Spring is approaching, and this is one of the best seasons to plan your trip to Sikkim. Sikkim is one of the prettiest places in the country, that everyone should visit once atleast. Home to pristine lakes, snow capped Himalayas, lush green meadows, vibrant valleys of flowers, beautiful mountain passes and an abundance of natural beauty and friendly people, Sikkim has something for all travel tastes.
More than 2 years back, Sikkim was made much more accessible for tourists by the inauguration of the Pakyong Airport near Gangtok. However, owing to technical reasons and uncertain weather conditions, this airport has remained shut for over 18 months. As per news reports, as of January 25th the flights have finally resumed.
As of now there is direct connectivity with New Delhi and Kolkata only for six days a week, barring Thursdays. Owing to its high altitude and table top runway, Pakyong has long struggled with visibility concerns, owing to which airport operations were shut from mid-2019. To ease this concern, the DGCA and the AAI have introduced the Required Navigation Performance System, specific to Pakyong Airport, the only one in the country.
With this, the time taken to reach Gangtok from Pakyong is now 1 hour. Earlier tourists flying to Bagdogra (the next closest airport) would have to take a 4-hour road journey to reach Gangtok. As of now, Spicejet is the only airline, having one service each to Pakyong from Delhi and Kolkata.
So, if the Khangchendzonga has always beckoned you, now is the time to book your tickets and pay a visit. To further help you plan your stay in Sikkim, here is a list of options for all budgets.
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