Sikkim Darjeeling Tour Package 6 Nights 7 Days

The Climb: A full day east on the Nathu La road. Tsomgo sits at about 12,400 ft, roughly 38 km from Gangtok but two hours because of the gradient.

The Lake: Glacial, oval, and frozen through the deeper winter months. It is sacred to the Sikkimese and the colour of the water is said to forecast the season ahead. Yak rides operate along the shore.

Baba Mandir: Further up the same road, a shrine to Harbhajan Singh, an Indian Army sepoy who died here in 1968 and is still carried on the regimental roll.

Nathu La: The pass itself requires a separate permit, is open only to Indian nationals, and is not part of this package.

• Top Places to Cover: Tsomgo Lake, Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, Nathu La road, the yak point.
• Importance of Each Place: Tsomgo is one of the few high-altitude lakes in India reachable without any trekking. The Baba Mandir is a genuine piece of army folklore rather than a manufactured attraction.
• Things to Know: This day doubles as acclimatisation. Carry heavy layers regardless of month - it can be below freezing at the lake while Gangtok is mild. Permits are checked at multiple points.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Gangtok

Rumtek: Twenty-four kilometres out, the largest monastery in Sikkim and the seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was built in the 1960s as a replica of Tsurphu monastery in Tibet after the 16th Karmapa fled, and the golden stupa inside holds his relics.

Do Drul Chorten: Back near town, a stupa built in 1945 and ringed by 108 prayer wheels.

Tibetology: The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, founded 1958, holds one of the largest collections of Tibetan manuscripts and thangkas outside Tibet.

Viewpoints: Ganesh Tok and Tashi Viewpoint for the Kanchenjunga line on a clear afternoon.

• Top Places to Cover: Rumtek Monastery, Do Drul Chorten, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Ganesh Tok, Tashi Viewpoint, Banjhakri Falls.
• Importance of Each Place: Rumtek is the most important Kagyu monastery outside Tibet and remains politically sensitive, which is why there is a security check at the gate.
• Things to Know: Carry ID for the Rumtek security check. Photography is restricted inside the main shrine hall. Remove shoes before entering any prayer hall.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Gangtok

The Crossing: Roughly 100 km and four hours, dropping to the Teesta and climbing again into the Darjeeling hills.

Peace Pagoda: Built in 1992 by the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji order, with four avatars of the Buddha on the outer face and a drum ceremony at dawn and dusk.

Happy Valley: A tea estate dating to 1854, still processing by the orthodox method. The factory tour explains why the second flush commands the price it does.

Evening: The Mall Road and Chowrasta, where the town gathers.

• Top Places to Cover: Peace Pagoda, Happy Valley Tea Estate, Mall Road, Chowrasta, Observatory Hill.
• Importance of Each Place: Darjeeling tea is protected by a geographical indication - only leaf grown in these 87 gardens can legally carry the name.
• Things to Know: Happy Valley closes on Mondays and during the winter dormant season. Tea sold on Mall Road varies enormously in quality; buy from an estate outlet if you want the real thing.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Darjeeling

Tiger Hill: Leave around four in the morning. At 2,590 m the sun comes up over Kanchenjunga first and lights the range in sequence; on a very clear day Everest is visible far to the west.

Batasia Loop: On the way down, a spiral where the railway turns through 360 degrees around a Gorkha war memorial.

The Toy Train: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway joy ride to Ghum and back. Built between 1879 and 1881 and inscribed by UNESCO in 1999, it is still steam-hauled on the joy ride section, and Ghum at 2,258 m is the highest railway station in India.

HMI and the Zoo: The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, founded after Tenzing Norgay summited Everest, sits inside the zoo grounds. The zoo runs the snow leopard and red panda breeding programmes.

• Top Places to Cover: Tiger Hill, Batasia Loop, Ghum station, DHR joy ride, HMI, Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park.
• Importance of Each Place: Tenzing Norgay was Director of Field Training at HMI for decades and is buried on the grounds. The DHR is one of only a handful of railways worldwide with World Heritage status.
• Things to Know: Tiger Hill visibility is entirely weather-dependent and is never guaranteed. Toy train seats sell out - your ticket is subject to availability and we book as early as we can.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Darjeeling

No Fixed Schedule: A deliberate gap. Darjeeling rewards wandering more than a list.

Options: The Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park down the valley; the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, set up in 1959 and still weaving by hand; or simply a morning in a tea room on Chowrasta.

For One More Drive: Tinchuley and Takdah make a good half-day through orange orchards and old planter bungalows.

• Top Places to Cover: Rock Garden, Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, Chowrasta, Tinchuley, Takdah.
• Importance of Each Place: The Refugee Self Help Centre was founded by Tibetans who arrived after 1959 and remains one of the few places where you can watch traditional carpet weaving being done properly.
• Things to Know: Most Darjeeling attractions close by 4.30 pm and the town gets dark early. Plan the outer drives for morning.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Darjeeling

Down the Hill: Breakfast, then the descent to Bagdogra or NJP, around three and a half hours.

The Road: The route through Kurseong is single-lane in stretches and slow behind trucks - there is no faster way down.

• Top Places to Cover: Kurseong, Bagdogra airport, NJP station.
• Things to Know: Keep departures after 1 pm. Allow four hours from Darjeeling to be safe, particularly in monsoon.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Journey ends