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Darjeeling and Sikkim: Tea Hills, Gangtok and Khangchendzonga

10 days from Bagdogra: three nights in Darjeeling with the toy train and a tea estate, Kalimpong, three nights in Gangtok with Tsomgo Lake and Rumtek, and two in Pelling facing Khangchendzonga.

10 days · Round trip from Bagdogra · up to 12 guests

Khangchendzonga at first light from Darjeeling Photo: flowcomm, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mt_Kangchenjunga_from_Darjeeling_(8131427308).jpg)

The facts

At a glance

Length
10 days, 9 nights
Start and end
Round trip from Bagdogra
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Longest drive
6 h on day 10
Activity level

Moderate

Walks of 30 to 60 minutes at a time on steep town streets, monastery steps and forest paths, at altitudes between about 1,250 m in Kalimpong and 2,570 m on Tiger Hill. One visit goes higher: about two hours at Tsomgo Lake, at about 3,750 m, where you can stay in a cafe rather than walk the shore. Two road days, Gangtok to Pelling and Pelling to Bagdogra, run five to six hours on winding mountain roads with a long lunch stop. One 4 am start for Tiger Hill, which you can skip.

Meals included
9 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 5 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 1,000 (estimated price)
Season
Best in autumn and spring

Highlights

Why this trip

  • Dawn on Tiger Hill as the first sun reaches Khangchendzonga
  • The Darjeeling toy train looping through Batasia with the mountains behind
  • A night on a working tea estate, with a garden walk, the factory and a tasting
  • Tenzing Norgay's story at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
  • Tsomgo Lake at about 3,750 m, reached early before the cloud
  • Morning prayers at Rumtek, seat of the Karma Kagyu school in exile
  • Khangchendzonga across a single valley from Pelling, then Pemayangtse and the ruins of Rabdentse
  • Three nights each in Darjeeling and Gangtok, with a free afternoon in every base

What makes this trip different

  • Short drives, all published

    Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 6 h, on day 10.

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 1,000 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

The longest drive is 6 h, on day 10.

SIKKIMWEST BENGAL1234DarjeelingDays 1 to 3Tiger HillDay 2KalimpongDay 4GangtokDays 5 to 7Tsomgo LakeDay 6RumtekDay 7RavanglaDay 8PellingDays 8 to 9

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive at Bagdogra, up to Darjeeling

Bagdogra Airport (IXB) to Darjeeling

  • Dinner
  • Stay in Darjeeling
  • Drive about 3.5 h

Your See Sight Tours guide meets you at Bagdogra Airport (IXB), the airport for the Darjeeling and Sikkim hills, with flights from Delhi, Kolkata and other Indian cities. From the tea gardens of the plains the road climbs about 70 km and roughly 2,000 m to Darjeeling, about three to three and a half hours with a tea stop on the way, much of it alongside the narrow-gauge track of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

Evening

Darjeeling sits at about 2,050 m on a ridge facing the Khangchendzonga massif, and the first evening is kept gentle on purpose. After you check in, your guide walks the group up to Chowrasta, the open square at the top of town, and along the Mall, where Darjeeling's families take their evening stroll. Your guide explains how the week runs, what the permits for Sikkim involve and what to wear for the 4 am start tomorrow, then we sit down to a welcome dinner.

Included

  • Pick-up at Bagdogra Airport (IXB)
  • Evening walk to Chowrasta and the Mall
  • Welcome briefing and dinner

Free time: Time to rest at the hotel before the evening walk

Activity: Plan to land at Bagdogra by about 1 pm so we reach Darjeeling in daylight; later arrivals are met and join at dinner.

  1. Bagdograstart
  2. Darjeeling2 nights
  3. Tea estate, Darjeeling hills1 night
  4. Kalimpong1 night
  5. Gangtok3 nights
  6. Pelling2 nights
  7. Bagdograend
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: October and November bring the clearest skies and the best chance of seeing Khangchendzonga from Tiger Hill and Pelling, with cool days and cold nights. December stays clear but is cold, and snow can close the Tsomgo Lake road. March to May is warmer, with rhododendrons and magnolias in flower and the first-flush tea harvest, but more haze over the peaks. June to September is the monsoon, with landslides on the Teesta valley roads, so we do not run departures then.

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Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • Travellers who want the Eastern Himalaya's hill towns and monasteries without a three-week, three-country tour
  • Tea lovers who want a night on a working estate, not just a factory stop
  • Anyone who wants Khangchendzonga at dawn from three different places
  • Travellers who like three-night stays and a free afternoon in each town
  • Solo travellers who want a small group and a single price shown up front

Not for you if you want

  • Travellers who need step-free access: Darjeeling and Gangtok are built on steep slopes and monasteries have many steps
  • Anyone who finds long winding mountain roads hard: two days run five to six hours
  • Travellers who want Bhutan or Nepal on the same trip; see our separate trips for those
  • Anyone sensitive to altitude who cannot spend two hours at about 3,750 m (the easy option keeps you in a cafe by the lake)

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

9 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Darjeeling2 nights
  • Tea estate, Darjeeling hills1 night
  • Kalimpong1 night
  • Gangtok3 nights
  • Pelling2 nights

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 9 nights: 2 in Darjeeling, 1 at a tea estate in the Darjeeling hills, 1 in Kalimpong, 3 in Gangtok and 2 in Pelling
  • Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with heating, walkable to the Mall in Darjeeling and MG Marg in Gangtok; the tea estate night is in a planter's bungalow or estate guest house of a 3-star-plus equivalent with private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
  • Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement

Transport

  • Pick-up and drop-off at Bagdogra Airport (IXB)
  • Our own vehicle and driver for the group for the whole trip, with drives of about 1 to 3.5 hours on most days and two longer days (about 5 hours to Pelling, about 6 hours back to Bagdogra) broken by a sit-down lunch
  • Jeeps to Tiger Hill at dawn
  • The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway joy ride

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10
  • Local guides at sites that need them, and the tea estate's staff for the garden and factory visit

Activities

  • Darjeeling: Tiger Hill at dawn, Ghoom monastery, the toy train joy ride via Batasia Loop, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, an old town walk and the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre
  • A tea estate garden walk, factory visit and tasting
  • Kalimpong: Zang Dhok Palri Phodang, a flower nursery and Deolo hill
  • Gangtok: MG Marg, Do Drul Chorten, Tsomgo Lake, Rumtek Monastery, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Enchey Monastery
  • Ravangla Buddha Park
  • Pelling: Pemayangtse Monastery and the Rabdentse ruins
  • The Sikkim Restricted Area Permit and the Tsomgo Lake Protected Area Permit, applied for online before you arrive
  • All entrance fees for included sights

Meals

  • 9 breakfasts
  • 9 lunches, including lunch at Tsomgo Lake and a sit-down lunch on both long road days
  • 5 dinners, including a welcome dinner, dinner at the tea estate and a farewell dinner in Pelling

Not included

  • Flights to and from Bagdogra
  • Indian visa
  • Travel insurance
  • Dinners on days 2, 4, 6 and 7
  • Drinks
  • Tips for guides and drivers
  • Optional activities, such as a yak ride at Tsomgo Lake, the Gangtok ropeway and Khecheopalri Lake
  • Camera fees at sites that charge them
  • Personal expenses

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 1,000 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

What does the price include?

Eight hotel nights of a 3-star-plus standard and one tea estate night, 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 5 dinners, Bagdogra airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, the toy train joy ride, Tiger Hill, the Sikkim and Tsomgo Lake permits, and every site entry in the day plan. Flights, the visa, drinks and tips are extra.

How big is the group?

Between 7 and 12 guests, never more. The Sikkim roads are narrow and winding, and a small group fits one or two vehicles, passes the Rangpo checkpoint and the Tsomgo permit check quickly, and fits into a monastery hall without crowding. For fewer people, choose the private style.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide is with the group from Bagdogra on day 1 to Bagdogra on day 10, with our own vehicle and driver for West Bengal and Sikkim. Local guides join at sites that need them, and the tea estate's staff lead the garden and factory visit. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.

How fit do I need to be?

Moderately fit. Most walking is 30 to 60 minutes at a time on steep streets, monastery steps and forest paths, at 1,250 to 2,570 m. Tsomgo Lake is at about 3,750 m for two hours, with the option to stay in a cafe. Two long road days, on days 8 and 10, need patience more than fitness.

Is there a single supplement for solo travellers?

Yes, CAD 1,000 at the indicative price, shown before you book. You can also ask to share with another solo guest of the same gender; we try to match you, but cannot promise a match, so plan on the supplement. Solo guests sit at the same table and get the same rooms as everyone else.

When is the best time to go to Darjeeling and Sikkim?

October to December and March to May. October and November have the clearest views of Khangchendzonga; December is clear but cold, and snow can close the Tsomgo road. Spring brings rhododendrons and the first-flush tea harvest, with more haze. We do not run departures in the June to September monsoon, when landslides close the roads.

Do I need a permit to visit Sikkim and Tsomgo Lake?

Yes. Foreign visitors need a Restricted Area Permit for Sikkim and a separate Protected Area Permit for Tsomgo Lake, which goes through a registered Sikkim agent for at least two foreign visitors. We apply for both online before you arrive, using your passport and Indian visa details. Both are included in the price.

Do I need a visa for India?

Yes. Most visitors, including Canadians at the time of writing, can apply online for an Indian e-Tourist Visa before travel, but rules change, so check the official Indian government site when you book. Your passport should be valid for at least six months. We need your visa details to file the Sikkim permits.

Will I really see Khangchendzonga and Everest?

Probably Khangchendzonga, not certainly. The range is visible from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling and Pelling on clear mornings, most often in October and November. Everest shows only as a distant peak from Tiger Hill on the clearest days. We plan two dawns facing the range, on days 2 and 9, plus daytime views from Darjeeling and Pelling.

Is the Darjeeling toy train included, and is it steam?

Yes, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghum and back via Batasia Loop is included on day 2. The joy rides use steam or diesel locomotives depending on the service; we book the steam service where the timetable allows and confirm which one when we confirm your dates.

How does booking work?

You request to book on this page, with no payment taken. We confirm availability, hotels and the final price within 24 hours, and only then ask for a deposit. The price shown is indicative until we confirm it for your dates.

Can I go on my own dates?

Yes. The private style is your party only, with your own guide, vehicle and driver, on a date you choose, from about CAD 10,610 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently, without a guide, ask us for a quote; that is an inquiry rather than a set trip style.

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