Gangtok is the capital city of Indian state Sikkim. Situated at an altitude of 5500 feet, it is a beautiful and well organised city where you can get all modern facilities like shopping mall, big departmental stores, movie theatre, restaurants, coffee shops and many others.
How to Reach Gangtok
By train reach New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station of West Bengal. There are several trains available from all major cities of the country to NJP. By air, reach Bagdogra airport first. From NJP the distance of Gangtok is 125Km and from Bagdogra, the distance is 124 Km. It will take 3 to 4 hours to reach Gangtok from Bagdogra or NJP by car. The rate of a car is between 2500 and 4000 rupees, depending on the number of seats available.
You can also avail a share cab run by Sikkim National Transport (SNT). The fare is INR 200-300 per person. There are also SNT organised bus services available to reach Gangtok from NJP. The rate is INR 90 per person.
Chopper service is also available from Bagdogra to Gangtok. Charge is INR 3500 per person one way.
On day 1 of your Gangtok tour go for city sightseeing tour. Hire a local cab for 10 points site seeing. The charge will be INR 3000 to 3500 for a day. The main spots to visit are:
Rumtek Monastery: Rumtek Monastery is a gompa located near Gangtok. Currently, it is the largest monastery in Sikkim. It is home to the community of monks and here they perform the rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage.
MG Marg:
The heart of the city is MG Marg. It is the main street of Gangtok and is a great place to hang around. The street is India's first litter and spit free zone. No vehicle is allowed in this street. You can also enjoy shopping while walking through this road. Every year, in the month of December Gangtok food and culture festival is held here.
Banjhakri Falls:
It is one of the most beautiful places in Gangtok. The park surrounding the falls area is well maintained.
Gangtok Ropeway:
Take a ride of Gangtok Ropeway to get a bird's eye view of the city.
Ganesh Tok:
It is a temple of Lord Ganesha located 6km from Gangtok town. Visit
here to pray Lord Ganesha and also to enjoy the enchanting views of the surroundings from the viewing lounge with glass panel.
Tashi View Point:
It is located 8Km away from Gangtok town and offers a stunningview of Mount Kanchenjunga snow peaks on a clear day.
Hanuman Tok:
The famous Hanuman temple is popular for its wonderful serene ambience and a viewing area that offers spectacular view of Kanchenjunga range.
Namgyal Institute of Tibetan Technology:
It is the one of the main Tibetan Institutes of the world. You can see various rare Tibetan and Sanskrit manuscript here. The place is also
known for beautiful Thangka paintings.
Enchey Monastery:
This is another famous site to visit near Gangtok.
On day 2 of your Gangtok trip go for Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake
and Baba Harbhajan Singh Memorial Temple tour. For this tour you have to submit 2 passport size photograph and a photocopy of your voter Id card to the authority in order to get a permit. You can submit
those documents to your hotel or travel agent and they will get the
permit for you.
Tsomgo is a beautiful glacial lake 38 Km away from Gangtok
located at an altitude of 12,400 feet.
Nathula Pass is situated at the Indo China Border. It is 18 Km away from Tsomgo Lake. Visit Baba Harbhajan Singh Memorial Temple on your way back to Gangtok.
From Gangtok Local Cars will charge INR 800-1200 per person for this tour.
On 3rd day, you can visit south Sikkim. The famous spots are
Namchi and Temi Tea Garden.
In Namchi visit Namchi Monastery, Ralang Monastery, Tendong hill and recently inaugurated Siddhesvara Dham. This spot is famous for the giant 87 feet tall statue of Lord Shiva. In this temple you can see the replicas of four Dhams of the country.
From Namchi go to Temi Tea garden. An organic tea estate with beautiful surroundings. This is a great place to relax.
Where to stay
The hotel of Sikkim tourism Hotel Mount Jopuno. Double bed room
charge is INR 2000 to 2200.
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