Try "Sandakphu", "toy train", "homestay", "Gangtok in April"
Route · Gangtok
Gangtok to Zuluk is about 100 km and 4–4.5 hours via Ranipool, Rorathang and Rongli, where Indian travellers get the Silk Route permit. Most people hire an SUV at ₹5,000–7,000 a day; the cheap way is a shared jeep to Rongli and a homestay car up.
| From | To | How | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GANGTOK | ZULUK | Shared jeep and local car | 4.5–5.5 h with the change | ₹200–300 TO RONG |
| GANGTOK | ZULUK | Reserved SUV | 4–4.5 h | ₹5,000–7,000 A D |
From our route pages. Fares change with fuel prices, season and demand: check current status before you travel.
Shared jeeps run from Gangtok to Rongli, about 69 km and 2.5–3 hours, for ₹200–300 a seat. In Rongli, get your Silk Route permit if your homestay has not arranged it, then take a car the homestay sends up for the last 32 km. It suits solo travellers and pairs, but needs documents ready and an early start.
Most travellers hire an SUV for the whole Silk Route loop, two or three days, through a Gangtok operator or a Zuluk homestay. The driver arranges the Rongli permit in advance with your photo ID and photos. Split between five or six people it works out well. Ask whether the return can go via Kupup, Baba Mandir and Tsomgo, which makes a loop.
Local tip: Carry four copies of your photo ID and four passport photos per person, as the Silk Route checkposts keep copies; check current status before you travel.
Questions people ask
Indian travellers get the Silk Route permit for Zuluk, Gnathang and Kupup at Rongli, usually arranged in advance by a homestay or Gangtok operator with copies of photo ID and passport photos. Foreigners face separate rules, which have changed several times. Check current status before you travel.
Not directly in most seasons. Shared jeeps run from Gangtok to Rongli for about ₹200–300 a seat, and from Rongli you need a car arranged by your homestay for the last 32 km. Some homestays will collect you from Rongli for ₹2,000–3,000 a car. Most visitors hire an SUV for the whole trip instead.
Often yes. The Silk Route continues from Zuluk through Gnathang and Kupup to the Nathu La road, then down past Baba Mandir and Tsomgo to Gangtok, making a loop of two or three days. It depends on your permit, your car's papers and the road being open. Check current status before you travel.
The road to Zuluk is usually passable in winter with care, but snow from December to February can close the higher stretch above Zuluk, and ice makes the bends slow. Drivers carry chains. Landslides close parts of it in the monsoon. Ask your homestay the day before and check current status before you travel.
Plan with a local
Where you want to go, how many of you, and roughly what you want to spend a day. A planner who lives in these hills replies within one working day with a route and every rupee written down.