Places to visit in Sikkim
These are the places Sikkim trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.
- Tsomgo (Changu) Lake and Baba Mandir: The glacial lake at about 3,750 m (12,300 ft) on the road east of Gangtok, frozen in mid-winter, and the shrine to the soldier Baba Harbhajan Singh beyond it; a full day trip from Gangtok.
- Nathula Pass: The pass on the India–China border at about 4,300 m, beyond Tsomgo Lake: open to Indian citizens only, on a separate permit and weather permitting, and added on the day.
- Gangtok and MG Marg: Sikkim's capital at about 1,650 m: the pedestrian MG Marg for cafés and shopping, and Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok and Tashi View Point for the Kanchenjunga range.
- Rumtek Monastery: The Dharma Chakra Centre across the valley from Gangtok, one of the largest and most important monasteries in Sikkim.
- Do Drul Chorten and the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology: The golden-spired stupa ringed by prayer wheels in Gangtok, and the museum of Tibetan manuscripts and icons next to it.
- Lachung and the Yumthang Valley: The North Sikkim village by the Lachung river, and the Valley of Flowers above it with the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary and the hot springs; Zero Point, higher up, is an add-on.
- Gurudongmar Lake: One of the highest lakes in the world at about 5,400 m (17,800 ft), sacred to Buddhists and Sikhs, reached by a pre-dawn drive from Lachen.
- Pelling and Pemayangtse: West Sikkim's Kanchenjunga views, Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse palace ruins, the Skywalk at the Chenrezig statue and the sacred Khecheopalri Lake.
- Ravangla Buddha Park and Namchi Char Dham: The 130 ft Buddha at Ravangla and the Char Dham pilgrimage complex at Namchi, stops on the road between Gangtok and Pelling.
- Darjeeling: Next door in West Bengal: the Tiger Hill sunrise over Kanchenjunga, the toy train at Batasia Loop, Ghoom Monastery, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and zoo, and the tea gardens.
- Kalimpong: A quieter hill town between Gangtok and Darjeeling: Deolo hill, Durpin and Zang Dhok Palri monasteries, and the Pine View cactus nursery.
What to eat
Momos, thukpa and thenthuk are everywhere in Gangtok, along with Sikkimese dishes such as gundruk (fermented leafy greens), phagshapa (pork with radish and dried chilli) and sel roti, the ring-shaped rice bread; MG Marg has the cafés and bakeries. Darjeeling is the place to taste its tea at an estate or an old tea room in town. Vegetarian food is easy to find in every town, and in Lachen and Lachung the meals the trip includes are taken at the hotel.