Travel style
Food and markets
Momo, thukpa, churpi and first-flush tea
Hill food is built for cold mornings and long days: noodle soups, dumplings, fermented greens (gundruk), fermented soybean (kinema), hard yak or cow cheese (churpi) and sel roti, a ring-shaped rice bread made for festivals.
Weekly haats are the best markets to see, and the cheapest places to eat are the small momo and thukpa shops near the bazaars. In Bhutan almost every dish has chilli as a vegetable rather than a spice: ask for it mild.
Journeys
Routes in this style
per person, twin₹12,000
per person, twin₹6,000
per person, twin₹9,500
per person, twin₹14,000 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
Places
Where it fits best
Tea, toy trains and Kangchenjunga from the Mall
Orange orchards and hornbill forest below Kurseong
A trade town on a ridge above the Teesta
The river crossing below Kalimpong, for rafting and the Teesta
Sikkim's hilltop capital, walkable, clean and good value
Border bazaar on the old Kalimpong–Jelep La road into Sikkim
Old trade bazaar on the Rangpo River and the Silk Route permit gate
The Lepcha reserve across the Teesta from Mangan
District town of cardamom, with Kanchenjunga from Singhik
The Rangeet river town where South and West Sikkim change jeeps
Four high valleys and the oldest temples in Bhutan
A quiet valley over Chele La, opened to tourists only in 2002
Bhutan's front door, one gate away from Jaigaon
A capital without traffic lights, under a giant golden Buddha
The base for Gorumara, with forest on both sides of the road
Arrive at NJP or Bagdogra, then find the right jeep
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. StartStays
Rooms that suit it
