Gangtok, Darjeeling tour

jjdosha

Hi there,
I am planning to visit Gangtok, Darjeeling and other places in Sikkim (I am not finalised other places in Sikkim yet) with my wife and 3 year old Kid in May 2007.
My plans for this trip is 6 days. Can anybody sujjest must-see places in Sikkim. Is there any place in Sikkim where I can find snow.
Any lights on places, good places to stay and local transport will be of great help.

Thanks in advance.

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D Raj

Sradha Sharma

Hi there,
If you plan to spend 6 days in Darjeeling and Sikkim combined then maybe you should not make it too hectic especially considering you are traveling with a 3 year old kid.

I would suggest to visit the following places in and around Gangtok
Rumtek Monastery (abt 2 hrs from Gtk), Hanuman Tok, Ganesh Tok, Bulbulae Zoo, Tashi View Point, Enchey Monastery and Tsomgo Lake. If you want to get away from Gangtok you could visit Rabangla it’s about 3 hrs from Gtk, if you stay here for the night you can catch a beautiful view of Kanchenzonga range early in the morning and also visit Tashiding Monastery. North Sikkim is also a beautiful place, if you think u can manage it with time.

I doubt you’ll find snow in May.

I hope it’s helpful.

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Nature Bug
http://naturexperience.blogspot.com/

Radjesh

Yes 6 days isnt enough to see Sikkim, 2 days in Darjeeling, 2 in Gangtok and 2 in Pelling should be fine adding 1 more day for travelling inbetween these places

tacita

hi jjdosha. welcome to indiamike!

can you give us some idea of your desired budget range for sikkim ground transport and hotels? how is your three-year-old with car travel? how will you be arriving in sikkim and from where? with a bit more information, perhaps we can narrow the field of suggestions for you.

for me, the mountain views in sikkim were a star attraction, especially delightful as viewed from pelling at dawn. tashiding monastery is also a must-see.

given the seemingly daily increasing number of people on IM planning sikkim visits, i'm feeling ever more guilty for not yet posting my trip report for my visit there of a few weeks ago. but do continue to explore here. there are a lot of threads that can get you started and, hopefully, my and other trip reports will appear soon and prove helpful as well.

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

SteamBuff

Hiya jjdosha,

I agree with Janice, we do really need to know a bit more of what you like and don't like doing, and also by what route do you intend to arrive and leave.

I have recently got back from spending two weeks in the Darjeeling/Siliguri area. (Yes I was there when it snowed)

I did not go to Sikkim, but the views from my hotel (Cedar Inn) above Darjeeling were out of this world. You must not miss going on the Joy Train trip from Darjeeling to Ghum and back, super views. I am sure your child will enjoy it. (But try and book it the day before ... the train leaves at 10am and usually gets back just after 12 noon)

Now Janice is making me feel guilty about not posting my trip report ... I think mine is one of the others that she is refering to.

If you look at http://davepriestley.fotopic.net you can look at a few of my pictures (Double click to enlarge then next/previous)

jjdosha

Hi All,
Thank a lot for your suggestions. My plans is to start from NewjalpaiGuri and end there. Since I am travelling with small Kid, I don't want to travel without any reservations and concreate plans in high season.
My budget is about rupees 35,000.

I checked with a travel agent. He suggested following places and hotels.
Hotel Vice Roy - Darjeeling
Hotel Silver Oaks - Kalimpong
New Regency - Lower Pelling
Orange Village Resort - Gangtok

Any opinion about these hotels.

Thank you very much.

tacita

steam, you can't feel any guiltier than i do! but things will calm down at work in a few days and i really am itchin' to get pix and a report up. maybe we should both give ourselves a break. i'm sure the IM community isn't nearly as hard on us as we are on ourselves -- and maybe each other! after all, most folks here are busily planning their OWN escapes!

SteamBuff

Janice,

You are right of course, but my work is going to get very busy in a week or so's time, start of the new tax year, new budgets etc.

Dave

tacita

actually, jjdosha, if you need information, you are best advised to solicit it here, where disinterested fellow travelers can share with you the benefit of their collective experience. if you DO decide to enlist the assistance of a tour company, choose carefully, shop around and ask for referrals. because you are traveling with a child, you will likely not wish to wait too long to secure hotel reservations. however, there is no need to finalize your arrangements in haste.

tacita

jjdosha, i'm not familiar with these places - but that doesn't mean anything! you might wish to start with a lonely planet or other travel guide to get some idea about prices and amenities. you may even find these places listed and reviewed.

now that we have your budget information - which seems ample for 6 days - what about the other questions we raised? i.e., how is your three-year-old with car travel? how will you be arriving in the darjeeling/sikkim area and from where? how much, if any, of your Rs 35,000 budget will be spent getting TO that part of india?

whatiyam

i would also suggest the ropeway, and Chorten Gompa on the top of the hill. as well as the institute for Nyingma Studies at foot of Chorten Gompa. it has a museum. the store at the chorten gompa is open in the mornings except weekends. you can get amulets to ward off bandits, health, etc.

here is link to some that are sold in america, but in sikkim they are RS80 to Rs130.

http://mahasiddha.org/store/Amulets.html

vandana7561

Hi

Just got to know about of Indiamike.com. You guys are friends in true sense..as I was reading few threads and they were very helpful.

We are planning for a short trip to Sikkim+Darjeeling in the month of June. We leave Delhi on April 27 and return on April 30.We booked ourselves thru Airdeccan...
Can someone suggest us a good travel plan...
Thanks in advance.
Vandana

alok_verma27

Reach Gangtok on 27th acclamatise urself ... go to the market and enjoy momos

on 28th u can go to Chongo Lake and nathula pass

on 29th u can visit pelling or Rumtek Monastry

on 30th u may return Back for ur flight

manish_dave

Hi guys !
This forum is fantastic and the good work that you are doing is admirable.
Well !! I thought I'm doing quite a bit of homework before my trip to Sikkim. But after reading through most of the posts, I'm more confused as to which all places I should include/exclude. Lucky I've not done anything except booking my tickets. I had thought of Bagdogra-Darjeeling-Kalimpong-Gangtok-Yumthang-Pelling-Bagdogra. But after reading Sradha's posts I think I'll have to change the so-called itenary which I had in mind.To cut it short I need suggestions to fill in 9th May 3 pm (Bagdogra) to 17th May 11 am (Bagdogra). The most difficult part is to decide the overnight stays. [/i][/i]

vandana7561

Hi Alok,

Thanks for your suggestions...
Just correct me if I am wrong.. the places you are suggesting are in/around Gangtok. I wanted to go to Darjeeling too... do you think can we make there in such short span..please suggest.

Thanks again
Vandana