Travel style
Shoestring trips
The hills on shared jeeps and homestays
Most of the Eastern Himalaya can be travelled the way hill people travel: shared jeeps from the Siliguri and Gangtok stands, homestays with home food, and momo shops instead of hotel buffets.
We price these trips at the Budget tier and tell you exactly where a reserved car or a registered tourist vehicle is required, for example inside the protected areas of North and East Sikkim.
Journeys
Routes in this style
Places
Where it fits best
Hairpin bends and homestays on the old Silk Route
A Lepcha reserve of cardamom, rivers and village homestays
Where Sikkim crowned its first king and the Goecha La trail begins
The plains city where every hill journey begins
A Lepcha ridge village with an old forest and a canopy walk
A high ridge village facing the whole Kanchenjunga range
Watchtower safaris on the edge of the Murti and Jaldhaka
Tea slopes and forest streams where the Dooars meets the hills
Bhutan's front door on the Dooars plains
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. BeginStays
Rooms that suit it
Zuluk has no hotels in the usual sense, only family homestays in the small village and army settlement. Rooms are basic but warm, and the price …
Family homestays in Lepcha villages such as Lingthem, Passingdang and Hee Gyathang. The main way to stay in the reserve, and one of the most rewarding …
Family homestays in Yuksom, run mainly by Bhutia, Limbu and Nepali households, are the natural base before or after the Goecha La and Dzongri treks. Meals …
A long-running mid-range hotel in Siliguri, part of the Kolkata-based Sinclairs chain. We use it when a late train or an early flight forces a night …
Family-run homestays and small cottages in Rishop, many run by Sherpa and Lepcha families, with rooms facing the Kanchenjunga range. They are simple, warm and the …
Simple homestays run by Lepcha and Nepali families around Lolegaon and nearby Kafer. They put you within walking distance of the canopy walk and the Jhandi …
The West Bengal Forest Development Corporation lodge beside the Murti river near Gorumara, with a main building, cottages and tents in a large garden. Guests can …
A large hilltop resort at Chalsa, about 15 km from Lataguri, with cottage-style rooms, a pool and views over the Dooars plains. The most comfortable base …
Forest corporation cottages and tents beside the Suntalekhola stream above Samsing, reached over a hanging footbridge. Cheap, green and quiet.
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