Gangtok & East Sikkim · Comfort trip

The grand East Sikkim loop

Ten days that take in nearly all of East Sikkim: Gangtok with Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La, a night beside Rumtek, a farm homestay near Pakyong, two nights at Zuluk for Thambi View Point and Kupup, and two slow nights at Aritar's lake. One car and driver throughout, about ₹48,000 per person, four sharing.

Fare₹48,000 Nights9 Per day₹4,800 Highest4,310m PaceBalanced

Photo: Ashinpt at enwiki · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Gangtok · 3N→Rumtek · 1N→Pakyong · 1N→Zuluk · 2N→Aritar · 2N

East Sikkim packs a lot into a small district. Gangtok, made capital by the Chogyals in 1894, sits at about 1,650 m. Across the valley, Rumtek has been the Karma Kagyu seat in exile since the 16th Karmapa rebuilt it in the 1960s. South-east lies farming country round Pakyong, with its airport cut into a ridge in 2018. Up from Rongli climbs the old mule road to Lhasa through Zuluk, a night halt for traders until the border closed in 1962, and near the West Bengal border Aritar keeps one of Sikkim's oldest lakes.

This loop strings them together so that no day is long and the height comes gradually. Three nights in Gangtok cover the town and the permit drive to Tsomgo Lake and the Nathu La border at 4,310 m. Then the trip turns rural: a monastery night, a farm night, two nights high on the Silk Route at about 2,900 m, and two nights to unwind at Aritar. Nathu La and the Silk Route are generally open to Indian nationals only. Check current status before you travel.

Why this trip

Nathu La at 4,310 m and frozen Tsomgo Lake
Morning prayers at Rumtek after a night beside the monastery
A farm homestay among ginger and cardamom near Pakyong
Thambi View Point at dawn and Kupup's Elephant Lake
Two unhurried days by Lampokhari Lake at Aritar

Day by day

NJP railway station or Bagdogra airport to NJP railway station or Bagdogra airport · Reserved car

Day01

NJP to Gangtok

Gangtok≈ 114 km · 4–5 h by reserved carBreakfast

Your car and driver meet you at NJP or Bagdogra and stay with you for ten days. NH10 follows the Teesta through the gorge to Rangpo, where you enter Sikkim, then climbs to Gangtok. Since the October 2023 flood the highway has closed at times and cars detour via Kalimpong, so check current status before you travel. Check in at a central guesthouse such as Netuk House, a Sikkimese family home, or Mintokling, round a garden near MG Marg. Give your driver ID copies and passport photos for the Nathu La permit and the Silk Route permit.

Spend today: ₹400 lunch + ₹600 dinner

Day02

Gangtok's monasteries and ridge

Gangtok≈ 25 km within town by carBreakfast

See Enchey Monastery at morning prayers; the present building dates from 1909. Drive down to Deorali for the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, opened by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958, with its thangkas and Tibetan texts, and walk round the Do-drul Chorten, raised in 1945–46, turning its 108 prayer wheels. After lunch go up to Ganesh Tok, the Himalayan Zoological Park for red pandas, and Hanuman Tok for the view to Kanchenjunga. Ride the ropeway at Deorali before dusk and eat a Sikkimese dinner at your guesthouse.

Spend today: ₹500 entry fees and ropeway + ₹1,000 food

Day03

Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathu La

Gangtok≈ 54 km each way · 2.5–3 h each way by permit vehicleBreakfast

A permit vehicle registered for the route leaves at 7 am and climbs through Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary to Tsomgo Lake at 3,753 m, frozen for much of the winter, then on to Nathu La. Walk slowly up to the fence at 4,310 m, where border trade with Tibet reopened in 2006 after 44 years; photography rules are set by the army on the day. Stop at Baba Mandir and Tsomgo on the way down. Nathu La is commonly reported closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays and shuts after snow, so check current status before you travel and keep day 2 as a swap.

Spend today: ₹2,000 vehicle share and permit + ₹200 tea + ₹200 boots

Day04

Lingdum and a night beside Rumtek

Rumtek≈ 24 km · 1–1.5 h by reserved carBreakfast, lunch, dinner

A short, quiet drive after the pass. Cross the valley via Ranipool and stop at Lingdum, a large Kagyu monastery in forest where young monks study. Continue to Rumtek, showing ID at the police check at the gate. The 16th Karmapa rebuilt it after leaving Tibet in 1959 and finished it in 1966, on the model of Tsurphu in Tibet; behind the main hall, a golden stupa holds his relics. Then go down to Rumtek Bamboo Retreat, among farms and forest on the slope below, for an organic dinner and the quietest night of the trip.

Spend today: ₹3,500 retreat with meals + small donations

Day05

Rumtek dawn and on to Pakyong

Pakyong≈ 30 km · 1.5 h by reserved car via RanipoolBreakfast, dinner

Go up for the morning horns and drums at Rumtek, then walk down to the old Rumtek monastery, the 18th-century house that came before the new seat. After breakfast drive via Ranipool to Pakyong, a market town on a ridge above the Rangpo valley. Stop at a viewpoint over the airport, opened in 2018 on a ridge cut and filled for the runway; scheduled flights have been suspended for long periods, so check current status before you travel. Then go on to a farm homestay among ginger, large cardamom and orange trees, and help in the kitchen if you like.

Spend today: ₹2,200 homestay with meals + ₹300 lunch

Day06

Through Rongli up to Zuluk

Zuluk≈ 70 km · 3–3.5 h by reserved SUV via Rorathang and RongliBreakfast, dinner

Switch to an SUV for the Silk Route if your car is a small one. The road drops to Rorathang and climbs to Rongli, the bazaar where the Silk Route permit is checked and where you draw the last cash you will need. Past Lingtam it enters Padamchen's forest of moss and rhododendron and winds up to Zuluk, a line of homestays at about 2,900 m with an army camp above. Mule trains bound for Lhasa once halted here for the night. Rest in the afternoon, drink plenty of water and plan a 4.30 am start for Thambi View Point.

Spend today: ₹2,200 homestay with meals + ₹300 lunch at Rongli

Day07

Thambi View Point, Lungthung and Kupup

Zuluk≈ 60 km round trip · 4–5 h by reserved SUVBreakfast, dinner

Reach Thambi View Point before sunrise, when the Silk Route's loops show below you and Kanchenjunga lights up beyond Lungthung on clear mornings. Continue past Gnathang's yak pastures to Kupup, close to 4,000 m, where Elephant Lake lies below the road and the ridge towards Jelep La, the old trade pass into Tibet, rises to the east. Stop at the Old Baba Mandir on the way back. Walk slowly at the top and keep the visit short. Back at Zuluk by late morning, sleep, eat and watch the light on the hairpins in the afternoon.

Spend today: ₹2,200 homestay with meals + ₹200 coat hire + ₹300 lunch

Day08

Down the Silk Route to Aritar

Aritar≈ 52 km · 2.5–3 h by reserved SUV via Rongli and RhenockBreakfast, dinner

A slow morning, then down through Padamchen and Rongli, losing about 1,500 m before lunch, and west through Rhenock to Aritar at about 1,400 m. Check in to a homestay with a view room and walk down to Lampokhari Lake in the afternoon. It is one of the oldest natural lakes in Sikkim, long and narrow among forest, with rowing boats that go out until dusk. After two nights in Zuluk's cold, a warm evening on the homestay veranda is the reward. Ask your hosts to point out the old British-era dak bungalow above the lake.

Spend today: ₹2,200 homestay with meals + ₹200 boating + ₹300 lunch

Day09

Mankhim and a free day at Aritar

Aritar≈ 6 km by car, then a short uphill walkBreakfast, dinner

Climb Mankhim at sunrise, about 20–30 minutes up steps from the road end, to the hilltop temple of the Rai community and a view over Aritar, the lake and, on clear days from October to March, the snows to the north-west. Spend the rest of the day as you like: a second row on the lake, a walk to the small Aritar gumpa, a farm walk with your hosts, or a book in the garden. This is the slack day in the trip, and if Nathu La or the Silk Route road was closed earlier, it is the one to move.

Spend today: ₹2,200 homestay with meals + ₹300 lunch

Day10

Aritar to NJP or Bagdogra

≈ 120 km · 4–5 h by reserved carBreakfast

Leave after breakfast. The car runs down through Rhenock and Rorathang to Rangpo, the border town where the Rangpo river meets the Teesta and Sikkim ends, and joins NH10 along the gorge to Siliguri. If NH10 is closed, the driver takes the old road through Pedong and Kalimpong instead, about as long and close to the line of the old mule route. Allow five hours to NJP or Bagdogra and book trains and flights for the late afternoon. Check current status before you travel, and settle the driver's tip before you unload.

Spend today: ₹400 lunch + driver's tip

Included

Reserved car and driver for 10 days, with an SUV on the Silk Route, shared by four
Permit vehicle for Tsomgo, Baba Mandir and Nathu La
Nathu La and Silk Route permits through a registered operator
Gangtok guesthouse, 3 nights twin share with breakfast, and Rumtek Bamboo Retreat with meals
Homestays at Pakyong, Zuluk and Aritar with dinner and breakfast

Not included

Train or flight to NJP or Bagdogra
Yak rides and warm-gear hire beyond the basics
Driver's night halt charges if not in the quote
Alcohol and shopping
Travel insurance

Three ways to spend less

Book one car and driver for all ten days in a single quote with night halts included, rather than separate transfers and daily hires.
Travel as four or five; the car, the biggest cost here, costs the same per day whatever the number of passengers.
Go in late March, April or after mid-October outside the Puja and Diwali weeks, when Gangtok guesthouses are easier to book at their lower rates.

Good to know

Nathu La and the Silk Route above Rongli are generally open to Indian nationals only; check current status before you travel.
Nathu La is commonly reported closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays; build day 3 around that.
Carry at least six photocopies of photo ID and six passport photos per person for two permits and the checkpoints.
Rumtek has a police ID check at the gate.
There is no ATM to rely on above Rongli, and network is patchy at Zuluk.

The route

Where the trip goes

Drawn by Darjeeling Himalayas from Natural Earth outlines (public domain). Borders as depicted by India. Not for navigation.

Where you sleep

Stays on this trip

heritage hotelGangtok Netuk House ₹4,500–7,500 a room with breakfast (indicative)

guesthouseGangtok Mintokling Guest House ₹2,500–4,500 a room (indicative)

guesthouseRumtek Bamboo Retreat ₹5,000–9,000 a room with meals (indicative)

Questions people ask

Questions about this trip

Is ten days too long for East Sikkim?

Not if you want to see it properly. Gangtok and its permit trips need three nights, the Silk Route needs two nights at Zuluk to be comfortable, and Rumtek, Pakyong and Aritar each add a quiet night. Most packages squeeze this into five days with long drives. This trip trades speed for rest, and keeps two flexible days for closures.

How much does the grand East Sikkim loop cost?

About ₹48,000 per person for nine nights, four sharing the car and twin rooms, indicative for 2025–26. The car for ten days is the biggest cost, about ₹15,000 each. Two people alone would pay roughly ₹15,000 more each. Homestays cost ₹1,500–2,500 per person with dinner and breakfast.

Why go to Gangtok first and the Silk Route later?

Because altitude is easier in stages. The Gangtok nights at 1,650 m and the day trip to Nathu La give your body a first taste of height, and you come back down to sleep. By the time you sleep at Zuluk, about 2,900 m, most people are comfortable, which makes the dawn at Thambi View Point and the run to Kupup far more enjoyable.

Which permits do we need?

Indian nationals need two: one for Tsomgo and Nathu La, applied about a day ahead through a registered Gangtok operator, and one for the Silk Route above Rongli, usually arranged by the operator or your Zuluk homestay. Both need photo ID, photocopies and passport photos. Rumtek, Pakyong and Aritar need none. Check current status before you travel.

Can foreign travellers do this loop?

Only parts of it. On the free Sikkim Restricted Area Permit, foreigners can visit Gangtok, Rumtek, Pakyong, Rongli and Aritar, and Tsomgo on a Protected Area Permit in a group. Nathu La and the Silk Route above Rongli are generally closed to foreign nationals. Check current status before you travel.

What is there to see at Pakyong?

Pakyong is a quiet farm stop rather than a sightseeing town. There is the view over the airport on its ridge, walks among ginger, large cardamom, orange trees and maize, and a night in a family homestay with home cooking. It breaks the drive from Rumtek to Rongli and gives a feel of rural East Sikkim.

What if Nathu La or the Silk Route road is closed?

That is why this trip has slack. If Nathu La is shut on day 3, swap it with day 2. If snow or a landslide blocks the road above Zuluk, your driver can reroute, and the free day at Aritar on day 9 lets you shift a night. Check current status before you travel and keep an open mind about the order.

When is the best time for this loop?

October and November for clear views of Kanchenjunga from Thambi View Point and dry roads; March to May for rhododendrons in Kyongnosla and around Padamchen. December to February is beautiful but snow can close Nathu La and the road above Zuluk. Avoid June to September, when landslides, cloud and leeches make the loop hard work.

Is this trip suitable for older travellers?

Fit older travellers manage it well because the pace is slow and the car is private. The two high points, Nathu La at 4,310 m and Kupup close to 4,000 m, are short visits, and the highest night is Zuluk at about 2,900 m. Anyone with heart or lung problems should ask a doctor first and can skip Nathu La.

Other tickets

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