Darjeeling - Sikkim - Kolkata, 2 weeks in April

apurva_m

Hello Everyone,

I am planning to make a trip to Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Kolkatta for about 2 weeks in the beginning of April. I will be traveling with another guy, and both of us are in our mid-twenties.

After doing my research on this most fantastic website (and the internet in general), I have come up with the following tentative itinerary for our trip:


* Take a train from Mumbai to New Jalpaiguri (NJP)
* Take the DHR Train to Darjeeling (or find some other way to Darjeeling, possibly stopping of at the places below en-route)
* Around Darjeeling : Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik (looking for ideas)
* To Gangtok
* Around Gangtok : Yumthang, Nathula, Tsomgo, Yuksom ...
* Get from Gangtok to NJP
* Take a train from NJP to Kolkatta.
* A couple of days in Kolkatta
* Flight back to Mumbai

We are in perhaps a medium-range budget, ie. we are willing to spend around Rs. 800 a day to cover our accommodation, food, and internal travel (traveling around NJP/Darjeeling, between Darjeeling and Gangtok (and back), and in Sikkim).

I just wanted to get feedback on whether this is a workable idea. If you have any suggestions for things we can do or places we can see within this framework, please let me know.

Also, I don't plan to book hotel rooms in advance anywhere because I don't like being the constraints such bookings impose. Is that advisable?

I hope I have provided enough information to allow the pundits to give good feedback! :-)

Regards,
Apurva

aral

hey apurva..

i'm going to kolkata later this month and was hoping to make a trip to darjeeling (4 days) with a friend.. if u did make it to darjeeling, kalimpong etc. in april can u feed me onto the cheapest, fastest, best route? (i'm quite broke n short of time!)

for now i'm planning to take a train to new jalpaiguri and go by road to darjeeling from there.. i was hoping to go to teesta and kalimpong too.. do u think i can do it in this short time? also is the toy train a gd option on my way bak?!

any information would help!!! thanks a ton.............

regards,
lara

apurva_m

Hi Lara, Unfortunately I did not make it to Darjeeling at all. However, I did go to the North-East, but our first choice was to go to Sikkim. We loved Sikkim so much that we spent all our scheduled 10 days over there!

We took a train to New Jalpaiguri and then took a taxi to Gangtok from there. Our drive was 5 hours, but I am told Darjeeling is only 3.5 hrs from NJP. We payed 150 per person for a shared taxi, and you should expect to pay the same to Darjeeling.

Is your 4 days in Darjeeling including the train journey from Mumbai? If so, then you will have only 2 days in Darjeeling itself, which I don't think is enough time. Otherwise I think 4 entire days is enough to relax into the area, since places like Kalimpong, Mirik, etc, are really really close to Darjeeling.

I would not recommend the Toy train if you are short on time because from the schedules I looked at, it takes nearly 8-9 hours to go from Darjeeling to NJP! Ofcourse, the scenery is supposed to be spectacular, so if you want to include it as part of your sightseeing, then it might make sense.

I hope I helped!
Enjoy!
Apurva

aral

thanks apurva.. i've never been beyond kolkata so i was looking to any place close by since i happen to be in kolkata end may.. i'm planning to leave on the 26th morning from kolkata to njp, which i should reach post 6 pm the same day.. following that i have the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th to explore.. 31st i need to be bak in kolkata to take the evening or latest 1st early morning flight to mumbai.. i'm in the process of booking the tickets..

the problem is i can't seem to find a way bak from npj to kolkata by train.. i might have to get to kolkata by air from bagdogra (there is a 2 40 flight) but i'd rather avoid the expense!!!!! i was wondering if i could travel without reservation or is it not advisable? otherwise is there a road option n how long would it take approx?

i want to do another place with darjeeling.. i was thinking kalimpong and teesta! how was your experience at gangtok? any recommendations would be great as i'm quite blank other than a few internet reports i've read here and there..

i definitely want to take the toy train on my way back or if i'm moving out of darjeeling in between itself i'll definitely take the joyride.. i've heard so much about it i wouldn't miss it for the world..!

looking fwd to ur reply.. thanks and regards,
lara

apurva_m

Hi Lara. I took a train from NJP to Kolkata called the Darjeeling Mail. When I was booking, I saw several trains available. Have you looked at irctc.co.in ? It is not a long journey from NJP to Kolkata, and if you are traveling in the , then a RAC (Reserved against cancellation) ticket should be ok. I have heard that there are busses from NJP to Kolkata, and that they take around 15 hours or so. But I don't know anything concrete.

Gangtok and all of Sikkim was totally fantastic. As I said, we liked it so much we decided to skip our planned trip to the Darjeeling area! But one generally spends a lot of time on the road between places in Sikkim, and if you only have 4 days and you want to go Darjeeling, I would not recommend it.

Enjoy!
Apurva

aral

hey apurva..

i'm planning to take the 6 45 am kachanjanga ex on the 26th.. there are 51 left n i hope to book one first thing tomm lol.. once i get to NJP, which is scheduled at 6 20 pm, i have three options on the availability of transport - one is to go to darjeeling straight off or to kalimpong.. or the third one is to go to gangtok..

if i manage gangtok (i'm really keen on spending a day at tsomgo lake!!) i can go to darjeeling in two days (28th) and then leave on the 31st for njp and then to kolkata.. im still trying to figure a way from njp to kolkata but worse come to worse i plan to take the flight from bagdogra that i mentioned earlier.. the road journey is kinda bad n best avoided but if i get a volvo in the evening that can get me to kolkata assuredly next morning i might go for it.. i'm leaving it to then!

thats the plan for now..! however if i have no means to make it to gangtok on the 26th itself im gonna go straight to darjeeling n stick around there! in darjeeling i have a few requisites - tiger hills, joy ride and mirik! lol.. i'll see if all this is possible and then accordingly cut short the plans!

is there any place u'd recommend over these? lemme kno.. otherwise i'm set.. let me kno i'm going wrong or wat i should be prepared for, in case!!!

thanks a ton! cheers.........lara