Sikkim, The Land of Peace Tranquility.

Kolkata, 27th June 2022.

It's been a long time since I was not much active on my page. And the pandemic made it was next to impossible to travel and get some fresh air.

But Finally, it's time for me to share another experience of my travel and provide all my viewers with some knowledge about the personal experiences I had during my visit to Sikkim.

Day 1. December 3rd 2021

A group of fifteen Youngbloods including me started our journey on 2nd December from Sealdah Jn. and it took us approximately 12 hours to reach New Jalpaiguri Jn. which costs 1200/- on immediate basis, from there we rented a Shared Jeep which cost around 300/- to 400/- Rs. approximately per person. The shared jeeps take a total of 10 people (4 Back + 4 Middle + 2 Front). One can also go for the Private Car but as you can guess it costs higher but it is more comfortable. Private cars cost between 2500/- to 5500/- Rs. depending on the car you are hiring. I would suggest if you are backpacking solo or with two or three friends Shared Jeep is quite budget-friendly. But if you are going with a big group of your friends or family it's feasible to rent/book a private car.

The Shared Jeep of WB is not permitted to go beyond Deorali in Sikkim. So, from there you have to book local cabs to your Hotel or M.G. Marg. The approximate journey time from NJP/Siliguri to Deorali is around 4.5 to hours with a breakfast break in between. Don’t forget to enjoy Momos which is served with chutney, as you are going to the Mountain of Momos.

So, after 6 to 6.5 hours of travel in between taking plenty of breaks here and there for clicking pictures and enjoying the view and after buttering the driver to stop everywhere we want, we finally reached Gangtok, The Capital of Sikkim. Our hotel (Hotel Berries, near Arithang Private Bus Stand) was booked around 2 km away from M.G Marg. It costs us around 1200/- Rs. per night including complimentary breakfast. After reaching there and unloading our luggage we took a halt for the night to party inside the hotel as we arrived a little late.

As you know Sikkim is a TAX-FREE State so the prices of liquors are much less than in any other state. Beer price starts around 70-90 Rs., Whiskey 750ml starts from 700/- Rs., Rum 750ml starts from 600/- Rs. approximately. Do explore a few shops for varieties.

Day 2. December 4th 2021

We woke up the second day around 6.30 in the morning with a hangover and excitement in our hearts to visit Tsongmo Lake/Changgu Lake, Nathu La Pass & Baba Mandir that day. After having our breakfast at Berries we set foot for our expedition to the above-mentioned places.

For travel purposes, we rented 3 Xylos which cost us around 4000/- to 4500/- Rs. per Car/ per Day.

Way to Changgu/Tsongmo Lake.

Note. If you are taking a Yak Ride, do try to bargain as they ask for unrealistic charges.

Way to Nathu La Pass.

Finally the Indo(Sikkim)-China(Tibet) Border.

After Travelling for 10 - 12 Hours straight we ended our day by visiting Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir. Visiting the shrine of the great Hero of our Nation, You will feel a certain Sukoon and a Little Goosebumps around his Mandir.

We ended our day having WAIWAI Noodles and YAK Milk Coffee on the way to Our Hotel.

Day 3. December 5th 2021

The next Day after checking out from our hotel at Gangtok we started our journey to Lachen. On the way, we visited The Seven Sisters Waterfall, North Sikkim View Point and a few more nature sites on our way.

We explored some local delicacies and some Tribal food as well. If you are a non-vegetarian you can try some Pork Momos on the way which will help you to survive the cold because of the high altitude or if you are a vegetarian you can take some YAK Milk made Chocolates as well.

Reaching Lachen from Gangtok will take around 6 to 6.5 hours with some detours as well. Cabs from the hotel to North Sikkim Cab Stand took 200/- to 300/- Rs. as per negotiation. The Lachung – Lachen tour is generally available within 3000/- to 5500/- Rs. per person (everything inclusive i.e. Accommodation and Food). This tour comes in various forms and can be booked from your Hotel or in Tour Stalls in M.G. Marg or Siliguri/NJP while catching the cab to Deorali/Gangtok.

The North Sikkim tour comes in various forms, such as

Lachung with Yumthung Valley(2D/1N )

Lachen with Gurudongmar Lake(2D/1N)

Lachen – Gurudongmar Lake & Lachung – Yumthung Valley(3D/2N )

We went for only Lachen with Gurudongmar Lake including Kala Patthar. We had our rented cars that's why we just need to book our hotel in Lachen for 2D/1N which cost us around 1000/- to 1500/- Rs including dinner and next day breakfast and lunch

Be cautious that the North Sikkim tour is hectic and tiresome. Especially if you are planning 3D/2N visit. Also, you will be climbing at a very high altitude (20,000 ft approx. above sea level), so be prepared and plan accordingly especially if you have an aged person with you.

Day 4. December 6th 2021

At around 5.3o in the morning, we woke up and around 6.30 after having our breakfast we went out to Gurudongmer Lake. From Last night I was feeling a little dizzy and having breathing problem due to the high altitude but still, my will was not letting me down to explore. From Lachen Town to Gurudongmar Lake was approximately 3.5 to 4 hours which is still less due to Off-roading at some places. Also note that you need to fix the tour with your tour operator/hotel, a day before you are willing to visit and submit a Photo ID Proof along with 4 Passport size Photos, as these places are situated in Indo–China border, getting permission is required for the same. If you are not Indian, then your permission will be very limited.

North Sikkim being a restricted region, you need Restricted Area Permit (Restricted Area Permit) / Protected Area Permit (PAP). On booking of the tour package, your tour operator would arrange the same for you on submission of a photocopy of the Voter ID Card and Passport Size Photo for each member. And considering the current costing of the package (with both shared and private vehicles), this is the best option. Because getting the permit on your own is theoretically possible but practically very tough (because of local politics) and hiring a vehicle for the trip along with booking the homestays separately would cost you more than the package cost. So practically it’s not worth the effort. North Sikkim tours are available in both Private and Shared options. But I will suggest if you want to travel comfortably, without hassles and importantly without feeling sick you should go for the private one, maybe it'll cost you a little extra but it's worth it.

Certainly, I was not expecting a Dosa Point in The Extreme North of our Country. Do try their Paneer Masala Dosa. It is situated near Thangu Gompa.

ཨོཾ་ མ་ ཎི་ པ དྨེ་ ཧཱུྃ་ ཧྲཱིཿ

After travelling 70 km approx. with very less O2 level approx. 2%, we reached our first destination of the day Gurudongmar Lake. Which is situated at 21000 ft approx. above the sea level, highest lake in the world.

The view was mesmerizing & soothing. The feel in the air was very holistic. But, unfortunately, we couldn't get a view of the lake being completely frozen. After praying over there and sitting alone for a while I was able to feel the presence of holy vibe around the valley.

Note. Do carry some Small O2 cylinders and Some Popcorns because it's a bit hard to breathe properly over there. Do not Run or Shout try to save energy as much as you can, Or else you will feel nauseous and dizzy and you won't be able to breathe properly.

While going back to Lachen we took a detour and paid a little extra to our drivers to take us to Kala Patthar, The Final destination of the day. The distance from Lachen to Kala Patthar is 35 km

The temperature around that zone was approx. - 6° C. And it's situated approx. 20,000 ft above sea.

After exploring for around 9 hours you can see the amusement on our faces (though it's covered).

We reached our hotel at around 2.30 in the afternoon. After having our lunch we took some rest for a couple of hours. We started our journey towards Gangtok around 5 in the evening. It took us approximately 8.5 to 9 hours to reach Gangtok, M.G Marg, where our hotel was booked for the night which costs us around 900/- Rs. as we had to return to Siliguri the very next day. We didn't need to rent or book any cabs or shuttles as we were having our own vehicles paid from Day 2.

Day 5, December 7th 2021

Early morning after exploring the M.G. Marg and doing some shopping we took cabs and reached Gangtok taxi stand which cost 200/- Rs. where our private cars were waiting. After having some breakfast we return to Siliguri, which took around 5 hours approx. We took our train (900/- Rs.) to Kolkata at night after hanging out in Siliguri with our local friends for a while and shopped a little from Hongkong market. Hence, we are returning back with tons of memories.

The whole trip was budgeted for approximately 15,000 Rs. Including Travel, Accommodation, Fooding, Shopping, Partying, Other Necessities & EVERYTHING!

P.S. Numericals might not be exact.

Image Courtesy - Rohan Debnath, Olivia Mandal, Nilava Mitra.

Open to any criticism or suggestions.