Sikkim · Darjeeling · Kalimpong · Dooars · Bhutan
The Eastern Himalaya, at honest prices
Snow at Nathu La, the toy train to Darjeeling, rhino in the Dooars and the dzongs of Bhutan. Every package comes in three price tiers, from ₹6,500 per person, with shared-jeep fares, permits and every cost written down.
East Sikkim
Gangtok, the high lakes and the old Silk Route. Best Mar – May · Oct – Nov.
Explore Photo: Subhrajyoti07 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
North Sikkim
Lachung, Lachen, Yumthang and the high lakes near Tibet. Best Mar – May · Oct – Nov.
Explore Photo: Indrajit Das · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
West and South Sikkim
Kangchenjunga views, Sikkim's first capitals and the great pilgrim statues. Best Mar – May · Oct – Dec.
Explore Photo: Santanu Paul · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Darjeeling
Tea gardens, the toy train and Kangchenjunga from the ridge. Best Mar – May · Oct – Dec.
Explore Photo: Sufe · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kalimpong
Monasteries, nurseries and quiet forest villages above the Teesta. Best Mar – May · Oct – Nov.
Explore Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dooars
Rhino grasslands, forest rivers and tea plains below the hills. Best Oct – Mar.
Explore Photo: Jonoikobangali · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bhutan
Dzongs, prayer flags and quiet valleys across the Dooars border. Best Mar – May · Oct – Nov.
Explore Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons- No payment to startPay a deposit only when you book
- Itemised written quoteEvery hotel, car and guide listed
- One plannerFrom first message to the last drop at NJP
- Change anythingEvery route is a starting point
The index
Choose a valley
Each destination opens on its own map, its seasons, its permits and the rooms we would book for you there.
Packages
Routes we know by heart
Budget tier prices per person, twin sharing. Every package also has Value and Comfort tiers.
The season almanac
When each valley is at its best
A planning guide, not a promise. Passes, parks and permits change each year: check current status before you travel. The ringed column is this month. Open the full almanac
Right now
At their best in November
A boot-shaped lake and farm homestays below the Silk Route
Sikkim's capital on a ridge above the Ranikhola valley
The border pass at 4,310 m on the old road to Lhasa
The Karma Kagyu seat across the valley from Gangtok
A glacial lake at 3,753 m on the road to Nathu La
Hairpin bends and homestays on the old Silk Route
A Lepcha reserve of cardamom, rivers and village homestays
A sacred lake at about 5,430 m on the edge of the Tibetan plateau
Shape your own trip Tell us your dates and budget. We draw the route around you. Begin Not sure where to start? We match the valley to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. Begin Talk to a planner A first route and an itemised price within one working day. No payment to start. BeginHow we work
Three promises we keep
Budget, Value or Comfort on every package. Your quote lists each room, car, permit and fee, so you can see where the money goes.
Shared jeeps and homestays where they make sense, a registered private car where the permit or the road needs one.
We apply for Nathu La, Tsomgo, North Sikkim and Bhutan permits, and plan a spare day for landslides and snow.
The fare board
What the hill roads really cost
Indicative fares for planning. Shared jeep fares are set by local taxi associations and change with fuel prices.
| Route | Shared | Time | Reserved car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siliguri → Gangtok | ₹350–450 a seat | 4.5–5.5 hours | ₹3,500–5,000 per car |
| Siliguri → Gangtok | ₹250–350 a seat | 5–6 hours | ₹3,500–5,000 per car |
| Gangtok → Tsomgo Lake | ₹700–1,200 a seat with permit for Tsomgo and Baba Mandir | 1.5–2 hours each way | ₹3,500–5,000 per car for Tsomgo and Baba Mandir; ₹5,500–7,500 with Nathu La |
| Gangtok → Zuluk | ₹150–250 a seat to Rongli, then a local car | 5–6 hours with a change | ₹5,000–7,000 per car one way |
| Siliguri → Aritar | ₹250–350 a seat to Rhenock, then ₹300–500 for a local car | 4–5 hours plus a local taxi | ₹3,500–5,000 per car |
| Gangtok → Lachung | ₹5,000–7,500 per person for 2 nights with stay and meals | 6–8 hours | ₹14,000–19,000 per vehicle for 2 nights |
| Gangtok → Lachung | ₹200–300 a seat | 3 hours | ₹14,000–19,000 per vehicle for 2 nights |
| Gangtok → Lachen | ₹6,500–9,000 per person with Gurudongmar, stay and meals | 6–8 hours | ₹16,000–22,000 per vehicle for 2 nights |
Local stories
Every place has a story
Legends, history and the people behind the places, each with its source named.
Before the motor road came, the main route from Kalimpong to Lhasa ran through the hills around Aritar. Mule trains carrying wool, …
The Lepcha, who call themselves Rongkup or Mutanchi Rongkup, are regarded as the oldest known inhabitants of Sikkim. Their homeland, which they …
Sikkim's first king, Phuntsog Namgyal, was crowned at Yuksom in 1642. In 1670 his son, Tensung Namgyal, moved the capital to a …
Fifty years ago there was no lake at Mirik. The hollow below the town was a marsh, thick with sweet flag, a …
The Lepchas are counted as the oldest inhabitants of the Kalimpong hills and of Sikkim. They call themselves Rongkup, from a longer …
For decades the most sought-after rooms in the Dooars were in the Hollong Tourist Lodge, a wooden building on stilts deep inside …
Shape your own trip Tell us your dates and budget. We draw the route around you. Begin Not sure where to start? We match the valley to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. Begin Talk to a planner A first route and an itemised price within one working day. No payment to start. BeginThe altitude ladder
From the plains to 5,000 m
Siliguri sits near 120 m; Gurudongmar is above 5,000 m. Sleep high only after a night or two in between.
Open the ladder →From the desk
Read before you go
Eat momos and thukpa in any town, gundruk soup and sel roti in Nepali homes, phagshapa and sha phaley in Gangtok, and …
Choose Jaldapara for the best chance of one-horned rhinos on open grassland jeep safaris, and Gorumara for watchtower safaris close to Siliguri …
Choose Lachung for an easier trip with Yumthang valley, flowers in spring and snow at Zero Point, suitable for families, older travellers …
Shape your own trip Tell us your dates and budget. We draw the route around you. Begin Not sure where to start? We match the valley to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. Begin Talk to a planner A first route and an itemised price within one working day. No payment to start. Begin