north sikkim or south and west sikkim?

I will arrive in NJP station from Varanasi the morning of 11/5. I will have 7 days including that day for Sikkim/Darjeeling. I would like to spend a few days in Darjeeling and then go either to Pelling, Yuksom, Rinchenpong, Ravangla OR to North Sikkim doing Gangtok with a tour up to Yumthang Valley and Lathung, Lachen. I am interested in beautiful scenery. What do you suggest? Should I go for N. Sikkim or should I go for W. or S. Sikkim? And, how long does it take to go from NJP or Siliguri to Gangtok or to Darjeeling? Should I go to Darjeeling first or after my Sikkim tour? Also, how much time would you allot for Darjeeling and for Sikkim? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

North Sikkim is very green and it has stayed in my eyes. But then Sikkim as a whole is beautiful too.

We did Pelling, Gangtok and Yumthang in 7 days but it was rushed.

Janine Check the last thread at the bottom of this page

Thanks for your replies. Does anyone else have an opinion who has been to both West and North Sikkim? I was leaning towards N. Sikkim, but read in a guidebook that because only INdian nationals can see many places in Sikkim and because the roads are so long and uncomfortable, it is not worth it for a non-Indian to go to N. Sikkim. Is it worth it for Yumthang Valley, Lachen, Lachung, Chopta Valley? Is it best to do a 4 day or 3 day trip if I'm going to N. Sikkim? Or is it better to go to W. Sikkim such as Pelling or Rinchenpong or Yuksom? Please advise. Thanks!

I'm still undecided and would like to see if anyone else has an opinion about this. My husband and I are arriving at NJP railstation the morning of November 5 and we fly out of Bagdogra airport the morning of November 12. We will have six full days to travel in Sikkim. Should we head north to Gangtok and to North Sikkim (Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang Valley) or should we go to Darjeeling and Pelling areas seeing monasteries and doing some short hikes? Please advise, anyone who has been to either or both of these areas. Thanks!

My vote goes to North Sikkim. Gurudongmar Lake is stunningly beautiful, and the route leading up to it is breathtaking.
Initially I had heard that foreign nationals are not allowed there. I asked our driver when we went there and he told me that foreign nationals visit the place all the time. I don't know how though .. but I can give you contact details for the guy.

Also a great experience can be a home-stay in Dzongu wherein you can stay in a Lepcha home. It is some experience and the whole place is untouched. It is almost on the way to Gurudongmar Lake. (One of the places we stayed at was run by this guy who is putting up a website these days ... check it out at http://www.mayallyang.com/)

You can plan something like first day in Dzongu, Dzongu to Lachen on the second day, Gurudongmar Lake on the third morning and then proceed to Lachung, Yumathang valley on fourth day and then back to Gangtok.

North Sikkim is amazingly beautiful.....

Having said that Changu lake, Nathu La pass around Gangtok and West Sikkim are mighty good as well.

Given the time that you have on your hand, I would definitely recommend to stick to Gangtok - key places around Gangtok and West Sikkim.

If you had another 3 to 4 days on your hand, then N Sikkim would have been doable as well.

And I am not aware of what it takes for you to get the permits et al.

ribhu

Umm ... I beg to differ .. I think that Changu Lake etc. cannot even be compared to Gurudongmar Lake and the way leading upto it. At 18,000 ft of height, you'll come across awesome scenery starting with lush green forest and ending in a col desert.

Besides, all these 'key' places are full of tourists as they lie on the usual tourist circuit. A lot of people completely miss these places for North Sikkim.

North Sikkim is more than doable in 7 days. I visited Gurudongmar Lake and was back to Gangtok in less than 30 hours (do not try that ... it was really tiring). But it is certainly doable. Just contact some tour operators before you go there because the permits are a big issue.

Enjoy your trip!

It is not true that foreigners are allowed to go to Gurudongmar! I wish it were...

It is a very hard decision since you don't have much time. I have visited both the North and the West and it is true that the roads are very bumpy but the beauty of the scenery soon makes you forget that. I think you can compromise with a three day trip to the north and the rest spent in West Sikkim. You should have fantastic views in November. We were told (in March 2008) that November is the best time to view Kangchendzonga.

Hmm .. the driver may have been wrong then. But go as far as you are allowed. I think that Lachen should be no problem. And since the next police check-post after the one before Lachen is in Thangu (if I remember correctly), you can visit Thangu as well. This I recommend wholeheartedly. Stay at Lachen overnight and leave Lachen at 4:30 in the morning, for Thangu. The morning light will give you photographs you won't believe you have shot (if you are not a professional i.e. ). The daylight gives hard lighting and is not that good for photographs. I am sorry for rambling so much if you are not interested in photography.

Here are a couple of photographs I took in Thangu:

Thanks!

As far as information gathered from some local source and as per the Lonely Planet guide, non-Indians are not allowed to travel to Gurudongmar Lake due to security reasons. They can go upto Thangu.

But Gurudongmar Lake is so beautiful (at least I believe) that one wouldn't mind taking an Indian citizenship.