Situated in the Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim is one of the most beautiful states of India. It boasts of the third highest mountain in the world, Mt. Khanchendzonga, also known and worshipped as the Guardian Deity of Sikkim. Sikkim is blessed by nature's beauty in all aspects and is home to a variety of natural wonders ranging from snowy mountains to medicinal hot-springs.
It is a destination for all seasons and here is an itinerary that can help you make the most of it –
In and around Gangtok
Hanuman Tok, Ganesh Tok, Enchey Monastery (you can squeeze this into day 2, though I wouldn’t suggest that)
Tashi view point – Enjoy a spectacular view of Kanchenjunga and Siniolchu and nearby located Labrang Monastery and Phodong Monastery (This can be seen on the way to North Sikkim)
Visit Rumtek Monastery, Lingdum Monastery, Banjhankri falls, Bakthang falls. Banjhankri falls has a fun park as well with sculptures and children’s playground and a small food court as well.
Spend time by the Aritar lake located in Rongli subdivision. It's a 3.5 hour-long drive.
Himalayan Zoological Park (The state animal of Sikkim is Red Panda)
Explore East Sikkim
Take a day’s trip from Gangtok to Tsomgo lake, NathuLa Pass and Baba Harbajan Temple.
Visit Zaluk, a small village and a transit point within the Silk Route. A great attraction of Zuluk lies in watching the sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjungha and its allied peaks from Thambi View Point (around 14 kms away) at 11,200 feet. That’s possible only if you stay. There are some basic homestays available if you’re interested. But this is not suggested in summer months and during monsoon because it often gets foggy and landslides are a regular occurrence.
Rest in Gangtok
Visit places around (you may follow schedule from day 1)
Go North!
Sadly, I couldn’t go to North Sikkim during my visit to Sikkim because of a road-block. But here is what makes North Sikkim a MUST visit:
Places enroute - Kabi Lungchok, Phensang monastery, 7 sister falls, Phodung monastery
Yumthang Valley side (Lachung, Yumthang, and Yumesamthong)
Gurudongmar lakeside (by the river Teesta, Tarum hot spring- off-road, Lachen, Thangu, Chopta valley- off-road, Gurudongmer lake)
Experience the West
About 4 hours drive to the main city- Gyalzing. You can reach Pelling (which is half an hour ride away from Gyalzing) and make Pelling your base for next two days to visit the nearby attractions of West Sikkim.
Rabdentse Palace ruins, Pelling, Darap, Khecheopalri Lake, Khangchendzoga falls, Yuksam – Phamrong Falls, Tashiding monastery
Chagey falls, Singshore Bridge – takes you to the Mainbaas falls.
Yuksom – Dubdi Monastery (oldest monastery in Sikkim), Coronation Stone. Yuksom is also the starting point of many treks of the higher eastern Himalayan region.
At Pelling, you will find many tour agencies which offer you one day tour covering most of these sites (except Yuksom) for as low as 350-400/- in shared taxis (8-10 people).
South Sikkim
Take a day’s trip from Gangtok to explore
Ravangla (Buddha Park)
Namchi (Siddhesvara Dham, Samdruptse)
Temi Tea Garden (you can opt to stay one day in the resorts near Temi)
Drive back to Gangtok, rest, go for a short and relaxing walk, shop and eat a fine dinner or go café-hopping. Gangtok has a crazy night-life. Almost all the pubs and café have live music scenes. Your Sikkim trip is incomplete if you come back without rocking Gangtok at one of those karaoke nights!
Helicopter rides from Gangtok
Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation operates 5 seater helicopter tours from Gangtok. You can contact at the office for reservation at below given address.
Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation
Tourism & Civil Aviation Department Building,
M.G Marg, Gangtok.
Phone: 03592-203960/281372
Permits
India nationals only require a permit for North Sikkim and East Sikkim (Nathu La).
It can be collected from Sikkim House in Delhi, Kolkata and Rongpo. Some of the destinations within Sikkim come under restricted or protected categories. These areas can be accessed with special permission from Sikkim Police.
Foreigners must obtain Restricted Area Permit (RAP) from Sikkim Tourism Offices at Delhi, Kolkata, Siliguri and Rangpo.
The total permissible duration of stay to the foreign tourist is 60 days. Initially, 30 days duration permit is issued on production of photocopies of the passport and visa details along with two passport photos. A permit can be further extended twice for 15 days each. The extension of the permits can be obtained from Foreigners Registration Office at Gangtok and SP Office in North, West and South Districts.
For trekking in the interior region of the state, the Department of Tourism issues Protected Area Permit (PAP) at Gangtok which is available for groups consisting of two or more foreigners subject to the condition that the trekking program is arranged through a registered travel agency.
Note:
There are packages available with local tour agencies for East and North Sikkim. Also, there are permits required for both these sides so it’s wiser to go through them unless you want to try your hand at going through the process yourself.
You can opt for a shared taxi (usually a sumo) or hire a cab be depending upon your feasibility. Make sure you ask them about hotel pick up and drop to avoid any nuisance later.
Still have a few questions about your Sikkim trip? Feel free to connect with me on Instagram & drop a buzz (':
*always happy to help*