Sikkim tour, too much for Mum?

girlone

Hi all,

My mother is visiting me (yay!) and we have decided to do a trip to Darjeeling/Sikkim the first week of December. I know itineraries get posted on here all the time and I've read through lots of helpful comments and I've come up with this plan. But I'm still unsure if its too much travelling in too little time.

And I have loads of questions!

My mother is reasonably fit but she is getting on a little bit (she'd kill me for saying that... ) and I don't want to exhaust her. I'd really appreciate any comments and suggestions from the IM font of knowledge.

Anyway, here goes:

Day 1. Arrive Bagdogra 12.15pm.
Transfer to Gangtok via helicopter weather permitting. Plan B is to take a jeep. Am I right in thinking that a jeep would take about 4 hours? How much would it cost for the two of us in a private jeep ie not shared?
Overnight in Gangtok. Cherry B&B or Hidden Forest Retreat? Has anyone stayed in either of these? Recommendations?

Day 2. Early morning trip to Tsomgo Lake. Return to Gangtok and maybe have a wander around Tibetology Institute, handicraft centre. Approx how long will the trip to Tsomgo take? And the cost of a private jeep to do this return trip? Do we need a special permit, or is Tsomgo included in the Sikkim Inner Line Permit?

Day 3. Drive to Pelling (about 4-5 hours?). Am I right in thinking Rumtek is enroute?
Visit Pemayangtse in the afternoon.
Overnight at Pelling - maybe Norbu Ghang resort?

Day 4. Day in Pelling. What shouldn't we miss here? Tashiding? Anywhere else?

Day 5. Drive to Darjeeling (3-4 hours?). Afternoon sightseeing.
Overnight in Darjeeling, Snow Lion Homestay?

Day 6. Darjeeling. Up early for sunrise over Tiger Hill. Visit to tea plantation. Can anyone recommend a picturesque tea estate tour close by?

Day 7. Drive to Bagdogra to catch 1.45pm flight.


Ok, so what have I missed?!

Have I included anything thats not really worth the trip?

I have wondered if we should skip Pelling altogether... and just do Gangtok/Darjeeling with a few day trips. Any advice?

Also, would it be best to negotiate in Gangtok to hire a jeep and driver for Day 3, 4, and 5? We'd prefer to have a private jeep - the freedom to stop when and where we'd like is important. Approximately how much would three days hire cost us?

Cheers all. I know I'm asking a lot, but I do promise a trip report and photos on my return!!

Thanks in advance,
G1

shashank.aggarwal

yes, Jeep will take 4 hours and I found the road to be very scenic. It would cost you anything between Rs.1000 to 1500.

I stayed in Cherry Guest house, its an excellent acoomodation. Its located on a secluded stretch, however is only 5 minutes from the main market. Very peaceful indeed.

Food is a problem in Gangtok and after 9 PM it was difficult to find any restaurants open, and I assume this would be more of a problem in winter months. Its best to Order food in guesthouse before 8 PM itself. They do not have a 'active' kitchen, they make stuff on order. But whatever we ordered was pretty good.

I cannot say about the permit, however I don't think you will need one.

I didn't find the lake to be anything extraordinary, unless of course its frozen or at least surrounded by snow. Otherwise it looks like just a normal lake, with nothing to do.

Again the return trip should cost you around Rs.1000. (not sure though)..

3-4 hours would be traveling time (both ways) and rest depends on the time you wish to spend there..

You wont need one..as there is nothing much to do in Gangtok as it is..there they offer Sightseeing tours and all the points are covered in few hours..

they have local taxis over there...jeeps do not operate locally..

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girlone

Wow, thanks for all the info Shashank. Cherry Guest House it is then. Looks a lovely little spot.

Hmmm, so are you suggesting the trip to Tsomgo is not a highlight? I kinda just wanted to ride a yak! We are going early Dec, so maybe there will be snow...

When I mentioned hiring the jeep from Gangtok I meant for days 3, 4 and 5 on my proposed itinerary, so from Gangtok to Pelling, around Pelling and on to Darjeeling. Any thoughts?

shashank.aggarwal

Oh..for riding A Yak you can very well go there...

Unfortunately I have no clue about Pelling and Darjeeling, other members may help on that..

But I would advice you look through the forums, Pelling comes quite often in discussions here...

JamesW

You do need an extra permit for Tsongo lake. We organised our tour with Paras at Himalayan Holidays (himalyanholidays@yahoo.com) - he sorted out the permit for us in Gangtok. I'm not sure how involved the process is if you're planning on doing it yourself. I was impressed with the lake. It's a very scenic spot, and the whole drive is very pleasant. Yak rides are available; see my avatar! You can have a short ride around the lake, or all the way to the top of the hill like I did. Though that might not be available (or advisable!) in December.

We stayed a night at Selim Tea estate. It is a very nice place. the estate offers a large bungalow, pony rides and a tour of the factory. Our host laid on some great food and provided good company. It's probably about an hour or two's drive down the hill from Darjeeling, on the way to Bagdogra.

dhans

How do you ask a lady how many springs she has witnessed? In other words: my parents are reasonably fit, but in their seventies and I would not take them to Sikkim.

Cochin might be an option though...

Hans

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tacita

hi girlone,
great choice of destinations. and lucky you--you actually seem to be looking foward to a trip with you...mother.

i, too, had planned to take the helicopter and "secured" a reservation through a travel agent after fruitlessly trying to contact the company directly. it turns out that the copter was otherwise committed -- or something. however, after making the roughly 4-hour drive by taxi, i am glad i wasn't able to fly. it is a spectacular drive, and there's also something special about stopping at the sikkim border checkpoint and going through the "official" entry procedure. actually, the drive took longer than 4 hours, but that was due to an accident and resulting traffic snarl. as you start winding up into the mountains, you will likely be terrified by your driver's (and others') driving habits. after the second hour, you'll have decided that if it's god's will that you plunge into the ravine, who are you to argue? i booked a taxi at the pre-paid booth right in the airport terminal (you can't miss it, near the exit door). the cost was 1450 rupees for a private "minivan", 100 rupees in advance. on that road, you don't need a jeep. later in your trip, you most certainly will.

i stayed at the hotel tibet for three nights, at 1100 rupees/night and enjoyed my stay, except that i was cooooold! the small electric heater (with the frayed cord) was standard for everywhere i stayed, but not powerful enough to heat the room. (the bathroom was too cold to sustain life so, on a plus side, i didn't have to worry about germs.)

i met a couple who were staying at the cherry something-or-other guesthouse, off that main road. i stopped by there and it was both nicer and cheaper than the tibet hotel.

the restaurant at the tibet hotel is reputed to be the best in town and, while i didn't really have any basis for comparison, thought the food was excellent. they also had real fresh-squeezed OJ (60 rupees). they'll keep you in a steady supply of bottled water, too.

i had planned to go to tsomgo lake as well, but didn't have the "minimum" number of people, i.e., "2". however, the weather was terrible and i was told the road was in bad shape, so it proved immaterial whether i had the requisite number of tourists. was very disappointed to miss my yak ride, though.

allow one full day for local sightseeing (a second for tsomgo lake if that works out). try to find out if there's anything special happening at rumtek monastery, too. i'll post their email, as i sent them an inquiry and they responded directly. (i just need to find it!) the tibetology institute is a must-see, as is the adjacent (just up the hill) do drul chorten, surrounded by dozens of prayer wheels (yes, spin them all!) i didn't ride the ropeway )ran out of time), but everyone says it's geat and it sure looked like a nice vantage point. the handicrafts center was closed when i was there. i also liked the enchey monastery and the himalayan zoological park (10 rupees), but that was mostly because i desperately wanted to see a red panda and a snow leopard--and did!

just down the hill from where the tibet hotel is located is a taxi stand with a parking-lot-full of minivans. the first day, i had potala treks and tours arrange my taxi and paid 800 rupees for the day (8 hours). you may be able to negotiate much less. all the taxis drivers offer a three-, five-, and 7-point your, with different combinations of local sights, incluiding those i mentioned above.

you'll pass rumtek on your way to gangtok. if it's not too late when you pass through, you could stop then. i can't say how long the drive to pelling is because i went first to yuksom and stopped along the way to see various sights. the way i worked it was to present potala with a list of my "must-sees" and then figured out the best route. on my list for west sikkim were: pemayangtse monastery, the rabdenste ruins (i was literally the only person there!), sangha choeling monastery (in pelling, just up the hill from the norbu gang resort). the hike to sangha choeling might be too much for your mom, though, as it's quite steep. the views from there are stunning, and there's a small guesthouse and school for novice monks, as well. (i have photos of all these things--will try to upload them as thumbnails.) other of my must-sees were khechuperi lake, tashiding monastery, the enormous statue of samdruptse, and the temi tea plantation. the woman at potala also suggested the "bon" monastery, which i've found referred to also as "lingbon" monastery. it's very small; no one was there other than me, an old woman, and two novices, who proidly showed me the grounds, including their study library and sleeping quarters, and who also allowed me to freely photograph inside the main temple, which is unusual. yes, i highly recommend staying at norbu ghang. the food is great (and they have room service for cold evenings or an afternoon tea tray). or you can have breakfast while you gaze out to khangchenjunga. i rose before dawn each morning to cathc the best morning light on the snow-covered peaks--just breath-taking! i paid 2165 rupees/night. i believe i had an off-season discount, as i did everywhere in sikkim.

see above--and definitely don't miss tashiding! you will never see so many manis in one place! be sure to find (at the far end of the property) the master-craftsman mani carver. a warm old man with a twinkle in his eye, surrounded by a chaotic little workshop and an aura of serenity.

i had a reservation at what sounded great from the description ("hawk's nest" or something. but it was so remote and cold and dark that i just couldn't stay there! at that point in my trip, i wanted a western-style hotel, a bit of indulgence and, most of all, a hot bath. i was able to get a room at the elgin and checked in without even inquiring about the rate. if they had a hot shower, i didn't care! the room included meals, but i didn't know that and so ate elsewhere. sorry, i don't know how long the drive took. i stopped at leisure. i do remember the final day driving to DJ being arduous in the jeep, often scary. my driver worked extremely hard just getting us over and around rocks and hairpin turns. i was really glad to finally arrive in DJ!

if you catch the sunrises in pelling, tiger hill may not be worth the early rise and gamble that you won't see anything if there's fog. (i didn't) still, it was fun to get there really early and be in the big observation room with a hundred tourists waituing anxiously for "the big moment." and, below, many hundreds more tourists were playing with what was likely there first snow. chai vendors wove through the crowd. up in the (warm!) room where i was, we were served a cup of tea. ho-hum. i befiended a japanese tourist and recall the morning fondly, but, as i said, i never did see the sunrise and it was an awfully early morning. i walked back to DJ from there, stopping at several monasteries along thwe way. (a VERY long walk!)

i highly recommend a trip to the tibetan refugee self-help center in DJ. you can see tibetan crafts being made and the people are warm and welcoming. i rarely shop when i travel, but i did buy some silver jewelry there, rather inexpensively, too. the only hitch is that the walk back up the hill may be difficult for your mom. the thin air, the heat, and the pitch made it slow-going.

i took the toy train to NJP/siliguri for a train to kolkata, so can't offer anything about the drive to bagdogra.

i did just that! it was easy, cheap and efficient, and i was able to tailor-make my route. i checked my receipts, but i'm still not entirely sure how much i paid daily for the jeep. i believe it was about 2160 rupees per day, which included the driver's meals and lodging. (i have no idea where he stayed and he refused most my offers to sit with me for lunch. he seemed to know people everywhere--from plying the route often, apparently).

my advice is DON'T skip pelling! the views from there were a highlight of my trip.

hope this helps. i'll post more thoughts as i think them. pix to follow...at some point.

-janice

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