Things to do in Sikkim

Everything east of Gangtok sits behind a protected area permit only a registered local agent can file, which is the single reason these days are worth booking rather than arranging.

Getting around Sikkim

The Tsomgo and Nathu La road takes registered Sikkim vehicles with local drivers and nothing else, and both need permits filed in advance against each traveller's ID. Nathu La is SUV only, capped daily and closed to foreign passport holders. Rumtek needs no permit but is an hour away for 24 km. Every experience below includes the vehicle, the driver and the permit where one applies.

Experiences

• Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir day: A glacial lake at 12,300 ft, with the permit already filed
• Nathu La pass day, permit arranged: Tsomgo, Baba Mandir and the old Silk Road border at 14,100 ft
• Rumtek monastery and the Gangtok ridge: The seat of a lineage, and the ridge Kanchenjunga shows itself from

Best months

March to May and October to early December. Monsoon brings landslides on the Tsomgo road and heavy winter snow closes it outright.

Getting there

Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri station are both about 4 to 5 hrs by road to Gangtok. Pakyong, an hour from town, takes a small number of flights and is weather dependent.