Our Sikkim 11 Day Itinerary

Sikkim was on our destination list for so long. The snow-capped mountains, breathtaking views, and gorgeous waterfalls of Sikkim were constantly calling us. We were so close to visiting Sikkim in April 2021 but then the deadly Delta Covid variant hit India. Finally, we visited Sikkim next year in April 2022.

If you are planning to go to Sikkim, here is our Sikkim 11 day itinerary (and experience) to help you plan your travel.

Breakdown of our 11 days in Sikkim

• Day 1: Reach Pelling (Overnight in Pelling)
• Day 2: Full day in Pelling (Overnight in Pelling)
• Day 3: Pelling, Ravangala, reach Namchi (Overnight in Namchi)
• Day 4: Namchi, Temi Tea Garden, reach Gangtok (Overnight in Gangtok)
• Day 5: Full day in Gangtok (Overnight in Gangtok)
• Day 6: Many waterfalls, reach Lachen (Overnight in Lachen, North Sikkim)
• Day 7: Kala Patthar, Gurudongmar Lake, waterfall, reach Lachung (Overnight in Lachung, North Sikkim)
• Day 8: Yumthang Valley, reach Gangtok (Overnight in Gangtok)
• Day 9: Rest day (Overnight in Gangtok)
• Day 10: Nathu La Pass day trip (Overnight in Gangtok)
• Day 11: Leave for Delhi

Flight

Sikkim has its commercial airport in Pakyong (30 kilometres from Gangtok). SpiceJet runs a daily non-stop flight on Delhi – Pakyong – Delhi route. Another option is to take a flight to Bagdogra airport (130 kilometres from Gangtok) in West Bengal and then take a taxi to Sikkim.

We had booked roundtrip tickets on SpiceJet Airline from Delhi to Pakyong. The roundtrip ticket cost was INR 19000 for two-person but we only paid INR 5700. The rest was paid through reward points accumulated on the HDFC Infinia credit card.

Read this to know why it is a bad idea to book a flight to Pakyong airport.

Hotels

• Jain Group Hotel Sonamchen, Pelling (2 nights)
• Luitel Residency (1 night)
• Aurahomes, Gangtok (2 nights)
• Hotel Makhim Residency, Lachen (1 night)
• Wonderhill Inn, Lachung (1 night)
• Greendale Residence, Gangtok (3 nights)

Ground Transportation

As Sikkim is a hill station, there is virtually no public transport. You will have to book a taxi shared or private to move from one place to another. We could have booked taxis on the spot for each leg of the journey but we chose to pre-book a taxi for all the ground transportation in Sikkim for peace of mind.

We contacted many Sikkim travel agents but all of them quoted high prices and were very rigid in customizing the itinerary. Finally, we found a cab driver Mr Santosh (+91 9800404204) on Tripadvisor. He also owns a small cab company and had excellent reviews. His quoted price was not only cheaper than others but also included additional places for which other travel companies were charging extra.

We booked our full ground transportation through Santosh for INR 42,000. It included Pakyong airport pick-up and drop, transportation to all the places, local sightseeing, and car parking fees. The cost was for a small car except for North Sikkim for which SUV was to be provided.

Day 1: Arrival in Pelling

We were supposed to have a morning flight from Delhi to Pakyong. But just a day earlier, we got an alert message from SpiceJet that the airport was changed from Pakyong to Bagdogra. We informed Santosh about the airport change and agreed to pick us up from Bagdogra airport for an additional INR 1000. He sent Mr Sonam who was our driver for the whole trip sans North Sikkim. We left Bagdogra airport at 2 PM and reached the hotel in Pelling in the evening in 5 hours.

We stayed at Jain Group Hotel Sonamchen. The room was spacious and the staff was courteous.

Day 2: Pelling

Singshore Bridge

Singshore bridge was not included in the booking as it is far from Pelling. We paid INR 1500 to the driver to go there. Although the surrounding was scenic, the bridge in itself was not that pretty. We clicked a few photographs and left in less than 30 minutes.

Rabdentse Ruins

We had to hike for about 1 kilometre to reach the ruins complex from the entrance gate. The complex was huge with lots of open spaces. There were gardens all around the ruins and were well-maintained. There is not much to see in the ruins as only the stub walls of the palace remain. But it offers great views of the Kanchenjunga mountains and Pelling town.

Pemayangtse Monastery

Pemayangtse Monastery is a multi-level building and visitors are allowed to access all the floors. While the first floor has many idols of Buddhist deities, the other floors are a kind of museum and have a good collection of old paintings, utensils, royal clothes, and Rinpoche’s Paradise sculpture.

Pelling Skywalk and Chenrezig statue

We were very excited to visit Pelling Skywalk as it is India’s first skywalk. Despite it being shorter in length and not as fully transparent as other countries’ skywalks, we loved the experience of walking on the glass.

We then climbed the stairs to the Chenrezig statue which is adjacent to the skywalk. Unfortunately, the weather was too foggy during our time and we could not enjoy the great views of Mount Kanchenjunga and Teesta from the statue and skywalk.

We spent close to an hour but we would have spent more time had the weather been clear. This is the one of best places in Pelling and a must-visit.

Day 3: Pelling, Ravangala, Arrival in Namchi

We checked out from the hotel at 8 AM as this was going to be a hectic day. After half-day sightseeing in Pelling, we were to travel 60 kilometres to Ravangala to see Buddha Park and then travel another 30 kilometres to reach the hotel in Namchi

Kanchenjunga Waterfall

We reached the Kanchenjunga waterfalls in about an hour. It was a small but powerful waterfall. It is another must-visit place in Pelling. As it was morning, there was hardly any crowd. We took our time taking photographs and making videos. The viewing area got crowded within 30 minutes and we left.

Khecheopalri Lake

We didn’t like this place much. We were not allowed to go near the lake. On enquiry, we were told that it was done recently to avoid getting the lake polluted. Although we could understand the reason we were disappointed nevertheless. Sonam was also not aware of the recent change. Had we known earlier, we could have skipped and instead spent more time at other places.

Rimbi Orange Garden

We reached Rimbi river and orange Garden at noon. Not many oranges were seen as it was not the orange season. The river bank was crowded with everyone occupying a good spot. We sat on any big rock we could find and soaked our feet in cold water.

We didn’t have high expectations from this place because of decent but not great reviews on the Internet. But we were pleasantly surprised. We had a great time looking at the river flow and drinking flavoured wine. We did not even realize how one hour flew by. We wanted to spend more time but had to leave as we were getting late for Ravangla.

Buddha Park

We reached Buddha Park in the evening and were cursing our luck as the fog started to envelop the park. The park was huge and a humungous Buddha statue could be seen from the distance. We had taken just a couple of photos before the statue disappeared in the fog. We started to roam around the park hoping for the fog to clear. But it was not meant to be. We too did not do ourselves any favour by visiting in the evening and near the closing time. Had the weather been clear and time was not a constraint, we would have spent at least two hours there.

Arrival in Namchi

As we were leaving Buddha Park, the place was fully enveloped with a thick blanket of fog. The visibility was reduced to even less than 10 metres. We had hearts in our mouths the whole time we were in the car. It was one of the longest hours of our life. Full credit to Sonam for his driving skills.

We checked in to the hotel Luitel Residency. The room was small and had two double beds. The food was so terrible that we had to leave the sabzi which had never happened earlier.

Day 4 : Namchi, Temi Tea Garden, Arrival in Gangtok

We again checked out at 8 AM as the day involved sightseeing and covering long distances.

Sai Mandir

We had not originally planned to visit Sai Mandir. But as it was opposite our hotel, we thought of visiting it for a few minutes.

The weather was clear and it seemed that the weather gods had finally shown us pity. But we spoke too soon…

I had not even finished taking photographs and the weather changed drastically. It got foggy again and Sai Mandir which was clear as daylight moments ago started to disappear in the fog.

We spent only 15 minutes there and left for Char Dham cursing our terrible luck.

Char Dham

The fog was worse when we reached the Char Dam. The visibility was again less than 10 metres. We waited 30 minutes for the fog to clear but the conditions did not improve. So, we went inside anyway. The replicas of Char Dham were beautiful and so was the huge Shiva statue. Such a shame that the weather prevented us to capture the beauty in photos.

Samdruptse Hill

The highlight of this place is the huge statue of Guru Padmasambhava. We could only take a couple of photos before the fog started to thicken and the statue disappeared in it.

It had been the story of our Sikkim trip. It seemed like the fog was chasing us. At that point, we started to feel cursed.

Temi Tea Garden

It was lovely walking through the tea garden and taking photos with the ‘I LOVE TEMI’ sign. We also took the factory tour and learned about all the stages of tea processing. Before leaving, we bought many packets of Temi Tea for us and our families.

Arrival in Gangtok

We got stuck in a traffic jam on our way to Gangtok. We got scared big time when small pieces of rocks started to roll from the hill. Thankfully, no further incident happened and we reached the B&B Aurahomes in the evening.

The room was small. But the home-cooked food was tantalizingly delicious.

Day 5: Gangtok

As had been the norm on this trip, the sun did not shine on us. It was all foggy and the outside views were obscured. Most of the attractions in Gangtok are known for the outside views they offer. But due to unfavourable weather conditions, we had to skip Tashi View Point and Gangtok Ropeway.

Hanuman Tok

Apart from being the Lord Hanuman temple, Hanuman Tok is also popular for the views it offers. As the views were obscured, we hardly spent 15 minutes there.

Ganesh Tok

Ganesh Tok is similar to Hanuman Tok. Both are temples and have an observation area for outside views. It took us 10 minutes to go in and out of the temple. Outside the temple, we had our memorable photographs taken wearing traditional Sikkim dresses (Bakhu).

Himalayan Zoological Park

For some reason, the Gangtok sightseeing package does not include the Himalayan Zoological Park. But we had pre-included it in our booking. We loved seeing rare animals like Yak, Red Panda, Himalayan Palm Civets etc.

Gonjang Monastery

We hadn’t planned to go there but Sonam suggested that we look around as it was on the way. There was a big open area that (we could only imagine) was perfect to experience the incredible views of the Kanchenjunga mountains and Gangtok city on a clear weather day.

Bakthang Waterfall

We stopped for five minutes for some quick photographs. The waterfall was small and not that impressive.

Ranka Monastery

We wanted to go to either Ranka or Rumtek monastery. Sonam suggested we go to Ranka Monastery as it is a more beautiful monastery than Rumtek. Rumtek Monastery offers breathtaking views but it was no use going there because of the weather.

It was the biggest and prettiest monastery that we had ever seen. The inner sanctum houses the alluring golden-coloured Buddha statue.

The Gangtok sightseeing packages do not include Ranka and Rumtek monasteries due to them being outside of Gangtok city. But we had pre-included either one of them in the booking.

Do-Drul Chorten (Stupa)

There was a stupa with a golden top, surrounded by many prayer wheels. There were other small stupas as well around the main one. The religious or spiritual people may find it interesting but we did not find the place interesting.

It had started to rain heavily and we decided to call it a day and returned to the B&B.

Day 6: North Sikkim (Waterfalls, Arrival in Lachen)

We were given a different driver (James) for the North Sikkim tour as only SUVs are allowed to ply on North Sikkim roads. James was supposed to pick us up at 9:30 in the morning but he came two hours late at 11:30 AM.

North Sikkim is the most beautiful place in Sikkim. We were the most excited for 3 days in North Sikkim and hoped for the tour to be near perfect. But the day started on a sour note and we were praying that the driver do not ruin the tour.

The drive to Lachen was scenic and we stopped many times for incredible views and amazing waterfalls.

Seven Sisters Waterfall

The viewing area was crowded. We had a hard time taking the photographs without people photobombing them.

Meyong Waterfall

Meyong Waterfall was the best waterfall we saw in Sikkim. It was a small but high-flow rate waterfall. We went close to the waterfall and enjoyed getting splashed with cold water.

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Naga Waterfall

This was the last waterfall before we reached Lachen. We clicked a few photos and had hot tea from a nearby stall before continuing on our journey.

Arrival in Lachen

We reached Lachen late in the evening and were tired from all the travelling. We stayed in Hotel Makhim Residency, a simple hotel with basic amenities. The booking included dinner, morning tea, and lunch. The room was big and decent. We didn’t have high expectations from the food but it was amazing.

Day 7: North Sikkim (Kala Patthar, Gurudongmar Lake, Arrival in Lachung)

We woke up at 5 AM to get ready to leave for sightseeing at 6 AM. We stopped at Thangu Valley for breakfast.

Kala Patthar

Kala Patthar is covered with snow throughout the year. We had rented snow boots from the breakfast place at Thangu Valley.

The weather was great. There was sunshine for the first time during our stay in Sikkim. We relished playing with snow and throwing snowballs at each other. It was like we were kids again!!

Kala Patthar is not included in the standard North Sikkim package. We paid INR 3000 to the driver to visit Kala Patthar.

Chopta Valley

We stopped the car for a few minutes to soak up the incredible views of the huge barren valley known as Chopta Valley.

Gurudongmar Lake

Gurudongmark Lake is, hands down, the most beautiful place in Sikkim. We spent a few minutes doing nothing but just admiring this heavenly beauty. The frozen lake with snow-clad mountains in the background was a sight to behold. We took numerous photos to capture the beauty. But pictures don’t do justice to how beautiful Gurudongmar Lake is. Pack your bag and see it for yourself!!

Amitabh Bachchan Waterfall

We left for Lachung after lunch at the hotel. We stopped the car to see the tall Amitabh Bachchan Waterfall (Bhim Nala Waterfall). The area near the waterfall was crowded with tourists. We took a few quick photographs and then went to the food stall to eat hot momos.

Arrival in Lachung

We reached our accommodation, Wonderhill Inn, in the evening. We got to know about this property through Instagram. The room was decent sized and the bathroom was clean. The room decor was pretty modern which is a rarity in Lachen and Lachung. The booking included evening and morning tea, dinner, breakfast, and lunch. The food was delicious.

Day 8: North Sikkim (Yumthang Valley, Arrival in Gangtok)

Yumthang Valley

We left for Yumthang Valley at 7:30 AM. We were hoping to see the blooming rhododendron flowers in the valley. But we were a few weeks earlier. It was serene to roam around the valley, admiring the beautiful Teesta river, and soaking up the breathtaking views of snow-clad mountains. I rode a Yak for a couple of minutes; it was exhilarating. Megha was afraid of riding it, so she got herself clicked standing beside it.

Arrival in Gangtok

We went to the hotel in Lachung, had early lunch and then left for Gangtok. Within an hour, the weather started to deteriorate. We were grateful for the clear weather during our stay in North Sikkim. Our trip would have been spoilt had the weather remained gloomy and foggy like the other days. You can visit other places in Sikkim in rain or fog but not North Sikkim places due to them being at high altitudes.

Soon, it started to rain heavily and we reached Hotel Greendale Residence in Gangtok amidst heavy rainfall.

Day-9: Gangtok

This day was kept light and no sightseeing or travel was planned. We wanted to use our free time to explore MG Marg (Mall road). That’s why we had booked the hotel within walking distance from MG Marg. We had culinary delight by cafe hopping and explored many gift shops for souvenir shopping.

Day 10: Day Trip to Nathu La Pass

This day tour consists of three attractions – Tsomgo Lake, Baba Harbhajan Singh temple, and Nathu La. Small car is not allowed to go to Nathu La. Our arrangement with Santosh was that we were to be taken to Tsomgo Lake and Baba Harbhajan Singh temple in a small car and two seats in an SUV were to be arranged for Nathu La.

Nathu La

Sonam arranged two seats in an SUV for INR 3000. It was a pretty expensive arrangement as it hardly took 10 minutes to reach Nathu La. But a fully private vehicle would have cost double.

It had snowed the day before, so it was damn cold. We climbed the stairs to reach the Indo-China border. We had never seen an international border before. It was thrilling to be just steps away from another country.

Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple

This temple is not dedicated to any god but to an Indian soldier named Harbhajan Singh. We quickly went in, took a few photographs and came out. It took us hardly 10 minutes to see the temple.

Tsomgo Lake

It had started to foggy as we reached Tsomgo Lake. We spent less than 30 minutes there. The lake was serene and beautiful but not as impressive as Gurudongmar Lake.

Day 11: Flight to Delhi

Much like our arrival flight, we got the alert message from SpiceJet a day before about the departure airport change from Pakyong to Bagdogra. We discussed this matter with Santosh, who agreed to drop us at Bagdogra airport for an additional INR 1000.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 1:30 PM and we left the hotel at 6 AM to compensate for any traffic jams due to rain or landslide. Fortunately, there was no traffic jam and we reached the airport way early at 9:30 AM. Our wait got longer as the flight got delayed by 2 hours. After waiting for nearly 6 hours, we boarded the flight and returned to our home.

Cost Breakup

Expense	Cost (INR)
Round-trip flights	5700
2-night stay at Jain Group Hotel (Pelling)	2040
1-night stay at Luitel Residency (Namchi)	1510
2-night stay at Aurahomes (Gangtok)	2475
1-night stay at Makhim Residency (Lachen)	2400
1-night stay at Wonderhill Inn (Lachung)	2500
3-night stay at Hotel Greendale (Gangtok)	3800
Cab Charges for 10 days (incl. airport pick-up and drop)	42000
Additional Cab Charges due to change of airport	2000 (1000 + 1000)
Additional Cab charges (Singshore Bridge in Pelling + Kala Patthar in North Sikkim + Nathu La Pass shared vehicle)	7500 (1500 + 3000 + 3000)
Food	~8000
Entry tickets	~1300
Miscellaneous charges	~1000
Total	~82000

Our Sikkim 11 day itinerary only cost us INR 41,000 per person and that included everything. Per day average turns out to be ~INR 3700 per person which is quite cheap since we had private vehicle for 10 days.

Final Thoughts

Sikkim is one of our best trips so far. We tried to cover as much of Sikkim as possible without getting it hectic. We witnessed the scenic landscapes of heavenly beauty in North Sikkim, India’s first-ever skywalk in West Sikkim, religious tourist places in South Sikkim, and the International border in East Sikkim.

Despite facing poor weather conditions on most days, we enjoyed every moment. We can only imagine how much fun we would have had had the weather been great.

If you have any questions about this itinerary or any place in Sikkim in general, please feel free to drop your query in the comments below!!