Getting to North Sikkim: Gangtok, Permits and the Road

Step one: reach Gangtok

The nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and the nearest major airport is Bagdogra, both on the edge of Siliguri in West Bengal. From either, shared jeeps leave for Gangtok through the day from the Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) stand and the Panitanki area in Siliguri, and from outside NJP. A seat costs about ₹300–450 and the drive takes 4–5 hours on NH10, the highway that follows the Teesta from Sevoke up through Rangpo, where you enter Sikkim, to Singtam and Gangtok. A reserved car costs ₹3,500–4,500.

NH10 is the lifeline of Sikkim and also its weakest link. The October 2023 Teesta flood washed out sections of it, and since then stretches near Teesta Bazar, Melli and Rangpo have collapsed or closed repeatedly, especially in the monsoon. When NH10 is shut, vehicles take the longer route through Lava, Algarah and Pedong on the Kalimpong side, NH717A, which adds two to four hours. Pakyong airport, about 30 km from Gangtok, has had only patchy flights. Check current status before you travel.

Step two: the permit day in Gangtok

Give yourself at least one full day in Gangtok before going north. Indian nationals need a North Sikkim permit for Lachung, Yumthang, Zero Point, Lachen, Thangu, Chopta and Gurudongmar, and only registered tour operators can apply for it. Go to an agent on or near MG Marg in the morning with a copy of a government photo ID (Aadhaar, voter ID, passport or driving licence) and two passport photographs per person. The agent files the application, and the permit is usually ready for a departure the next morning.

Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit, applied for through a registered agent, for a group of two or more. They have usually been allowed to Lachung and Yumthang but not to Zero Point or Gurudongmar. Dzongu needs a separate permit, usually issued in Mangan. The day also helps your body adjust at Gangtok's 1,650 m before you climb to 2,700 m and above. Rules and permitted points change: check current status before you travel.

Vajra taxi stand and the shared jeeps

Vajra taxi stand, about 3 km north of the Gangtok centre on the North Sikkim road, is where the jeeps for the north start. From here shared jeeps run through the day to Kabi, Phodong, Mangan, Singhik and Chungthang, and many North Sikkim tour vehicles assemble here around 10–11 am once permits are in hand. A local taxi from MG Marg to Vajra costs ₹150–250.

For places that need no permit for Indians, Vajra is all you need. Buy a seat at the counter, load your bag on the roof, and you are in Kabi Lungchok in under an hour or Mangan in about three. Shared jeeps to Lachung and Chungthang carry local people, but visitors still need the permit, and in practice that means a tour.

The road north, stage by stage

The North Sikkim road leaves Gangtok past Vajra, climbs over a shoulder to Kabi and Phodong, then drops into the Teesta gorge. Past Mangan and Singhik it runs through Toong to Chungthang, the river town at about 1,790 m where the Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu meet. Tour vehicles stop at roadside waterfalls such as Seven Sisters and Naga falls for tea and photos.

At Chungthang the road forks: left up the Lachen Chu to Lachen, right up the Lachung Chu to Lachung. Police and army check posts along the way inspect permits, so keep your copy where you can reach it. The drive to either village takes 6–8 hours in good conditions. After the flood, the crossing at Chungthang and the road to Lachen have been the slowest to recover, and diversions, single-lane stretches and night closures are common.

The road situation since 2023

On the night of 3–4 October 2023 the South Lhonak glacial lake burst, and the Teesta flood destroyed the Teesta III dam at Chungthang and long stretches of road and several bridges down the valley. North Sikkim was cut off for weeks. Since then it has reopened in stages: Lachung and Yumthang have generally been open more often than Lachen and Gurudongmar, which have stayed closed for long spells. Monsoon landslides in 2024 and 2025 stranded travellers in the high villages again.

Here is how we handle it: decide nothing until you are in Gangtok, ask two agents what is open that week, read the Mangan district administration's and Sikkim Police's latest notices, and keep at least one buffer day at the end of the trip. Check current status before you travel, and again the evening before you leave.

• Keep a buffer day between your return to Gangtok and any train or flight from NJP or Bagdogra.
• Carry cash for two extra days in case a road closes behind you.
• Keep printed and phone copies of your permit and photo ID.
• Download offline maps; signal fails for long stretches beyond Mangan.

A sample plan from the plains

Here is the timeline we suggest for a first North Sikkim trip from NJP or Bagdogra, with one buffer day built in. It assumes the 3-day, 2-night shared tour; add nights for Dzongu, Singhik or a slower Lachung stay.

The buffer day is not wasted. If the north road closes while you are up there, it absorbs the delay; if all goes well, spend it at Kabi Lungchok and Phodong by shared jeep from Vajra, or at Rumtek and Gangtok's monasteries. Never book a train or flight from NJP or Bagdogra for the same day you come down from Lachung.

• Day 1: shared jeep or car from NJP or Bagdogra to Gangtok, 4–5 hours on NH10, longer via Lava and Pedong if NH10 is shut. Visit agents in the evening if you arrive early.
• Day 2: book the tour and hand in ID copies and photographs in the morning. Rest, walk MG Marg, eat early.
• Day 3: depart around 10–11 am from Vajra stand or the agent's office; reach Lachen by evening.
• Day 4: Gurudongmar at dawn, then on to Lachung.
• Day 5: Yumthang, and Zero Point if open, then back to Gangtok by night.
• Day 6: buffer day in Gangtok.
• Day 7: back down to NJP or Bagdogra.

Getting to Dzongu and Mangan

Dzongu is the one part of North Sikkim where independent travel works well. Take a shared jeep from Vajra to Mangan, get or collect your Dzongu permit there, then take a taxi across the Teesta to your homestay village for ₹800–1,500, depending on distance and how the bridges are. Many homestays arrange both the permit and the pickup if you send ID copies ahead. A reserved car from Gangtok straight to a Dzongu village costs about ₹3,500–5,000 one way.

Mangan itself is a calm overnight base with budget hotels at ₹1,200–2,500 a room, banks and a busy bazaar, and Singhik, 4 km above it, has the best Kanchenjunga view on the north road. Roads here also closed after the 2023 flood, so check current status before you travel.