Darjelling, gangtok and outskirts

pj4320

Hello everyone,

Im pratik and im goona travel to Darjelling during may end with my family.
Can any one help me out in planning the following:
1.Durtaion of stay:7 days
2.Planning to visit darjelling, silliguri, kalimpong, gangtok, nepal border and any other interesting destinations pls suggest (any thing to be omiited is also considerable).
3. Ill be reacing NJP station on 27 may at around 7 pm. From there where should i head on first?
4. what will be the climate in may?

Thanks

vko

Hi Pratik, Welcome to Indiamike!

1 & 2. There are a lot of interesting threads on the topic which will help you plan an itinerary. Please do search the forums.
3. New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and Siliguri are practically the same. You can choose to go towards Sikkim or Darjeeling, depending on the itinerary. If you are traveling to Darjeeling first, then I strongly recommend taking the Toy train from NJP the next morning - it is very scenic. Its a long journey in train and advanced booking is must.
4. May end will be pleasant, with occasional rains.

sou.iit

7 days is fair enough. I can break up a small idea of a probable tour.

Day 1: Arrive at NJP. Take trekker to Gangtok. Reach at 4 pm approx (depends on the road). Evening visit MG Road mall and can do some shopping.

Day 2: Visit the local places, monasteries, other sites...I wont suggest you Yumthang now because the road is very bad and the car might get stuck. But still if you consider Yumthang, it is a 2 day package costing about Rs. 1200 per head(include food, lodging etc)

Day 3: Visit Tsangu lake and Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir. Local service is available and costs about Rs. 300 - 400 per head.

Day 4: Take land rover to Darjeeling (Rs. 150 per head approx.) You will reach at around 2 pm. The centre of Darjeeling is called Chawk Bajar. Take a car from there to a place called Sharma Garage (near Darjeeling Govt Colg). You will find a decent hotel over there. That place is about 15 minutes walkable distance from the Mall. So you can visit Mall in the evening.

Day 5: There is a probability that you may not be able to see the sunrise from Tiger Hill this time of the year. But here is the back up. As you go towards the Mall, you'll see a left turn, take it and you'll reach Back Mall. If you are a lucky boy, Kanchenjungha will be right in front of you. You dont have to waste money to go to Tiger Hill especially when you are not sure whether you will be able to see the sunrise from there. Just a few minutes walk from the Back Mall you will come across the Darjeeling Zoo and the Himalayan Mountaineering Insitute and Tenzing rock. All these you can do in one day and dont have to pay for 5 point and 7 point trips.

Day 6: Relax a bit. Just infront of Sharma garage is a wonderful tea garden. Enjoy the beauty of that and also you can visit Chawk Bajar to do some marketting. Oh...the cab fare is hardly Rs. 10 per head.

Day 7: Either you can take the toy train to come to Siliguri. I would not suggest that in a rainy weather. Though I know thats a heritage thing. Or else you can take a land rover from Chawk Bajar (fare Rs. 120 max to Siliguri, u can bargain). As you reach Siliguri Tenzinf Norgay bus stand, take one of those huge autos u'll see to come to NJP. It takes about 15 minutes and fare is roughly Rs. 10 max.

So this is my suggestion. If you want you can try something of your own also.

All the best.

Dibyendu Ghosh

May I make a plan to visit Gangtok form 1st to 7th June 2009

shaleen

good information. i am also planning in june

sou.iit

If you have a 7 day plan to gangtok, then you can consider going to Yumthang, Gurudongmar Lake, Tsangu and Nathula.

Gurudongmar Lake is a 3 day 2 night trip and Yumthang is 2 day/1 night trip. Tsangu and Nathula fall on the same route so they will take 1/2 a day.

The rest you can consider the local places, the monasteries and other local sites. You will get the details from the tourism dept office which is located in M G Road mall.

All the best