Darjeeling & West Sikkim in 5 days, then Rajasthan

cat27 · Aug 24th, 2009, 06:59

Hello all,

I am travelling to kolkata in December with my partner and then heading to Bagdogra where we will meet my parents and sister before heading to Darjeeling and Sikkim. As we have a limited time frame before flying to delhi I would love recommendations on the following itinerary especially darjeeling-Sikkim. We are low to med-budget travellers, i.e parents can afford to fly, etc but we will be training and taking cheaper options.

20th December-Arrive in kolkatta about lunchtime.(This is the only booked flight-other dates can change slightly)

21st Dec-Explore Kolkatta before taking overnight train to Bagdogra.

22nd Dec-Meet others and take Share Jeep from Bagdogra to Darjeeling, stay overnight.

23rd Dec-check out Darjeeling, get afternoon share jeep to pelling.

24th-26th-Explore pelling, maybe daytrip to yuksom

27th-travel back to Bagdogra

28th-fly to delhi.

29th-6th Jan-Train through Rajasthan

My main concerns are the limited time frame and travel times.
My sister who is in india recommended Sikkim as the less touristy option but parents would like a night in Darjeeling. I am keen to explore pelling and yuksom and stay away from the Gangtok as we are more interested in finding a relaxed spot. We want to see the beautfiul scenery, meet the people, go to markets, eat( im a chef and love trying new food), visit the lakes, national parks and maybe do a half day or less trek. I have noticed most itineraries go darjeeling-gangtok-pelling, is there a reason for this in terms of the roads or just the way most people go? So yeah any info would be great especially the travel times between these places as I have found distances but know roads may be windy or difficult and take a lot longer than expected.

Thanks a lot for any advice you can give.

vko · Aug 24th, 2009, 14:35

Welcome to IndiaMike!

You can go directly from Darjeeling/Kalimpong to Pelling. No reason to go to Gangtok if you don't want to.

Brisso · Aug 25th, 2009, 05:35

Don't like your chances on the food front - Sikkim food is both bland and limited in variety. People are very poor on the whole. Hope you like noodles.

vineetsaini19 · Sep 11th, 2009, 17:36

Vikas is very right. You can go directly to Pelling from Darjeeling.

In Darjeeling, you get all type of Food and that too with best price and taste.

Sikkim also offers you a good choice in Food mainly Chinese or Tibetian.

Dont worry on food. Enjoy your trip.

I would advise you to plan Kalimpong or some other destination in between on 26th while coming Back from Pelling to Bagdogra airport on 27th as per your itinerary. As per my experience it becomes very difficult to travel so much and reach the airport on time the same day.

Do take care of your Flight Timings on 27th coz we faced problem, so advising you so that you donot suffer.

Good Luck

Aug 24th, 2009, 06:59	#1
cat27 Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: New Zealand Posts: 2	Darjeeling & West Sikkim in 5 days, then Rajasthan Hello all, I am travelling to kolkata in December with my partner and then heading to Bagdogra where we will meet my parents and sister before heading to Darjeeling and Sikkim. As we have a limited time frame before flying to delhi I would love recommendations on the following itinerary especially darjeeling-Sikkim. We are low to med-budget travellers, i.e parents can afford to fly, etc but we will be training and taking cheaper options. 20th December-Arrive in kolkatta about lunchtime.(This is the only booked flight-other dates can change slightly) 21st Dec-Explore Kolkatta before taking overnight train to Bagdogra. 22nd Dec-Meet others and take Share Jeep from Bagdogra to Darjeeling, stay overnight. 23rd Dec-check out Darjeeling, get afternoon share jeep to pelling. 24th-26th-Explore pelling, maybe daytrip to yuksom 27th-travel back to Bagdogra 28th-fly to delhi. 29th-6th Jan-Train through Rajasthan My main concerns are the limited time frame and travel times. My sister who is in india recommended Sikkim as the less touristy option but parents would like a night in Darjeeling. I am keen to explore pelling and yuksom and stay away from the Gangtok as we are more interested in finding a relaxed spot. We want to see the beautfiul scenery, meet the people, go to markets, eat( im a chef and love trying new food), visit the lakes, national parks and maybe do a half day or less trek. I have noticed most itineraries go darjeeling-gangtok-pelling, is there a reason for this in terms of the roads or just the way most people go? So yeah any info would be great especially the travel times between these places as I have found distances but know roads may be windy or difficult and take a lot longer than expected. Thanks a lot for any advice you can give.

Aug 24th, 2009, 14:35	#2
vko Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hyderabad-Secunderabad Posts: 474	Welcome to IndiaMike! You can go directly from Darjeeling/Kalimpong to Pelling. No reason to go to Gangtok if you don't want to. __________________ -Vikas

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Aug 25th, 2009, 05:35	#3
Brisso Specialist muddler Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 1,084	Don't like your chances on the food front - Sikkim food is both bland and limited in variety. People are very poor on the whole. Hope you like noodles.

Sep 11th, 2009, 17:36	#4
vineetsaini19 Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 49	Vikas is very right. You can go directly to Pelling from Darjeeling. In Darjeeling, you get all type of Food and that too with best price and taste. Sikkim also offers you a good choice in Food mainly Chinese or Tibetian. Dont worry on food. Enjoy your trip. I would advise you to plan Kalimpong or some other destination in between on 26th while coming Back from Pelling to Bagdogra airport on 27th as per your itinerary. As per my experience it becomes very difficult to travel so much and reach the airport on time the same day. Do take care of your Flight Timings on 27th coz we faced problem, so advising you so that you donot suffer. Good Luck