Mumbai to Gangtok

DAY 1 – MUMBAI – BAGDOGRA – GANGTOK

After packing loads of warm clothes for Sikkim, we started our day early. Pramod, Preeti and Taashi (they stay in Dombivili) took off for the airport at 4:30 am (Nikhil and I got up at that time, considering we stay in Andheri ;) which is close to the airport).

Himalayas from the flight

We had an early morning 7:00 o’clock Indigo flight to catch. With a halt at Guwahati for half an hour we were in Bagdogra by noon. Bagdogra is the nearest airport to Sikkim (It lies in West Bengal though).

Sikkim Manipal University

First sight of Teesta River

From Bagdogra our next stop was Gangtok. We had not pre booked any taxi. To go to Gangtok you have two options – book a cab from the prepaid counter at the exit of the airport or hunt for a cab yourself. If you book a cab from the prepaid counter the rates are fixed, you can’t negotiate the price. Also, these cab drop you at the taxi stand in Gangtok. They don’t drop you at your hotel. From the taxi stand you have to hop into another cab and go to the hotel.

River Teesta

If you look for a cab yourself, negotiate the rate with him in such a way that he drops you to your hotel directly. This will save you from the hassle of taking another cab to your hotel, shifting luggage from one car to another.

Rocky Mountains

You should remember one thing in Gangtok – it has timings for the SUVs. The city has many one way rules for the SUVs.

At 12.30 pm, we took an Innova from Bagdogra to Gangtok for Rs 2,700. From the airport you have to cross the city of Siliguri to head to Sikkim. The road was good with very slow moving traffic.

Muddy Roads

Once we were on the outskirt of the city and the curvy roads were about to start we stopped over at a small restaurant for Lunch – New Gautam. The food was good and reasonably priced.

Post lunch we started with the first of the many subsequent rides on curvy narrow roads of the Himalayas. It was a beautiful scenic drive along the River Teesta.

En route Gangtok

The major part of the first day was travelling. From Mumbai Airport to Guwahati Airport to Bagdogra Airport and then spending time on the road from Bagdogra to Gangtok, but the excitement of reaching Gangtok overcame the fatigue of the travel.

Welcome to Sikkim

After about 5 hours drive, we arrived at our hotel – Hotel Pandim, a cosy guesthouse away from the hustle bustle of the Gangtok City. It was cold and everyone had taken out their sweaters, jackets and shawls. One should remember that the sun sets early in this corner of the world and it is pitch dark by 5:00 pm. So you should gear up to start your day early and end your day early.

Road to Gangtok

We had booked for two deluxe rooms but the hotel has upgraded one to Super Deluxe. The hotel rooms had wall to wall carpet, TV with cable connection, geyser and all the basic amenities. The Super Deluxe room had a balcony with a wonderful view of the mountains and the city. 

We had our dinner in the hotel itself as we were quite tired and were not in the mood to move out of the hotel. We had a nice dinner at the hotel’s restaurant located on the top floor offering spectacular view of Gangtok City at night.

Post dinner we all headed to our respective rooms to crash – to get ready for the excursion to Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir and Tsongmo Lake the next day.

Please note:

1. Carry a warm jacket or a sweater. Bagdogra will not be cold but by the time you reach Gangtok it is dark and cold. 

2. Gangtok from Bagdogra is just 120 kms but it takes 5 hours approx to cover this distance because of rough terrain, narrow and curvy roads.

3. The sun sets early here. It is dark by 5:00 pm. Therefore, don't waste too much time in Siliguri or Bagdogra. One should try to reach Gangtok early.

4. There are not many places to eat once you start climbing the mountains. Therefore, it is recommended to have your lunch in the outskirts of Siliguri and buy some packaged water.

5. Expense incurred in the day:

	For 4 Ppl	Per person
Flight ticket from Mumbai to Bagdogra (6 months advance booking)	17,000	4,250
Taxi from Bagdogra to Gangtok (Innova)	2,700	675
Lunch	350	88
Hotel Stay	3,600	900
Dinner (In the Hotel)	500	125
Total	24,150	6,038

SPLENDID SIKKIM

How to describe countless waterfalls, snowcapped mountains, beautiful flowers, mountain sides covered with trees, pebble scattered riverbeds, absolute silence broken with the sound of water falling from mountains or roaring in the streams.

You get this and much more in Sikkim.

Zero Point in North Sikkim

Sikkim has always been an enigma for me and thus an eventual choice for our vacation.

In the midst of Himalayas, Sikkim is nestled between three countries - Tibet on the north, Nepal on its west, Bhutan on its east.

I did a 9 day trip starting from 8^th November 2014 to Sikkim covering Gangtok, Lachen, Lachung and Pelling. What followed was an adventure, an experience which is beyond words and photographs.

Bagdogra - Gangtok - Lachen - Lachung - Pelling

We were two couples – 4 adults and a kid (3 year old) travelling to the extreme cold of Sikkim (compared to the weather in Mumbai).

The detailed itinerary is as follows:

	Day	Place	Details	Night Stay At
Day 1	Sat	Mumbai - Bagdogra - Gangtok	Upon arrival at Bagdogra, proceed to Gangtok. Will reach late evening. Head to M.G. Road for dinner	Gangtok
Day 2	Sun	Gangtok	After breakfast proceed to: 1. Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake) 2. Nathula Pass 3. Baba Mandir 4. Tukla Valley Late evening for shopping at Lal Bazaar & M G Road.	Gangtok
Day 3	Mon	Gangtok to Lachen	Early morning leave for Lachen. enroute see : 1. Tashi View Point 2. Seven Sister waterfall	Lachen
Day 4	Tue	Lachen to Lachung	Early morning leave for: 1. Gurudongmar Lake 2. Chopta Valley Post lunch head to Lachung	Lachung
Day 5	Wed	Lachung	Visit: 1. Yumthang Valley (22 kms from Lachung), 2. Zero Point (another 18 kms), 3. Mt. Katao (Optional) 4. Hot water springs and Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary (Optional) Evening rest in the hotel.	Lachung
Day 6	Thur	Lachung to Gangtok	Early morning head to Gangtok. Post Lunch: 1. Rumtek Monastry 2. Hanuman Tok 3. Ganesh Tok 4. Enchey Monastry	Gangtok
Day 7	Fri	Gangtok to Pelling	Leave for Pelling Via Ravangla. Enroute see: 1. Bon Monastery 2. Buddhist Park	Pelling
Day 8	Sat	Pelling	See: 1. Pemayangtse Monastery 2. Rabdentse Ruins 3. Khecheopalri Lake 4. Kangehendzonga Waterfalls 5. Rimbi Water fall 6. Sinshore Bridge	Pelling
Day 9	Sun	Pelling - Bagdogra - Mumbai	Pelling to Bagdogra	Mumbai

Before starting the trip, I did an extensive research on Sikkim – Its geography, climate, people, culture, places to see, things to do, things to eat etc…

I will be covering my vacation in phases, giving you as much information as possible and sharing my experience of the trip.

To give you a head start enjoy the few clicks:

Himalaya Range from the Airplane

Buddhist Park at Ravangla

Enroute Gurudongmar Lake

Enroute Nathula Pass

Gurudongmar Lake

View from Tukla Valley

Bridge decorated with colourful prayer flags

Teesta River

View from Thangu Village

Detailed stay in Sikkim to follow….

Upcoming Travel: Sikkim

The time has come for me to indulge in a vacation to the very beautiful north eastern state in India – Sikkim. (I haven’t been there as yet, but I am saying this based on what I see, read and hear). This will be my first trip to North East India and I plan to stay for roughly nine days in Sikkim. 

I have been planning this trip for a long while in my head and I am very happy that I am finally doing it. With the tickets done and hotels booked, I am all geared to fly to Bagdogra (Bagdogra is in West Bengal and is the closest airport to go to Sikkim. Sikkim does not have any airport) and be closer to the mighty Himalayas. 

I generally have a planned itinerary and I do have an idea of the geography that I am going to cover. 

I will be covering four places – Gangtok, Lachen (North Sikkim), Lachung (North Sikkim) and Pelling (West Sikkim).

I am very excited and looking forward to my trip. A detailed travel blog with tips, advice and photograph will be up after the trip.  I hope I will have lots of photographs, stories and experiences to share with you all. 

More to follow…