North Sikkim in mid February for Honeymoon

abhinav81

Hi All !!

Planning a 7-8 days trip to Sikkim in mid february for my honeymoon.

I want some details for North Sikkim tour for 3-4 days.
Main points to consider will be:
> We want to be travelling alone, so we want a private taxi.
> We will start from Gangtok in a taxi
> We want to cover Lachen, Gurudomgar Lake, Lachun & Yumthang.
> Will the above mentioned places be accesible in February??
> Will the temperature be too cold in February??
> What will be the approximate cost for the tour??
> Our budget for the 4 day North Sikkim tour is between 14000-16000.

Rest of the days in Sikkim, I will go to Pelling and nearby places. If possible give me a 2 days travel plan for Pelling too.

Would it be possible to go up to Changu lake and Nathula pass. ??

Hope you all will revert back soon.

Thanks
Abhinav

cutiepie

I dont think that going to North sikkim can be done in a private cab.Jeeps or big cabs go with 10 people. i have been there a number of times but never seen small cabs going there.

arunchs

Not really. You can have your own jeep. Shared cabs are popular simply because they are inexpensive. If you can pay for the whole cab, you can hire it all for yourself.

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piran_e

Below are my answers to your questions

> We want to be travelling alone, so we want a private taxi.
It is possible to have your own taxi. Would be best to book your trip through a travel agent. So let hime know that you will be only two of you'll and he will make arrangements accordingly.

> We will start from Gangtok in a taxi
That is not a problem

> We want to cover Lachen, Gurudomgar Lake, Lachun & Yumthang.
Will the above mentioned places be accesible in February??
Yes all the places will be accessible since the road is maintained by the army and they have their bases all the way beyong Gurudongmar.

> Will the temperature be too cold in February??
It will be quite cold, the entire landscape would be snow clad. The days would be sunny but the tempreature would be around 2 to 3 degrees and in the nights it would plument to around -8 degrees. You will need to carry a good deal of warm clothes.

> Our budget for the 4 day North Sikkim tour is between 14000-16000.
You are going in off season so your budget seems pretty fine. Actually it is a very nice time to visit Lachen Lachung as February is the festive season for them and entire families are at home together. Losar their new year would fall around 9th Feb, so everybody would be in very high spirits.

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abhinav81

Thanks piran for the information and advice...

I would also like the forum members to help me out by providing the necessary contact details of some reliable travel agents who can arrange for the North Sikkim trip.

jyotirmoy

Don't pre-book your tour. There are many operators in Gangtok. Check their offers, compare and bargain after reaching Gangtok. Check out the accomodation offered by them and the condition of the vehicle.
Yes it will be quite cold but it will be bright & sunny during the day.

abhinav81

Thanks for the suggestion Jyotirmoy, but my only concern is that can all this be arranged and fixed in 1-2 days time after reaching Gangtok. Is there any place in Gangtok where I can find all the taxi drivers?? Should I talk to the drivers directly ?? or talk to some travel agent??

jyotirmoy

Yes you can arrange your trip easily in a day or two. You will find hordes of tour opearators in Gangtok. Do not talk to the drivers. Accomodation in Lachen & Lachung is limited so do check the hotel and the facilities offered. Before you finalise check all the details like places you would visit and duration.

abhinav81

Hey all... I know that February is still a good 4 and a half months to go... but i am getting anxious... anyways, I am posting my tentative itinerary which, I swear has been prepared by going through most of the available article and post available on internet and ofcourse IndiaMike... afterall its about my Honeymoon!!

15th Feb- Departure from Varanasi

16th Feb- Arrival at NJP around 10:00 a.m, Transfer to Gangtok in a private taxi (1500 Rs.).
Will search for a good hotel (i am not pre-booking anything) Options: Hidden Forest Retreat, Hotel Oriental, Hotel Tibet, Hotel Golden Pagoda (2000 Rs. per day)
Will try to book a taxi to Changu & Nathula for 18th Feb (2000 Rs.)
Also book a private taxi for 3D/2N North Sikkim trip, starting 19th Feb. Exclusive vehicle @ 3000 Rs. daily, including petrol (Is this amount less or more ??)

17th Feb- Gangtok city sightseeing

18th Feb- Changu lake & Nathula pass

19th Feb- Leave for Lachen in the morning at 8:00 a.m. via Kabi Longstok, Singhik and Chumthang. Arrive in Lachen by 4:00 p.m.
Will search for hotel (again i am not pre-booking), Suggestions for hotel in Lachen ??(1000-1500 Rs.). Overnight at Lachen.

20th Feb- Leave for Gurudomgar Lake in morning. Arrive in Lachung by 2:00 p.m. Again Search for a hotel, Suggestions for hotel in Lachung ?? (1000-1500 Rs.). Overnight at Lachung.

21st Feb- Start in the morning. Places to visit: Katao, Yumthang, Yumesamdong, Thangu & Chopta valley. Return to Gangtok the same day.
Reach Gangtok latest by 6:00 p.m. Overnight at Gangtok

22nd Feb- Leave for Pelling in a private taxi (1500 Rs.) Reach Pelling by 2:00 p.m. Search for hotel in Pelling (2000 Rs.) Options: Norbu Ghang, Chiminda International. Again suggestions for a comfortable hotel is welcome ??

23rd Feb- Khechoparali Lake, Yuksom and nearby sightseeing

24th Feb- Relax and take short walks around Pelling

25th Feb- Leave for NJP in the morning, to catch the 5:00 p.m train to Varanasi

26th Feb- Reach home !!!

Some information which I still need -
> The hotels which I have chosen, will be having good heating arrangements??
> 3000 Rs per day for a taxi, including the fuel, is less or more??
> I have quoted the price in most of the cases, these are the price range which is maximum that I can spend.... you all can guide me, whether I have planned more or less.
> Where do I need to make more provisions- Budget wise ?? or is the budget O.K ??
> Should I expect some hefty off-season discounts??
> What else do I need to plan??

Thanks for a patient reading.... and thanks in anticipation for your valuable feedbacks and suggestions.

Abhinav.

cutiepie

For gangtok hotels, I would suggest dont go for Tibet hotel. Go for either Hidden Forest Retreat or Oriental.
In Lachung there are very few delux hotels.you can try Sonam palgey hotel. It would be like Rs.2000 inclusive of meals.
Other hotels are Snow Lion,Le Coxy. In Lachung n LAchen,hotels are mostly available on a package basis.In Pelling go for Chiminda Hotel,it is very good,within ur budget.Norbu gang wud be slightly over ur budget.You could also try Hotel Norling or Hotel Simvo..excellent view and not very expensive.

atanu

abhinav81,
I was in Sikkim on 22-28 th Jan 2008.
Our tour included few places like Gangtok, Tsomogo lake, Lachung , Yumthang(failed to reach yumthang valley for a thick layer of snow), Katao(again failed to reach due to excessive snow),Peling.
Temperature will be very cold.In Lachung you will experience Below zero in the night..it will be around -5 to -10.
You will be able to go to Tsomogo Lake.
You can book a Mahindra Max or Sumo...
Katao-- road is very stiff.. dangerous also in this time of year..because of snow.. often car slides from the road...

So,please omit Katao from your itinerary..it's an advice..
You can go to Peling and stay there.. it will be worth of every penny.. and will be beautiful and romantic for your sweet honeymoon...

Wish you best of luck for your married life...

Look at this...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/de_atan...7603838956704/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/de_atan...7603838956704/

Fan of India

Negotiting with the tour operators whilst in Gangtok is a much better option. You shall be able to get better rates / deals by that method. Do not worry about availability - you'll have lots of open options - since february is an off season.

abhinav81

Hi Atanu... Thanx for all the suggestions and advice... You can be of great help to me as you visited the same places this year and around the same time, which i am planning to visit in Feb 2009...

First of all my major concern is regarding the stay in Lachen and Lachung... Will stay in these places be comfortable ?? Will the rooms be having proper heating arrangements?? It shouldnt be the case that we keep shivering all night...

I will definitely omit Katao from the schedule...

I would be bugging you a bit, every now and then, as I want this trip to be perfect... and you can be of great help by providing some firsthand info as you have been to those places around the same time...

Hope you will help me out...

One thing more... your pics at Flickr are amazing.. awesome.. mindblowing... great stuff..

Abhinav.

abhinav81

Thanks for the suggestion "Fan of India"... I'll definitely deal with the tour operators once I reach Gangtok...

Abhinav

atanu

ohh..sure.. No problem..
First of all whether Lachung and Lachen will be comfortable or not will depend on you.. You can get heating arrangement if you pay some extra money.. otherwise you can also get it free of cost if you stay in a good hotel... In your case I think Dabla Inn will be very good and they will provide room heater.....
If you want to enjoy snow then you should go to Lachung-Yumthang... otherwise you can go to Lava-Loleygaon & Peling...It will be calm and peaceful.. just ideal for your honeymoon..
Just a piece of advice..
on Feb 19th you can do a 2D/1N or 3D/2N package to Lachung -Yumthang.... and after that just stay remaining days in Peling and Lava-Loleygaon..There are plenty to see in Peling..