Sikkim Tour Packages

About this tour

Sikkim has a very unique feel because it was a mountain kingdom until 1975. The mural-covered monasteries, which are a sign of Tibetan Buddhism, and the many Hindu temples, which show that the Nepali community is growing, make Sikkim’s skyline look like a kaleidoscope. Sikkim is a state in India that is big on ecotourism and trying to go completely organic. It has a labyrinth of hanging, steep valleys filled with rhododendron jungles and subtropical forests. To the north, the Himalayas have snow-covered peaks. When the fog clears and you reach the top of a ridge, you will be able to see Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, on the horizon to the northwest. Sikkim is between Bhutan to the east and Nepal to the west. It is south of Tibet. This small Himalayan state is only 65 kilometers long and 115 kilometers wide. It has a maze of narrow, winding roads that go deep into the wild heart of this Himalayan state. Try a tour with the Tripaone.com.

Places to visit in Sikkim

When you look at Tripaone company tour packages for Sikkim, make sure you find out about its cultural, historical, and spiritual connections, as well as the clear Tibetan influence. When people look for Sikkim vacation packages, they want to get off the beaten path and explore its trekking trails and monasteries, which are set in beautiful places. People think that the tiny state has more than 200 monasteries, and most of them belong to the old Nyingmapa sect.

• Gangtok:

• The city of Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim. It is a cosmopolitan city with steep mountain ridges and viewpoints on top of deep valleys that are always covered in fog. And if the fog lifts a little, you can see Kanchenjunga’s snow-capped peak in the far distance. Tripaone tours with a group and obtains permits.Gangtok’s social and business center is the Mahatma Gandhi Marg, or MG Marg, which is full of cute cafes, souvenir shops, and other small shops. Above the city, the quiet central ridge area connects pretty gardens with the thick jungles that surround the Chogyal Palace, which used to be the home of the royal family.
• The main building of the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology looks like a beautiful Tibetan palace, with turrets, murals, and a forest setting. In the main hall, there is a beautiful collection of Tibetan artifacts and symbols, such as bowls made from tantric skullcaps and trumpets made from human thigh bones. You will see the victory goddess, Namgyalama, who is made of bronze and has eight arms. Upstairs is a library with boxes made of teak and glass that hold religious books. The Deorali Bazaar Ropeway Station and the Deorali Taxi Stand are both a short walk away. On your trip to Sikkim, you must stop by this important place.

• If you are going to the Himalayan Zoological Park, you might want to stop at the Ganesh Tok viewpoint and look out over Gangtok City. From the Enchey Gompa, you can see the Royal Palace, which is hidden by trees. You can get to the Enchey Gompa in 20 minutes by taking a path through the jungle.

• Tsuklakhang is a royal monastery in Gangtok. It is known for its main temple, which is a pair of dragon columns with intricate carvings that stand next to the main images. You can relax in this place because of how quiet it is, and it’s great to spend some time there to soak up the peace. You can get a better look at the private Chogyal Palace as you walk around the football field for the monks.

• Rumtek Monastery: The Rumtek Monastery is about 24 kilometers from Gangtok and 4,900 feet above sea level. It was built by the 12th Karmapa Lama in the middle of the 18th century as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage. By the time the 16th Karmapa fled Tibet and came to Sikkim in 1959, the monastery was in ruins. But Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek because he was impressed by its holy air and location, which included rushing mountain streams behind the monastery, snow-capped peaks in front of it, and a river below it. With help from the royal family of Sikkim, the 16th Karmapa fixed up Rumtek to be his main home while he was in exile. Once the monastery was finished, relics and holy items were brought in from Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet, which used to be Karmapa’s seat. This monastery is the biggest in Sikkim. It is home to a group of monks who continue the Karma Kagyu lineage’s practices and rituals. It has the remains of the 16th Karmapa in a golden stupa. On the other side of the monastery building is the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies.

Activities in Sikkim

West Sikkim

• The trek starts in Yuksom, a West Sikkim outpost that was the first capital and where the first Chogyal was crowned in 1641. Yuksom is a historical place because it was the first capital and the place where the first Chogyal was crowned. There are several treks that start in Yuksom and end in Kanchenjunga. But if you don’t want to go on a trek, Yuksom is still a great place to start a few shorter hikes, explore the local village, or go to a monastery. Even though Yuksom doesn’t have the best mountain views, it does have some beautiful forest paths that are great for a morning walk. Starting in Yuksom, the trek slowly climbs through a beautiful alpine landscape to a height of 16,207 feet, where you can see the snow-covered Himalayan peaks in all directions. The best months for photography are April and November. Most of your hiking will be in Kanchenjunga National Park, which is one of the greenest places in the world and has rare and exotic plants and animals. The trek can be hard at times, especially because of the distances that need to be covered, but the views make up for all the hard work.
• At Pelling, a small hilly town about 131 kilometers from Gangtok, the main thing to do is watch the sunrise over Kanchenjunga. If you walk past the hotels, which have turned the city into a concrete jungle, you will find a beautiful natural setting with forests and mountains. About 3 kilometers from Pelling are a set of ridgetops that are the ruins of an 18th-century palace. They are near two important historical monasteries: the Pemayangste Gompa and the Sanghak Choeling. Pelling is a great place for hard-core trekkers to stay while they go on a few sweat-inducing treks and hikes through uncharted territory, past waterfalls, mountain villages, and a snow-covered hillside. Pelling is known for its waterfalls, palace ruins, and beautiful monasteries that look like they’ve been there forever. Visit Tripaone tour to learn more.
• Exploring the rhododendron jungles: The forests of Varsey in West Sikkim and Singba in North Sikkim are home to more than 500 species of rhododendrons, which bloom with scarlet faces between March and May. When you go to the hillsides, you’ll see rhododendron flowers in bright colors like red, white, pink, mauve, and yellow. At this time of year, it is a memorable experience to walk under a pergola of rhododendrons. Sikkim is known for its beautiful rhododendron forests. The best way to see them is to go on a bush walk early in the morning.
  

  North Sikkim

• The beautiful Lachen, Yumthang, and Tsopta valleys are in the remote north of Sikkim. You can get to this beautiful place by driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle through this rough terrain, which is prone to earthquakes and landslides. As you go up, the climb gets steeper and higher, so it’s best to spend the night in Lachen, which has beautiful views. Lachen is 129 km away from Gangtok and can be reached by car in six hours. Lachen, which is at an elevation of 9022 feet and means “big pass,” is a town that serves as a starting point for trips to Gurudongmar Lake, which is at an elevation of 17,800 feet, and Chopta Valley, which is a popular place for birdwatchers and people who like wildlife. Thangu, Lachen has an annual yak race that puts it on the tourist map and brings in a lot of people from India and other places. Lachen is very beautiful, with views of snow-covered peaks, an alpine setting, lakes, a wild area full of flowers, and a very active local life. You can also go to the Lachen monastery and look around the women’s handicraft center to see how traditional blankets and rugs are made.
  

  South Sikkim

• Temi: Temi, a small village in South Sikkim, is the only place in the state where tea is grown. It makes a refreshing but mild brew with a strong herbal aroma. People all over the world enjoy drinking Temi tea because of how well it is harvested and how nice it smells. You can plan a trip to Temi’s stunningly well-kept tea estates, which are surrounded by mountains, and sip this beautiful amber drink while taking in the view. Temi is about 46 kilometers from Gangtok, and it takes about two hours to drive from the capital to Temi. You can even stay at the Temi Tea Bungalow in the area and get traditional colonial-style hospitality. Temi is a special place because it is surrounded by cherry blossoms and beautiful mountains.
• Namchi is a pilgrimage town about 78 kilometers from Gangtok and 5,500 feet above sea level. The Namchi Monastery, the Ralang Monastery, and the Tendong Hill are all places where Buddhists go on pilgrimage. On the Samdrupste Hill, which is on the other side of Namchi from Namchi, there is the tallest statue of Buddha Padmasambhav, also known as Guru Rinpoche, and the guardian saint of Sikkim. The town is very popular with bikers from nearby Bengal who come there on the weekends.

• East Sikkim

• Tsomgo Lake: Located in a valley at an altitude of 12,401 feet, Tsomgo Lake is a glacial lake with beautiful blue water. In the background, the Himalayas rise into the Tibetan Plateau. This is a place you won’t want to miss on your trip to Sikkim. Gangtok is the state capital, and Tsomgo Lake is about 40 kilometers away. It takes about four hours to get there and back from Gangtok. The best time to visit the lake is between early spring and late fall, when the lake is partly frozen and the shops around it are ready to serve hot tea and momos to keep you warm in the bone-chilling cold. You can even ride a yak around the lake to see things from a different point of view. In the winter, the lake freezes over and the colors of the sky show up in the ice. It is a beautiful scene to look at.
• Nathula Pass: The part of the Nathula Pass that is in India is 54 kilometers east of Gangtok. At an elevation of 14,140 feet, the Nathula Pass is always cold and always has a blanket of snow. The border with China is close by, and you can even see soldiers on both sides of the border protecting their own territories. On your way back, don’t forget to stop by the nearby market called Sherathang. It’s a great place to buy authentic souvenirs and trinkets for your friends and family back home. The fee to enter the pass is INR 200 per person from May to October. The pass is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday.
  

  Rafting on the Teesta River

• The Teesta River flows down the length of the state. It starts in the Sikkim Himalayas, where it is fed by glaciers, and ends in the tropical plains, where it is a great place to go rafting. There are calm spots where people who are just starting out can practice their rafting skills. As they get better, they can move on to more difficult rapids. If you like water sports and want to get an adrenaline rush, you can even kayak on the river. You can start your rafting trip between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm at Melli Bridge on the Teesta River in Gangtok.
• Try a typical Sikkimese meal.
  Start with the momo, which is good at every street stall. Meat and herbs are put inside the flour dumplings. Thukpa, a noodle soup with onion, garlic, green chilies, red meat, poached eggs, and a dash of spices, is another popular street food in Sikkim. Of course, there is the traditional Dal Bhat, which is like Dal Chawal on the mainland but has a different taste and spice level. Phagshapa, a very spicy stew made with strips of pork fat, is another popular Sikkimese dish. Try the Sael Roti, which is a fried bread that is often served with potato curry. And if all the spice starts to bother you, wash it down with a tall bamboo glass of Chang, which is a fermented millet rice beer. Sikkimese food is full of fermented lentils and spices, and there are a lot of proteins in it.

  Sikkim homestays

• Homestays have grown a lot in Sikkim, and they are better than hotels if you want to see how people live there and learn about their cultures and traditions. There are many farm stays where you can share a room with a local and have a drink, share a meal, and hear stories and folklore around the kitchen fire. These homestays are the best places to stay if you want to stay in a rural area of Sikkim. They are a great way to get involved in family life, and the rooms are clean, airy, and nicely decorated.

Sikkim Paragliding Festival

• If you like to try new things, the best time to go to Gangtok is between October and November, when paragliding is the main thing to do there. You can take part in the Sikkim Paragliding Festival in Gangtok between October and November to get a bird’s-eye view of the Sikkim Himalayas. This is when the skies are clearer and sunnier and the views over the mountains are crystal clear. Put on your helmet, hook up your chute, and jump off a hill. You’ll have a thrilling adventure and great views that you can brag about back home. At such a time, you should take a selfie.

Best time to visit Sikkim?

• The best times to visit Sikkim are still between March and May and between October and the middle of December. When the trees get new leaves in the spring, from March to May, it looks like Gangtok is full of flowers. But if you want to see the Himalayas more clearly, you should go between October and December. This is when the Maniram Bhanjyang Tourism Festival takes place, which makes homestay stays the most fun. This is also when the Red Panda Winter Festival and the Cherry Tea Festival take place, giving you a look into Sikkim’s customs and traditions. In the winter, when the roads and hills are covered in thick snow, Sikkim opens up in a way that is hard to imagine.

Summer in Sikkim

• Sikkim’s summer lasts from April to June. By the end of June, it usually starts to rain. Other than that, this is the best time to go to Sikkim because the weather isn’t too bad and the days are sunny and great for trips, short hikes, and trips to monasteries. The temperature drops a little at night, but not as much as in the winter. Clear skies will make it easier to see the Himalayas from ridge tops, and most places to see are open during this time, so you can do a lot of activities and treks. This is the best time of year to visit popular tourist spots like Goecha La, Rumtek Monastery, Lake Tsomgo, and Yumthang Valley of Flowers. You can do things like yak safari, white water rafting, paragliding, mountain biking, photography, and trekking. The temperature stays around 26 degrees Celsius during the day, and it drops to about 3 degrees Celsius at night.

Winter in Sikkim

• When November comes, winter starts, and it lasts until the middle of March. Winter turns the state into a white wonderland, which, despite the harsh weather, brings in tourists. Sikkim is known for its high altitude frozen lakes and a number of places that tourists don’t usually go to. The problem with going in the winter is that it snows a lot in some high-altitude areas, so you can’t go there. Instead, you can only see things from the lower elevation areas. Aside from winter activities like skiing and snowboarding, you can’t do a lot of other things like trekking and rafting. If you want to go to Sikkim in the winter, you need to bring enough woolens. At night, the temperature drops below zero. The temperature stays around 7 degrees Celsius during the day but drops to -5 degrees Celsius at night.
  

  Sikkim’s monsoon season

• In Sikkim, the monsoon season is from July to September, when it rains moderately to heavily. This is the least popular time to visit the mountain state. During these months, there are a lot of landslides, which make the roads dangerous. On the other hand, this is the best time to see the area’s many waterfalls come to life and roar down steep hillsides. At this time of year, the valleys in North Sikkim are full of flowers, and it’s a good time to visit places like Nathula Pass, Changu Lake, and Kupup. The one good thing about this time of year is that places to stay get a lot cheaper. You can’t do exciting things like whitewater rafting on the Teesta or paragliding. During the monsoon, the daytime temperature stays between 15 and 16 degrees Celsius, while the nighttime temperature can drop to around 4 degrees Celsius.
  

  How to reach Sikkim

• By air, you can get to the mountain state through Pakyong Airport in Pakyong Town, which is about 35 kilometers from Gangtok, the capital city. There are no direct flights from India’s major states to Pakyong Airport. Even so, SpiceJet just started direct flights from Delhi to Pakyong and back to Delhi, which will help the economy and bring in tourists. Bagdogra International Airport, which is 124 kilometers from Gangtok, is the only other major airport close to the city. You can get direct flights to Bagdogra from all of the country’s biggest cities, like Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi. The connection is pretty good. From Bagdogra to Gangtok, you can also take a helicopter, and the trip shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. If you’d rather take a bus or taxi, there are many that run regularly between Bagdogra airport and Gangtok.
• By train: Sikkim doesn’t have a major train station, but a railway link is being built that will connect it to other major states. At the moment, the Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri railway stations in West Bengal are the closest major rail hubs to Gangtok. At Gangtok, it is about 145 kilometers from the Siliguri Railway Station, and New Jalpaiguri is about 188 kilometers away. Both of these train stations are easy to get to from other parts of the country by train. The Kanchankaya Express and the Mahananda Express are two popular trains that stop at these stations. From these stations, buses and taxis go straight to Gangtok. The trip from Siliguri takes about 5 hours, and the trip from New Jalpaiguri takes almost 6 hours.
• By road, the beautiful NH31A connects Sikkim to other parts of the country. It goes through green areas and follows the Teesta river the whole way. This highway goes from Gangtok to Siliguri. From Siliguri, a number of highways lead to other parts of the country. Gangtok is connected to cities like Siliguri, Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, and Bagdogra by regular bus service. Taking a taxi is another way to get to Sikkim. This lets you travel at your own pace, stop for photos, take in the sights, and then move on. From Kolkata, Siliguri, and Jalpaiguri, it’s easy to get a private taxi to Gangtok. For a rush of adrenaline, you can rent a motorcycle in nearby towns like Jalpaiguri or Siliguri and ride it to Gangtok. With all that beautiful scenery, it could be the start of a new adventure in the mountain state.