Sikkim: A Traveler’s Guide to the Best Places to Visit

After Visiting Sikkim so many times and talking to many fellow travelers I came up with this Traveler’s guide for Sikkim. This post focuses on a guide to the best places to visit in Sikkim from a traveller’s view. I hope you will enjoy reading this article and get a lot of information about visiting Sikkim.

Best Places to Visit in Sikkim: A Traveler’s Guide

How to Reach Sikkim?

Sikkim is well connected to the rest of India. It even has an airport at Pakyong from many major Indian Cities although the fare might be higher.

The alternate option is to take a flight to Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal and then reserve a cab to Gangtok.

Another budget option is to reach the nearest Railway Station by train which is NJP. Then take a shared cab or bus to reach Gangtok. It is quite budget-friendly and easy as well.

Where to stay in Gangtok?

M G Marg is undoubtedly the best locality to look for a hotel or hostel in Gangtok. Leave the main street and nearby you will find some budget accommodations as well. Eateries, taxi points, and shops are close to this place which makes it convenient for a tourist visiting Gangtok.

How to Explore Sikkim?

If you are here to explore the whole of Sikkim in one go, know that it is not going to be easy. You need to spend at least 6-8 days to cover all the attractions in Sikkim. So it is best to explore East, West, North and South Sikkim one by one. It will become a more convenient, easygoing, and enjoyable trip.

Otherwise, you can just cover these 10 most Beautiful Places in Sikkim which gives everyone a reason to visit this beautiful state.

Traveller’s Way to Explore Sikkim: Best Places to Visit

Sikkim is full of scenic views, viewpoints, monasteries, temples, lakes, waterfalls and lush green mountains. It is better to explore Sikkim in parts.

Here I present you the best of Sikkim in parts. Even if you are in Sikkim on your tour. Still, you can go to each part and stay at the centre of it to cover the rest of it and return back to Gangtok. This post elaborately discusses how to explore Sikkim in parts.

Sikkim can geographically be divided into four parts, i.e.; East Sikkim, West Sikkim, South Sikkim and North Sikkim.

Gangtok, one of the most visited tourist places and the Capital of Sikkim is located in the North-East of the state.

Here is a quick preview of the places as per their locality. If you are already in Sikkim, this will help you decide which way to go to cover these places.

Preview of Tourist Attractions in Sikkim as per their locality:

Locality	East Sikkim	West Sikkim	North Sikkim	South Sikkim
Lakes	Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake) Menmecho Lake Samiti Lake Tso Lhamo Lake	Khecheopalri Lake Lampokhari Lake (Aritar Lake)	Gurudongmar Lake Cholamu Lake
Viewpoints	Tashi Viewpoint Hanuman Tok Ganesh Tok Saramsa Garden and Viewpoint	Tarey Bhir Ralong Monastery Viewpoint Temi Tea Garden Viewpoint	Singhik Viewpoint	Maenam Hill Viewpoint Labrang Monastery Viewpoint
Waterfalls	Banjhakri Falls Bakthang Falls Ralong Falls	Kanchenjunga Falls Rimbi Waterfalls	Naga Falls Kyongnosla Waterfalls	Seven Sisters Waterfalls Phamrong Falls Kirateshwar Waterfalls
Monasteries	Rumtek Monastery Enchey Monastery Lingdum Monastery (Ranka Monastery)	Pemayangtse Monastery Dubdi Monastery	Phodong Monastery Lachen Monastery	Tashiding Monastery Ralang Monastery Phensang Monastery
Temples	Sa-Ngor-Chotshog Centre Siddhesvara Dham (Char Dham) Ganesh Temple, Namchi Solophok Chardham, Namchi	Kirateshwar Mahadev Temple, Legship		Siddhesvara Dham, Rhenock, Sikkim
Others	Nathula Pass		Yumthang Valley Zero Point (Yumesamdong) Lachen, Lachung	Gangtok, Namchi, Ravangla, Temi Tea Garden

Let’s start exploring the best of Sikkim. Here is how you can plan your Itinerary.

Traveller’s Guide To Cover All the Best Places in Sikkim In One Go

Reaching Gangtok:

Day 1.

Choose your own way of transportation. No matter how hard you try, you will reach Gangtok not before noon. So, take a rest for a while and do some local market hopping at MG Marg, exploring the food outlets and all.

Spend the night in Gangtok. Make sure to book a cab or taxi for local sightseeing in Gangtok. It will cost you around 1800 to 2000Rs.

Local Sightseeing in Gangtok

Day 2.

M G Marg

By default, you will explore this place full of shopping centres, cafes, food outlets and all. There are some really lovely food options on MG Marg in Gangtok.

1. Ban Jhakri Falls Park

This is a Park in Gangtok with amazing views of Kanchenjunga hills and a waterfall. The park has a way uphill leading to a waterfall. It might be difficult for elders to walk up to the fall but there is still a lot to do at the base of the park.

2. Hanuman Temple

It feels really great when you get some time to seek blessings at this very peaceful Hanuman Temple. With amazing scenic views, this temple is a decent place to visit once.

3. Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

This is a great place for you if you love to know about different cultures and their customs. A must-visit for a curious and artistic person in Gangtok.

4. Do Drul Chorten

It is a beautiful monastery located in Gangtok. Most of the tourists find it very serene and peaceful.

5. Lhasa Waterfall

This is a very beautiful waterfall near Gangtok with amazing scenic views. It is a must-visit place in Gangtok.

6. Ganesh Tok

It is a very sacred temple in Gangtok which gives you some decent scenic views of the Kanchenjunga hills and a small market outside.

7. Gangtok Ropeway

For adventurous hearts, it is a must-visit place in Gangtok. The ropeway journey is amazing and gives you a 360-degree view of the whole Gangtok in just 130rs/person.

8. Tashi Viewpoint

A very scenic place with a few amazing views of the valley and the hills. It just wins your heart and leaves beautiful memories in your mind.

9. Bakthang Waterfall

Situated on a rocky land, this waterfall gives you more scenic views than the Ban Jhakri Falls. It is located in an open and wide area filled with lush green hills and valleys.

10. Tsuglakhang Monastery & Temple

It is a royal chapel and a monastery in Gangtok. Locals confirm that earlier, the King of the area used to come here to pray to god. It is quite a decent and serene monastery with a vibrant locality.

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These are the must-visit places for your local sightseeing in Gangtok. Most probably, your cab/taxi driver will by default take you to these places. Just make sure to check with the driver beforehand.

You can have your breakfast and lunch at some of the attractions which will also enhance your sightseeing experience. Ganesh Tok, Falls Park, Ropeway, and Tashi ViewPoint are great places to satiate your appetite.

For dinner, you can look for some eateries in Gangtok.

A Traveler’s Guide to Explore the Attractions Near Gangtok

As we are done with Gangtok. Let’s start exploring the nearby areas first which are Baba Mandir, Nathula Pass, Zuluk and Namchi.

These localities near Gangtok are filled with scenic views and natural wonders. Baba Mandir and Nathula Pass are two major attractions in this list which should not be missed. So, we will dedicate our day 2 to these places.

Day 3:

Book a cab/taxi for Nathula Pass and Baba Mandir including all the big and small attractions on the way to Nathula Pass. This will cost you around 4000rs.

The other attractions which you should consider visiting are:

1. Kanchenjunga View point
2. Waterfall
3. Kyongnosla Waterfall
4. Tsomgo Lake Ice playground
5. Tsomgo Lake Viewpoint
6. Sarathang Lake
7. Sarathang War Memoria
8. Hangu Lake

You can have your breakfast and lunch where you please. Most of the attractions including Baba Mandir have many food outlets for visitors. Spend your night at Gangtok where you can have dinner as well.

Day 4:

Book a cab beforehand for Lachung to explore the far north of Sikkim. North Sikkim is filled with lakes, mountain ranges, snow peaks, black mountains and many other natural wonders.

You can book your stay in Lachung beforehand or you can book it on arrival as well. Try to book a cab which will be taking you to all the locations near Lachung like Lachen, Thangu Valley, Yumthang and Yumesodong.

There are many tourist spots on the way from Gangtok to Lachung as well. Make sure to have a chat with the driver to cover most of them.

Attractions You might wish to stop by while visiting Gangtok to Lachung:

1. Gonjang Monastery
2. Creg Viewpoint
3. Bakcha Bridge
4. Zero point waterfall
5. Seven Sisters Waterfall
6. Tumlong palace
7. Labramng Monastery
8. Nadey Monastery
9. Meyong Waterfall
10. Naga Falls
11. Scintillating Sister Waterfall
12. Old Toong Bridge
13. Raga Waterfalls
14. Theng Waterfall
15. Chungthang Viewpoint
16. Teesta River Dam
17. Chungthang
18. Gurudwara Nanak Lama Chungthang
19. Ved Nala
20. Bhim Nala Waterfall

I know it’s an exhausting list of places. Yet these are not major attractions, so you may skip some of them. Also, you don’t need to spend hours at these locations so can just stop by for a few minutes and carry on.

This way, you won’t feel that your day is wasted on travelling from Gangtok to Lachung.

Spend your night at your accommodation in Lahcung. We have a long list of places to explore in north Sikkim.

Best attractions to cover during your North Sikkim visit:

Towards Zero point

• Lachung City
• Lachung Monastery
• Lachung Viewpoint
• Khanda Waterfalls
• Katao Middlepoint
• Zekuphyak
• Katao north Sikkim
• Zero point

To Yumesodong Zero point

1. Snow Avalanche point
2. Np Point
3. Phuni Valley Viewpoint
4. Yumthang Valley
5. Raja Ghosh Viewpoint
6. Lachung River Bridge
7. Yumesodong Hot spring
8. Yumesodong Zero point

Towards Gurudongmar Lake:

1. Lachen River Bed
2. Yuigang Waterfalls
3. Lachen Monastery
4. Lachen Ngodub Choling Monastery
5. Lmao Angdong Viewpoint
6. Upper Zema
7. Chopta Valley Viewpoint
8. Kala Pathhar
9. Gurudongmar Gurudwara Sahib and Lake

I know these are a lot. So let me skim out some of the best attractions of North Sikkim that you shouldn’t be skipping.

Must visit places in North Sikkim

1. Lachung Local Sightseeing
2. Lachen Local Sightseeing
3. Thangu Valley Local Sightseeing
4. Kala Pathhar
5. Gurudongmar

You need to spend at least 2 days at Lachung or Lachen to cover the best attractions in North Sikkim. Hence as we came to Lachung on Day 4, this is Day 7 now when you need to leave for Gangtok. From Gangtok, you can return to your home town the way you arrived or by any other means you prefer.

Still, don’t think that you have covered the whole of Sikkim, yet most of it. I will still suggest you to plan for at least North and South Sikkim separately so that you can enjoy your trip rather than just jumping to different locations.

Sikkim is culturally, geographically and politically different from the rest of the country. Therefore you need to know some basic things about Sikkim. You also need to know some key things that every person visiting Sikkim for the first time must know. Now what’s that?

Things you need to know about Sikkim

Sikkim is a northeastern state of India full of landscapes, lush green mountains snow peaks and Lakes. It is culturally very rich and the people of Sikkim are peace-loving and welcoming.

Borders of the state touch West Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal and China. Due to its international borders some of its territories are sensitive and need extra caution.

Indians can visit every location in Sikkim without any difficulties all thanks to Indian Army. They only need to get permits and passes which are quite easy and even your driver can arrange it for you.

The permit to visit Sikkim is called the ILP. Indians do not need to get it while it is a must for foreigners willing to explore the state of Sikkim. Yet there are some places like Nathula where Indians do need a permit to visit the border area.

How to get a pass to visit Nathula Pass?

Suppose you are visiting Sikkim on Day 1. ➡ You reached Gangtok in the evening. ➡ You are planning to book a cab for local sightseeing in Gangtok for Day 2. ➡ At the same time, book a cab for Nathula Pass as well, and talk to them about the permits too. ➡ They might ask you for the Government Ids and the charges. ➡ This is the easiest way to get a permit for Nathula Pass.

Remember that Nathula Pass is open for tourists 5 days a week. On Mondays and Tuesdays, it remains closed to visitors. So plan your trip accordingly.

Takeaways:

Sikkim is India’s one of the most beautiful states. It has landscapes, lush green hills, snow-covered mountains, lakes and waterfalls, monasteries, temples and more.

Exploring Sikkim might have been a little tricky if you had not landed on this post. Always try to explore Sikkim by diving into the localities and plan for each of them separately.

However, if you have to cover the whole of Sikkim in one go then also this article helps you to skim out the best of Sikkim. Just don’t forget to take the permit in advance and keep in mind the closure days of the Nathula pass.

Now after a long chat, this post like every other comes to an end. I hope it has answered all your questions.

Leave us a comment if you found it helpful and share it with those who are planning for Sikkim.

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