Darjeeling, Gangtok: 1st week Nov., couple & 9-year-old.

Dineshh

Hi everyone! I am new to this site and it's great.

While searching on the net, I found this site and the discussion and information are very good. I am planning to visit Darjeeling and places around Gangtok in Nov. first week with my wife and 9 year old son. I am looking to spend 7 or 8 days in these places. I have gone thru all earlier posts, but still not very much convinced about places to visit and stay.

Can someone suggest about budget hotels or tour operators?

My special appreciation to Somanath for some of his good, informative posts!

Thanks in advance.

paladin

I don't know that anything I can say can be relied upon, because I've not yet been to Darjeeling and Sikkim myself(!); but I'm going about the same time you are, and I have been working with a company called Potala Tours, managed by a very helpful woman named Mrs. Choden. They do lots of treks and tours that (it seems to me) are very reasonably priced; and they can be flexible as to schedules. They are picking up my wife and me from the Bhutan border, and we'll be 15 days in their company. Anyway . . . worth a look at their website? (You can Google it, of course). And the email for Mrs. Choden is: ogenyi52@yahoo.com

tacita

first, welcome to indiamike! this site was absolutely my best source of information for my first trip to india.

i visited both sikkim and DJ alone in february and had a wonderful time. the scenery, monasteries and people made for a singular travel experience.

i'm not sure exactly what you're looking for in the way of sights and accommodations. perhaps you'll get more specific recommendations if you give us an idea of what your budget is and how long you wish to stay i each area.

i planned my trip and selected my destinations using several guidebooks and then fine-tuned my itinerary here. i found west sikkim to be the most beautiful, but i also very much enjoyed my stay in gangtok and visiting sights in and around the city.

virtually all the many taxis that you'll find at the gangtok taxi stands can take you on a three-, five-, or seven-point tour, based on your interests. it's an inexpensive and efficient way to cover a lot of ground locally.

i stayed at the tibet hotel and liked it very much. the "snow lion", it's restaurant, is reputed to be the best in gangtok and i personally thought the food was terrific. i made my onward arrangements through "potala treks and tours", hiring a private jeep and driver to take me from gangtok to pelling, yuksom and, finally, darjeeling. they were very professional. i'd have to dig out my notes to check prices.

i loved DJ, especially the carnivalesque hindu/buddhist temple and the tibetan self-help refugee center. i from DJ, i took the "toy train" to siliguri, where i got another train to kolkata, however, you can take a short "joy ride" on the train during the day in DJ.

no matter what your final itinerary looks like, you'll have a great time in gangtok and DJ. best of luck with your travel plans.

__________________
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller

tacita

this is also the woman with whom i dealt, both from here in the US and when i reached gangtok. same email addy.

Dineshh

Thanks for good inputs.

Anybody can help in finding winter cloths i mean whether winter gears available for hire at DJ and Gangtok?