Darjeeling & Sikkim trekking holiday

country:	India
location:	Sikkim
trip type:	Moderate trekking holidays
departures:	Best time to go is Mar - June & Sep - Nov. This trip can be tailormade to suit your budget, interests and requirements
price:	From £1250 - £1400 (18 days) including domestic flights only, as per itinerary. Price depends on group size (2-20 people).

Sikkim holidays

India holidays

Trekking holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

Sikkim and Darjeeling are situated in the Eastern Himalayas below Mount Kanchendzonga (8598 meters, 3rd highest Mountain in the world). To the north of Sikkim lies the vast area of the great Tibetan plateau, to the west the kingdom of Nepal, to the east the kingdom of Bhutan and the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, while the neighbouring State of West Bengal stretches along its southern boundary.

The route chalked in Sikkim / Darjeeling will present the finest scenery, prehistoric ruins, medieval towns and churches. The unrivalled high altitude treks of Dzongri at 3962 meters and Goechala at 4940 meters are both breathtaking and awe - inspiring. The captivating landscape, with an incomparable diversity of flora and fauna is refreshing treat to the trekkers and adventurer.

Coming across wildlife are very possible and cannot be ruled out altogether. The people by nature are simple, polite and docile, people with religious attachment and their culture and customs are as fascinating. Their festivals are full of colour.

So, all that it takes to get going is a love for the mountains / forest / adventure / expectation of the unexpected and a willingness to rough it out. Whichever way one chooses to trek, whatever one chose to tour, one will always enjoy Himalaya. It is an amazing place.

Please note: The below itinerary can be altered or modified to suit your requirements and we can also provide an extension to Delhi & Agra

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrive New Delhi - assistance upon arrival. Later transfer to a heritage House of an Ex Maharaja of Sirohi. Overnight hotel with all meals included
Day 2:	Transfer to domestic airport to connect direct flight to Bagdogra Airport (IXB) – Gangtok - On arrival at New XB) Bagdogra Airport will be met by our office Executive who will assist you to board your vehicle to Gangtok (130 Kilometres / 04 hours) - Check in and over night stay at hotel.
Day 3:	Drive - Gangtok - A half day sightseeing covering Rumtek Monastery - It is the seat of the head of the Kagyuap order of Tibetan Buddhism, the Gyolwa Karmapa. Built in 1960, it is one of the most sacred and wealthy monasteries in the North East Himalayan region. Close to it is the Karma Nalanda Institute of Buddhist Studies (KNIBS) and nearby is a small hall featuring a beautiful jewel studded Chorten, which contains the remains of 16th Gyolwa Karmapa. Rumtek monastery was in international news during the visit of Nobel laureate Dalai Lama - Droul Chorthen, Research Institute of Tibetology - it houses vast collection of rare Lepcha, Tibetan and Sanskrit manuscripts / icons / Thankas. An attractive museum with over 200 Buddhist icons and other prized objects of art are preserved here. It’s an international study centre of Buddhism and its philosophy / religion etc. Directorate of Handicraft & Handloom (Closed on Sunday) & Flower Show are on the slate. The flower shows / exhibition in Gangtok is in a well - planned, held in an enclosed greenhouse and is located near the White Hall Memorial Complex is a big draw. The flower shows in different seasons focus its own riotous hues, from carpets of Orchids to the glorious blaze of rhododendrons and azaleas down to the subtle golden shades of autumn. The show held during the spring season is one of the most popular - Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 4:	Drive - Gangtok – Yuksom - Transfer to Yuksom 1780 meters, the historical capital of Sikkim - The drive takes you through quaint villages, steep valleys and green hills. Yuksom is rich in history and tradition, as it was here that the first Chogyal of Sikkim was consecrated by the three Lamas - Night stay at hotel.
Day 5:	Trek - Yuksom – Tsoka - An early morning start, one trek for three hours through lush green meadows and cross four mountain streams. Henceforth, the trek is a continuous uphill path lined with conifers and is virtually carpeted with a bed of leaves which leads to Bakhim - a hill top village at an altitude of 3005 meters. Tsoka is a slightly larger settlement with a few houses, a monastery and is the last village on the route. One has to spend the night at Tsoka at an altitude of 3710 meters.
Day 6:	Trek - Tsoka – Dzongri - The 10 kilometres climb takes 05 hours. The vegetation changes from high to stunted bushes of rhododendrons and miniature pine trees resembling bonsai. One gains altitude with every step to reach Dzongri, which is at an altitude of 4030 meters.
Day 7:	Rest Day - Dzongri - Dzongri is picture of solitude surrounded by hills and mountains on all sides. The mountain fortress has no settlements except for two trekker’s huts. Early morning trek at around 4.30 AM to Dzongri top which at 4269 meters is higher than most mountain peaks in Europe, presents a view of the Kanchendzonga along with other ranges basking in the glory of the rising sun. One has to return to the campsite and spend the day here to acclimatize.
Day 8:	Trek - Dzongri – Thanshing - One lose altitude during the first half of the trek and steadily regain it walking along the river Prekchu, a tributary of the Rangeet, before reaching the camping site at Thanshing - at an altitude of 3800 meters – This is also the base camp for mountaineering expeditions to Mount Tinchinkhan (6010 meters)
Day 9:	Trek - Thanshing - Dafey Bhir – One has to set out early for reaching the destination - Dafeybhir at 4380 meters. One has to stop here for the night. Overnight stay in tent / camp.
Day 10:	Trek - Dafeybhir - Sumethang - Goechala - Sumethang – Thanshing - Departure at 3 AM in the morning equipped with torches braving the temperature of sub zero and climb to Goechala (the Goecha la Pass) - located at 4955 meters, higher than any place in Europe. After sunshine, the area is engulfed with fog and mist. One has to return to Sumethang to collect the gear and move down to Thanshing.
Day 11:	Trek - Thanshing – Tsoka – One has to take a short route back to Tsoka through dense forests. One can call it a day at Tsoka after reaching the camping site. Overnight stay in tent / camp.
Day 12:	Trek - Tsoka – Yuksom - A veritable repeat of the 3rd day, the only difference being that one has to walk downhill to Yuksom. A visit to the Dubdi monastery- one of the oldest in Sikkim is advisable. Overnight stay in a hotel in Yuksom.
Day 13:	Drive - Yuksom – Pemayangtse - After breakfast one has to drive to Pemayangtse (53 Kilometres / 03 hours) via Khecheopari Lake Evening a visit Pemayangtse Monastery. Overnight stay at Hotel in Pelling / Pemayangtse
Day 14:	Drive - Pemayangtse – Kalimpong - Transfer to Kalimpong (120 kilometres / 05 hours) – Check - in to hotel - Evening free to walk around the Town / shopping centre - Overnight stay at hotel Silver Oaks
Day 15:	Drive - Kalimpong - Darjeeling - Today after Breakfast visit Dello hills, Dr. Graham’s Home, Flower Nurseries, Jang – Dong - Palriffo Brang and Durbin Dara Hills in Kalimpong – next transfer to Darjeeling (70 Kilometres / 04 hours) - Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 16:	Drive / Trek - Darjeeling - Early morning tour to Tiger Hills (at around 4 AM) to view sunrise over Kanchendzonga Peak (subject to clear weather) - On way back visit Ghoom Monastery. After breakfast go for a half - day sight seeing of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park Tibetan Refugee Self - Help Centre (Closed on Sunday), Tea Estate, Tenzing - Gombu Rock & Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) (Closed on Thursday) - Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mount Everest (8848 meters / 29,028 feet) in 1953 provided the foundation and to celebrate this success HMI was founded in Darjeeling - There is a separate training wing and a museum wing and it is a must visit - Able guidance of The Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research made this an internationally acclaimed institute - Back and overnight stay at hotel.
Day 17:	Drive to Bagdogra Airport (IXB) - After breakfast proceeds (100 Kilometres / 03 hours) take a direct flight to New Delhi. Check in at Heritage House. Farewell Dinner
Day 18:	Transfer to international airport for your onward journey

travelling with a local operator

This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.

how this holiday makes a difference

This is a unique example of a responsible trip, the people in Sikkim have an inborn skill for trekking and due to Tourism now these sherpas - a local community - have now mastered in trekking. This not only has improved their quality of life but has also given a great boost to the local upliftment.

One of today's major environmental challenges is the protection of the biodiversity and ecotourism could well play a very important role in the protection. Specifically, it has raised the local living standard and made local people become more involved in conservation. Moreover, ecotourism could fulfil needs of people living in the places which attract tourists.

The salient features of this trip are:

To promote business opportunities by generating income and job. The local community is very heavily benefited as when the tour moves it requires a lot of team like cook, porters, trekking guide, camping assistant and yak rider and so on. They are all very well paid for all this and the money goes straight to them.
To reduce the negative impacts of tourism. When you are trekking you are leaving the minimum impact to the local area as you are on foot and the group is small in size. Secondly the Sikkim government also preserves these treks by not making them develop roads so that the area remains quite without vehicles and pollution.
To conserve biological and cultural diversity. Sikkim government is paying a lot of attention to preserve this area and a lot of emphasis is given to maintain the forest cover. The beauty of Sikkim lies in its culture which is still in its original form as it use to be.
To preserve the ecology from the fund thus generated. Tourism, especially trekking in Sikkim has become one of the main attractions thus increasing the state revenue which in turn helps the local govt to maintain its culture, ecology and its diversity.

We try to shop and buy things from the local market helping in the economy. We generally buy handicraft and local artefacts for our guest to encourage their art and culture. Sometime we donate books to local school. Last but not the least we will donate £5 per person to the local orphanage school.

All the staff through out in all the accommodation are all local. There is a serious water problem in Darjeeling. The hotels which we are using in this trip are all doing rain water harvesting and use only CFL (energy saving lamps) waste is being utilized to use hot water boilers.

We follow very strict rules when we trek: we carry disposable bags to bring back the waste that we generate during trek. We don’t change our schedule trekking trail and we stick to our pre chalked out trail. We carry water with ourselves and boiled water is given during trekking to all our clients. We also have a printed format of our trekking rules for guests.

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