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Himgiri Holidays

Sikkim & Darjeeling Explorer

5.0 (3)7 days · 6 nightsEasyGangtok & East Sikkim, Sikkim

Darjeeling → Gangtok → Tsomgo Lake → Bagdogra

Sikkim & Darjeeling Explorer — Gangtok & East Sikkim, Sikkim
Sikkim & Darjeeling Explorer — Gangtok & East Sikkim, Sikkim
Sikkim & Darjeeling Explorer — Gangtok & East Sikkim, Sikkim
Sikkim & Darjeeling Explorer — Gangtok & East Sikkim, Sikkim
Sikkim & Darjeeling Explorer — Gangtok & East Sikkim, Sikkim

Overview

Two hill states that read as one journey. Darjeeling is Victorian and worn in — a promenade, a club, a railway that has run since 1881 and was listed by UNESCO in 1999. Sikkim across the Teesta is Buddhist and newer to visitors, and it is where the mountain views open properly.

Kanchenjunga at 8,586 m is the organising presence. You see it from Tiger Hill before sunrise, from the Darjeeling ridge on a clear morning, from the road above Gangtok, and best of all from the Buddha Park at Ravangla with nothing in between. Nothing about the trip is strenuous — the longest walk is the Happy Valley tea garden circuit — but the roads are slow and mountain days start early.

Tsomgo Lake at 3,753 m and the road towards Nathu La need permits arranged a day in advance and can close on weather at no notice; when that happens the day is replaced with the Kalimpong monasteries, which is a fair substitute rather than a consolation.

Runs in: March, April, May, October, November, December. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly.

Day by day

7 days, in the order you will walk or drive them.

  1. 1Bagdogra to Darjeeling (2,045 m)Day 1
    Arrive at Bagdogra and drive three and a half hours up through Kurseong, with the toy-train line crossing and re-crossing the road. Check in near Chowrasta and spend the evening on the promenade and at the Mall — no exertion on a first afternoon at this height.
  2. 2Darjeeling — Tiger Hill, the railway and a tea gardenDay 2
    Leave at four for Tiger Hill and the sunrise on Kanchenjunga, then Batasia Loop and Ghum monastery on the way back. After breakfast, the Padmaja Naidu zoological park with its red panda and snow leopard programme, and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute next door. Afternoon at the Happy Valley tea estate.
  3. 3Darjeeling to Gangtok (1,650 m)Day 3
    Down to the Teesta and along it into Sikkim, with the permit formalities at Rangpo. Four to five hours. Arrive Gangtok in the afternoon and walk MG Marg, which is pedestrianised end to end, before dinner.
  4. 4Gangtok — Rumtek and the town monasteriesDay 4
    Across the valley to Rumtek, the principal Karma Kagyu seat outside Tibet, where the Golden Stupa sits behind the main hall. Back for Do Drul Chorten and its 108 prayer wheels, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, and Enchey monastery above the town. Afternoon free.
  5. 5Tsomgo Lake (3,753 m) and the Nathu La roadDay 5
    East on the old trade road, climbing 2,000 m in about two hours to the glacial lake at Tsomgo — frozen from December to March, ringed by yaks and tea stalls the rest of the year. Continue towards Nathu La if permits and weather allow. Back in Gangtok by evening.
  6. 6Gangtok to RavanglaDay 6
    South-west through Namchi to Ravangla, three hours on a good road. Buddha Park in the afternoon — a 40 m seated Shakyamuni on a ridge with Kanchenjunga directly behind it — and Ralang monastery below. Night in Ravangla.
  7. 7Ravangla to BagdograDay 7
    A last clear-morning look at the range, then four and a half hours down the Teesta to the plain. Trip ends at Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri station; afternoon flights are the safe choice.

Dates and prices

Seat counts are live. A date leaves sale the moment it fills — we do not overbook and sort it out later.

  • 17–23 Oct 2026

    Sat start · 7 days

    5 seats left· filling up
    ₹29,500
    Book now

Talk it through first

A planner calls you back, no obligation.

What is included

What the price covers

  • Six nights — hotels in Darjeeling (two), Gangtok (three) and Ravangla
  • Daily breakfast and dinner
  • Private vehicle with driver throughout, including the Bagdogra transfers
  • Sikkim Inner Line Permit and the Tsomgo Lake protected-area permit
  • Entries: Padmaja Naidu zoological park, HMI museum, Happy Valley estate, Rumtek, Buddha Park
  • Local guide in Darjeeling and in Gangtok

What it does not

  • Flights and long-distance train fare to the start point
  • Personal expenses, tips and anything of a personal nature
  • Travel insurance (strongly recommended, we can arrange it)
  • Meals not listed in the inclusions
  • Costs arising from weather, roadblocks or events beyond our control
  • Darjeeling Himalayan Railway joyride tickets
  • Ropeway rides in Darjeeling and Gangtok
  • Yak rides and snow-gear hire at Tsomgo

Questions about this trip

Answered from this departure's own numbers. Anything not here, the desk will tell you straight.

How hard is this trip, and who is it for?
We grade it Easy, on a four-step scale of Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Strenuous. That single word is a summary, not the answer — the answer is the 7-day plan above, which says what each day actually asks of you. Read it before you book, and if you are unsure whether it suits you, call the desk and describe your last comparable trip rather than guessing.
How many people will be on it?
Between 2 and 14. 2 is the minimum for a departure to run and 14 is the hard cap — we do not add seats to a date that is selling well. The seat counts on the dates table are live and come straight from the booking system.
When does it run, and why not the rest of the year?
March, April, May, October, November and December, and the next date open for booking is 17 Oct 2026. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly — passes under snow, a monsoon crossing or a shut ferry are reasons to move your dates, not to take your money.
Can I hold seats before I pay?
Yes. Pick a date, enter who is travelling, and the seats come off the live count for 15 minutes while you decide. Nothing is charged during the hold, and if you walk away it releases itself and the seats go back on sale.
How do I pay, and what happens after?
Online at the end of the booking flow, or over the phone with the trips desk during working hours if you would rather not pay on the web. Either way you get a booking reference, and the joining pack for your departure follows from the desk.
What if I have to cancel?
There is no blanket policy printed here, because permits, mountain lodges and internal flights are paid forward at different points on different departures — and quoting a single number would be a promise we could not keep on every date. The terms that apply to your departure are in your joining pack, and the desk will put them in writing before you pay if you ask.

3 reviews

Each one is linked to a booking on one of the departures above.

  • Tsomgo was closed on our day for snow on the road, which the itinerary does warn about. Instead of an apology and a free afternoon we got the Kalimpong monasteries and a flower nursery, arranged inside an hour. That is the difference between an operator and a booking website.
    PRPallavi RaneVerified booking
  • Darjeeling is faded Victorian and Gangtok is Buddhist and orderly, and doing them back to back makes both of them clearer. Rumtek on a weekday morning with the monks debating in the courtyard was the highlight for me. The permit paperwork for Tsomgo was handled entirely by the team, which I appreciated.
    JMJoseph MathewVerified booking
  • Tiger Hill is the famous one and it was fine, but the Buddha Park at Ravangla on the second-last day — a 40 m statue with the whole range behind it and about eleven other people there — is what I would go back for. Easy pace, good hotels, and the driver handled six days of hill roads without a single moment of drama.
    RARitu AgarwalVerified booking

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