This time around we planned to explore the Indian Eastern Himalayas and, the experience was simply Breath-taking!!
We had booked our trip for Darjeeling and Sikkim through a Travel Agent details are below:
Travel Agent: We Care Holidays - Contact: Shuku @ +91 6296 904 163.
Thanks to We Care Holidays our trip was very smooth and we did not face any issues / concerns during the 6 days of travel.
Travel Tips: We travelled from Mumbai, it was a long journey, details as below:
Mumbai to Kolkata - Flight.
Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri Station - Vande Bharat Train - This is the fastest train which takes 7-8 hours to reach NJP from Kolkata. Boarding time is 5:55 AM from Howrah Junction and you reach the destination by 1 PM.
New Jalpaiguri Station to Darjeeling was by cab which too us around 4 hours.
Places Covered: Darjeeling, Pelling, Ravangla, Namchi, Gangtok, Natu La.
Darjeeling: The loved, favorite, closest hill station for West Bengal locals. It is nestled in the in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Darjeeling is the only place in the Himalayan region where 4 out of 5 of the highest peaks of the world can be viewed i.e. Mt Everest (29,032 ft), Mt Kangchenjunga (28,169 ft), Mt Lhotse (27,940 ft) and Mt Makalu (27,838 ft).
Location: Next to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Station. Mall Road located around 1.5 km.
We had a scheduled pickup from NJP Railway Station to Darjeeling which took us around 4 hours to reach the hotel.
Quick Tip: Mall road, Darjeeling is very economical for shopping especially shawls, jackets you will find varieties with attractive rates.
Darjeeling & Pelling:
Experience: Our driver Mr. Urgen Sherpa picked us up at 4:30 Am from our Hotel for the Sunrise view.
We had to wait for an hour for the sunrise view but buoy it was worth all the efforts to wake up early. This was the view we have missed while travellings since 7 years I would say.
What we experienced was extraordinary, astonished by the views of the snow capped peaks that too the Mt. Kangchenjunga standing taller than the ever so mightiest Mt. Everest. It was such a sight to watch, especially to the naked eyes. Camera does not do justice to the views as much as our eyes. It was an amazing feeling!!
As we had a day in Darjeeling we also explored the Darjeeling Toy Train ride an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Experience: I believe it was overpriced 1,000 per head for 1.5 hours ride, however it was not bad. The ride was smooth, we felt we are travelling within the city during the journey. We did come across a lot of history.
All in all - The experience was good, would be recommended for people who have sufficient time to explore Darjeeling.
Darjeeling Tea Garden: Just before we could leave for Pelling (Sikkim) we visited the Tea Garden which was huge with Mt. Kanchenjunga visible clearly.
Well, this was our Anniversary day and we had celebrated in Pelling.
Sikkim one of the cleanest places I have come across while travelling within India. The locals are very welcoming and polite.
Pelling: Initially Pelling was not even part of our itinerary. We were supposed to visit Lachung; however due to North Sikkim being closed we had to change our plan and add 2 nights at Pelling. I must say the change in plan did wonders as we really loved Pelling.
Pelling should be a must visit place when one travels to Sikkim; people often overlook this place but couple of nights stay is recommended here mainly because it is close to nature and very peaceful.
Location wise the hotel is amazing; staff were well mannered; food was also good with a variety of options for breakfast and dinner. I would rate this 5 stars.
Hotel presents one of the best views of Mt. Kanchenjunga in the town.
Pelling Sightseeing:
Wonderful experience visiting the Kanchenjunga water falls.
Water is absolutely ch and the intensity too high, it is believed this water is Holy as it is directly from Mt. Kanchenjunga.
Skywalk located 7,200 feet above sea level is an amazing destination to visit. It offers mesmerizing view of hills & majestic Chenrezig monument, which is 137 feet tall.
Pelling to Gangtok via Ravangla, Namchi:
After a nice 2 nights stay at Pelling we had a lot of cover this day which we did and stayed at Gangtok overnight.
Pelling to Namchi Char Dham: I must say great work done to replicate char dham i.e. Badrinath, Rameswaram, Dwarka, Jagannathan along with twelve jyotirlingas.
The 108 feet tall Lord Shiva statue is the highlight.
Namchi to Ravangla (Buddha Park): This was added on our itinerary on request and it was really worth a visit. Located in South Sikkim, the Buddha Park features 130 foot high statue of Buddha. Very well made; maintained with amazing mountain views. It was so peaceful.
One night stay is recommended here, we could not as we were short on time.
In the evening, we finally arrived at Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The noisier and populated place in Sikkim when you compare with Pelling, Ravangla, etc.
We did take a quick walk at MG road in Gangtok it quite far from our hotel. The MG road is one of the most happening areas in Gangtok to hang around, shop, etc.
Gangtok to Nathu La:
Tip: There is an option, if one intends to visit Nathu La you need to apply for inner permit 24 hours before and the cab usually charge 5,000 extra as it is actually an Indo-China Border area. Or else you can explore Tsongmo Lake or Changu Lake and Baba Mandir which would be covered within the Trip package.
Nathu La: The name Nathu means 'listening ears', and La means 'pass'. It is situated on the Indo-China border 14450 ft. above sea level.
We did not experience snow at all the day we were but the mountain views were wonderful. As a suggestion please do take extra care; there could be acclimatization issues at Nathu La since this is a high mountain pass.
Indo-China border is so very close, hardly few steps away. It was a great experience visiting Nathu La.
Our Indian Army soldiers are our Real Heroes, because of our army soldiers our country is safe and due to their super efforts at the border areas we are able to explore such risky areas. Salute to them!!
New Baba Mandir: Located between Nathula and Jelepla pass at an altitude of 13,123 feet above sea level. Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple is popularly known as Baba Mandir. One usually covers this temple along with a visit to Tsongmo Lake or Nathula Pass a touching story associated with this temple.
Hangu Lake: While heading to Changu lake, we stopped by this pretty lake called 'Hangu'. It is located close to Changu Lake but we found this lake more attractive and beautiful than the much hyped Changu lake.
Changu Lake: Changu Lake aka Tsongmo is a glaciel lake located at an elevation of 12,313 ft. In Sikkimese language the word Tsomgo is made of two words 'Tso' meaning "lake" and 'Mgo' meaning "head" which gives the literal meaning as "source of the lake".
One can take a Yak ride or click pictures with the Yak.
Gangtok half day City Tour
This was our last day after the Gangtok city tour we had to leave for NJP railway station and due to this we had to skip few points.
Tashi Viewpoint: On a clear day you can view Mt. Kanchenjunga peaks from this point.
Cable Car Ride (Ropeway): I wanted to experience the Cable Car Ride especially after watching Qarib Qarib Single movie (Irrfan Khan). The experience was ok, nothing like a Gondola Ride in Gulmarg (Kashmir); but it was pretty ok. If the sky is clear Mt. Kanchenjunga can be viewed during the cable car ride.
Flower Exhibition Centre: To be very frank this point can be skipped nothing much to explore here.
Meeting with We Care Holidays representative: We were fortunate to meet our Travel Agent - Shuku just before leaving Gangtok. It was a good short meet up.
With this we concluded our Sikkim - Darjeeling trip; I would say one of our best trips and the closest we experienced might mountains. We would love to visit Sikkim again for the North part as well as Pelling & Darjeeling too.
