Guides
Read before you go
Answer-first guides from our planners: when to go, what permits you need, which hotels and which zones, with the numbers.
Darjeeling Hills
For mountain views, go from mid-October to mid-December, or in clear, cold January and February. For flowers, first-flush tea and mild days, …
foodDarjeeling What to eat in Darjeeling: momos to kinemaDarjeeling's food is Nepali, Tibetan, Lepcha and Bhutia home cooking with a layer of old colonial bakery. Eat momos and thukpa where …
budgetDarjeeling Shared jeeps from NJP and around the Darjeeling hillsShared jeeps are how the Darjeeling hills move. Ten seats, a fixed fare per seat and a departure when full: ₹250–400 from …
historyDarjeeling The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway storyThe Darjeeling Himalayan Railway climbs about 88 km from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling on 2 ft (610 mm) track, topping out at …
budgetDarjeeling Darjeeling on a budget: a good trip for lessA careful traveller can do Darjeeling for about ₹1,800–3,000 a person a day, indicative 2026. The savings come from shared jeeps instead …
historyDarjeeling Darjeeling tea: a history from 1835 to your cupDarjeeling tea began with a land grant in 1835, a superintendent's garden experiment in 1841 and commercial gardens from 1852, worked largely …
practicalDarjeeling How to book the Darjeeling toy trainBook Darjeeling toy-train seats on IRCTC like any Indian Railways train. For the two-hour joyride, search Darjeeling (DJ) to Darjeeling; steam costs …
planningDarjeeling Planning the Sandakphu trek: routes, costs, permitsThe Sandakphu trek climbs the Singalila ridge from Manebhanjan to 3,636 m for a view of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Kangchenjunga. Allow …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. StartKalimpong and Neora
Shared jeeps link Siliguri, Kalimpong, Lava, Lolegaon, Pedong, Darjeeling and Gangtok for a fraction of a reserved car, often ₹60–300 a seat, …
foodKalimpong What to eat in Kalimpong, from cheese to churpiKalimpong's food tells its history. Tibetan traders left thukpa and shaphaley, Nepali farmers sel roti, gundruk and churpi, and a Swiss Jesuit …
historyKalimpong Kalimpong, Jelep La and the Tibet wool tradeKalimpong was Bhutanese until 1865. Within fifty years it was the main market for Tibet's trade with India, because the mule road …
budgetKalimpong Kalimpong on a budget: a good trip for lessKalimpong is already one of the cheapest hill bases in the eastern Himalaya. A careful traveller can do it for about ₹1,800–3,000 …
staysKalimpong Choosing a village homestay around KalimpongKalimpong's homestay villages each do one thing best: Rishyap the widest Kanchenjunga view, Lolegaon its old forest, Kolakham the Neora edge, Sillery …
wildlifeKalimpong Birding in Neora Valley: seasons, sites and costsNeora Valley National Park spans about 183 m to 3,200 m, so a few days around Lava, Kolakham and Lolegaon cover tropical, …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. StartGangtok and East Sikkim
Sikkim was a Buddhist kingdom ruled by the Namgyal dynasty of Chogyals from 1642 until 1975. The capital moved from Yuksom to …
seasonsGangtok East Sikkim in monsoon: planning a June–September tripGangtok works in monsoon if you plan for the road. From June to September NH10 along the Teesta is often cut by …
cultureGangtok Sikkim's organic farming story and what it means for youSikkim set out in 2003 to farm without chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and was declared India's first fully organic state at Gangtok …
practicalGangtok East Sikkim permits explained: PAP, RAP and Nathu LaIndian citizens need no permit for Gangtok, but need a Protected Area Permit for Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir, Nathu La and the …
foodGangtok Gangtok food guide: momos, phagshapa, gundruk and moreGangtok eats from three kitchens: Nepali, Bhutia-Tibetan and Lepcha, with plains food alongside. Try momos and thenthuk, phagshapa (pork fat with radish …
practicalGangtok MG Marg rules: Gangtok's car-free street, fines and mannersMG Marg is Gangtok's main street, a car-free stretch of about 1 km in the town centre. Smoking, spitting and littering are …
budgetGangtok Gangtok on a budget: a good trip for lessA careful traveller can do Gangtok for about ₹2,000–3,000 a person a day, indicative 2026. The savings come from four habits: shared …
budgetGangtok Gangtok shared taxi stands: which one goes whereGangtok has no single bus station. Shared taxis to Siliguri, NJP, Kalimpong and Darjeeling use the Deorali stand on NH10; North Sikkim …
historyGangtok The Silk Route story: mules, wool and Jelep LaThe road tourists now call the Silk Route was mainly a wool route. From the 1880s to 1962, mule trains carried Tibetan …
planningGangtok Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La day trip plannerThe Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathu La trip is a full day from Gangtok, leaving at about 7 am and back …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. StartNorth Sikkim
Lachen and Lachung are governed by the Dzumsa, a traditional village council headed by an elected headman called the Pipon. It took …
practicalNorth Sikkim Gurudongmar Lake: altitude sickness and safetyGurudongmar Lake sits at 5,430 m, and most visitors climb there from Lachen at about 2,750 m in a single morning. Healthy …
budgetNorth Sikkim North Sikkim group tour or private car: real costsFor one or two travellers, a shared group package from Gangtok is the cheapest way into North Sikkim, at about ₹6,000–9,000 per …
budgetNorth Sikkim North Sikkim on a budget: where the money goesA careful traveller can see Lachung and Yumthang for about ₹8,000–10,000 per person from Siliguri, and both valleys for about ₹11,000–14,000, indicative …
practicalNorth Sikkim North Sikkim permits explained for Indians and foreignersIndian citizens need a Protected Area Permit for Lachung, Yumthang, Zero Point, Lachen, Thangu and Gurudongmar, filed only through a registered Sikkim …
seasonsNorth Sikkim North Sikkim seasons: snow, flowers or clear skiesNorth Sikkim has three good seasons and one bad one. Come from December to March for snow at Lachung, late April and …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. StartWest and South Sikkim
The Goecha La trek starts and ends at Yuksom, covers about 90 km in 8–9 walking days and climbs to Viewpoint 1 …
culturePelling Namchi's Char Dham and Samdruptse: a visitor's guideNamchi, the headquarters of South Sikkim, has two giant statues on facing hills: a 135 ft Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse, completed in …
budgetPelling Pelling and West Sikkim on a budgetYou can see Pelling, Yuksom and Khecheopalri well for about ₹2,000–2,500 a day per person, indicative 2026, excluding travel to Siliguri. The …
culturePelling Pemayangtse and Sanga Choeling: Pelling's old monasteriesPemayangtse, founded in 1647 about 2 km from Pelling, was Sikkim's royal monastery, whose head lama anointed the Chogyals. Sanga Choeling, built …
historyPelling Rabdentse, the ruined second capital of SikkimRabdentse, about 3 km from Pelling, was the second capital of Sikkim from 1670, taken by a Gorkha army in 1788 and …
seasonsPelling Seeing Kangchenjunga from West Sikkim: when and whereFor the best chance of seeing Kangchenjunga, come between October and February and be at your viewpoint at sunrise. Upper Pelling, Pemayangtse …
budgetPelling West Sikkim by shared jeep: routes, fares and timingsShared jeeps are the cheapest and most local way around West and South Sikkim. A seat from Siliguri to Pelling costs about …
foodPelling Temi Tea: the story of Sikkim's own tea gardenTemi Tea Garden in South Sikkim was set up in 1969 under the last Chogyal, Palden Thondup Namgyal, and is still run …
journeysPelling The West Sikkim monastic trail, site by siteWest Sikkim's traditional pilgrimage circuit links Pemayangtse, Rabdentse, Sanga Choeling, Khecheopalri Lake, Yuksom's Norbugang and Dubdi, and Tashiding. We suggest 4 nights, …
historyPelling Yuksom and the 1642 crowning of Sikkim's first kingIn 1642 three Tibetan lamas crowned Phuntsog Namgyal as the first Chogyal of Sikkim at Norbugang in Yuksom. The stone throne, the …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. StartBhutan
Indians need no visa for Bhutan, but every visitor needs a free Entry Permit, shown with an Indian passport or original Voter …
planningBhutan Bhutan for International Visitors: SDF and VisaMost international visitors to Bhutan pay a Sustainable Development Fee of US$100 per person per night, a 50% incentive that runs to …
budgetBhutan Bhutan on a Budget by Road from SiliguriThe cheapest way into Bhutan from India is by road: a ₹150–300 bus or a train to Hasimara from Siliguri, then a …
budgetBhutan Bhutan Trip Cost for Indians: A 6-Night BreakdownA 6-night Bhutan trip from Siliguri costs an Indian couple about ₹47,000–71,000 each if they book every piece themselves, and a group …
foodBhutan Bhutanese Food Guide: Ema Datshi to PutaBhutanese food is built on chillies, cheese and red rice. Ema datshi, chillies in cheese, is the national dish; kewa datshi (potato) …
cultureBhutan Gross National Happiness Explained for TravellersGross National Happiness is Bhutan's idea that progress should be measured by wellbeing, not income alone. It is credited to the Fourth …
cultureBhutan Tshechu Etiquette: How to Watch a Bhutan FestivalA tshechu is a religious festival held around the tenth day of a lunar month to honour Guru Rinpoche, with masked cham …
historyBhutan The Zhabdrung and Bhutan's Dzong SystemBhutan as a single state begins with Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a Drukpa lama who arrived from Tibet in 1616. He unified the …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. StartDooars and the Terai
Until 1865 the Bengal Dooars belonged to Bhutan. A failed British mission in 1864, a short war over the winter of 1864–65 …
seasonsDooars Best time to visit the Dooars, month by monthGo between October and May, and best from November to March. February to April often gives the best sightings as grass is …
budgetDooars Dooars on a budget: safaris and forests for lessThe Dooars can cost ₹1,800–3,000 a day per person if you ride the trains, sleep in government forest and tourism lodges, share …
wildlifeDooars Dooars safaris: which park, how to book, what you seeBook Dooars safaris on the West Bengal forest department's official system as soon as slots open, with photo ID for everyone. Choose …
historyDooars Tea in the Dooars: gardens, workers and a long storyTea arrived in the Dooars within ten years of the 1865 Treaty of Sinchula: the first garden opened at Gazaldoba in 1874, …
budgetDooars Dooars trip cost from Kolkata, line by lineA 3-night Dooars trip from Kolkata costs about ₹9,000–12,000 per person on a frugal plan with the overnight train, ₹18,000–25,000 with a …
Build your own route Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you want to see. We draw the route and price it three ways. Start Working to a budget? Give us a number per person. We will tell you honestly what it buys, and where to save. Start Ask someone who has been A first plan and price within one working day. No payment to start. Start