The eastern Himalaya feel completely different from Ladakh – wet, green, Buddhist and Nepali-speaking, with the third-highest mountain in the world visible from breakfast on a clear morning.
Darjeeling has the tea and the railway. Sikkim, over the border, has the monasteries and the walking, and needs a permit that takes a day. Together they are the most comfortable Himalayan trip in India.
A starting point, not a fixed departure. Every element below can be lengthened, shortened or swapped.
Tiger Hill early, the railway, a tea estate, and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
Quieter, lower, with nurseries and monasteries and a good market.
Rumtek, the Enchey monastery, and the ridge walk above the town.
Pelling and Pemayangtse, the Rabdentse ruins, and the Kanchenjunga view that makes the drive worth it.
Every journey is quoted individually once we know your dates, party size and pace. The first conversation is free.
Sikkim needs an Inner Line Permit for Indian nationals and a Protected Area Permit for foreign nationals – we handle both, but they need your details a fortnight ahead. Monsoon here is severe and landslides close roads from June to September. Kanchenjunga hides for days at a time; build in more than one morning.
Fly to Bagdogra, then three hours up to Darjeeling by road. The toy train from New Jalpaiguri is charming and takes most of the day.
Sikkim needs an Inner Line Permit for Indian nationals and a Protected Area Permit for foreign nationals. Both are routine but need your passport details about a fortnight ahead – we arrange them.
Gangtok is at 1,650m and the passes go far higher. Nothing dramatic, but the roads are winding – take something if you are prone to motion sickness.
Layers and a windproof. It is warm in the sun and cold the moment it goes behind a ridge.
Add a week, drop the walking, bring the children, or start somewhere else entirely. We redraw every itinerary from scratch.
