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Hello Raj,
Great work! its a very good guide for those like me , who r planning a vacation in Darjeeling , Gangtok. Thank u. Me and My Husband are planning a 6 nights 7 days trip in the month of January. After studying your website i have prepared my itenery as follows-. Please guide me accordingly.
16 jan: Arrive NJP around 8:00 AM. drive to Darjeeling via mirik , visiting pashupathi market, simana and jorpokhri. reach Darjeeling around 2:00 PM . check in hotel. relax. evening visit mall road . overnight at hotel.
17rd jan. morning joy ride. later in the afternoon 7 point tour including - paragliding , rope way , HMI, tibetan refugee self help centre , happy valley tea estate, zoo.
18th jan: after viewing sun rise at tiger hills , move to kalimpong. Kalimpong sightseeing .Overnight at kalimpong.
19th jan: kalimpong to Gangtok. . check In hotel. Relax and later visit mall road , boulevard. Overnight at hotel
20th jan: Gangtok 10 point sight seeing
21th jan: Tsangmo lake , nathula pass, baba mandir
22th jan: after breakfast leave for NJP to catch train later in the evening.
Few queries:
• Can we visit all sight seeing points in the month of January? Will we get snow fall .which r the points which cannot be covered in winters which r possible only in summers.
• Where is zero point and when it can be covered?
• Can I add pelling in the itinerary?
• Can I do the joy ride on 22nd jan itself?
• When can I do rafting and paragliding ?
• When can I visit the char dham temple?
I hope u will reply soon . Thanks
Neha Sao (November 2014)
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Paragliding is not part of 7-point tour, but you can do it separately. Nathula, Tsomgo are likely to be closed in Jan due to heavy snow. You should plan Namchi (Char Dham) instead on 21st. Rest is fine. Zero point is in north Sikkim (although the center of the Gangtok town is also called zero point). It's difficult to fit Zero Point (north Sikkim) into your current schedule. Secondly the route may not be accessible due to snow.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) September 2014
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Dear Mr Raj
Our complements for the wonderful work you are doing by helping tourist like us. We are a group of four senior citizens planning a trip to Darjeeling and Sikkim. We have drawn a tentative Itinerary and seek your advice.
Day 1 - arrive Bagdogra airport in the afternoon and proceed to Gangtok,stay there for the night.
Day 2 and 3 -(a)visit Tsangu Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula pass (b) local sightseeing to cover Inst. of Tibetology, Himalayan Zoological park, flower show, Ganesh Tak, Hanuman Tak, Dir of Handloom & handicraft, DO Droul Chorten Monastery, Ropeway ride (c) Tashi view point, Banjakhari & Bakthang falls (if worth seeing) , (d)Ranka / Rumtek / Enchay Monastery ( your advice please?)
Day 4 & 5 - To Pelling Via Namchi
AT NAMCHI
(a)Solopak -chardham, Pilgrim Centre, Jyoti Lingas
(b) Samdrupte Hills Statue of guru (c)Zero Point
AT PELLING
(a) Rimbi and KanchanJanga Falls, Khechiopalki Lake, Pemayangate Monastery
(c) Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary
(d) Singsor Bridge
(e) If Possible - Phur Chu Chi hot water springs near legship
Move To Darjeeling later in the day
Day 6 & 7 - Darjeeling
(a) Tiger Hill, Sunrise Point, Ghoom Monastery, Batasia Loop
(b) P N Joo, Himalayan Mountaineering Inst., Tibetan Refugee camp, Japanese temple, Tenzing Rock, Tea garden
(c) Toy Train Ride
(d) Rope way cable car ride.
Day 8 - To Kalimpong - Dello hill, roapway, local trip. - Night stay
Day 9 - To Bagdogra airport
We will also like to include Lachung & Yumthang Valley if these are worth visiting and not a strain for Senior Citizen.
Which place will be better for us -Lachung or Kalimpong. Regards
H C Wasan (December 2014)
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Hello,
Bakthang waterfalls is nearby and you can cover it with Tashi view point easily. Banajhakri is near Ranka monastery, a bit far away and should be covered together... very bad roads but both Banajhakri and Ranka monastery are excellent. Rumtek requires some 10-15 minutes uphill walk.
You have already planned too many places. Lachung/Yumthang is great but requires two extra days from Gangtok.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) December 2014
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Dear Mr Raj
Many thanks for your advice.
with your help and advice we have revised our itinerary as summarized below. any comments / advice from you on the same will help us:-
April 11, 2015 -Arrival at Bagdogra at 16.15 hrs and proceed to Gangtok.
April 12th -Visit Tsangu lake and Baba Mandir. Local visit / market in the evening
April 13th -Local sight seeing including Zoological park, Inst of Tibetology, Flower show, Ganesh Tak, Hanuman Tak , Enchay Monestry, Tashi view point, Chorten, Ropeway, handloom & handicraft. Sadly we have dropped Rumtek / Ranka due to difficulty in approach for senior citizens like us as per your suggestions
April 14 th-Leave for Pelling via Namchi . Visit Samdruptse hill ( statue of guru) and Solopak (Chardham, statue of Lord Shiva)
April 15th - Local sight seeing at Pelling including Singsor bridge.
April 16th- Leave for Darjeeling in the morning. Later some local site seeing and Joy train ride or Cable car, if possible
April 17th- local sight seeing and Chowrasta mall.
April 18th - to Bagdogra air post to take flight at 12.15 hrs
Request for your advice on the following:-
Is the itinerary good and practical for senior citizens (all 4 of us are above 65 Y). What time we should start from Gangtok on April 14th to be in a position to reach Pelling in time and have adequate time at Namchi. What time should we leave Darjeeling to be in time for the flight back on April 18th.
Advice on good, clean and comfortable 3 / 4 star hotels at the three places. Following options have been suggested. we request for your views on these and suggestion on any other suitable hotel.
Gangtok (3 nights) - Norling Resort / Sikkim Retreat / Royal Oak
Pelling (2 nights) - Norbu Ghang Resort / De Regency
Darjeeling (2 nights) - Summit Youkshire / Anand Palace / Montana
I have no words to express my thanks to you for all the help and guidance.
Many Thanks and regards
H C Wasan (January 2015)
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My comments:
1) You may interchange the plans of 12th with 13th as often it takes time to get the permits and you may not get permits for Baba Mandir etc immediately next morning unless you get them done through some agency well in advance (requires original Photo IDs).
2) On 14th start early from Gangtok to reach Pelling via Namchi ... earlier the better, I would say no later than 7am.
3) From Darjeeling, start by 7am for the airport (takes little over 3 hours).
4) I have discussed several good mid range hotels in my site for both Darjeeling and Gangtok. Try to choose one from there. In Pelling I have stayed in Norbu Ghang, it's quite okay.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) January 2015
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Hi Raj ,
Your work is highly appreciated, this is the one stop shop for Darjeeling, Gangtok tour. Along with my family, Myself, wife + 2 sons ( 10 years, 7 years ) are planning a Darjeeling & Gangtok tour in May 2015. Here is my plan for your review :
May 24th :
NJP Station to Darjeeing Via Mirik, Stay @ Darjeeling
May 25th :
Early morning 3 point tour + afternoon Joyride ( thanks for your tips on booking the joyride ).Stay @ Darjeeling
May 26th :
Mixed point siteseeing Stay @ Darjeeling
May 27th :
Darjeeling to Kalimpong , local siteseeing ; Stay @ Kalimpong
May 28th :
Kalimpong to Gangtok ; Stay @ Gangtok
May 29th :
Baba Mandir , Tsomgo (Changu) Lake, Nathula
May 30th : Gangtok local Site Seeing
May 31st : Return to NJP - Kolkata.
Your suggestion is highly appreciated.
Arindam Ganguly (January 2015)
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Hi, your plan is fine. Just interchange the plans of 29th with 30th because it takes time to get the permits for Nathula etc. Your hotel or local agency will require a morning half to get that done.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) January 2015
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Hello sir,
Thanks for a ton of useful information on your site, though reading through the whole of it was tedious. But based on a few of my understanding, we've broadly planned the destinations. Details of places to visit yet to be finalized based on the input/feedback we receive from you.
DAY1:Arrive at Bagdogra airport around 1:40pm. Transfer to Darjeeling via Mirik by taxi.
DAY2: Take 3-point tour early in the morning to watch sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill, followed by visit to Ghoom Monastery and Batasia Loop. Later visit the Chowrasta Mall, Observatory Hill to Mahakal Temple, joy ride (2hrs).
DAY3: Check out in the morning (by 8am), take a taxi from the stand and move to Gangtok (takes about 4 hours). Check into the hotel, freshen up and walk down to MG Marg.
DAY4:full day trip to Tsomgo Lake - followed by visit to Baba Mandir and Nathula Pass.
DAY5:full day 10-point sightseeing tour
DAY6: Transfer back to Bagdogra airport(flight time 03:00pm).
Kindly confirm the trip or provide me your valuable suggestions.
Gaurav Sahu (January 2015)
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Hi,
On arrival, it's too late in the day to go via Mirik. It'll get dark midway between Mirik and Darjeeling and you will miss out on the views. Better you proceed to Gangtok then come to Darjeeling. On your return from Darjeeling, come down via Mirik (start by 7am so that you have enough time to enjoy the spots before reaching the airport). In Gangtok, do the local sightseeing first, next day plan Nathula etc as the permits take time.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) January 2015
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Hi Raj,
First of all, thanks a lot and congratulations for an extremely well informed website. I should say you have made tourism a lot easier for everyone with this very useful information.
I, along with my family (wife and two sons 13, 7) are planning to visit Gangtok, Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The brief itinerary as planned for travel is as given:
25 Mar Kol-Bagdogra by flight (reaching by 1445)
25 Mar Bagdogra - Gangtok (By road)
26 Mar - 29 Mar Stay at Gangtok
29 Mar - Gangtok to Darjeeling via Kalimpong
29 Mar - 31 Mar Stay at Darjeeling
01 Apr - Darjeeling to Bagdogra
I wanted to check is this sufficient for us to see as much as possible in all three locations? Would I require an overnight at Kalimpong? My flight from Bagdogra to Kolkata is 1510 on 01 Apr so I can even think of travelling early morning from Darjeeling / Kalimpong for Bagdogra if advised so. Major interests in Darjeeling that I would want to see would be the toy train ride, the HMI and the Zoo and the Buddhist settlement. Remaining would wait for your advice
Regards
Rahul S (February 2015)
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Hi,
Either stay overnight at Kalimpong by reducing one night from Gangtok, or increase one night in Darjeeling and make a full day trip to Kalimpong from Darjeeling. Rest is fine. You can consider Ropeway (cable car) in Darjeeling as well, also visit Happy Valley Tea Estate.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) February 2015
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Hello Raj,
Very briefly I would sum up my plan but I need your help in finalizing it. I planned to visit Gangtok from 4-3-15 to 8-3-15. But I came across your website and realized that it would be not less than a crime if we don't visit Darjeeling. So it's like :
1) Arrival - Gangtok - by 4th afternoon
2) 5th March - Chango Lake, Baba Mandir & Nathula
3)6th March - Rumtek Monastery, Banjhakri falls, Hanuman Tok, Ganesh Tok etc.
Here I would like to ask you that, Is it possible to reach Darjeeling by the night of 6th March after local sight-seeing at Gangtok ? Would that be too hectic or can be managed ?
As for 7th March we plan to have 3-point tour to Tiger Hill, Ghoom Monastery and Batasia Loop.
On 8th March we'll move back to Bagdogra.
Kindly help.. :) Thank You in advance
Priyanka Suman (February 2015)
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Hi,
Covering both Gangtok and Darjeeling in just 3 & half days would be quite hectic, but for young and energetic, it's possible. You may need to interchange the plans of 5th and 6th March, because permits for Nathula etc takes time, usually a morning half. Also, depending on snow the route may or may not be open. Early March is kind of 50-50 chance. So have a plan B just in case you can't visit Baba Mandir/Nathula. However the chances are higher that road up to Changu lake may be open.
Gangtok to Darjeeling will take about 4.5 hours drive. If you do only Changu lake, then you are back to Gangtok town by afternoon and can easily drive to Darjeeling. But with Nathula etc, it's going to be quite tiring. Your call. From Gangtok, you will actually come via Batasia and Ghoom Monastery, but it'll be likely dark when you pass by and you can't see them then. Next morning, you will again retrace the path for Batasia & Monastery and visit Tiger hill. I suggest you drop Tiger hill. You can cover Batasia and Ghoom monastery on 8th while leaving for Bagdogra. You will pass by them anyway. On 7th, see the sunrise over Kanchenjunga from the Mall road view point (good enough view), and then during the day time visit HMI/Zoo, Ropeway (i.e. cable car ride) and Happy Valley Tea Estate.... they are all on a line and not far away. Good luck!
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) February 2015
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Hi, Thanks for all your service to visitors like us. I am visiting darjeeling/Gangtok and Pelling between 11 March to 18 March along with my family ( 2 kids). I have prepared my plan by checking forum and that is as below-
I will appreciate if you can look at plan and let me know if any changes required. Please let me know what we can cover en-route between Darjeeling/Gangtok and Gangtok to Pelling
11 March : Bagdogra to Darjeeling (via Mirik). Reaching Bagdogra around noon.
Enroute Tingling View Point, Mirik Lake, Simana View Point
12 March : Darjeeling Sight-seeing
a) 3-point tour
1) Tiger Hill - sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjunga
2) Ghoom Monastery
3) Batasia Loop and War Memorial
b) Toy train ride (10:40AM) - Is it feasible to reach train station by 10:30AM after 3-point tour?
13 March : Darjeeling Sight-seeing
a) Mixed Point Tour
1) Japanese Temple & Peace Pagoda
2) Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the Zoo
3) Darjeeling Ropeway
4) Tenzing & Gombu Rock
5) Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center
6) Happy Valley Tea Estate
7) Rock Garden
14 March : Darjeeling to Gangtok
a) On the way, what we can cover?
15 March : Gangtok Sight-seeing
a) 10-point tour
1) Ranka Monastery
2) Ban Jhakri Waterfall
3) Rumtek Monastery
4) Enchey Monastery
5) Ganesh Tok
6) Zoo
7) Hanuman Tok
8) Ropeway
9) Tashi View Point
10) Chorten Stupa
16 March : Gangtok Sight-seeing
a) 3-point tour
1) Tsongmo Lake
2) Baba Mandir
3) Nathula Pass
17 March : Gangtok to Pelling (On the way, what we can cover?)
18 March : Pelling to Bagdogra. Need to reach Bagdogra by 3pm(flight is at 4pm)
Sanjay Purkar (March 2015)
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Hi, overall a good plan. Few points to note...
1) Yes, you can easily take 10:30pm toy train ride after the 3point tour in Darjeeling
2) While going to Gangtok from Darjeeling, ask the driver to take you via Lamahatta (a lovely village with a roadside manicured garden)
3) Too less time for Pelling sightseeing.
Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) March 2015
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