Winter trip.... help with itinerary!

Raji. S

Hi,

I'm a new-comer to IndiaMike. I plan to travel to Sikkim, with my husband, in November this year. We plan to spend 18 days there (excluding the days of travelling to & from Bangalore).
The wealth of information available about Sikkim in IM is awesome! After going through all the posts & my guidebook too, we have arrived at a list of places that interest us.

To give you a bit of information about us - we are young, fairly active/outdoorsy, photography buffs,interested in history, nature, & most of all, truly feeling the essence of a place, rather than just 'seeing' it. We prefer an uh-hurried pace of travel & always welcome treading off the beaten path.

We will be flying from Bangalore to Baghdogra & then taking a taxi to Gangtok. I don't know if it is possible for us to visit all these places..... we would love to get your feedback so that we can work out our itinerary.

North Sikkim:
Singhik, Lachung (or Lachen?), Katao, Yumthang valley, Gurudongmar lake, Tsolamu lake, Chopta valley.

East Sikkim:
Gangtok, Changu lake, Tukla, Nathu-la, Zero point. Also read / saw pictures by another member, Somnath. We were really awed by the views from a 'Sunrise point' near Zuluk & would love to go there too.

South & West Sikkim:
Namchi (to see the Padmasambhava statue), Rumtek, Ravangla, Pelling, Khecheopalri lake, Yuksom. Other options could be Borong, Rinchenpong, Uttarey.

We would love to go on the Yuksom-Dzongri-Goecha la trek. But, my stamina levels may fall short for treks.... though I have been on some earlier. Though slow, I'm an enthusiastic trekker. A slight breathing problem too adds to my problems at high altitudes. Our only worry is that this trek seems to be more suited to experienced trekkers. I have read about other treks like Maenam peak trek from Ravangla. Is it a good trek / more suited to beginners?

Some more general questions:
We want to travel during winter, which is why we are thinking of 15th Nov to 3rd Dec. But, if at this time, routes to Gurudongmar lake / other places in the North are inaccessible, will it be better for us to travel in early Nov?
We are also interested in a bicycling trip...... which area would be good for maybe 2 to 3 days of cycling?

Hoping for your guidance & suggestions. Thanks!

Raji. S

Anyone??

delhiwala

Patience is rewarded dear !

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pri_r1

waiting to see if anyone replies to your post. i am from bangalore too and trying to make some plans to Sikkim for my honeymoon in the beginning of Dec. have randomly gone thru the threads and yes there is loads of info here. i hope i get my answers soon. unable to decide which few places to cover and if i should make the travel itinerary myself or book a tour package

samya.indya

@raji

No question of inaccessibility in Nov. I went to the north sikkim in end of dec and didnt had any problem. I could go all the way to the YHUMESAMDONG.And try to stay @ BORONG & RINCHENPONG.These are one of the quietest places in sikkim.

And if you want to do some trekking you can do the HILEY- BARSE trek.I did that this year with my family.And its a very easy trek.

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My Travel Blog

Raji. S

Thanks Samya! I have decided to go to Sikkim by 15th Nov.

samya.indya

Best of luck for your trip....
For any queries feel free to ask me....

Cheers.....

Raji. S

I do have some questions about North Sikkim......I'm not sure if I should go to both Chopta valley & Yumthang valley. Which do you think would be better, considering that both might be covered by snow in November? Also, I was thinking of staying at Lachung, instead of Lachen. Is that a good idea? I'm also keen on going to Green lake / Zemu glacier, but, haven't been able to get too much info on it.....have you been there? Is the road to Zemu glacier motorable or is it accessible only if you trek?

We will be going to Gurudongmar lake & are considering going to Tsolamu lake as well. Is it worth it?

We definitely plan to stay at Borong or Rinchenpong instead of Pelling. Borong seems to be a good base to explore Ravangla & Maenam peak. I'm really not able to choose between Borong & Rinchenpong.... your thoughts?

Thanks a lot for the help.

samya.indya

@Raji...

I think Yumthang valley is the better option.But you wont find any snow there at that time....
From Yumthang valley You can go upto Yhumesamdong(0 point).There you will get snow.
I think December end is the best time to visit that region if you want to see snow...

If you are thinking of going to Yumthang then you can stay at Lachung.I stayed at Lachung.Its a very small and beautiful place.
Go to Gurudongmar lake.Its a very nice place.

Between Borong & Rinchenpong I will prefer Borong.Staying in a wooden Cottage was another experience for me.You will also get a lovely veiw of Mt. Pandim from there.And there will be loads of flowers around you...

On the other hand Rinchenpong is a very quiet place. It has a little Mall there...Excellent veiw of Kanchandzonga range.There are some other near by places also where you can go.You can go to Uttrey from there.

So its upto you. Both are worth staying...

Have a nice trek.

jhsurti

Hello Samya

Saw the beautiful pictures of Barsey and Kanchedzonga. I have posted my queries re: itinerary on this forum in a couple of threads and have received some responses as well. But after reading your post that you had been there in December, I am prompted to get some advice from you.

We are a group of 3 people - I, my wife and my son. Age group 27 to 55. Reaching Bagdogra on 20th Dec on Sunday. So we should be in Gangtok on the same day by night. No bookings made as yet. The tentative plan is:

21/12 - Nathula Pass & Chhangu lake
22/12 - Local site-seeing
23/12 - Lachung
I need your input here about Lachung/Lachen site-seeing
Want leave for Bagdogra on 27th morning. What is your suggestion? How should I plan the itinerary and my booking?

Thanks

samya.indya

@jhsurti...

I can suggest you an Itinerary...

21/12 : Site seeing near Gangtok.
22/12 : Thangu Lake & Nathula Pass.
23/12 : Lachung
24/12 : Yumthang Valley & Yhumesamdong(Zero Point)
25/12 : Gurudongmar lake.
26/12 : Katao & back to Gangtok.
27/12 : Bagdogra.

Instead of Katao & gurudongmar you can go to other places like Pelling or Rinchenpong & spend few days there....

Hope this input will help you ...For any further info feel free to ask me....

Cheers..

Raji. S

Thanks, Samya. I'll get in touch with you if I have any more questions.

jhsurti

Thanks Samya

Will it not become hectic travel-wise? Because I cannot add any more days in my schedule.

samya.indya

Ya it will a bit hectic but going around in such places in north sikkim is worth it.

But if you still feel it a bit hectic then you can drop Gurudongmar and Katao for the next time and you can go to Borong or Rinchenpong and relax for one or two days..The choice is absolutely yours...

jhsurti

I have nearly finalized my tour with 3N 4D N Sikkim tour. I have another question about the timing from Gangtok to Bagdogra. There's a Kingfisher flight leaving Bagdogra at 1 pm. Jet airways has one at 1.55 pm. I would prefer Kingfisher since it gets me back to Bombay at 6 pm via Guwahati. The question is at what time will I have to leave Gangtok in order to be in time for this flight? If anyone can throw some light on this please...