Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir day
Sikkim · 7 hrs · Cab, driver and permit · Pickup from your stay
From ₹4500 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹4500 for the vehicle.
- SUV: Eight seats, and the one permitted on the Nathu La road. ₹8000 for the vehicle.
The day out of Gangtok that everyone means
Tsomgo, which most people in Gangtok still call Changu, sits about 38 km east of town at roughly 12,300 ft. The road climbs the whole way, which is why a 38 km drive takes over two hours, and why the lake is cold enough to freeze solid in winter while Gangtok is merely damp.
It is also inside a restricted area. You cannot simply drive up: a protected area permit has to be filed in advance by a registered local agent against each traveller's ID, and the barrier above Gangtok turns back anyone without one. That single fact is what separates people who see the lake from people who spend the morning finding out they cannot.
This booking is the vehicle, the driver and the permit, together. Pickup at seven, the barrier cleared with paperwork already in hand, about ninety minutes at the water, and New Baba Mandir a few kilometres further up before turning back. You book the car, so a couple and a family of eight pay the price of the vehicle, not a seat each.
Why the permit is the product
You cannot file it yourself
The protected area permit for Tsomgo is issued through a registered local agent, not over a counter to a walk-in. That is the actual reason this booking exists.
Local vehicles only
The road east of the barrier takes registered Sikkim vehicles with local drivers. A car you drove in from Bengal does not go up, whatever its paperwork.
One price for the car
The vehicle, the driver, the fuel and the permit filing are agreed now, flat for the car. Boot hire, a yak ride and lunch are the only things settled at the lake, and you pay those directly.
Where you'll go
1. The permit check above Gangtok
The barrier where east Sikkim starts. Your protected area permit is filed the day before against your ID, so this is a check rather than a morning spent in an office.
2. Tsomgo Lake
A glacial lake at about 12,300 ft, held in a bowl of bare mountain, frozen through winter and ringed by prayer flags the rest of the year. You get roughly ninety minutes here.
Yak ride at the lakeside, priced there by the handlers
3. The lakeside stalls
Boots, gloves and coats on hire, and hot momos and thukpa, which matter more than they sound at this altitude in the wind.
Boot and coat hire, and food, paid at the stalls
4. New Baba Mandir
A shrine to an army sepoy that his own regiment still maintains, a few kilometres further up. The story behind it is unusual and the soldiers who look after it will tell it to you properly.
How you get there
A registered Sikkim vehicle with a local driver
Two hours up and two hours back on a road that gains nearly 7,000 ft. The vehicle is yours for the whole day at a flat rate, and you pick sedan or SUV on capacity rather than on comfort.
- Pickup: Your stay in Gangtok at 7:00 am
- Vehicle: Swift Dzire up to 4, or SUV up to 8, with driver
- Distance: About 80 km return, climbing to 12,300 ft
- At the lake: About 90 minutes
- Drop: Back in Gangtok around 2:00 pm
The day
7:00 am: Pickup in Gangtok
Carry original photo ID. The permit is checked against it.
7:45 am: The permit barrier
Paperwork already filed. A check and a stamp.
9:15 am: Tsomgo Lake
About 90 minutes at the water, with boots and coats on hire if you want them.
11:00 am: New Baba Mandir
The shrine and its story, a few kilometres further up. About 45 minutes.
12:00 pm: Start back
Down the same road, with the valley open in front of you.
2:00 pm: Drop
Back at your stay with the afternoon free.
In your price
- Registered Sikkim vehicle with local driver for the day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Gangtok
- Protected area permit filed in advance in your name
- Fuel, tolls and driver allowance
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Permit fees charged by the administration
- Boot and coat hire, yak rides
- Food
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Protected area permit fees, charged by the administration at whatever the current rate is
- Boot, coat and glove hire at the lakeside stalls
- Yak rides at the lake, priced there by the handlers
- Food at the lakeside stalls
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Most people, with a caveat: it is 12,300 ft and you get there in two hours from 5,400 ft, which is a fast gain. Not suitable with a heart or lung condition, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or in pregnancy. Children over 5 usually manage it well. The sedan takes four and the SUV eight, each at one flat price.
What to bring
Original photo ID for every passenger, which is not optional at the barrier. A proper warm layer whatever the month, gloves, sunglasses and sunblock. Cash for the stalls, hire and permit counters.
The road closes more often than you would think
Snow, landslides and army movement close the Tsomgo road at short notice, sometimes on the morning itself. When it is shut we tell you as soon as we know and you take a full refund or a free reschedule. You are never charged for a day that did not run.
Cancellation
- More than 48 hrs before: Full refund
- 24 to 48 hrs before: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- Within 24 hrs: No refund, the permit is already filed
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Licensed local ground operator, vehicles registered and permitted for the east Sikkim road. The gain from Gangtok to the lake is fast and altitude affects people differently: move slowly at the water, skip the yak ride if your head is pounding, and tell your driver rather than pushing on. Coming down is the treatment and your driver will do it without argument.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is the price of the vehicle for the day. Eight of you in the SUV pay ₹8,000 between you, not each.
Who arranges the permit?
We do, in advance, through a registered local agent, using the ID details you give at checkout. Send them accurately and send them early. The government's own fees are paid on the day.
Can foreign passport holders visit Tsomgo?
Sometimes, on a different permit with more lead time and additional conditions, and it is never guaranteed. Tell us your nationality at checkout and we will confirm on WhatsApp whether your date is workable before we take the booking. Nathu La itself is closed to foreign nationals entirely.
Can we add Nathu La to this?
Nathu La is a longer day on its own booking, SUV only, and its permit is separate and stricter. See the Nathu La experience rather than trying to bolt it on.
Is the yak ride included?
No. The yaks belong to handlers at the lake and are priced there. We do not take a cut and you are under no obligation.