The two hill capitals, done properly, in six days
If you have never been to the Eastern Himalaya, this is the trip. It puts you on the two ridges everybody comes for, gives each of them enough time to stop feeling like a checklist, and keeps the driving days short enough that nobody arrives exhausted.
Darjeeling first, for the sunrise and the railway and the tea. Then across the Teesta into Sikkim for Gangtok, Tsomgo Lake at 3,780 m, and an evening or two on MG Marg, which is the most pleasant high street in the hills.
It works for a family with grandparents, for a couple, and for a group of friends. Where it does not work is if you want the really high country: for Gurudongmar and Yumthang you want the North Sikkim itinerary instead.
This is the plan as we would run it. Days can be swapped, dropped or added — say what you want changed and we will rebuild it before you pay anything.
Day 1
We meet you at the airport or the station and start climbing. The road runs through Kurseong and alongside the toy train line for much of the way, which means you will see the train before you ride it. Check in, then walk down to the Mall for the evening. Darjeeling gets cold after sunset in every season, so keep a jacket accessible in your luggage rather than at the bottom of the case.
Day 2
A 3:45 am start for Tiger Hill, where on a clear morning Kanchenjunga lights up first and, far to the west, Everest shows as a small notch on the horizon. On the way back, Batasia Loop and the Gorkha war memorial, then Ghum Monastery. After breakfast the town sights: the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the zoo, which share a ticket, the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre, the Peace Pagoda and Happy Valley Tea Estate. The afternoon is yours.
Day 3
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway joyride from Darjeeling to Ghum and back takes about two hours, crosses Batasia Loop, and is the reason the line is a World Heritage site. Then we drive to Gangtok, dropping to the Teesta at Teesta Bazar and following the river up into Sikkim. You cross into the state at Rangpo, where your permit is checked. Gangtok by late afternoon.
Day 4
The best day of the trip. The road climbs from 1,650 m to 3,780 m in about two hours, and the change is abrupt: you leave a city and arrive in high alpine country with yaks on the shoreline. Tsomgo is frozen from December to March and reflecting the whole ridge in autumn. Beyond it, the shrine to Baba Harbhajan Singh. Back in Gangtok by evening for MG Marg.
Nathu La, a further 20 km on, can be added on a separate permit at extra cost. It is closed some days of the week and is never guaranteed. Foreign nationals cannot visit Nathu La.
Day 5
A slower day. Rumtek Monastery, seat of the Karmapa and the largest monastery in Sikkim, is an hour out of town and worth the drive. Closer in: the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and its collection of thangkas, the Do-Drul Chorten, Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok for the views, the Flower Exhibition Centre and Banjhakri Falls. The evening is free.
Day 6
Down the Teesta and out to the plains. Allow five hours to the airport and four and a half to the station, and book flights after 1 pm to be comfortable. If you have a late flight we can stop at a tea garden on the way.
Hotels are named on your written itinerary before you pay. The properties below are the ones we normally use in this band; if one is full on your dates we substitute a hotel of the same standard and tell you which, rather than leaving you to find out at check-in.
One private hill vehicle for your group throughout, from the airport or station and back. The Tsomgo Lake leg is run in a permitted Sikkim-registered vehicle as the law requires, which is included.
Up to 4 travellers normally ride in a Wagon R, Swift Dzire or similar; 5 to 7 in an Innova, Xylo or Scorpio; 8 and above in a Tempo Traveller or a second vehicle. On the North Sikkim and Silk Route legs the vehicle is always a Bolero, Sumo or Scorpio, because that is what those roads take.
Your written confirmation carries the exact advance, the balance date and the cancellation schedule for your trip. Those numbers, not this page, are the ones that apply. Full terms are on the booking conditions page.
General questions: permits, seasons, packing and how to get here
Enquire
Fill this in and we will come back with a proper day-by-day itinerary for your dates, with named hotels and one all-in price. No payment is taken at this stage and nothing is confirmed until you say so.
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Dates, how many of you, and anywhere you have your heart set on — that is enough for us to start. You will get a day-by-day plan with named hotels and one all-in price, in writing, before you pay anything.
