Travel style
Treks and walks
Sandakphu, Goecha La and village trails
The region has some of India's best short treks: the Singalila ridge to Sandakphu, the Dzongri trail from Yuksom and day walks between villages in Kalimpong and Bhutan.
We grade every walk by hours on foot, height gained and the highest point, and use registered local guides as the rules require.
Journeys
Routes in this style
Places
Where it fits best
A Lepcha reserve of cardamom, rivers and village homestays
Rhododendron meadows at 3,564 m, with Zero Point above
Where Sikkim crowned its first king and the Goecha La trail begins
The quieter tea town half way up the hill
The top of West Bengal, facing four of the five highest peaks
Mist, monks and the gate to Neora Valley
A Lepcha ridge village with an old forest and a canopy walk
A high ridge village facing the whole Kanchenjunga range
A ridge village above Pedong looking down on the Teesta bends
A Bhutanese fort and prison in the clouds above the Dooars
Tea slopes and forest streams where the Dooars meets the hills
The quiet valley over Chele La
Taktsang, Rinpung Dzong and Bhutan's only international airport
The winter valley of the black-necked cranes
The old winter capital where two rivers meet
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
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 …
On the way to Sandakphu you sleep in simple stone and timber lodges at Tumling, Gairibas, Kalipokhri and Sandakphu itself. Expect shared rooms, thick blankets, basic …
A small heritage hotel in an old planter's house just below Kurseong on the Pankhabari road, with tea-garden views and well-kept rooms. Good value for a …
Wooden cottages run by the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation on a forested slope at Lava. It is the closest thing to staying inside the forest …
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 …
A cluster of family homestays in Sillery Gaon above Pedong, with rooms facing Kanchenjunga across the valleys. They are the only kind of stay in the …
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