Gangtok shared taxi stands: which one goes where

Use this table to pick the stand before you pick the time. Fares are per seat, one way, indicative 2026, and rise a little with fuel prices.

Almost every shared jeep from Siliguri, NJP and Kalimpong ends its run at Deorali, on the highway about 2 km below the town centre. It is also where you catch one back down. The stand is busy from about 6 am, and departures to Siliguri are most frequent before noon. By mid-afternoon, seats get scarce and drivers start offering the whole car instead.

From Deorali, take a local shared taxi up to MG Marg or Paljor Stadium Road for ₹20–40 a seat, or a reserved taxi for ₹150–300, indicative 2026. Porters will offer to carry bags up the steps for a fee; agree the price first. The Gangtok ropeway's lower station is also at Deorali, though it runs up to the Secretariat area rather than to MG Marg.

For Siliguri, a seat costs ₹400–600 and the drive takes 4–5 hours, longer when NH10 is broken. For Darjeeling, expect ₹400–600 and 4–5 hours; for Kalimpong, ₹250–400 and about 3 hours. Buy your seat at the counter, not from someone on the road, and ask for a seat number.

If you arrive with heavy bags, consider staying a short taxi ride from Deorali rather than hauling suitcases up the steep lanes near MG Marg. Many travellers do the reverse: they leave luggage at the hotel, travel light for a day trip, and only take the big bags on the final morning to Deorali.

The North Sikkim taxi stand, known to everyone as Vajra stand after the Vajra cinema hall beside it, is a multi-storey building with parking for jeeps. Shared jeeps run from here to Phodong, Kabi, Mangan and other towns on the North Sikkim Highway, mostly in the morning. Seats to Mangan cost about ₹200–350, indicative 2026.

Lachung, Lachen, Yumthang and Gurudongmar are a different matter. They need a protected area permit and are visited on packaged tours in permit-registered vehicles, so you book through an agent rather than walk up for a seat. The tour vehicles often start from Vajra stand. North Sikkim permits were suspended for weeks after landslides in 2025 and can be stopped again at short notice; check current status before you travel.

Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La shared tours also gather at Vajra stand or at the agent's office. Your agent will tell you where to be and when, usually between 7 and 8 am.

For Pelling, Gyalshing, Namchi and Ravangla, shared jeeps leave from the stand below MG Marg where the road turns towards Tibet Road. Most go before noon. Expect ₹350–500 to Pelling (5–6 hours), ₹200–300 to Namchi (about 3 hours) and ₹250–350 to Ravangla, indicative 2026. SNT also runs morning buses on these routes from its Paljor Stadium Road stand at slightly lower fares.

For Ranka and Lingdum Monastery, use the Ranka stand on Paljor Stadium Road in Arithang. For Rumtek, shared taxis run mainly in the late morning and early afternoon at ₹60–120 a seat; ask your hotel which stand is in use, as this has shifted over the years. For Tashi View Point, Penlong and the Vajra side of town, the Children's Park stand next to MG Marg is quickest. Lal Bazaar's stand, on the ground floor of the Kanchendzonga Shopping Complex, serves town routes and nearby villages.

A few habits make shared travel in Sikkim easier, safer and a little cheaper.

• Go early. Most long-distance jeeps leave between 6 am and 1 pm; afternoons are slow.
• Buy two seats if you want space. Paying for the empty seat beside you is cheaper than reserving the car.
• Ask for the front seat at the counter if you get carsick; it usually costs the same.
• Bags go on the roof under a tarpaulin. Pack a rain cover and keep valuables and medicines with you.
• Keep small notes. Drivers on town routes rarely have change for ₹500.
• In town, flag down a shared taxi anywhere on its route and say where you are going before you get in.
• In monsoon, ask the driver which way he is going. When NH10 is cut, jeeps may detour via Kalimpong, Rhenock or Pakyong, which adds hours and sometimes fare.

Shared seats are the cheapest way to move between towns, but they are not always the best. For a family of four or five with luggage, a reserved car from Gangtok to Siliguri at ₹4,000–5,500 for a small car or ₹5,500–7,500 for an Innova, indicative 2026, can cost about the same as five seats plus porters and the taxi to and from the stand.

Reserve a car when you have an early flight from Bagdogra, when someone in the group is unwell or elderly, or when you are carrying a lot of shopping home. Book through your hotel or a registered stand counter and ask for the fixed fare in writing. Check current status before you travel, as fares are revised from time to time.

A middle path works well for small groups. Reserve a car for the transfer days, when you carry luggage and need to keep to a timetable, and use shared taxis for everything inside Gangtok and for the trips to Rumtek and Ranka. That way you pay for comfort only when it matters.

Whatever you choose, note the vehicle number before you set off, keep the driver's phone number, and tell your hotel your expected arrival time. Phone signal drops on parts of NH10 along the Teesta, and in Sikkim the people waiting for you will worry long before you do.