Sikkim- One stop shop for every Mountain Lover

If you like mountains, you may plan your vacation to any hill state but if you really love mountains then you should choose your destination wisely. After exploring majority of hill stations, my love and passion for mountains took me further from my home, towards the North East, to this amazing Hill state of the Indian mainland which shares a border with 3 different countries.

Sikkim merged with India in 1975 (28 years after country’s independence) and former citizens of Sikkim are still entitled for special benefits by central government.

Sikkim is also home to India’s highest Kanchenjunga mountain, old Buddhist monasteries, meadows, trade route with China, amazing landscape and a lot more. Sikkim is the second smallest state of India in terms of area and the state is divided into 4 districts – North, South, East and West.

Pic Credit- Google Maps

The best way to start your trip is to first reach Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. You may rent a car there, or even a bike, to explore the beauty of the state. Since the area is compact in size you may cover any part of the state in 2 days or less and come back to Gangtok.

Things to do in Gangtok

Gangtok is a beautiful hill town with all modern facilities available. The must visit places within Gangtok include Casinos, MG Marg Market, Cable car, Tashi view point, Ganesh tok, Hanuman tok, Bakthang waterfall, Ranka monastery and a lot more! Local authentic food can be sampled at Nimtho or Hamro Bhansa Ghar restaurants, There's a majestic view from Gangtok Grooves or Hotlix Café. Try some cheap local brewed drinks there too!

And if you really like to explore something unique and unexplored then I would suggest that you spend a night at Khedi (preferably Khedi Base Camp Home Stay) for the awesome view. This place is located an hour away from Gangtok town. Other virgin places near Gangtok includes Ray Khola and Kabi for unique experience which you won’t find at any commercial place. 

  

 

Must not miss while you are in Sikkim

Nathula Pass- Nathula is located nearby and it is a day trip from Gangtok. You may rent a cab/bike or a share cab which will take you to Nathula early in the morning and back to Gangtok by 4pm. 

Sight-seeing includes visit to Indo China trade gate at Nathula, Tsomgo Lake and Baba Temple.

Tip- You need to take passport size photographs along and book your trip a day in advance as special permission is required to visit. You may book Nathula trip from your hotel reception or any random shop in Gangtok. Cost per head varies between INR 800-1000 per person for share cab.

Visit to North Sikkim

This is the most beautiful part of Sikkim- Lachen and Lachung. You may choose to skip either one if you are really running short of time but I would recommend you to visit both places.

Lachung is popular for majestic view of Yumthang Valley while Lachen is popular for Gurudongmar Lake. Both places are equally beautiful and close to nature. This is a kind of rare place that “words cannot describe” or I could also say it is not possible to express the beauty of North Sikkim in words.

Note- Road condition towards Lachen and Lachung from Gangtok is not really friendly, hence kindly be mentally prepared before starting the journey. You may rent entire vehicle or opt for shared cab in a package tour wherein individual cost for 1 night/2 days Lachung only trip costs Rs.1500/- per person including accommodation, meals and shared cab while idle cost for 2 nights/3days Lachen and Lachung trip costs Rs.3700/- per person with similar facilities.

Just like Nathula you again need to take permission to visit North Sikkim. Book your trip a day in advance so that your tour operator can manage to complete paper work on time.

  

 

 

Remaining parts of Sikkim

Majority of tourists visit on a tight schedule of 1 week or less, therefore they tend to skip this part of Sikkim. You won't find crowds in these places.

Now you have an option to either come back to Gangtok or to head towards Bagdogra to complete your tour of the rest of Sikkim.

 

Pelling in West Sikkim

Pelling is a small hill town, located 4 hours away from Gangtok. Pelling offers beautiful view of Kanchenjunga Mountain, one of oldest monasteries – Pemayangtse monastery where you can find wall paintings and sculptures as well as a Sky walk and a Giant Buddha Statue. I found Pelling to be a quiet town, close to nature, with limited options to eat and shop, but you will get an amazing connection with the nature here.

  

 

Namchi and Ravangla in South Sikkim

Journey from Pelling to Namchi took 2 hours. There are a couple of temples in this area. We intended to visit the main Char Dham Temple, this temple depicts popular temples from different parts of the country followed by a giant statue of Lord Shiva.

Ravangla is just an hour away from Namchi, and the best thing about Ravangla is the majestic evening view of the Buddha statue located at Ravangla Buddha Park.

Pic Credit

Shopping in Sikkim

The ground rule of doing shopping is to bargain with shopkeepers but not with poor hawkers, traditional products to take home include prayer flags, Sikkim tea, fruit products, pickle (especially Dalley Pickle) and Sikkim liquor.  

The most popular place to find all these products at one place is MG Marg in Gangtok. 

                            Pic Credit

How to Commute

You can either rent a chauffeur driven car or rent a Bike (ideal cost to rent a bike is Rs.1500/- day) or you may even rent a scooty for local excursion within Gangtok (ideal cost to rent a scooty is Rs.800/- day).

 

How to reach

Air- Although Sikkim has its own airport, located near Gangtok called Pakyong Airport, the flight service is very limited, moreover flight operation completely depends on real time weather. Alternate and most popular option is to take a flight to Bagdogra Airport followed by private or shared cab to Gangtok.

Train – Nearest train station is located in Siliguri, which is located 4 hours away from Gangtok.

Bus- Gangtok bus stand is well connected with Siliguri and other areas of Sikkim, though I would strongly recommend you to confirm bus timings as per latest schedule in advance. 

What else you should expect from Sikkim

Do not think much just go for it if you really love mountains and are looking for some unique experiences. People of Sikkim are very friendly and down to Earth. You will find a lot of people here are from Bihar and Nepal. Majority of restaurants offer Tibetan and Nepali food.

Though you may visit Sikkim round the year, April through June followed by September and October are the most pleasant months to visit Sikkim.        

Make sure to carry a raincoat and a light jacket while packing your bag.

                                                

So what are you still waiting for?, Just go for it!. Sikkim is not just a destination but a unique experience in itself.

 

Here are some important contact details

Sasa Home Stay, Gangtok- Sasa 82500 23252

Paksam Home Stay, Pelling- 97756 91639

Anup Tour operator- Anup 98328 87714

Further details/assistance for bookings: How to choose

Travelers may feel free to approach me at 9910326647 or prateeksapra.p@gmail.com for further assistance.

Live life the way you choose to, not the way you are forced to, always remember this!!

About the author

Dr. Prateek Sapra is based out of New Delhi. A crazy nomad who loves to explore unexplored and offbeat destinations. He believes that every destination has a message that communicates with him. With each trip, he tries to convey the message he receives from each destination to his readers. "Be what you are. There's no need to be like others" This is what he lives by and hopes that he can inspire others to live their best lives too. Happy exploring!