Travel style
High passes and lakes
Nathu La, Gurudongmar and the Silk Route
The roads north and east of Gangtok climb from 1,650 m to above 4,000 m in a single morning. That speed is the risk. Altitude sickness can affect anyone above 2,500 m, and the plan should give the body time: a night at Lachen before Gurudongmar, for example, rather than a day trip from Gangtok.
Most of these places are in restricted or protected areas. Indian nationals need permits arranged through registered operators, foreign nationals cannot visit some of them at all, and roads close for snow and landslides. Check current status before you travel.
Journeys
Routes in this style
per person, twin₹21,000
per person, twin₹21,000
per person, twin₹13,000
per person, twin₹19,500
per person, twin₹28,000
per person, twin₹12,500
per person, twin₹17,000
per person, twin₹14,000
per person, twin₹7,000
per person, twin₹19,500
per person, twin₹24,000
per person, twin₹47,000
per person, twin₹34,000 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
A small town on the old mule road to Jelep La
The Army shrine to a soldier who died near Nathu La in 1968
Elephant Lake, the Yak Golf Course and the old road to Jelep La
A yak herders' valley at about 4,000 m, and the 1888 Gnathang fight
The India–China border pass at 4,310 m, open to Indians Wed–Sun
Old trade bazaar on the Rangpo River and the Silk Route permit gate
A sacred glacial lake at 3,753 m, 40 km above Gangtok
Silk Route village above the zigzag road to Thambi
A sacred lake at 5,430 m, reached at dawn from Lachen
The night stop before Gurudongmar, reopened in 2026
The tea-and-permit halt on the road to Gurudongmar
The end of the tourist road above Yumthang
Bhutan's highest motorable pass, between Paro and Haa
108 chortens and a Himalayan skyline on the Punakha road
Five days over the ridge from Paro to Thimphu, past high lakes
A quiet valley over Chele La, opened to tourists only in 2002
The dzong at the centre of Bhutan, where kings first rule
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