precautions: Plan a visit during the morning or early afternoon. How To Reach: As it is located in Gangtok, the place is well connected to the other parts of the state. Best Time To Visit: Between March to May

39. Bakthang Waterfall: Savor The Riveting View

Bakthang-Waterfall

Image Source One of the most refreshing natural marvels that one can find on mother earth are definitely waterfalls, and Bakthang Waterfall is no less. A few of the must-visit tourist places in Sikkim , these milky, cascading waterfalls leave one in awe. Acting like a magnet for trekking lovers and nature admirers, Bakthang Waterfalls are only a few kilometers from Gangtok with the main source being Ratey Chu.

  • Rope Sliding
  • Refreshing vibes
  • Tranquility in the atmosphere

Precautions: Make sure you are wearing shoes that are not slippery. How To Reach: Take a cab that will take only 20 minutes to reach from NH 10. Best Time To Visit: August-September

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40. Ridge Park: Click Pictures

Ridge Park

Sitting right at the head of Gangtok, Ridge Park is a garden that offers some of the most scenic views from the flatland. This Park has a White Hall situated right next to it and a Pagoda top standing tall and proud over the flatland in the park. This Park is home to an extensive number of vibrant and rich flora that includes some stunning species of plants, flowers, and shrubs. The best part about Ridge Park is the annual Orchid show that it hosts. It is definitely one of the stunning places to visit in Sikkim in January. 

  • The annual Orchid Show that park hosts
  • A Flower Exhibition Centre that showcases various species of flora

Precautions: Do not pluck the flowers or leaves from the plants and trees in the Park; there’s a fine for doing otherwise. How To Reach: One can easily hire a cab to reach Ridge Park from Gangtok. Best Time To Visit: April-May

41. Casino Mahjong: Try Your Luck

Casino Mahjong

Casino Mahjong is one of the most exciting tourist places in SIkkim for those who wish to get an insight into the nightlife. Boasting about the best entertainment and hospitality industry, Casino Mahjong is one of the best parts of Mayfair Hotels and Resorts. There are some impeccable casino games that spoil guests with the choices. From Blackjack and Poker to Roulette and the classic slot machines, Casino Mahjong is there to give a true and authentic experience of a casino to tourists.

  • Various casino games like Roulette, Poker, Blackjack, and more
  • Lavish and luxury vibes of the location

Precautions: Make sure you don’t make gambling a habit. How To Reach: When in Gangtok, one can easily hire a taxi to reach the Casino. Best Time To Visit: All year long

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42. Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple: The Mystic Spot

Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple

One of the best tourist places in Sikkim for those who seek spiritual calmness should consider paying a visit to Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple. This Temple is sitting at a great altitude of 13,123 ft above the sea level, sandwiched between Nathula and Jelepa Pass. It is believed that the soul of Harbhajan Singh, who was a soldier in Indian Army, has been taking the rounds of the Himalayas for around 50 years now. There have been numerous tales accounting to the sightings of the soldier at night.

  • Haunted tales of a ghost soldiers
  • A religious pilgrimage spot for many believers

Precautions: Spend the day and leave from the temple by afternoon maximum. How To Reach: It is usually a part of the trip to Tsomgo Lake. One needs a Permit to visit this region. One can take a taxi to the temple. Best Time To Visit: April to November

43. Banjhakri Falls And Energy Park: For A Fun Outing

Banjhakri Falls and Energy Park

One of the must visit places in Sikkim for all the nature lovers is the Banjhakri Falls and Energy Park that is beautifully nestled amidst the lush jungles. The falls are the most significant part of the Ban Jhakri Park and is tagged as the most refreshing spot by locals and tourists alike. The well-defined trails, stunning gazebos, and the brilliant footbridges makes it one of its kind. The Falls capture the attention of all those wanderers out there.

  • Waterfall rushing from 100 ft above
  • The lush green forests and jungles

Precautions: Follow that boards throughout the trail; avoid wandering off on your own How To Reach: One can easily hire a cab to reach the falls and the park Best Time To Visit: August-September

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44. Pemayangtse Monastery: Take A Break And Relax

Pemayangtse Monastery

Reeking of peace and serenity from every nook and corner, Pemayangtse Monastery is a yellow structure sitting just a few kilometers from Pelling. This Monastery is a three-story structure that was founded by Lama Lhastun Chempo in the year 1705. Translating to ‘sublime lotus’, Pemayangste is a building that houses ancient paintings, carvings, Tibetan artifacts, and sculptures. The Monastery also celebrates the Cham festival in the most vibrant and extravagant manner.

  • Cham Festival that is celebrated on the 28th and 29th day of the Tibetan Calendar
  • Peace and tranquility of the atmosphere

Precautions: There is an entry fee for the monastery. Do not visit empty-handed. How To Reach: The Monastery is just 7 kilometers from the main Pelling road. One can easily reach here from Pelling by road. Best Time To Visit: February to June

45. Khecheopalri Lake: Enjoy The Clear Waters

Khecheopalri Lake

Also known as Kha-Chot-Palri, this Lake is one of the best sightseeing places in Sikkim that exhibits tales of mystique and mythology. It is believed that Khecheopalri is a lake that fulfills all the wishes one has. Sitting next to a rustic, old-village, this lake is found at an altitude of 1,700 m above the ground level. One of the most sacred sites for Buddhists, the lake has turned into a pilgrimage and is often visited by believers all year long.

  • Crystal clear waters of the lake
  • Impressive aquatic life

Precautions: Do not throw anything in the lake as it is considered holy. How To Reach: The closest town to the lake is Pelling. There are shared and private jeeps that can be availed from Pelling to the lake. Best Time To Visit: February to March

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46. Singshore: The Highest Bridge In Sikkim

Singshore Bridge

The highest in Sikkim and the second highest in the entire Asia, Singshore Bridge is an interesting place to visit. Perched at 100 m above the ground, this bridge is a total of 240 m long sitting near the Uttarey village of Sikkim. Tagged as one of the most ancient bridges found in Sikkim, the Bridge is a must for those who have a zeal to be a part of various adventures. The surrounding lush greenery of this destination leaves one in awe of nature.

  • The second highest bridge in Asia
  • Thrilling experience

Precautions: Take all the necessary safety precautions. Do not perform any sort of stunts. How To Reach: From Pelling one can board an SSRTC bus or hire a jeep to cover the distance. Best Time To Visit: September to May

47. Rabdentse Ruins: Architectural Marvels

Rabdentse Ruins

Sikkim is a destination that is full of natural and man-made architectural marvels. One such marvel is the timeless ruins that cover the floors of Pelling in Sikkim. Rabdentse was once a fortress that was degraded to ruins during the Nepalese invasion in the 18th century. The trail that leads to the ruins showcases towering chestnut trees on both the sides of the path that form a canopy up high above the heads. There is a small stone tablet nestled amidst the fort reeking of Narnia vibes.

  • Red structures from ancient times
  • The trail amidst beautiful forest of chestnut

Precautions: Reach back before the night falls as the forest can get tricky during the nights. How To Reach: One needs to trek down for around 2 kms from the Pemayangtse Monastery to reach the ruins. Best Time To Visit: March to May

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48. Kanchenjunga Falls: Take A Stroll

Kanchenjunga Falls

One of the most staggering places to pay a visit to in Sikkim are the Kanchenjunga Falls. These falls are believed to have been sourced from the glaciers of majestic Kanchenjunga itself, hence the name. These Falls were hidden till late 90s in the heart of a deep jungle. For those who wish to get off the beaten path can consider paying a visit to these unspoiled waterfalls. If you seek peace and tranquility on your escape to Sikkim, this is the place to be.

  • The lush greens that surround the waterfalls
  • The unspoiled beauty of falls

Precautions: Wear comfortable and convenient clothes when visiting the Falls. How To Reach: It is located around 5 hours from Gangtok and is well-connected with a network of roads. One can take a cab or board a bus to cover the distance. Best Time To Visit: April to June or September to October

So, which of these places to visit in Sikkim will you be hopping away to first? Plan your vacation in Sikkim and explore the best of the North East with these popular Sikkim tourist places. Why wait? Book now!

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Frequently Asked Questions About Places to Visit in Sikkim

Which part of Sikkim is most beautiful?

Tsomgo Lake and Yuksom are considered as the most beautiful sites in Sikkim. Both these places are filled with natural beauty that attracts thousands of vacationers every year.

Is it safe to visit Sikkim during Covid times?

Yes, Sikkim is one of the safest destinations where you can visit during Covid. You need to follow all the mandatory guidelines mentioned by the government such as maintaining social distance, wearing a mask at public places, washing or sanitizing hands after entry & exit, etc.

Which are the best places to visit in east Sikkim?

Nathu La Pass, Tsomgo Lake, Buddhist sites in Gangtok, and Zuluk are some of the best places to visit in Sikkim. Take the Gangtok Ropeway, enjoy river rafting in Rangpo, and birdwatching in Dzuluk.

What is the best time to visit Gangtok?

The best time to visit Gangtok is between March to June. During these months the weather is pleasant and suitable for exploring all the major attractions.

What are the best things to do in Sikkim?

Some of the most popular things to do in Sikkim are as follows: 1. Helicopter ride 2. Yak ride 3. Goechala trek 4. Hand gliding 5. Gondola ride 6. Mountain biking tour 7. Shopping 8. Sightseeing

What should one eat in Sikkim?

One can relish an array of scrumptious dishes in Sikkim. The traditional food of Sikkim comprises Sikkimese and Nepalese cuisines. When in Sikkim, make sure to try the following dishes: 1. Momos 2. Phagshapa 3. Thukpa 4. Sha Phaley 5. Gundruk 6. Yak Cheese

Which are places to visit in Sikkim in February?

Even though the temperatures in February would be below, you can wish to explore Nathula Pass, Lachung, Gurudongmar, and Gangtok.

Is smoking allowed in Gangtok?

No, smoking isn’t allowed in Gangtok.

Which are the best restaurants in Sikkim?

Some of the best restaurants in Sikkim are Karsonam Restaurant, Chiya Khaja, Hills Bakery & Cafe, and Dokohthang Homestay where you can dine at and relish scrumptious delicacies.

Which are the most famous hotels in Sikkim?

The most famous hotels in Sikkim for a comfortable stay are listed below! 1. Alpine Hills Hotel 2. Tashiling Residency Hotel & Spa 3. Lachung Deezong 4. MAYFAIR Spa Resort & Casino

What can you shop for in Gangtok?

Here is a list of items that all shopping lovers must buy from Gangtok: 1. Tibetan Carpets 2. Stones & Silver Jewelry 3. Sikkim Tea 4. Buddhist Figurines

How can one reach Gangtok?

The nearest airport to Gangtok is Pakyong Airport. You can hire a cab from the airport and reach Gangtok comfortably in around 1 hour 22 minutes.

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Essay on Sikkim

Students are often asked to write an essay on Sikkim in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Sikkim

Introduction.

Sikkim is a beautiful state in India, nestled among the Himalayas. It’s known for its stunning landscapes, rich culture, and biodiversity.

Sikkim is in the northeastern part of India. It is surrounded by three countries: China, Bhutan, and Nepal. Sikkim’s terrain is mostly hilly with a diverse range of flora and fauna.

Sikkim’s culture is a blend of Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Tibetan influences. Festivals like Losar, Saga Dawa, and Dasain are celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Sikkim’s economy primarily depends on agriculture, tourism, and hydroelectric power. Organic farming is particularly promoted.

Tourism is a major part of Sikkim’s economy. Tourists flock to see monasteries, trek in the mountains, and experience the local culture.

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  • Paragraph on Sikkim

250 Words Essay on Sikkim

Geographical overview.

Sikkim, a gem in the Northeastern part of India, is a unique blend of diverse culture, rich heritage, and mesmerizing natural beauty. Nestled in the lap of the Eastern Himalayas, it is the second smallest state in India, spanning approximately 7,096 square kilometers.

Cultural Mosaic

Sikkim is a cultural mosaic, home to various ethnic groups like the Bhutias, Lepchas, and Nepalese, each contributing to a vibrant socio-cultural fabric. The state’s festivals like Losar, Saga Dawa, and Dasain, reflect this cultural richness.

Flora and Fauna

Sikkim’s biodiversity is awe-inspiring. It hosts the Khangchendzonga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is home to several endemic species. The state is also renowned for its rhododendron groves and over 600 species of orchids.

Economic Aspects

The economy of Sikkim is primarily agrarian, with cardamom, ginger, and oranges being significant produce. Tourism, owing to its natural beauty and cultural heritage, also plays a crucial role in Sikkim’s economy.

Educational Scenario

Education in Sikkim has seen substantial growth, with literacy rates soaring to 82.2% as per the 2011 census. The Sikkim Manipal University, a prominent institution, contributes significantly to the state’s educational landscape.

Sikkim’s Future

Sikkim’s future appears promising, with its focus on sustainable development and organic farming. It became the first Indian state to be declared “organic” in 2016, setting a precedent for other states.

In conclusion, Sikkim, with its captivating landscapes, diverse culture, and progressive outlook, is a jewel of India that continues to enchant and inspire.

500 Words Essay on Sikkim

Introduction to sikkim.

Sikkim, the least populous and second smallest state of India, is a land of unique beauty and tranquility. Nestled in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, it is a haven of biodiversity and a melting pot of diverse cultures, traditions, and religions.

Geographical Splendor

Sikkim is a geographically diverse state, with altitudes ranging from as low as 280 meters to as high as 8,586 meters above sea level. The state is divided into four districts—North, South, East, and West—each offering its own distinct landscapes and attractions. The state is home to the majestic Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world, which is not just a geographical feature but also an integral part of the local culture and folklore.

Biodiversity and Environment

Sikkim is a treasure trove of biodiversity. It houses around 5,000 species of flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60 primula species, and 36 rhododendron species. The state’s commitment to the environment is evident from its title as the first ‘Organic State’ of India, achieved in 2016. This implies that all farming in the state is carried out without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, providing a model of sustainable farming for the world to follow.

Culture and Tradition

Sikkim is a confluence of diverse cultures and traditions. The state’s population comprises three major communities—Bhutia, Lepcha, and Nepalese—each with their unique customs, languages, and festivals. Sikkim is also known for its vibrant monastic culture, with Buddhism playing a significant role in shaping the social and cultural landscape. The state is adorned with numerous ancient monasteries, with Rumtek Monastery being one of the most prominent.

Economy and Development

The economy of Sikkim is primarily based on agriculture and tourism. Organic farming has given a new direction to the agrarian economy, enhancing livelihood opportunities and promoting sustainable development. Tourism, on the other hand, is a major source of income and employment. Sikkim’s picturesque landscapes, serene monasteries, and diverse flora and fauna make it a paradise for tourists.

The state has made significant strides in education and healthcare, with a literacy rate of 82.2% and a robust healthcare infrastructure. The Sikkim Manipal University, a prominent institution, is a testament to the state’s commitment to higher education and research.

Sikkim, with its enchanting beauty and rich cultural heritage, is a jewel in India’s crown. Its commitment to environmental conservation and organic farming sets an example for the rest of the world. Despite its small size and challenging terrain, the state has made remarkable progress in various sectors, demonstrating that sustainable development is achievable with the right blend of policies and public participation. Sikkim is more than just a state; it’s a model of harmony, sustainability, and progress.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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  • Paragraph Writing
  • Paragraph On Sikkim

Paragraph on Sikkim - Check Samples for 100, 150, 200, 250 Words

The Indian state Sikkim is popularly known for its serene beauty and clean environment. It is situated in the northeastern part of India. Sikkim is the smallest state in India and is the second least populated state in India. Sikkim is known for the existence of various religions, cultures, languages, etc. This article has some sample paragraphs on Sikkim that you can refer to. Check them out.

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Paragraph on sikkim in 100 words, paragraph on sikkim in 150 words, paragraph on sikkim in 200 words, paragraph on sikkim in 250 words.

  • Frequently Asked Questions on Sikkim

The Indian state of Sikkim is located in the northeastern part of India, which is in the eastern Himalayas. Sikkim is the second least populated state of our country and is also the smallest state in India. Sikkim is the first attraction of many tourists from all over the world due to the serene beauty of nature and the clean environment. It may be the smallest state, but its people are definitely rich in cultural heritage and philosophical depth. Various cultures, religions, and languages are followed in Sikkim and are therefore much appreciated. Sikkim is like a lovely bouquet embellished with vibrant colours and the essence of many flowers in the form of enticing folk dances, rituals, and traditions from all tribes and castes.

Sikkim is the smallest state of India which lies in the northeastern part of India. Sikkim is the second least populist state in India and is widely known for the serene beauty of nature. Sikkim has become the first attraction of tourists because of its clean environment and beautiful nature. Sikkim is situated in the northeastern part of the Himalayas. It is also appreciated due to the existence of people from different religions, castes, etc. Sikkim was previously occupied by three tribes: the Naong, Chang, and Mon. However, over time, residents from neighbouring nations became a significant part of the state’s population. The Lepchas, a tribe of Tibetan Nagas, are one of the tribal groups, as are the Bhutias, descendants of Buddhists from Tibet, and the Nepalese, descendants of Hindus from Nepal, who now make up a significant section of Sikkim’s population. Mountains, rivers, forests, and other elements of Nature are commonly regarded as God by them.

Sikkim is the second least populated state of India and is also the smallest state of India. Even though it is the smallest state, the philosophies, and ideologies are various. Sikkim is loved by almost all tourists because of the beautiful, clean environment and the existence of multicultural practices. The people of Sikkim practice various cultures, religions, etc. Many different languages are spoken in Sikkim, but majorly Nepalese is spoken. Since their arrival in Sikkim three centuries ago, the Tibetan Bhutias have maintained strong links to tradition and belief. The Sikkimese Bhutias and Tibetans coexist together, demonstrating their cultural, social, and linguistic similarities. Sikkim is like a magnificent bouquet, embellished with the vibrant colours and essence of many flowers in the form of alluring folk dances, rituals, and traditions from all tribes and castes. Their flamboyant religious festivities bring along with them the ceremonial mask dance performed by the monks with extra energy and fervour. While dancing to the thunderous drumming and trumpeting of horns, they wear swords and brilliant jewellery, adding to the authenticity of the show. Saga Dawa is one of these auspicious holidays, which is observed by followers of the Mahayana school of Buddhism.

Sikkim is India’s smallest state, located in the northeastern part of the country. Sikkim is India’s second-least populous state, and it is well-known for its tranquil natural beauty. Because of its clean environment and gorgeous scenery, Sikkim has become a top tourist destination. The Himalayan state of Sikkim is located in the northeastern portion of the Himalayas. It is also valued because it attracts individuals of many religions, castes, and ethnicities. The Naong, Chang, and Mon tribes were the previous inhabitants of Sikkim. Residents from neighbouring countries, on the other hand, gradually became a considerable portion of the population of the state. The Lepchas, a Tibetan Naga tribe, are among the tribal groups, as are the Bhutias, descendants of Tibetan Buddhists, and the Nepalese, descendants of Hindus from Nepal, who now make up a large portion of Sikkim’s population. Mountains, rivers, forests, and other natural components are frequently referred to as God. Sikkim is like a beautiful bouquet, with brilliant colours and the essence of various flowers in the form of seductive folk dances, rituals, and customs from all tribes and castes. Their spectacular religious celebrations are accompanied by the monks’ energetic and fervent ceremonial mask dance. They wear swords and glittering jewellery as they dance to the thunderous drumming and trumpeting of horns, adding to the show’s authenticity. One of the auspicious holidays recognised by Mahayana Buddhists is Saga Dawa. Sikkim may be one of India’s smallest states, yet its philosophy and values are vast. What makes Sikkim so magnificent and powerful is its devotion to the preservation of both nature and the nation’s cultural histories. In terms of prosperity and human development, Indian states may learn a lot from this little state that is outperforming all of the big ones.

Frequently Asked Questions on Paragraph on Sikkim

How do we write a paragraph on sikkim.

You can write about the geographical, cultural, and historical background of Sikkim. You can also mention what the place is especially known for.

How is Sikkim special?

Sikkim, which is part of the Eastern Himalaya, is known for its biodiversity, which includes alpine and subtropical climates, as well as being home to Kanchenjunga, India’s highest mountain and the world’s third-highest peak. Gangtok is the capital and the largest city in Sikkim.

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Krishnandu Sarkar

Experience From My Sikkim Trip

Gurudongmar Lake

Hello, It’s been some time that I bought this domain and installed WordPress out of curiosity but never found anything to write about. But recently I have been to Sikkim and thought of writing about my experience which may help others to plan their itenary and for me, helping myself to make the setup useful 😛

So, it started off by my mom, who suddenly said, “Hey, it’s been a long time we have not done any trips, let’s go somewhere”. Yeah, I know she was right, I got really busy into my professional life and the rat race to make money. I always loved travelling and previously we used to go every year to some tour, but suddenly it’s been 2 years I started running after making money.

So thought of taking a week off and after going through few places I fixed on Sikkim. I always prefer Mountains over Beaches and I have never been to North East. So this was my chance to explore the beautiful state of NE.

Well, I better stay off from the details of Sikkim, it’s altitude and all etc. Who thinks about all these while planning for a trip? Well, if you disagree, then Wikipedia is there.

We all of us, in my family loves DIY Backpacker Tour instead of going with any Tour Operators. DIY is fun, starting form gathering all information, probable risks, scams etc. to fixing on destinations and everything. DIY allows me to do the tour in my own way instead of relying on someone else to plan my tour. Though there’s nothing wrong loving packaged tour, that eliminates all your headache. But we love DIY, as we don’t always go by fixed itenary, we may increase days at some destination if we like it.

It’s always better to catch a train at night, so that you can reach NJP (New Jalpaiguri) at morning and can go upwards on that day only. But due to my schedule we couldn’t do that so we started off our journey by catching the train at morning and reached NJP at around 7:30 PM. As it was too late to go further, so we stayed in Siliguri for the night and explored Hong Kong Market. Siliguri itself needs 2-3 days to explore, but we have been to Siliguri previously, so it didn’t matter much for us. Enjoyed the delicious Toasts and Half-Boiled Egg in Netaji Cabin. I always go there if I’m in Siliguri.

Teesta River

Teesta River

Next day early morning we took Shared Jeep to Gangtok. Shared Jeep’s are always available in Siliguri and NJP for different areas such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Gangtok etc. They have fixed rate, so no chances of being scammed. Right now, the cost of shared jeeps are 200/- for Gangtok and 150/- for Darjeeling per person. One can also go for private car but as you can guess it costs higher but is more comfortable. Private cars cost between 1500/- to 4000/- depending on the car you are hiring. The shared jeeps takes total 10 person (4 Back + 4 Middle + 2 Front), so it can be very uncomfortable if you are a bit fat and not much open minded. In that case I’d suggest to go for private car as once you start the journey you won’t be able to negotiate anything. If you are on a budget trip you can also go for 2 tickets to make yourself comfortable. We as backpackers, always prefer local mode of transport, that helps us keeping the cost within range and also to enjoy the local culture.

Sikkim Checkpost

Sikkim Checkpost

The cars of WB is not permitted to go beyond Deorali in Sikkim. So the cars from WB will drop you at Deorali Stand and from there you have to catch local cab to Hotel or M. G. Marg. The journey from NJP / Siliguri to Deorali is around 3.5 to 4 hours with a nashta break in between. Have your breakfast / tiffin over there with Tea or Coffee. Don’t forget to enjoy Momo which is served with cutney, as you are in the land of Momo’s. Also note that, in Sikkim they do not have any concept of Chicken Momo, Mutton Momo etc. It’s Veg momo everywhere. Though you may find some stalls at M. G. Marg selling Chicken Momo, but it’ll be rare, very rare.

If you can catch the cars going back, that came down from Sikkim to NJP / Siliguri, then you don’t need to change the car at Deorali. From Deorali it’ll be around 200/- to your hotel (depending on the location) or M. G. Marg. Remember that though these are Taxi, there’s no meter system in Gangtok. They have fixed rate for fixed distance for locals. So bargain it accordingly before the ride. Also, maximum 4 person is allowed in a cab, so if you are more than 4 person, then you have to hire more than 1 cab.

We stayed at Hotel Ma Yang in Gangtok, Development Area. It’s a bit far from M. G. Marg. Hotels in M. G. Marg will generally have higher rate, while on Development Area or Lal Bazar Road you will get cheaper options. From our hotel, shared cabs were available to M. G. Marg for Rs. 10/- per person so it was not a problem for us to roam around.

Hotels throughout the Sikkim are available on AMP (American Meal Plan) / EP (European Plan) / CP (Continental Plan). Ours was with AMP. Though it may seem first that with AMP it’s going to be on higher side, but ultimately at the end you’ll realize it’s not. In Sikkim, it works in a different way.

If you are not aware about the Meal Plan systems, below is the basic idea of all the Meal Plans.

  • AMP (American Meal Plan) – Room with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
  • MAP (Modified American Plan) – Room with Breakfast, Lunch / Dinner
  • EP (European Plan) – Room only
  • CP (Continental Plan) – Room with Breakfast

AMP is generally preferred which serves Bengali Cuisine, rest you can be sure that you won’t be disappointed. Different dishes will be served in every meal. So rest assured dishes won’t be same on all the meals for all the days. One can also go for MAP if your itenary is something which won’t allow you to have Lunch at the hotel. You can also go for EP / CP if you want to try out local dishes. But beware that, in Hilly Regions everything gets closed at sharp 9 PM and food in M. G. Marg can be a bit costly with the ratio of quantity served.

Gangtok

Once thing I loved and amazed about Gangtok is, everything is well organized and it looks like planned city. First thing that amazed me as soon as I was entered Gangtok, is the Footpath and Footbridges. Here in Kolkata we do have footpath, but I never seen anyone to use that, instead peoples walk along the main road. Well how would they? footpaths are filled up with different stalls. But here in Gangtok, I was amazed to see, that everyone is walking along the footpath and using footbridges to cross the road. That way both the cars running along the road and the peoples walking, don’t interfere each other.

Way To M. G. Marg

Way To M. G. Marg

Next thing, I loved is, the organized Cab system. Like, cabs that bring you from Deorali to the City can only run along the same route and they cannot hop into short distance passengers or cannot run in different route. So the cab that runs within the city for short distance cannot hop into other passengers too. Each cab has the licence stucked on the front window which determines it’s route. Also, they have different Cab Stand (multistoried buildings) for these. Like the cabs that runs from Deorali to the Gangtok City have different stand than that of cabs running on short distance within the city or than that of the cabs going to North Sikkim or West Sikkim. Everyone have different stand with different set of Cabs.

After checking in to hotel and having lunch we took rest for few hours and went for a visit to M. G. Marg. Again, it was simply stunning. With the lighting and decorations everything seemed planned. Had some delicious Momo and Tea and walked around the Marg. It felt awesome in Chilly 5 Deg C. Well that’s what my mobile showed me 🙂

M. G. Marg

Sikkim is one of the state for Spirit lovers. So don’t forget to buy Liquors / Beer. It’s a tax free state so prices are much lower than that of your hometown (if you are not coming from another tax free state). Branded Beers are available for 55/-. Local beer is available for 50/-. We bought Antiquity Blue and VAT 69 for 710/- and 1050/- respectively.

Low Price + Chilled Weather = Enjoy the drink.

Next day after breakfast, we left for 3D/2N North Sikkim tour (also known as Lachung – Lachen tour). Cab from our hotel to North Sikkim Cab Stand took 200/-. The Lachung – Lachen tour is generally available within 3000/- per person (everything inclusive i.e. Accommodation and Food). This tour comes in various forms and can be booked from your Hotel or in Tour Stalls in M. G. Marg or in Siliguri / NJP while catching the cab to Deorali / Gangtok.

The North Sikkim tour comes in various forms, such as

  • 2D/1N – Lachung with Yumthung Valley
  • 2D/1N – Lachen with Gurudongmar Lake
  • 3D/2N – Lachen – Gurudongmar Lake & Lachung – Yumthung Valley

All the above tour comes with accommodation and meal plan. You cannot deviate from this i.e. you can’t book hotel yourself. The reason is, at that high altitude you won’t find anything. The hotels are very basic, so keep your expectation low. Though, they are more of a Lodge rather than Hotel. You will be served Bengali Cuisine throughout your stay. These hotels runs depending on these tour operators in Gangtok. Each tour operator have collaboration with a particular hotel accordingly.

Let me warn you, that all of the North Sikkim tour is really hectic and tiresome. Specially the 3D/2N tour. Also you will be climbing at very high altitude (17,100 ft above sea level), so be prepared and plan accordingly specially if you have aged person with you.

Also note that, you need to fix the tour with you tour operator / hotel, a day before you are willing to take this tour and submit Photo ID Proof along with 4 Passport size Photos, as these places are situated in Indo – China border, getting permission is required for the same. If you are not Indian, then your permission will be very limited

INFO : North Sikkim Tours are available both in Shared and Private options. This is in terms of the vehicle. Accommodation will be private to you if you are travelling alone or in double sharing mode if you are travelling in a group. Shared Option is recommended for Budget Tourists, however please keep in mind that due to the hectic journey, this won’t be much comfortable though. Of course, if you don’t want to shell out 6X amount on private vehicle, you don’t have any other option.

North Sikkim being restricted region, you need Restricted Area Permit (Restricted Area Permit) / Protected Area Permit (PAP). On booking of the tour package, your tour operator would arrange the same for you on submission of a photocopy of Voter ID Card and Passport Size Photo for each member. And considering the current costing of the package (with both shared and private vehicle), this is the best option. Because getting the permit on your own is theoretically possible but practically very tough (because of local politics) and hiring a vehicle for the trip along with booking the homestays separately would cost you more than the package cost. So practically it’s not worth the effort.

But believe me, if you take this tour instead of all the obstacles, it’ll be your lifetime memory

Way To Chungthang

Way To Chungthang

Way To Chungthang

We started at 11 AM and reached Chungthang at around 6 PM in the evening with a 30 mins lunch break in between. Gangtok to Chungthang is 6 Hours journey. From Chungthang the road gets divided to Lachung & Lachen. Generally Lachen is covered first and then Lachung. So after having some Momo and Tea in Chingthang, we started for Lachen again without wasting much time.

Note that, Chungthang is the last destination where you’ll get Mobile tower. So take your time to make any calls or surf internet if you needed to. After this point, only BSNL will work. So you’ll be out of coverage area for 2 days if your provider is not BSNL.

UPDATE (2018) : Airtel, Vodafone etc. works really great throughout Lachen and Lachung now. You can even access 4G Data. There’s no coverage at Gurudongmar, Yumthang and Zero Point though.

We sighed when we reached Lachen after around 1.5 Hours. Finally we were at Lachen at 7:30 PM starting from Gangtok at 11 AM. We checked in to the Hotel. It was -10 Deg C and what I loved is, as this sort of temperature stays throughout the year, all the hotel sells liquor. I sat with a Beer. After an hour or so, we were called for Dinner.

Way To Gurudongmar Lake

Way To Gurudongmar Lake

Next day early morning at sharp 3’O Clock in the morning we left for Gurudongmar Lake. We reached Thangu, the last village of Indo – Chinese Border at around 7 AM. It’s mostly covered with the military base so be ready to be amazed to see different Regiments, Armour, Tanks, Shelling Equipment’s etc. I felt proud when I saw how hard our Indian Army works to protects us throughout the year on -15 Deg C. I felt proud watching them how they sacrificed their life, their family and is always there standing on the border so that we all Indians can go to sleep without worrying.

“Jai Hind”

Gurudongmar Lake

Gurudongmar Lake

So finally at 7:30 we reached Gurudongmar Lake at 17,100 ft. Many of tourist felt ill due to low oxygen and started facing breathing problem. The hills looked awesome, it was like made of Gold. The beautiful and awe inspiring lake remains milky in color throughout the year. According to a legend, since the lake used to remain frozen most of the year, it was not possible to use its water for drinking purposes. When the Guru Padmasambhava passed by, while returning from Tibet, the local residents are reported to have approached him for providing source of water. The Guru obliged. A portion of the lake touched by him does not freeze in extreme winter. Since water of the lake is considered sacred, visitors carry the ‘blessed’ water in bottles.

Gurudongmar Lake 13100 Ft

Don’t try to find logic or science within this story, but be amazed to see, how it’s not frozen at -15 Deg C when everything around it is frozen. 🙂 Be amazed, to see the Hills, well the last hills of India.

While coming back to Lachen we had breakfast at Thangu and spoke to some of our Army mens regarding the border conditions. Finally we were back at Lachen again at 12’O Clock. Took rest and a nap for an hour and then we were called for Lunch. Taking rest for few mins we left for Lachung at 2 PM.

While going to Lachung, we had a break in Chungthang. Again we were back in coverage area, so made few calls back home to inform that everything is fine. We reached Lachung at 5:30 PM. Took rest for the evening as all of us were really tired after the hectic trip of 2 days, well still 1 day remaining. We were called for Dinner at around 10 PM and had a Beer afterwards and went off to sleep.

Yumthung Valley

Yumthung Valley

At 5’O Clock in the morning we left for Yumthung. Yumthung is famous for varieties of Rhododendrons and known as “Valley of Flowers”. Though as we took this tour in October, we couldn’t see any flowers there. Bad luck, we missed the natural beauty.

Yumthung Valley

It was around 7 AM, we thought of extending it to Zero Point. Generally Zero Point is not covered in the tour, but you can always negotiate with the driver. Don’t negotiate about Zero Point with the Tour Operator beforehand, as it requires permission which will raise the cost. Instead pay your driver 500 – 1000 bucks and ask him to take you to Zero Point.

Way To Zero Point

We reached Zero Point at around 9:00 AM. Finally after enjoying and playing a lot with ice bergs, we left for Lachung at around 10:30.

Zero Point

At sharp 12’O Clock we reached Lachung, back to our Hotel again and left for Gangtok at 2’O Clock after having lunch and freshening up a bit.

Ahh…So finally we are back to Gangtok at around 7 PM. We all were really tired from this 3D / 2N North Sikkim tour. We planned for visiting M. G. Marg but we couldn’t, as we didn’t had any energy left. Got a beer ourselves and we soon hit the bed after dinner.

Next day Morning, we planned for Nathula Trip, but our hotel suggested to shift it next day, as it’d be really hectic for us as we were just from a hectic trip of North Sikkim. Well, yeah, he was right, so we shifted the Nathula trip to next day and planned for local sight-seen. After breakfast, we arranged a reserved 10 Point Half-Day Tour which cost us around 1000/-

There are many sight-seen packages like

  • 3 Point Half Day
  • 7 Point Half Day
  • 10 Point Half Day
  • 10 Point Full Day
  • Mixed Point

Points are fixed for all the tours unless you go for Mixed Point. For Mixed Point, you need to plan it yourself, what points you’d like to visit.

On our 10 Point tour, we went to Tashi View Point, Hanuman Tok, Ganesh Tok, Bakthang Waterfall, Enchey Monastery, Flower Exhibition Center, Handicraft Center, Chorten Stupa, Institute of Tibetology and Ropeway Cable Car.

Gangtok From Tashi View Point

Well, we didn’t went to Cable Car as we didn’t think the price is justified for the timings. It’s just that, you’d be able to see the Gangtok from cable car. So if you have never been to cable car then this can be a nice experience. But we had ride cable car many times before. So this didn’t attract us.

I heard of Rumtek Monastery a lot, and I had planned to visit it from the very beginning when I started to research on my tour. But those are included in 10 Point Full Day tour as it was on the opposite side of all the above points. So, I thought of booking a 10 Point Half Day and then I’d try to negotiate directly with Cab driver as that would save the money and also I was not interested in other points of Full Day tour except Rumtek Monastery. So, as I had planned, we negotiated with our cab driver for 500/- and he agreed, as that amount will exclusively go to his pocket.

View From Rumtek Monastry

View From Rumtek Monastry

View From Rumtek Monastry

Finally, we were at Rumtek Monastery. What should I say, Awesome. Simply Awesome. Our driver was very friendly guide, he narrated us the story of the Monastery on the route.

Way To Rumtek Monastry

Way To Rumtek Monastry

Rumtek Monastry

Rumtek Monastry

Rumtek Monastry

Way To Golden Stupa

After this, he took us to Botanical Garden, though we didn’t asked for it and it was closed too due to Diwali. And, with this, we ended our so called 10 Point Half-Day Tour (or should I call it 10 Point Quarter Tour :P) and back to our hotel.

Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden

We took a nap after having our Lunch and later in the evening we went to M. G. Marg. It was Diwali, and people were burning crackers all over and it was just stunning. Watching colorful shells in the mountain with Tea and Momo, is just different and awesome.

Diwali Celebration at M. G. Marg

Diwali Celebration at M. G. Marg

Next day, after breakfast, we went for Tsongmo Lake – Nathulla Pass – Baba Mandir Tour. This tour generally costs 800/- per head (With Nathulla), and 500/- per head (Without Nathulla). The first stop was Tsongmo Lake. I don’t know, but may be after all the scenic beauty of Gurudongmar and Zero Point, I didn’t find this much interesting. So we didn’t wasted much time here.

Tsongmo Lake

Tsongmo Lake

Tsongmo Lake

We had Thukpa as our lunch in a small jhoops near Tsongmo Lake and headed for Nathulla. Words can’t describe the feeling when you are standing in your country’s border watching the bunkers of India and China and the LoC. Just a step forward and you’ll be in China.

Way To Nathulla

Nathulla Pass

While returning back from Mathulla, we visited Baba Mandir. Though the use of word Mandir which means Temple, it’s not a Temple actually. Baba Harbhajan Singh was an soldier who died near the Nathula Pass. He is revered by soldiers of the Indian army as the “Hero of Nathula” and the army men have also built a shrine in his honour. He has been accorded the status of saint by believers who refer to him as the Baba (saintly father). Many of the faithful people, chiefly Indian army personnel posted in and around the Nathula Pass and the Sino-Indian border between the state of Sikkim and Chinese occupied Tibet have come to believe his spirit protects every soldier in the inhospitable high altitude terrain of the Eastern Himalayas. As with most saints, the Baba is said to also grant favors presumably to those who revere and worship him.

Baba Mandir

And finally we were back in Gangtok again.

Mera Bharat Mahan

Mera Bharat Mahan

It was 11 PM, chilled weather with a Chilled Beer in hand watching the peaks. Last night of our tour. What can I say, I thought I’ll miss this place, the trip, the enjoyment. The friendly nature of all the Nepali people around who helped us a lot throughout this trip of ours.

Next day, we left for NJP after breakfast. Throughout the route, I kept my eyes closed and every details of our trip went through my mind. I was missing it badly. And more than that, I was afraid of going back to that so called rat race life again. But what can I do? That’s the way of life. Right? I kept telling my heart that, Let’s go back, earn more money, so that you can again pack the bags and leave for another awesome place again .

Memory

Last but not the least, this trip would not have been successful without

  • Trip Advisor Gangtok Forum
  • Trip Advisor Sikkim Forum
  • Darjeeling Tourism

Thanks a lot to all the volunteers out there in Trip Advisor, who helped me a lot researching about destinations and various suggestions. DIY is fun, it helps us to be informed about the destinations and pick up them according to our choices, probable scams which helps us to keep our cost low avoiding them.

Any critics and suggestions is welcome.

Costs Involved: NJP -> Siliguri : Reserved Auto = 200/- (For 5 Members) Siliguri -> Deorali : Shared Car – 200/- Per Head x 5 = 1000/- Deorali -> Development Area (Hotel) – 200/- per car. As we were 5 members we took 2 taxi’s. So total is 400/-

North Sikkim 2N/3D Tour : 3000/- Per Head x 5 = 15000/- (including accommodation and all the meals) + 1200/- given extra for Zero Point (Zero Point is not included in the package)

If you are planning to hire a private vehicle it costs around Rs. 16,000/- for 2 Pax and around Rs. 20,000/- for 4 pax including accommodation and all the meals.

Gangtok 10 Point Sightseeing : Exclusive vehicle for 5 members – 500/- + 500/- Given Extra for Rumtek Monastry = 1000/-

Nathulla Pass Tour : 800/- Per Head x 5 Person = 3200/-

Hotel Maa Yang @ 1200/- Per Day x 4 Nights = 4800/- We, 5 persons, stayed in a single room. And this price includes MAP i.e. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and Tea 2 times (Morning and Evening).

We were there for total 6 Nights, out of which 2 Nights we spent in Lachung, Lachen. So the Hotel Costs is of 4 night with all the meals.

As far as I remember, our total cost for the trip from Home to Home was 40k for 1 week for 5 persons. Ofcourse that includes too many Momo’s @ 30/- and Thukpas here and there.

Development Area -> M.G.Marg shared cabs take 10/- per head. But while returning from M.G.Marg you’ll never find a shared cab. So you need to book it exclusively for 80/- – 100/-. Depends on your bargaining. Some day we got for 70/- and some day for 90/-.

Contacts: Hotel Maa Yang : +919748659918 / +919432491159

North Sikkim, Nathulla Pass and Sightseeing Tours booked from Lama Tour and Travels. It’s run by an young women, Binita Lama. You can call her or whatsapp her at +919832079292 / +919734983536. She has recently started her Hotel Business too in Development Area, Gangtok. Lamaz Residency : Lamaz Residency

We didn’t stayed there, as the prices were a bit high than our budget. We had a budget of around 1000/- for a room (for 5 people!!). Though she gave us a discount, still it was too high for us.

Sightseeing Driver [SK 01 T 1077] : +919734008523. Well I asked a lot but he didn’t told his name. Instead he kept on insisting by saving his name as Uncle. So I saved the contact as Uncle on my phone 😛 He’s really a good driver and a guide himself. He told us the story behind Rumtek Monastry on our way.

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Krishnandu Sarkar

Hi, I'm born and bought up in Kolkata in the midst of what bongs are best known for - Eating, Sleeping and Travelling. A developer by profession and a traveller by passion. As I was facing a lack of budget-friendly information on the internet while planning my travel, I started drafting my travel experiences here to help you all having a pocket-friendly smooth travel experience.

Further Reading...

sikkim tourism essay

A Night At Jhallong River Camp

sikkim tourism essay

Weekend Gateway to Gopalpur

On the way to New Mal Jn

A Holiday At Lava – Lolegaon – Rishap – Kolakham

980 comments.

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aeishwariya

hi can u suggest some stay options in gangtok?? budget hotels or home stays would be nice..

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Hi, You may check Hotel Tibet, Hotel Silverline, Hotel Doma Residency under budget category. My personal favourite under Budget category is Hotel Tibet. Gangtok being a well-known, common and popular tourist destination, is full of hotels. So you can also check for some deals on Oyo, Goibibo, MMT etc.

Rajesh Vora

Really informative. I would also like to knoe about Peling.

This blog is great. I am also planning a trip.

Thanks a lot & I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Thanks a lot. This is undoubtedly one of the best blogs with all minute details. Great work dada. Keep it up.

Thanks a lot 🙂

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Mannat Sharma

I really like this blog…keep sharing and writing

Thanks a lot & I’m glad 🙂

Great blog Krishnandu da. I am planning a trip to north sikkim in oct and your blog was of great help. Just wanted to know if its possible to cover Tsogmo lake in the first half if I have a train to catch at 8pm from NJP.

Hi Zeba, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you liked my blog 🙂

Yes you can go to Tsomgo Lake and then proceed to NJP easily without any issues. But make sure to start early by around 8AM – 9AM or so, such that you are back to Gangtok by 1PM or 2PM max.

ayushi shrivastava

Hi Krishnandu,

I am planning solo trip to Sikkim, will I get a shared cab for north sikkim tour?

Regards, Ayushi

Hi Ayushi, Yes, Packaged Tours in Shared Vehicle for North Sikkim are easily available. North Sikkim being restricted regions needs various permits. Thus you just can’t hop into a shared cab like other destinations in Sikkim

You have to book the tour through a authorized local tour operator. So the shared package comes with accomodation, meals and the vehicle in shared mode. It costs around Rs. 3000/- – Rs. 3500/-. However during peak season the price gets inflated to around Rs. 4000/-. These are indicative per person costs for 2N/3D including accommodation, meals and vehicle in shared mode.

Rosalin Sahoo

Wonderful blog with many minute details and guides. I got most of the information I was looking for at one place. Thanks for penning down your amazing experience. I am planning a solo trip towards end of this month. I see you have mentioned there are Gangtok and North Sikkim tour packages available in shared taxis. Is there a way I can pre-book the tours before reaching there? Also, do I need to haggle on the price or those are fixed prices? Another query is, what are the area in Gangtok do you suggest to stay for a budget traveler, and how easy is it to get taxis there? I’m also planning 2D Darjeeling trip towards the end. Any suggestion regarding that would be really helpful.

Best. Rosalin

Hi Rosalin, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found my blog to be helpful 🙂

Well, those Gangtok + North Sikkim packages in shared cabs are available at Siliguri and NJP. Or if you don’t want to go by the package, you can take a shared cab and reach Gangtok on your own.

However North Sikkim being restricted region, you have to go through tour operator only. So once you reach Gangtok, you can contact your hotel travel desk or there are lots of tour operators out there in MG Marg and throughout the city. You can contact them for Shared Package for North Sikkim.

Prices are not fixed, but most people quote you around the same range. So you have to find a good deal. Service is more or less same for everyone.

NJP – Gangtok Shared Cabs costs Rs. 250/- per pax and same is around 150/- per pax from Siliguri. For North Sikkim it’s 3000/- per pax for 2N/3D including accommodation (at homestays), meals and the vehicle. However these are off season prices. During end of Oct, no one would offer you Rs. 3000/- for 2N/3D North Sikkim shared package. So it’d be around Rs. 3500/- – R. 3000/-. If there’s huge rush there, it’d bump upto Rs. 4500/- too.

Okay regarding accommodation, if you want to stay around the Market then get a hotel around M. G. Marg. Hotel Tibet, Hotel Silverline, Hotel Doma Residency are some of the well known budget hotels around M.G.Marg. And if you want to stay away from the market, check out hotels around Development Area.

Getting a taxi in Gangtok is very easy. There are lots of taxi’s running around the town. You can either take a shared taxi or hire a pvt. one depending on your need and route.

Hi Rosalin, I forgot to mention that yes, keeping Darjeeling on the end for 2N is really a fuitful decission. Regarding Darjeeling please check Budget Trip To Darjeeling for all the details.

Hey Krish Namaskar! An amazing blog you have!! Sikkim sounds amazing and we would like to start our trip after a hike in Nepal. The problem is to find a good, serious and english speaking driver who would pick us up in Nepal (Pokhara) the 01.11., drive with us to Sikkim and Darjeeling. Do you have any idea because we will not take a tour operator. Best Claudia

Hi Claudia, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found my blog to be helpful 🙂

Coming to your query, Nepal being different country, same vehicles cannot cross the border and drive you to Sikkim and Darjeeling. So you can fly to Bagdogra or cross the border yourself and accordingly hire another vehicle on India.

Due to territorial restrictions of Sikkim and Darjeeling, same vehicle cannot be used in both the regions for sightseeing.

Hi Krishnaa,

Could you please suggest or provide me contact information of tour operators who arrange cab on sharing basis.

Hi Gourav, You may check with Binita Lama : +919832079292. I travelled with her during my visit. However there are lots of tour operators who arrange the same.

Abhay Sancheti

Hi Krishna, Amazing blog and write up, it has helped a lot for my planning. Would like to know if 1. Hot springs are covered in the package? I mean can we go and take a dip there. 2. How are the fellow passengers usually , as I am travelling with my wife. 3. Do the shared cab stop at all the points mentioned by them or do they just rush it?

Hi Abhay, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Well, coming to your queries 1. Not it’s not. But you can ask the driver to take you to hot springs. 2. It depends. No one can predict. How can you predict how the people in your neighbourhood would be! Although, travelling with wife is not an issue, like satfety wise. North Eastern States are Matraichal society, so womens are respected a lot and women related crimes are less. 3. Yes they stops at the points mentioned. But tourists always tends to spend a lot of time at a single spot which makes it difficult to keep up with the time for North Sikkim. So the driver sometimes pushes you to make it fast if you are wasting a lot of time. Else if you stick to a schedule it’s not an issue.

abhay bansal

Hi very nice blog just one query when did u visited the place.

Hi Abhay, Thanks a lot 🙂

Well I have visited Sikkim on numerous occasions. However, the last time I visited Gangtok and North Sikkim was last year during May 2019.

Anjaneyulu MSR

Hi Krishnandu, Thanks you very much for wonderful travel blog with lot of details. I have been following your travelogues. Experience of reading has been as if I traveled along with you. This is going to help me a lot when I plan to visit Gangtok, Darjeeling and Kolkata some time in April/May 2020. While I got reasonable idea about hotels in Gangtok and Darjeeling (after reading your travelogues), would like to know what would be stay options in Kolkata for family of 3 for a 3 day period. I may prefer to stay either in Park Street area or Esplanade. Request you to suggest any Hotels that I can choose to stay with family. My budget can be around Rs. 2000+. Thanks in advance.

Regards, Anjaneyulu MSR

Hi Anjaneyulu, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found my blog helpful 🙂

Well regarding Kolkata, I’d suggest you to check your options online. As it’s a big city, lots of options are available for every budget and there’s always some discount options going on. So, may be you can check travel portals like MakeMyTrip / GoIbibo etc. for such deals.

Staying at Park Street / Esplanade would be really nice, as it’s the city center and prime location to move around.

Very nice, informative blog. Thank you. Amazing pics as well. What camera did you use?

Hi Hemant, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found this blog useful 🙂

Although now I use Nikon D750, however pictures here are taken on Sony P&S Camera which I used to have back then.

Beautifully written . But in chungthang where u stayed as well as in lachen

Hi Suchismita, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Well, you don’t need to stay at Chungthang. As for Lachen / Lachung, all are homestays with more or less same facilities. Accommodation would be included in your package. You don’t have much choice here.

From 2017 onwards two 5* hotels came up. But those are very costly, and for that you need to book the package from them only.

If one would like to visit north Sikkim by one self (without package ) in shared transportation is it possible . Bcoz we never prefer package .

Hi Suchishmita, You can visit North Sikkim in shared package. That means transportation would be in sharing mode however accommodation and fooding will be there in the package.

North Sikkim being restricted regions you need RAP to visit those regions. And getting that permit on your own is really an issue. So if you try to do it on your own, it’s kinda not worth the effort. As shared packages costs around Rs. 3000/- per head (on off season) and around Rs. 4000/- per head (on peak season) including accommodation and fooding.

So if you try to do it on your own, you’d instead shell out more than the package cost.

Dear Dada Your blog is of great use to many. i am plannig for lachung visit in march2020(3days and 2Nights. we are four(2adults+2children).i am planning to book tour in jan it self. can you please suggest few reliable tour oprators for lachung. shared cab will not suitable for me because of children. your guidance will be of great help

HI Ashraf, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found the blog to be helpful 🙂

I visited with Lama Tour and Travels and had great experience with them. You can contact them at Binita Lama – +919832079292. You may take my reference.

However I’d also suggest to check the competetive prices from other tour operators.

bharat shah

Dear SRI Krish, My daughter’s family is to tour Sikkim in April middle. I am guiding her based on our no-problem tour in April ’17 with full guidance from you. I like to have some information from you. As I understand, in some areas of Sikkim small car ( 4+1) are not allowed and only SUV are allowed. Will you please let me know whether on following roots small vehicles are allowed, or normally plying or not: 1. Darjeeling to Bagdogra via Mirik and Nepal boarder S S 2. Bagdogra to Gangtok 3. Gangtok to Pelling via VIA TEMITEA GARDEN ,,SAMDRUPTSE STUAP), CHARDHAM 4. Pelling local S S 5. Pelling to Darjeeling This is required to guide them for transportation, as they are four persons in a group. For Nathulla and LACHEN-Lchung, as I am almost sure that SUV type vehicle and permits are required and for Darjeeling local S S and Gangtok local S S small car ( wagon R type) is allowed. Please reply. Thanks in advance!

Hi Mr. Bharat, Thank you being an avid reader of this blog from the very beginning 🙂

Coming to your queries… 1. Darjeeling to Bagdogra via Mirik and Nepal boarder S S – Yes Small vehicles are allowed 2. Bagdogra to Gangtok – Yes Small vehicles are allowed 3. Gangtok to Pelling via VIA TEMITEA GARDEN ,,SAMDRUPTSE STUAP), CHARDHAM – Mostly SUV’s plies in this route, as the road condition is not that good 4. Pelling local S S – Yes Small vehicles are allowed 5. Pelling to Darjeeling – Mostly SUV’s plies in this route, as the road condition is not that good

Yes for Lachen – Lachung and Nathu La only SUV’s are allowed. Yes local sightseeing can be done by a small vehicle.

thank you very much. Your answer would be very helpful for planning my daughter’s family tour to Sikkim. Again big thanks for speedy reply.

I’m glad! You are welcome 🙂

Ankit Singh

Hello Krishnandu, Your blog is really impressive. I would like to discuss my scenario with you and ask for few urgent suggestions if possible. I have planned my upcoming honeymoon in gangtok/north sikkim. I am reaching there on 2nd march morning and coming back on 7th march evening. I have already booked my flights and 2 night hotel stay in gangtok i.e. from 2nd march – 4th march. I want to take a north sikkim tour from 4th march. I would required a private car not a shared one. What would be your suggestions on the budget for this trip and can i book this trip after going there. One more thing , what package cost would be there in my case according to you .

HI Ankit, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found this blog helpful 🙂

Yes, March being lean season you can book after reaching there on 2nd or 3rd March. You can talk to your hotels travel desk and compare the rates with other tour operators in M. G. Marg and decide accordingly.

For a 2N/3D trip to North Sikkim for 2 person, it should be around 18k – 20k. But do try your luck if you can get a better deal 🙂

Hello, Thank you for your prompt reply. Actually i discusses an itenary with a agency called connecting northeast and it goes as follows – 2 march – arrival gangtok 3 march – gangtok to tsomgo lake and babamandir 4 march – gangtok to lachung 5 march – lachung to yumthang valley and gangtok 6 march – ganbtok local sightseeing 7 march deoartye They are charging me 26k for two people for the above 1N/2D day trip. Lachen is not included as they are saying that gurudonmar would be closed. This cost includes my pickup and drop from airport as well. I would be getting a non shared innova for the whole trip except local sightseeing. What do you think about the cost ? Would i get a better cost from lama tour agency? As I think 26k for 1N/2D is quite high inspite of taking non shared car. As I have already booked my hotel in gangtok from 2nd-4th

Hi Ankit, 26k is too high for March for 1N/2D trip to North Sikkim. Although obviously it depends on the type of vehicle they are providing. It’s justified and correct for luxury vehicles like Innova / Xylo. So please get it clarified first.

Moreover, March being lean season, I’d recommend to book your North Sikkim tour on-spot on 2nd or 3rd March after reaching Gangtok. I feel you’d get better deal than this.

Yes, Gurudongmar might be closed during that time. But if you are lucky and the snow gets cleared you can visit the same. So booking on-spot would give you that flexibility to decide.

Regarding Lama Tour & Tavels, yes they provided me cheapest rate during my visit in Nov 2014 and again on May 2019. So yes you can check with them for quotations.

But please keep in mind that, although I recommend a tour operator based on my experiences, but I never vouch for one. And there are lots of tour operators in Gangtok. So you can check with them too on-spot for competetive rates before booking.

Yes they are providing innova for all the journeys. But still i think i would take your suggestion and book it on 2nd after reaching there. I would just myself hire a car from airport to the hotel when i land.

Well for Innova 26k seems to be a good price. Yes booking after reaching there would be more benificial for you. Just went out on 2nd evening and take rates from the tour operators in M.G.Marg. Check with your hotel’s travel desk and Lama Tours & Travels both to see if they are offerring competetive prices.

If you are on budget you can hire Sumo / Bolero. Else if you can afford you can go for Innoxa / Xylo. Obviously Innoxa / Xylo would be more comfortable in terms of journey but will be more costly too than Sumo / Bolero.

Thank you so much for all the excellent suggestions

Hello, Thank you for your prompt reply. Actually i discusses an itenary with a agency called connecting northeast and it goes as follows – 2 march – arrival gangtok 3 march – gangtok to tsomgo lake and babamandir 4 march – gangtok to lachung 5 march – lachung to yumthang valley and gangtok 6 march – ganbtok local sightseeing 7 march deoartye They are charging me 26k for two people for the above 1N/2D day trip. Lachen is not included as they are saying that gurudonmar would be closed. This cost includes my pickup and drop from airport as well. I would be getting a non shared innova for the whole trip except local sightseeing. What do you think about the cost ? Would i get a better cost from lama tour agency? As I think 26k for 1N/2D is quite high inspite of taking non shared car. As I have already booked my hotel in gangtok from 2nd-4th

Old Silk Route North Wanderthirst -

[…] Sikkim was in mind, but couldn’t materialize it somehow due to other assignments. I have been to North Sikkim, South Sikkim and West Sikkim previously, so I had fair enough idea about Sikkim but not Silk […]

Manish Goswami

Very nicely written and informative blog I came across. Especially for budget travelers. I am also planning with my family for Gangtok lachung Pelling and Darjeeling tour in the month of May. My Plan would be; Day 1 NJP to Gangtok Day 2 Half day local Sightseeing at Gangtok and transfer to Lachung Day 3 Lachung to Yumthan Valley and back to Gangtok Day 4 Visit to Tsongmo Lake and Nathula pass ,Baba mandir Day 5 Half day local sightseeing at Gangtok and transfer to Pelling Day 6 Local Sight seeing at Pelling and Transfer to Darjeeling Day 7 Local sightseeing at Darjeeling and in the evening proceed to New JalpaiGiuri My questions are- 1) Is the tour very hectic or something I have to drop?Is there any important place I am missing? 2)I want to book hotel on my own. Only concern is booking of cabs for this tour.Will it be advisable to book cab in advance ?and if yes is there online portal for cheapest rate to book exclusively for cabs in advance? 3)Do hotel in which i will stay help me getting permit for Nathuilla Pass?

Hi Manish, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found this blog helpful 🙂

Coming down to your questions… 1) Is the tour very hectic or something I have to drop?Is there any important place I am missing? A. Yes. You have too short number of days in hand and you are trying to cover everything. That way you are missing everything.

For E.g. On Day 2, you have to start for Lachung by around 10 AM, so you cannot do Half-Day Sightseeing on that day. Gangtok – Lachung is almost 8 hours of journey.

On Day 5, if you do Half Day Gangtok Sightseeing before proceeding towards Pelling, then you’ll have to rush through Ravangla Sightseeing on the way as it’d be past evening.

Again on Day 6, you need a full day to explore Pelling. Half Day Pelling Sightseeing doesn’t do much justice. Also on your way to Darjeeling you can explore Namchi if you have a full day for that.

Again on Day 7, there’s no point in going to Darjeeling as you are hardly doing anything there. As exploring Darjeeling requires 3N stay, although 2N is good enough too.

So as I can see, there’s really no point in going to Pelling and Darjeeling, as it seems like you are just going for a night stay and leaving next day. That way you are not exploring the place but just doing touch-and-go just to post on social media that you have been there or to tick off destinations from your list.

So I’d recommend, drop Darjeeling and explore Gangtok and Pelling fully.

2)I want to book hotel on my own. Only concern is booking of cabs for this tour.Will it be advisable to book cab in advance ?and if yes is there online portal for cheapest rate to book exclusively for cabs in advance? A. Yes you can book hotels on your own without any issues through online portals or calling up hotels directly. Regarding the cabs, it depends on few things i.e. (a) When you are planning to visit, (b) Whether it’s a rush season or lean season, (c) How comfortable are you on bargaining and booking vehicle on the go everyday, (d) How many persons you are.

However, please be informed that a single vehicle will not be able to do the whole trip. There are various regional restrictions within Sikkim and also between Sikkim and Bengal. If you hire a luxury vehicle like Innova / Xylo it can cover both Gangtok, North Sikkim and Pelling. However for Darjeeling you need to hire another vehicle. Else for Sumo / Bolero / Small 4 Seater vehicles, you need to hire seperate vehicles for North Sikkim, Gangtok, Pelling, Darjeeling.

For North Sikkim and Tsomgo – Baba Mandir – Nathu La route you must go through a tour operator as those are restricted regions and requires permit.

So if you are on a budget you can book vehicle through a Tour Operator / your Hotel’s Travel Desk, who’ll arrange all the vehicles on daily basis as per your need. And yes, if you are planning to visit during peak season, you must book cab in advance.

3)Do hotel in which i will stay help me getting permit for Nathuilla Pass? A. Well most hotels in Gangtok have their own travel desk or have connection with some tour operator. So yes they can help, but consider comparing prices with tour operators in M G Marg. Because hotels might keep their commission if they don’t have their own travel business.

Also please be informed that, no one can guarantee you permit to Nathu La. If someone is saying that, it’s a complete bluff. Govt daily allocates limited number of vehicles from authorized tour operators on turn basis for Nathu La. So no one can guarantee you the permit for Nathu La.

Hope that helps 🙂

Manish M Goswami

Thank you very much Krishna for your utmost quick reply and preventing me from making blunder of covering everything. I will now change my plan as per your suggestions. God bless you !!

You are welcome 🙂

You may consider doing it like

Day 1 NJP to Gangtok Day 2 Gangtok to Lachung Day 3 Lachung to Yumthang Valley and back to Gangtok Day 4 Visit to Tsongmo Lake and Nathula pass, Baba mandir (Make sure this day is not a Monday / Tuesday, as Nathu La is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays) Day 5 Gangtok – Pelling via Ravangla Day 6 Pelling Sightseeing Day 7 Pelling – NJP

Instead of Pelling you can go to Darjeeling if you wish to.

Thanks for this tour plan. Please keep sharing your experiences through this blog whenever you explore any new place. This will help budget travelers like us from getting exploited from tour operators.

Fakhruddin Thathiya

Hi Krishnandu, your blog inspires to visit all places you mentioned. Actually we booked dates and flight till Bagdogra for Bhutan tour from 4th April 2020 to 14th April 2020, but recently they have restrict visitors because of Corona Virus effect. so if they will not withdraw travel restrictions till our dates, we will plan sikkim tour as per your blog. also i would like to know that, is sikkim tour is convenient for 4th-14th April?

i will contact you if i need further info about my sikkim tour also i am regularly seeing you on Bhutan forum over Tripadvisor 🙂

Hi Fakhruddin, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found my blog inspiring and helpful 🙂

Travelling to Bhutan is barred as of now for all foreigners. During April it might change depending on the situation.

Yes visiting Sikkim during that period is convenient. April and May is also one of the best and peak season of the year. However if you are not an Indian, then please note that travelling to Sikkim is also barred for foreigners.

Yes Dear, i am an Indian (Gujarati), so i guess it wouldn’t be a problem to visit Sikkim for us. And yes, we are 2 friends (male) only, so what you say, can we get shared taxis and hotels as well 3D package for North Sikkim? Because we are also budget travelers.

Also we are planning for bike trip to Darjeeling for 2 days as still we have spares 3 days for our return flight, so it’s doable in April though we aren’t professional bikers so?

Okay. Then there’s no issue.

Yes, you can get shared taxis. They are available throughout the year.

Well if you are not much experienced with riding bikes then I won’t recommending riding in the hills. As riding in plains is very different than in the hills.

Taxi Booking

Beautiful pictures. This looks amazing in your post. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Thank You 🙂

dac san che lam

Hi there e?eryone, it’s my f?rst pay a visit at t?is web ?age, ?nd piece of writing is r?ally fruitful in support ?f me, k?ep ?p posting suc? articles or reviews.

I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Sandeep Rathore Tour & Travels

I really appreciate the work you have done, you explained everything in such an amazing and simple way. All the above points are really very helpful for bloggers.

Thank You Mr Sandeep 🙂 I’m glad that you found the article to be helpful 🙂

Kundan Bardewa (Sikkim Darjeeling Tours)

Hi Krishnandu you have shared a useful information it will help people who is planning to visit this tiny Himalayan state Sikkim !! Thank you once again. Lots of Love from Sikkim

Hi Kundan, Thanks a lot for your comments. I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Tanuja Rai (TourGenie)

Thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed reading the article. And I like how you have mentioned the prices 🙂

Thank You Tanuja 🙂 I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Nice and useful post. learned a lot about the Sikkim tours. Thanks for sharing!!

Hi Jack! Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you found the article to be helpful 🙂

Avishake Gazmer

Thanks a lot and I’m glad. it is very helpful for people coming over here.

Hi Avishake, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Kirti Pathak

I really like this blog. This looks amazing in your post with great pics and thanks for sharing.

Hi Kirti, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Indian Traveler

Sikkim, India’s smallest state surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains and unique culture in the foothills of Kanchenchanga, the world’s third-highest peak, attracts a large number of tourists every year.

Hi, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

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Sanya Sharma

Such a very good article about lachen lachung. Thanks for giving the ground travel report of these places….

Hi Dada, Actually I made up my mind to visit Sikkim after reading this blog 6 months back. But need some info as I’m finally travelling this week. 1. The hotel stay in Gangtok should be for the whole trip or only for the days we are staying. As we will be traveling to Lachen on the very next day. 2. in the 2N/3D plan, can we return Gangtok from the Valley and reach NJP by 8PM to board the train. 3. We are a group of 7. So what cab we should take?

Hi Homes, Thanks a lot and I’m glad that my blog could inspire you to visit Sikkim 🙂

1. It should be only for the days you’ll be spending at Gangtok. 2. That would he very hectic and is not recommended. Generally it’d be around 7 PM when you’d be reaching Gangtok. Gangtok – NJP would be another 4 hours of journey. So practically it’s not possible neither recommended as journeys to North Sikkim are really hectic and you’d be tired. 3. Well you could opt for Sumo / Boleo / Maxx if you are looking for budget option. Else you can opt for Innova / Xylo if you are looking for luxury and comfortable vehicle.

Mystic Dooars

Nice article with beautiful images. Very helpful for budget travelers.

Experience From My Sikkim Trip - RDX Plays

[…] Written byKRISHNANDU SARKAR961 […]

Sindhu Ravi

Hi, I am planing trip to Sikkim in Nov (Diwali vac)I am travelling solo. I enjoyed reading your blog. Booking private vehicle is expensive so I will take your suggestion n go directly n book there. I want to do 2 nights each in Lachen n Lachung coz else it’s too hectic n I would like to soak in this beautiful place. Would i get tours with this option there? Also I will be taking flight from Mumbai to Bagdogra. So how much would the can cost from Bagdogra to gangtok?

Well most North Sikkim tours are fixed i.e. 2N/3D package (which I agree is really hectic), specially the shared ones. However if you wish to customise it you might need to hire your own personal vehicle which might be a costly affair.

You might go there and speak to some local agents to see if they are conducting any 4N/5D package tour on sharing basis. Although I highly doubt you’ll find one.

For Bagdogra to Gangtok private vehicle would charge you around 2.5k – 2.8k for a small 4 seater. However this varies based on the season and demand (i.e. number of tourist influx during that period). Shared vehicles would cost you around Rs. 500/- – Rs. 700/- per head.

Thank you for your reply. Will check with some local tour operators.

Wonderful blog. I found almost all answers for my trip. I had planned for a trip to Sikkim on May 2020, but it did not work out because of covid. But this year I have booked the tickets for April month. I have a query. I am traveling with my husband. Do I need to book the hotel prior in developmental area , or I can just reach same day over there and look for the hotel. Also if you can guide, what needs to be packed for the entire tour it will be help us in packing too.

Hi Jyotsna, Thanks a lot! I’m glad that you liked it 🙂

Well, April is a peak season in Sikkim. However, if you are open to explore, you can book hotel after reaching there. That would fetch you a good deal. Although you should be up for a little adventure of exploring the hotels with all your luggage! I’d recommend on shortlisting some of them to make it a bit easier.

I’d recommend packing warm clothes, a few essential medicines along with your usual packing list. If you are heading to North Sikkim especially Gurudongmar and Zero Point, make sure to pack proper warm clothes, woolen caps, woolen socks. Instead of wearing one thick jacket, it’s always recommended to wear in layers to allow you to breathe properly.

Thank you for your reply. Need few more information on hotel booking. I am visiting for 7 days to Sikkim. Suppose I reach Sikkim on Day 1, for how many days I need to book the hotel in Gangtok as we will book 3 D/2N trip to Lachen and Lachung. Please give some insight. Again after returning, how many days we need to stay in Gangtok.

Well, you can do it like this Day 1 : NJP / IXB to Gangtok Day 2 : Gangtok to Lachen Day 3 : Lachen – Gurudongmar – Lachung Day 4 : Lachung – Yumthang – Zero Point – Gangtok Day 5 : Gangtok Sightseeing Day 6 : Tsomgo Lake – Baba Mandir – Nathu La Day 7 : Gangtok to NJP / IXB

As per the above plan you’d need to book hotel for Day 1 (1N) and Day 4 – Day 6 (3N) in Gangtok.

Hi Krish, Need information on a solo trip to Sikkim in April. I am planning to travel solo somewhere around April End for 4 days. My itinerary is something like this Day 1: Hyd to Bagdogra and then take shared taxi to Gangtok Day 2: Gangtok – Tsomgo Lake – Baba Mandir – Nathula Pass Day 3: Gangtok to Pelling via Ravangla Day 4: Pelling Sightseeing Day 5: Pelling to Bagdogra and back to Hyd

Have been doing research and then stumbled on your blog 1) Do we have any tour operators who do the Gangtok – Tsomgo- Baba Mandir trip along with the permits ? How much does it cost for a single person ? 2) Are there any tours from Gangtok which cover Ravangla and Pelling ? 3) Should i drop the Pelling plan and go on a North Sikkim Tour instead ?

Thanks in advance

Timirkant Takwani

Hello Krishnandu! Your blog has been a blessing! Especially, the transport in sikkim blog. I had almost cancelled my pelling visit as I didn’t wanted to hire a private cab.

Below is my itinerary from May 22nd to May 30th 2022. Let me know if I should make any change.

22- Bagdogra Airport to silliguri -Geyzing – Pelling 23 – Pelling sightseeing 24 – Pelling -Ravangla and Namchi – Gangtok 25 – Gangtok local sightseeing 26 / 27/ 28 – North sikkim 29 -Tsomgo-Nathula 30 – Gangtok to Bagdogra airport.

Few other queries I would like you to shed some light on:

1. Will shared cab from Pelling covering Ravangla and namchi and at last dropping to gangtok available or will have to do private cab?

2. As I’m going in peak season, do I need to pre book north sikkim and gangtok local as well nathula sightseeing or it would be possible to do so once I’m in gangtok?

Thanks in advance. Waiting for your early response as need to make hotel bookings as per itinerary

Avani Lakhotia

Hello Krishnandu,

It was Really nice reading about your experience in Gangtok. In your Next visit serenade your senses with a breathtaking view of Mt Kanchenjunga from Hotel Tashi Delek.

Located in the heart of MG Marg, it is a must visit if you come to Gangtok. We would love to have you at our outdoor rooftop bar with the view of the mountains and the city all at once.

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Priyanka royy

I am thankful to you for providing me with this useful information

souvenirtravelindia

Got our travel rout sorted after reading this post. Thanks it was of great help.

Ankita Pandey

You have made my upcoming trip easy, nicely explained blog

IsaacAnderson

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Places To Visit In Sikkim

“Wonders do come in small packages!”, and if you want to witness this, you must visit the picturesque state of Sikkim. Tucked away in the lap of the magical Himalayas, though it is the second smallest state in the country, its prismatic beauty and mesmeric charm will make you wonder!

The gateway to the North-Eastern corridor of India, Sikkim not only boasts of its enchanting beauty, but also offers an engrossing list of things to do and places to visit as well. If you are planning to visit this charismatic state, here is a list of 15 best places to visit in Sikkim that makes it for a wonderful as well as blissful holiday:?

Suggested Read: Things To Do in Sikkim , How To Reach Sikkim & Best Time To Visit Sikkim

You might also like: Places To Visit in Bhutan & Things To Do in Bhutan

Believe it or not, but resisting the alluring charm and appeal of Gangtok is almost impossible for anyone! The capital city of Sikkim, Gangtok is nestled in the Eastern Himalayas and is one of the kaleidoscopic tourist destinations in the state.

sikkim tourism essay

Whether you are looking for serene beauty, lush forests, gurgling rivers or mental peace, Gangtok travel packages will cuddle up your Sikkim holidays. For the nature lovers, a holiday in this scenic city is enough to fulfill all their wishes. On the other hand, for the adventure lovers, they can enjoy cable car rides, river rafting, go for mountain biking and several other activities in Gangtok .

Gangtok Travel Tips

The best time to visit Gangtok is between March to April and October to November.

It is advisable to avoid traveling during the rainy season as it can lead to roadblocks and you might not be able to enjoy sightseeing.

If you are someone who loves to stay in the hustle bustle of the market, you may choose to stay at MG Marg. However, if you are a peace-seeker, you may choose to stay away from MG Marg.

If you are visiting places like Nathula Pass , Baba Mandir , etc., know that they are set at a higher altitude hence there is a lack of oxygen in the air. Therefore, it is advisable to take adequate precautions before visiting. You may consult a doctor and carry along inhaler, especially if you have breathing problems or other medicines for vomiting, headache and motion sickness.

Gangtok Facts

Gangtok does not have its own airport. The nearest airport is Bagdogra airport in West Bengal. It is 135 km. from the city and it takes around 3 to 5 hours to reach Gangtok from there.

Kanchenjunga Mountain is the third highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 8,586 meters (28,169 feet).

MG Marg in Gangtok is India’s first spit and litter free zone.

Every year in the month of May, Gangtok hosts the International Flower Festival which displays a wide variety of roses, orchids, alpine creepers and seasonal flowers.

Main Highlights

Gangtok is home to beautiful Buddhist monasteries like Rumtek and Enchey .

It is the perfect place to experience serenity and peace.

It has many beautiful sightseeing places like Nathula Pass and Tsomgo Lake .

Suggested Read: How to Reach Gangtok

Sikkim Best Sellers

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03 Nights / 04Days

Gangtok tour, rs. 7500 rs. 6200.

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07 Nights / 08Days

Gangtok pelling darjeeling tour, rs. 14500 rs. 17500.

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04 Nights / 05Days

Gangtok darjeeling tour package, rs. 9200 rs. 1100.

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08 Nights / 09Days

Gangtok lachung pelling tour, rs. 15000 rs. 18000.

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Gangtok Lachung Tour

Rs. 8800 rs. 10500.

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Gangtok Lachung Pelling Darjeeling Tour

Rs. 17000 rs. 20500, rs. 9200 rs. 11000.

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05 Nights / 06Days

Delightful gangtok and darjeeling, rs. 10500 rs. 12500.

You can also check our tailor made Bhutan Tour Packages .

Located in the Western parts of Sikkim, Yuksom is the origin of several enthralling treks into the Himalayas or the magical Kanchenjunga. The once a capital of Sikkim, this hamlet is more known for its pristine beauty and rustic appeal.

sikkim tourism essay

Also known as the ‘Meeting place of Three Lamas’, this Sikkimese village has recently started gaining tourism attention. Well, this is also the reason, you can expect pristine beauty and untouched nature in Yuksom. Home to the oldest monastery in Sikkim , this pictorial hamlet is one amongst the most peaceful and serene places to visit in Sikkim.

Yuksom Tips

Being located at a moderate altitude, the weather in Yuksom remains pleasant throughout the year. The best time to visit Yuksom is from March to June and September to October.

Although Yuksom has a motorable road, during rainy season travelling by public transport can be a hassle.

Yuksom Facts

Yuksom was the first capital of Sikkim in the 17th century and the coronation place of its first chogyal (king) in 1641.

Dubdi Monastery in Yuksom is the first Buddhist Monastery in Sikkim, established in 1701 by the Chogyar Namgyal.

It is an extremely charming historical town blessed with jaw-dropping gorgeousness.

It is a perfect gateway to Mt. Kangchendzongha.

Yuksom features many entrancing trails.

The main highlight of the town includes historical monuments, ancient monasteries, tranquil waterfalls and serene lakes.

Suggested Read: Things to do in Yuksom & How to Reach Yuksom

3. Tsomgo Lake

On a visit to Gangtok, do not miss the chance to visit the Tsomgo Lake or the Changu Lake! Located only 38km from Sikkim’s capital, it lies at an altitude of 12,400ft and is one of the highest lakes in India.

sikkim tourism essay

While the lake remains frozen during the winters, summer brings in a magical charm and appeal to Tsomgo. It is during this time of the year, the turquoise waters of the lake reflects the amazing views of the nearby peaks and the azure sky above!

Tsomgo Lake Tips

Tsomgo Lake is a day trip from Gangtok. It is advisable to leave for the lake early in the morning to reach on time and enjoy the views.

You will need a special area permit to visit the lake which can be obtained from the Sikkim tourism department at MG Marg Gangtok or you can ask your travel agent to arrange for the same. You will need your photo identity proof and two passport size photos to get the permit.

Beware of roadblocks due to heavy snow during the winter season.

Tsomgo Lake Facts

Tsomgo Lake (also called as Changu Lake) is one of the highest lakes in India set at an elevation of 3,753 meters.

The lake is considered sacred by the local people and the water here is believed to have medicinal value.

The surface of the lake reflects different colours in different seasons, making it even more alluring.

The lake remains frozen during the winter season.

Tsomgo Lake also serves as the venue for the Guru Poornima festival.

During the winter season, travellers enjoy trekking along the lake coast, ice skating on the thick sheet of ice and yak ride on the frozen lake.

During the summer and autumn season, the sight of Primula flowers and other alpine vegetation growing near the lake is a key attraction.

Bird watchers flock here during October to catch a sight of the native birds waddling in the lake’s water.

Suggested Read: Lakes in Sikkim

4. Nathula Pass

The once a part of the historic ‘Silk Road’, a visit to Nathu La is a must in any of the Sikkim travel packages . One of the highest motorable pass in the world, this amazing pass is located at a towering height of 4,310m above the sea level and connects Sikkim with Tibet.

sikkim tourism essay

The pass is open to Indians; however, one has to obtain permission from the tourism department in order to visit this pass. And for the foreign national, they cannot make it to Nathu La.

NathuLa Pass Tips

Nathula Pass remains closed on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

The pass remains inaccessible during winters due to heavy snowfall as the temperature drops down to as low as -250 C.

Beware of the winding roads leading to Nathula Pass which can lead to motion sickness. If you suffer from the problem, it is advisable to carry some medicines along.

You will need a special area permit to visit the place for which you will need your photo identity proof and two passport size photos. You can get the pass from zonal office or your travel agent can arrange for the same.

Photography isn’t allowed at the Nathula Pass.

Nathula Pass Facts

Set at an elevation of 4302 meters, Nathula Pass is one of the highest motorable roads in the world.

Nathula Pass connects Sikkim to China. In fact, it was once an ancient silk route which connected Lhasa in Tibet to the plains of Bengal.

Nathula Pass offers splendid views of Chumbi valley of Tibet along with snow-laden mountains.

Driving in the hills is always fun. In fact, sometimes the drive is more enjoyable than the final destination. Same is the case with Nathula Pass. It is an experience to drive on the roads surrounded by snow on both sides while passing through picturesque beauty

Suggested Read: Other Tourist Attractions in Sikkim

If you are an ardent fan of the captivating Himalayan Range, Pelling is the destination for you! It is from this Sikkimese town, one can have the best views of the Himalayas and the Kanchenjunga Peak, and can experience the best of their Sikkim holidays .

sikkim tourism essay

Located at a height of 7,200ft above the sea, this scenic town is bestowed with several waterfalls, breath-taking views, natural beauty and adventure options like rafting, kayaking, trekking , mountain biking and several others.

Pelling Tips

The climate in Pelling is moderate throughout the year, therefore one can plan a trip any time of the year. However, the best time to visit would be during the summer months between May and July.

Pelling Facts

The monasteries in Pelling are some of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim .

Since Pelling is located at a high altitude, it often receives snowfall during the winter months.

Pelling lies in the foothills of the Himalayas and the Kanchenjunga mountain ranges which helps you get a closer and much clearer view of these mountains.

There are many amazing trekking trails that start from Pelling.

The main highlight of the place includes a view of the Kanchenjunga Mountains, many gorgeous waterfalls, bridges, ancient monasteries and so on.

The must-visit places in Pelling include P emayangtse Monastery , Khecheopalri Lake , Rabdentse Ruins , Sanga Choeling Monastery and Kanchenjunga Falls .

Suggested Read: Things to do in Pelling & How to Reach Pelling

Lachung has multiple reasons to make you fall in love with it! While its location at an enthralling height of 8,610ft makes it a popular snow-destination in Sikkim, its untouched and surreal beauty makes it one of the scenic as well as charming tourist places in Sikkim.

sikkim tourism essay

Located in the northern part of Sikkim , this quaint mountain village is adorned by the immaculate beauty of the Lachung Chu River and is also known for the Lachung Gompa. Though this village is one of the mostly visited regions in Sikkim, it still holds an alluring charm that can hardly be found in any other destinations.

Lachung Tips

Lachung becomes absolutely inaccessible in the monsoon season because of heavy rainfall and in the winter season due to heavy snow closing down significant routes.

Although scenic, the roads in Lachung are often not in good condition so have sufficient time in hand while you plan your visit.

Lachung Facts

Joseph Dalton Hooker, a British botanist had labelled Lachung as the ‘most picturesque village of Sikkim’ in his book ‘The Himalayan Journal’.

Lachung has innumerable fruit orchards and glacial rivers that add to its already existing charm.

Lachung is an unexplored but stunning Himalayan village in Sikkim.

It is popular for its tall dark mountains, meandering glacial rivers, gushing waterfalls and striking fruit orchards.

Suggested Read: Best Time to Visit Lachung & Things to do in Lachung & How to Reach Lachung

7. Ravangla

Nestled amidst the Maenam and Tendong Hills, Ravangla is among the best places to visit in Sikkim; especially in the southern part of the state. A scenic town between Gangtok and Pelling, this hill-town also hosts some of the most popular treks in Sikkim .

sikkim tourism essay

More popular as a paradise for the bird watchers, it is home to some of the most rare and endangered birds in the world. On a usual visit to Ravangla, you can spot dark-throated thrush, verditre flycatchers, blue whistling thrush, babblers, cuckoos and several others.

Ravangla Tips

The weather in Ravangla is very volatile so be prepared for the occasional rains. It is advisable to carry a raincoat or umbrella for protection.

Ravangla Facts

During the months from April and May, lots of the flowers are in full blossom in Ravangla.

Tourists come here to see the various species of migratory birds and for the breathtaking views of the peaks like Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Pandim and Mt. Sinialchu.

Ravangla is famous for its temples, monasteries, picturesque tea gardens, exotic flora and fauna, sightseeing spots, ethnic culture, snowy mountains, gushing waterfalls and adventure sports.

One of Sikkim’s most beautiful sights is Ravangla’s gigantic golden Buddha.

Suggested Read: Places to Visit in Ravangla & Things to do in Ravangla & How to Reach Ravangla

8. Rumtek Monastery

Counted amongst the largest monasteries in Sikkim, Rumtek Monastery is also one of the oldest monasteries in the state. An ode to the Buddhist cultures and traditions, this monastery is located near Gangtok and is also known as the ‘Dharma Chakra Centre’.

sikkim tourism essay

A testimony to the Buddhist architecture and teachings, it is a perfect place to attain mental peace and know more about Buddhism. Its spiritual appeal and grandeur makes it an integral part of any Gangtok travel packages !

Rumtek Monastery Tips

The monastery remains open from 9 am to 6 pm, so plan your visit accordingly.

Wear comfortable shoes as it is a long and steep walk from the taxi drop off location.

Cameras are prohibited inside the monastery.

If you want to catch a glimpse of monks doing morning prayers, plan to reach early.

Rumtek Monastery Facts

Rumtek Monastery popular worldwide for Kagyu teachings.

The architecture of the monastery is considered to be one of the finest in the world and resembles the original one in Tsurphu, Tibet.

The monastery houses some of the sacred items and rarest Buddhist religious artwork in the form of 1001 miniature golden models of Buddha, Thangkas and wall murals which were brought in the year 1963 by Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa.

Golden Stupa at the Monastery, mystical ancient relics and down the hill river.

Suggested Read: Monasteries in Sikkim

You can also visit Bhutan Tourism website and check out best charming monasteries in Bhutan .

Translated into the native Tibetan language, Namchi means the ‘top of the sky’. And on a visit to this magnificent Sikkimese city, this will be proved! Located around 92km from Gangtok and at a height of 1,675m above the sea level, it is also one of the most gorgeous cities in the state.

sikkim tourism essay

More than tourism, Namchi is more considered as a pilgrimage centre for the Buddhists. Amongst the important religious sites, the Namchi Monastery, Tendong Hill and Ralong Monasteries are the pre-dominant. The city also has a 108ft Lord Shiva statue and is visited a large number of Hindu devotees as well.

Namchi Tips

The best time to visit Namchi is from March to October.

If you are travelling during monsoon season, beware of muddy and slippery roads and landslides

Namchi Facts

Namchi is the capital of south Sikkim .

Namchi is home to 118 feet tall world’s biggest statue of the Buddhist Padmasambhava (holy saint of Sikkim).

It is also a well-known pilgrimage amongst the Buddhist culture.

Namchi is known for its breath-taking scenic beauty and serenity.

Every year in the month of October, Namchi hosts the popular Namchi Mahotsav, a tourism, culture and food festival. In addition, it also hosts a flower festival displaying the beautiful blooms.

Suggested Read: Places to Visit in Namchi & How to Reach Namchi

10. Do-Drul Chorten

The largest Stupa in Sikkim, Do Drul Chorten was built in 1945 under the leadership of Truslshi Rimpoche. Holding a high prominence amongst all the religious sites in the state, this stupa is laced with 108 Mani Lhakor prayer wheels and is an ultimate place to connect with the essence of one’s inner-self.

sikkim tourism essay

Do-Drul Chorten Tips

October and June is the best time to plan your visit.

It is open on all days of the week from 8 am to 6 pm.

The stupa is located very near to the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Gangtok Centre.

Do-Drul Chorten Facts

Do Drul Chorten was built in the year 1945 by Trullshi Rimpoche, head of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism.

It is considered as one of the finest monasteries in Gangtok.

Once this place was believed to be haunted by evil spirits. Later a very respected and great Guru Rinpoche blessed the place, cleansing it of all evil.

It has a total of 108 prayer wheels which have mantras inscribed on them in Tibetan.

The complex is so huge that it can house over 700 monks.

It is an ideal place for history buffs, peace seekers and photography enthusiasts.

11. Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden

Located within a close proximity with the Rumket Monastery , this lush and verdant botanical garden is the home to several rare and exotic species of plants and trees. Some of the orchids found in this garden are indigenous to only this part of the world and holds high medicinal and commercial value as well.

sikkim tourism essay

If you are a vivid nature lover, this colourful offering of the Sikkim travel packages will take you to a treasure island. And if you are visiting this garden with your family members; especially the younger ones, your visit will surely be cuddled up by the colourful ambience within the garden.

Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden Tips

Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden is situated very close to Rumtek Monastery.

The best time to visit the garden is from March to May when the garden is bursting with the vibrant colour of blooming flowers and October to Mid-December to catch a mesmerising view of surrounding valleys and snow-capped mountains.

The garden is open on all days of the week from 8 am to 6.30 pm.

Entry fee is Rs. 10 per person for adults and Rs. 5 per person for children.

Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden Facts

The garden also has dense temperate forests of Oak and a beautiful lake.

It houses numerous species of orchids and over 50 different species of tree, including many oaks.

From the hilltop, one can get an unparalleled view of the beautiful city of Gangtok with towering Himalayan Mountains in the backdrop.

Kids can have a gala time enjoying the merry-go-round, swings and see-saws installed at the park.

Touching a towering height of 10,000ft, Zuluk is one of the least discovered destinations in the entire of Sikkim. Located on the ancient ‘Silk Route’, this quaint Sikkimese village takes the pride of being a vintage point to enjoy panoramic views of the Mt Kanchenjunga.

sikkim tourism essay

In addition to the magical beauty of this hamlet, it is also popular among the adventure lovers as the ride to Zuluk takes them through 32 hair-pin bends.

The best time to visit Zuluk is between the months of August and September to experience a flowery summer or between the months of January and April to experience the freezing snow.

You will need a special area permit to visit Zuluk.

While visiting Zuluk by road, beware of the zig-zag roads. If you are not comfortable driving on such roads, it is advisable to hire a local driver.

There are no hotels in Zuluk. Homestays is the only option to stay in the village.

Zuluk Facts

The drive to Zuluk is considered as one of the best Himalayan drives in India.

At 11,200 feet, Thambi View Point near Zuluk offers a panoramic view of Mount Kanchenjungha.

Another major highlight of Zuluk is its serene lakes. One of which is Kupup Lake aka Elephant Lake. It is also considered as one of the sacred lakes of Sikkim .

13. Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

Nestled amidst lush and evergreen thickets, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology is an ideal centre to learn about Buddhist cultures and traditions. Established in 1958, this institute is in fact the home to the largest collection of Tibetan preaching outside Tibet, and this include relics from 11th and 12th century collected from different parts of the world.

sikkim tourism essay

Namgyal Institute Of Tibetology Tips

It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, from Monday to Saturday.

Namgyal Institute Of Tibetology Facts

It is one of the largest repositories of Tibetan works, located outside the Tibet region. It displays some of the rarest and oldest collection of ritual objects, mementos, religious art, jewellery, Tibetan iconography, documentaries and books on Sikkimese tradition and culture.

There is also a library which boasts unique Buddhist tomes, some of which are a hundred years old.

One of the striking features of the institute is its Sikkimese architecture.

The institute is surrounded by verdant forests of oak and birch.

14. Yumthang Valley

A visit to Yumthang Valleys it truly a colourful affair! Located at an elevation of 3,500m, this scenic valley is the home to several exotic, rare and wild flowers. It is often said, one who visits this quintessential valley, often gets pleasantly affected by its treacherous colours and alluring beauty!

Come the monsoons, the entire valley blooms at its best and displays the most enchanting colours of the nature. Primrose, cobra-lilies, louseworts and cinquefoils are some of the most commonly found species in Yumthang.

sikkim tourism essay

Yumthang Valley Tips

The best time to visit the Yumthang Valley is between April end and mid-June to witness the flowering season.

The valley usually remains closed from December to March due to heavy snowfall.

You will need a special area permit to visit the Yumthang Valley. Keep two passport sized photographs and a valid Identity proof handy as you will need it while obtaining the permit.

It is advised to not disturb the wildlife in the valley.

While visiting any monastery, do not make a loud noise or disturb people around.

Carry sufficient cash as there are no ATMs in the region.

Do not forget to carry medicines for headache, motion sickness and common cold.

Do not forget to carry sufficient woollen clothes as it is usually cold in the valley. You can even rent an overcoat, gloves and snow boots from a local vendor.

Yumthang Valley Facts

The Himalayan Journal by Dr. Joseph Hooker compares Yumthang to the valleys of Switzerland.

The Yumthang Valley is popularly known as the ‘valley of flowers’. Some of the beautiful Himalayan flowers that you can find in the Yumthang Valley during the spring season are rhododendrons, poppies, primulas, cobra lilies, louseworts, and irises.

Yumthang Valley is located very close to the China border.

It is a nature sanctuary with free-flowing rivers, rolling meadows, yaks and hot springs.

15. Gurudongmar

Last, but not the least in this list is the Gurudongmar Lake ! One of the highest fresh-water lakes in the world, this gorgeous place to visit in Sikkim is located at a towering height of 17,800ft and is also known as Tso Lhsmo Lake.

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Considered as a sacred lake, the legends say that though this lake remains frozen during the winters, one of its portion never freezes. No matter, how extreme is the weather, this certain portion blessed by Guru Padmasambhava never freezes and thus its water is considered holy by the devotees.

Gurudongmar Tips

Since the lake is situated at a height of 17,800 feet, the oxygen level is very low which can cause severe breathing and other health issues. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor before you visit the place and carry sufficient medicines as prescribed by the doctor.

Avoid smoking or drinking before you head to this place as it can make you sick.

It is extremely windy and chilly here, hence carry sufficient warm clothes.

During the winter season (mid-December to February), the roads remain blocked due to heavy snowfall.

The best time to plan to visit is during October, November, April end and early May.

Begin close to Indo-China border, you will need a special area permit to visit the lake.

Gurudongmar Facts

Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest altitude natural lakes in the world.

The water of the lake never freezes completely even when the temperature is as low as -20 degree Celsius.

It is a common belief among the locals that drinking the lake water could resolve fertility issues of women.

April to May is the flowering season and during this time the places get a surreal view.

Do not miss the spectacular view of Gurudongmar Valley.

Suggested Read: Popular Lakes in Sikkim

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