Gangtok Darjeeling Tour Package

Highlights & Route

Gangtok and Darjeeling are only 100 km apart, but they belong to different states and have different characters, and seeing both in one short trip is the classic introduction to the eastern Himalaya. Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, is clean and orderly, with a pedestrian main street (MG Marg), monasteries on the ridges and the Kanchenjunga range filling the northern sky on clear mornings. Darjeeling is older and more crowded, a British-era tea town with a toy train, colonial schools and the best-known sunrise viewpoint in India.

The Gangtok half of the tour includes a full day up the old trade road towards Tibet: Tsomgo (Changu) Lake at about 12,300 ft, often frozen in winter and surrounded by rhododendron in spring, and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, the shrine to an Indian Army soldier that serving soldiers still maintain as a place of faith. Nathula Pass on the Chinese border is a few kilometres further and can be added on open days for Indian citizens; it needs a separate permit and is weather dependent.

In Darjeeling the day starts before dawn for Tiger Hill, where the first sun catches Kanchenjunga and, on the clearest mornings, Everest far to the west. The rest of the day moves at a gentler pace through Ghoom Monastery, the Batasia Loop with its war memorial, the Japanese Peace Pagoda, the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre and a tea estate. Both towns are reached from Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station, which have good connections from Delhi.

Route

Bagdogra airport or NJP station → Gangtok (2 nights) → Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir day trip → Darjeeling (2 nights) → Tiger Hill and Darjeeling sightseeing → Bagdogra or NJP drop

Good to know before you book

Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula lie in a Protected Area. Indian citizens need a permit, which we arrange: carry an original voter ID, passport or driving licence and two passport photos. Aadhaar is not accepted for Sikkim protected-area permits, and children need a birth certificate or school ID.
Nathula Pass (about 14,140 ft) is open to Indian citizens only, on a limited number of permits each day, and is generally closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays; snow or army orders can close it on any day. Foreign nationals may visit Tsomgo Lake but not Nathula.
Tsomgo Lake and Nathula are closed in heavy snow, most often between December and February, and landslides can block the road in July and August. March to May and October to mid-December are the best months for both towns.
Tiger Hill means a 4 am start from Darjeeling; the view depends entirely on the weather, and cloud is common from June to September.
Darjeeling’s zoo and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute are closed on Thursdays and the Tibetan Refugee Centre on Sundays; we re-order the day around closures.
The toy train joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghoom is optional, booked on IRCTC, and sells out in season.

Yatra Highlights

Tsomgo Lake at about 12,300 ft and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir
Sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill
Ghoom Monastery, Batasia Loop, Peace Pagoda and a Darjeeling tea estate

Day 1 :

Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok

Pickup at Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri railway station at your arrival point (airport, railway station or hotel) at the agreed time. The drive to Gangtok is about 125 km and four to five hours, following the Teesta river gorge and entering Sikkim at the Rangpo checkpost, where foreign nationals collect their Inner Line Permit.

Check in to the hotel in Gangtok by late afternoon. Take an evening walk along MG Marg, the traffic-free main street with its benches, flower beds and cafes. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Gangtok

Day 2 :

Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir

After an early breakfast, drive up the Jawaharlal Nehru road towards the Tibet border with the permit arranged the day before. Tsomgo (Changu) Lake, about 38 km and two hours away, lies in a bowl at roughly 12,300 ft and is fed by melting snow; yak rides and a small ropeway are available at the lake, and hot tea and momos at the stalls. Please walk slowly here, as the altitude is felt.

Continue to Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, a shrine built by the army for a soldier who died here in 1968 and is believed by many soldiers to still guard the border. On open days and with the additional permit, Indian citizens can continue to Nathula Pass (optional, extra cost). Return to Gangtok by late afternoon. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Gangtok

Day 3 :

Gangtok sightseeing, drive to Darjeeling

After breakfast, a short round of Gangtok's sights: Ganesh Tok and Tashi viewpoint for the Kanchenjunga panorama, the Do Drul Chorten stupa with its 108 prayer wheels, and the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (closed Sundays), which has a fine collection of thangkas and manuscripts.

Around noon, drive to Darjeeling, about 100 km and four hours, crossing the Teesta and climbing through tea gardens to the ridge at Ghoom. Check in to the hotel. Evening free at Chowrasta, the Mall at the top of town. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Darjeeling

Day 4 :

Tiger Hill sunrise and Darjeeling sightseeing

Leave at about 4 am for Tiger Hill, 11 km from town at 2,590 m, to watch the sunrise light up Kanchenjunga; on the clearest mornings Everest is visible to the far west. Return via Ghoom Monastery (Yiga Choeling), built in 1850 and housing a 15 ft statue of the Maitreya Buddha, and the Batasia Loop, where the toy train spirals around a garden with a memorial to Gorkha soldiers. Back to the hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast, visit the Japanese Peace Pagoda, the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (red pandas and snow leopards) with the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute inside it, the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre where carpets are woven by hand, and the Happy Valley tea estate for a look at the factory and a tasting. The optional toy train joy ride to Ghoom can be fitted in if booked ahead. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Darjeeling

Day 5 :

Darjeeling to Bagdogra or NJP

Breakfast and check-out. Drive down to Bagdogra airport or NJP station, about 70 km and three hours, with a stop at a roadside viewpoint over the plains if time allows. Drop at your departure point (airport, railway station or hotel). Please book flights or trains departing after 1 pm.

Night	Place	Hotel (or similar)	Room type
1	Gangtok	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
2	Gangtok	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
3	Darjeeling	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
4	Darjeeling	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand all

How do we reach Bagdogra from Dehradun or Delhi?

Fly from Delhi to Bagdogra, about two hours non-stop. By train, New Jalpaiguri (NJP) is around 20 hours from Delhi on the fastest services. Both are about four to five hours from Gangtok by road.

Is Aadhaar enough for the Tsomgo and Nathula permit?

No. Sikkim protected-area permits are issued against a voter ID, passport or driving licence, and Aadhaar is not accepted. Please carry one of these in original for every adult, with two passport photos. Children need a birth certificate or school ID and travel on a parent’s permit.

Can we definitely visit Nathula Pass?

Not definitely. Nathula is open to Indian citizens only, on a daily quota of permits, and is normally closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays; snow or army instructions can close it on other days without notice. We apply when you ask for it and tell you the night before whether the permit has come through.

Will we see Kanchenjunga?

In clear weather, yes, from Gangtok’s viewpoints and especially from Tiger Hill at dawn. October to December and March to April have the clearest skies. In the monsoon (June to September) the peaks are usually hidden.

Is this tour suitable for elderly parents?

Yes, with care on the Tsomgo day. The drives are four hours at most, hotels are central, and there is no trekking. At Tsomgo the altitude is the only concern; we keep the stop short, and anyone who feels unwell can rest in the vehicle while the others walk.

Can we ride the Darjeeling toy train?

Yes, as an optional extra. The two-hour joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghoom and back on the heritage railway is booked through IRCTC and sells out in season, so tell us at the time of booking and we will try to reserve seats.

Will vegetarian food be available?

Yes. Hotel breakfasts and dinners are vegetarian, and both towns have good vegetarian and North Indian restaurants, as well as vegetarian momos and thukpa. Tell us about Jain or other requirements in advance.

Is Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir included on this Gangtok Darjeeling package?

Yes. On Day 2 we drive up from Gangtok to Tsomgo (Changu) Lake, at about 12,300 ft, and on to Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir. The shrine is kept by serving Indian Army soldiers in memory of a soldier they still regard as a protector of the border. The Protected Area Permit for both is included for Indian citizens. Carry an original voter ID, passport or driving licence and two photos, because Aadhaar is not accepted. The road may close in heavy snow, mostly from December to February.

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Gangtok Darjeeling Tour Package

Highlights & Route

Route

Good to know before you book

Yatra Highlights

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Inclusions & Exclusions

Included

Not included

Hotels

Documents & Fitness

Documents to carry

Fitness and health

Cancellation Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

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