Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.'
- Maya Angelou

Sikkim Sights

How to get there:

Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim is connected by all weather road to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and also to all the District headquarters within Sikkim. Two nearest railway station are at Siliguri (114 km) and New Jalpaiguri (125 km) stabilizing link to Calcutta, Delhi, Guwahati, Lucknow and other important cities in India. Nearest airport is Bagdogra in North Bengal( 124 km).

By Flight :The closest Indian Airport is at Bagdogra,124 km from Gangtok, where scheduled flights operates to and fro from Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati.

Travel time from the airport to Gangtok is 4 hours by road.   Bagdogra Airport is 11 km west of Siliguri.
Indian Airlines, Siliguri (Phone : 431-509; Fax: 431-495; Airport: 450-666) and
Jet Airways, Siliguri  (Phone :435-876; Airport : 450-589)

A taxi from airport to Siliguri is Rs.140. From the airport you can get a taxi to Bagdogra Bazaar (Rs. 40, 3 km) and from there, you can get a local bus to Siliguri too.

From Katmandu, fly to Bhadrapur in the east Nepal(1 hour), then drive to Kakarbhitta (Nepal-India border,35 km), to Siliguri(37 km) and to Gangtok (110 km, 4 hrs). Or fly to Biratnagar also in east Nepal.

Helicopter Service: The Bagdogra airport is connected to Gangtok by a helicopter service which takes approx. 30 minutes to reach Gangtok.
Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation(+91-3592-222634)  operates this service daily at 11:00 AM from  Gangtok to Bagdogra and at 2:00 PM from Bagdogra to Gangtok at a price of Rs.1500/- per person. It is a five seater chopper and mountain flights and other such tours to North Sikkim are conducted.

By Rail : The closest Railhead is at New Jalpaiguri which is around 148 km away from Gangtok. It is connected to Kolkata(Calcutta), New Delhi, Guwahati and other major Indian cities.
Click here for the Train Timings

From the station you can hire and reserve a taxi and came to Gangtok. That will cost you around Rs.1500/-. Or you can come in a pejo( jeep) on sharing basis. That will cost you Rs.120/- per person.

By Road : Gangtok is at a distance of 110 km from Siliguri and will take 4 hours from Siliguri to reach Gangtok . Gangtok is connected by road with Darjeeling (4 hrs), and with Bhutan, Phuntsholing (6 hrs). 

Foreigners Entry Formalities:
Visa & Permits : In addition to an Indian visa, foreigners must obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Sikkim. The permits can be obtained from all Indian missions, Tourism Office, New Delhi, Sikkim Tourism Office, Calcutta and Sikkim Tourism Office, Siliguri on the strength of an Indian Visa.

Foreigners are issued  a permit for initial period of 15 days duration on the spot without any delay provided photocopies of Passport and Visa details along with two passport photos of applicants are made available then and there. It can be extended for further 30 days of 15 days each. The extension of permits can be obtained from  Foreigners Registration Office(FRO), Gangtok and Superintendent of Police of North, South and West Districts.
The  FRO is located at Kazi Road, Gangtok. Phone no  223041

For those interested in going for trekking in the interior regions of the state, you also require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) OR Protected Area Permit(PAP) which is obtainable in Gangtok from the Police Check Post and Department of Tourism  which is available for certain specified area for groups consisting of 4 or more foreigners subject to the condition that the trekking program is arranged through a registered travel agency.
NOTE# This permit is issued to LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGISTERED TRAVEL AGENTS ONLY.  While travelling in Sikkim don't forget to get your passport stamped at all check posts.

Best Season to Visit : March to June and September to December

Adventure Sports : Trekking, mountaineering, rafting and yak safari

Where to Stay :
There are number of categories of hotels, resorts, lodges and guest houses in Gangtok and in other tourist destinations within the State to suit the taste and budget of individual tourist. Click here for more info.

Where to Eat :
To find out more about where to eat in Gangtok click here...

Things to Do :
• Adventure Sports
• Monastic & Pilgrimage Tours
• White Water Rafting & Kayaking
• Bird watching & Wildlife Tours
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Sight Seeing
• Speciality and Indigenous Tours
• Fishing and Angling
• Yoga, Health & Rejuvenation