Needed help on Sikkim visit in first week of May

DeepPavi

hi,
i wanted to know if going to sikkim without any pre booking is advisable.how to proceed for hotel bookings and whom to approach for 3 days 2 night north sikkim trip?

amitmishr

Hi Deep,

During April-May i have been adviced to make pre-bookings by a few people as it is a tourist season and you may find hotels already booked. hence, i would rather incur 10% higher costs than getting stranded there and then trying to adjust in a shabby place. Though, have no first hand experience of the same. Specially LAchen and lachung has not got good hotels. So it would be better to book places there beforehand.
You can contact norling tours as well as Prabir sen. numbers mentioned on the post. Both are good. Though, i have got better price quotes from Mr.Sen.

amitmishr

Rajesh,

Our plans are finalized. We are two couples, and are reaching Bagdogra via delhi on 30th morning. Will go to gangtok same day and then from gangtok we are going to nathula and Cahngu on 1st and north sikkim on 2-4.
We are returning back on 5th.

P Rajesh

Amit, in fact, we also have absolutely similar plans. Reaching Gangtok on 29th, plan to go to Tsomgo-Nathu La on 1st May; North Sikkim between 2nd and 4th. How have you done your Nathu La booking? And your North Sikkim? Have you hired a cab all to yourselves (and the other couple)? How much is that costing you? We found the exclusive cab thing quite expensive and were hoping to find others with whom we could group up. Hence this query. Please advise. Thanks.

psychotropic

I'd like to echo DeepPavi's query. Is it wise to head to Sikkim unplanned? Somehow the idea of planning and pre-booking is not very attractive, and i'd like to just land up and play it by ear....but i know there are some places (and times) where you'll just not get any places to stay or means to get around, if you don't make bookings.....so is Sikkim at least barely manageable for an entirely unplanned trip? This would be in the first two weeks of May.

amitmishr

Deep,
Well you could save some money if you go unbooked and book there. However, if Gangtok is indeed crowded at that time, you could end up at a worse off place at similar prices. WEll, if you are going with friends, you could go unbooked, but with family (wife/kids), it would be advisable to prebook the trip, or atleast the stay for the first couple of days.
Meanwhile, somebody who has been there and done that may provide a better idea.

amitmishr

Rajesh,

Have already done the bookings for the trip with Prabir as was suggested on the forum. Paying arnd 32-33k for the complete trip.

jyotirmoy

Amit can you please give the break up?

amitmishr

He has given a complete package for the trip and not the break-up. the trip itinerary is:
30th april: Pick up from bagdogra to Gangtok. Overnight at Gangtok
1st May: Trip to nathula and Tsomgo lake /baba mandir on exclusive basis with required permits. Overnight at Gangtok
2nd May: Gangtok-Lachung with sight seeing on the way. Night at Lachung
3rd May: Yumthang valley, overnight at Lachen
4th may: Visit Gurudongmar, back to gangtok. overnight at Gangtok.
5th MAy: From Gangtok-Bagdogra.

Hotel Fortuna in Lachung and Lachen. Both the north sikkim and the nathula trips are on exlusive basis.

Hotel Himalayan heights, Delamere, Sidlonresidency or similar in Gangtok.

The price is for two couples.

Hope the pricing is reasonable. also, any views you have about the hotels in gangtok/Lachen and Lachung

jyotirmoy

Quite reasonable I think.

DeepPavi

Hi,
I have similar plans for North Sikkim trip on exclusive basis.
Reaching Gangtok on 1st may afternoon.
2nd May: Gangtok-Lachung with sight seeing on the way. Night at Lachung
3rd May: Yumthang valley, overnight at Lachen
4th may: Visit Gurudongmar, back to gangtok. overnight at Gangtok.
5th MAy: From Gangtok-NJP.

I have two questions. What all can I plan for local sightseeing in Gangtok on 1st May and 5th may.

I have planned Rumtek Monastery and others on 1st May 2nd half and on 5th May plan to visit Tsomgo Lake and Hanuman Tok. I need to leave Gangtok by 2 PM that day as my train is on 7PM from NJP. Can anything else I add in local sightseeing list.Is the plan on 5th May feasible?

amitmishr

Hey Deep,
From whatever i have gathered, you could possibly switch your plans on 1st and 5th, and can cover tsomgo on 1st, and local sightseeing on 5th. Also, even if you get delayed on 5th due to any unforeseen problems, you could still skip part of the program and head to NJP. Am not exactly sure how far is tsomgo from ggtk, but must take around 3hours, so if you do it on 5th, you might have to leave very early on 5th. institute of tibetology may be added as it is supposedly pretty good. they have 3 point 5 point and 7 point tours being sold for ggtk, which you may enquire once you are there

DeepPavi

I will be reaching Gangtok on 1st May aroun 12 PM. Will Tsomgo be feasible that day?
If yes, I will take your opinion and do that. And plan for 7 point sight seeing on 5th May. I plan to start early that day and see Rumtek,Institute of tibetology etc before 1 PM.
How many hours does a 7 point journey take?

amitmishr

Frankly have no clue as to how much time would be required for Tsomgo visit. It is 35km from ggtk, so must take around 2-2.5hrs one way, but you must enquire either from D. Bhutia from Norling travels or from the forum.
Regarding, 7pt tour am not sure about the timings. but you could discuss the issues of timings with your driver and he can guide you which tour you should take around gangtok.

tacita

i suggest you contact a local tour operator to inquire about this. it may be less a question of what's possible time wise and what's available. it may well be that no tour operator will leave that late.

no, you cannot do all this in one day if you plan to begin a 7-point tour only at 1. remember, you aren't just driving to all these places--you presumably also want to spend time there actually seeing the sights. moreover, some sights close at 4. the tibetology museum alone is worth at least an hour, not to mention seeing the adjacent stupa, turning 108 prayer wheels, and generally appreciating what is at each stop. it's not just a "drive." if you start early, you can do it in a day. if you have only an afternoon, pick the few sights that interest you the most and then discuss with your taxi driver the best order and timing. he may have alternate suggestions from how to squeeze the most out of the day. remember, too, that the distances appear short, but can take a long time, what with traffic and steep, winding roads.

i used potala treks and tours, having communicated with them by email before my departure from the US, but i have no basis for comparison with other operators. for a 3-, 5-, or 7-point tour, you don't need to involve a tour company (although i did for simplicity) just the taxi driver--there will be dozens at the taxi stands. talk to a few.

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