Sikkim is the second-smallest state in India and one of the steepest. In little more than a hundred kilometres from south to north it climbs from the Teesta valley to Kanchenjunga — at 8,586 m the third-highest mountain on earth, and the guardian deity of the state. It borders Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan, and was a kingdom of its own until 1975.
Most journeys begin at Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and enter at Rangpo, following the Teesta up to Gangtok. From there the routes fan out: east to Tsomgo Lake and the Nathu La road, north to Lachung and the Yumthang valley, and south and west through Namchi, Ravangla and Pelling, where the monasteries look straight across at Kanchenjunga. Darjeeling, just over the line in West Bengal, is the usual last stop.
Indian travellers need no permit to enter the state, but Tsomgo Lake, Nathu La and North Sikkim are protected areas whose permits are issued only through registered operators — we file them, and you carry photo ID. Nathu La permits are limited and never guaranteed. Foreign nationals need a Restricted Area Permit to enter Sikkim at all, and some of the high areas, Nathu La among them, stay closed to them.
The main stops
These are the places that carry a first visit. Well known for good reason, and every one of them worth the time.
East Sikkim · 1,650 m
The capital, strung down a ridge, and the base for the whole state. M.G. Marg, the pedestrian promenade at its centre, is where evenings end. A day here takes in the Do Drul Chorten and its 108 prayer wheels, the Institute of Tibetology, Tashi View Point for Kanchenjunga, the Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok temples, and the ropeway over the town.
East Sikkim, near the Tibet border · 3,752 m
Also called Changu, a sacred glacial lake reached through the Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary and frozen for much of the winter. Yak rides and a ropeway at the lakeside; further up the same road is the Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, the shrine to the soldier remembered as the hero of Nathu La. Go early — the weather turns most days after noon.
North Sikkim · 2,700 m
An alpine village at the end of a long day up the North Sikkim highway — past the Singhik viewpoint for Kanchenjunga, Chungthang where the Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu meet, and the Bhim Nala falls. It is the base for Yumthang, with a monastery and a handicraft centre of its own.
North Sikkim, above Lachung · 3,564 m
North Sikkim's valley of flowers: under snow from January to March and ablaze with rhododendrons in April and May, with a medicinal sulphur hot spring on the way in. Zero Point lies a further thirty kilometres on, towards the Tibet border.
South Sikkim · 1,315 m
South Sikkim's hilltop pilgrimage: the Char Dham complex, with its towering Shiva statue and replicas of the twelve jyotirlingas, and Samdruptse, where a 45-metre golden-faced statue of Guru Padmasambhava looks out over the hills.
South Sikkim
Buddha Park, where a great seated Buddha rises above landscaped lawns on the ridge — the stop on the road between Namchi and Pelling that most travellers remember.
West Sikkim · 2,150 m
The west's base, on a ridge facing Kanchenjunga. Pemayangtse, the 'perfect sublime lotus' among Sikkim's monasteries; the ruins of Rabdentse, the kingdom's second capital; the Rimbi and Khangchendzonga falls; and the 137-foot Chenrezig statue and skywalk at Sangha Choeling.
Further out
Longer drives, rougher road, fewer beds — and the reason people come back a second time.
East Sikkim, on the India–China border · 4,310 m
The old trade pass on the India–China border, beyond Tsomgo on the same road. Open to Indian nationals only, on a limited permit that is never guaranteed — we apply for it, and plan the day around Tsomgo either way.
Yumesamdong, North Sikkim · 4,725 m
Where the road beyond Yumthang gives out, thirty kilometres on towards the Tibet border and in snow for most of the year. An add-on to the Yumthang day, arranged with notice.
West Sikkim, below Pelling
A quiet Limbu village below Pelling, worth an unhurried hour on the West Sikkim day for its fields, its homestays and a pace the main ridge has lost.
Routes through Sikkim
Start here