👉 Gangtok weather is pleasant throughout the year.
👉 Nathu La pass, Changu Lake, North Sikkim (Lachen, Lachung etc.) can get extremely cold.
👉 Carry sweaters, monkey caps, sweat shirts and thick socks to protect from chill winds at high altitude.
👉 It is advised to check weather forecast and carry a rain proof Jacket or a Poncho.
👉 Please refer “Things to Pack” section on our website for more details.
👉 Not really. Although we have couple of high altitude places, as we are slowly gaining altitude by road journey (unlike for example Ladakh where tourists need 1 day mandatory acclimatization).
👉 But we advise to drink good amount of water to keep yourself hydrated, which will help with high altitude journey.
👉 Backpacks are recommended. They are easy to carry everywhere.
👉 You may get medium size trolley if needed. We usually have a luggage carrier on top of vehicle.
👉 But please remember you have to carry it between vehicle & your room everywhere. There is no Porter service for any of our trips.
👉 Distance wise, we will be covering 900+ kilometers in 6 days. That’s not too much. But since most of the journey is through the curvy roads of Himalayans, the journeys can be tiring.
👉 Our vehicles are usually comfortable SUVs or Hatchbacks based on number of people. Bigger vehicles like Tempo Travellers are not allowed in Sikkim.
👉 Multiple vehicles for different routes in Sikkim are quite common. For example: Bagdogra Airport vehicle is different from North Sikkim vehicle.
👉 Journeys in Sikkim are always long and unpredictable. We take ample breaks in between for different reasons like taking photos, having Lunch etc.
👉 During tourist season, bad roads + huge number of vehicles may cause long delays. The journey can get tiring, especially towards North Sikkim.
👉 We prefer cozy Homestays with friendly hosts who serve delicious home prepared food.
👉 Room combinations are usually 2 or 3 sharing with attached bathrooms.
👉 No. We will provide everything needed at our stays.
👉 No. We do not provide room heaters.
👉 Based on availability of room heaters, the guests can take them for rent from the stay. They usually charge 300-350 per night.
👉 Breakfasts served at our stays are usually Poori, or Aloo Paratha or sometimes even Maggy or Bread Omlete (especially when we need to leave super early for Gurudongmar & Yumthang)
👉 3 times Dinner is already included. At Gangtok, guests may have Dinner at the famous MG Marg. There is no problem in getting vegetarian food in Sikkim.
👉 Lunches are always on the way at remote areas. There might be limited options, so we need to be flexible and adjust. Our drivers know where to stop on each day as per the speed of the group.
👉 Important notes: Things are highly unpredictable and meals may get delayed in such trips. It’s always advised to carry ample snacks like chocolate, protein bar, biscuits, dry fruits etc. to avoid inconvenience.
👉 A combination of Driver (real time) & Operations Manager (online) will run the itinerary.
👉 Travelers are requested to sync with the Driver on the timings.
Following is the last point in Exclusions list of your Sikkim trip:
✖️ Any extra cost arising due to any change in the itinerary/stay on account of bad weather, traffic-congestion, landslides/roadblocks, natural calamities, political disturbances and/or any other factors beyond organizers’ control.
Let’s consider following random example (it never happened before for us):
Assume for some unexpected reason Lachen to Lachung route traffic movement is blocked. As guests cannot go to Lachung now, they need to return to Gangtok. Since we need to book fresh stay in Gangtok, guests have to bear this extra stay/food expense.
👉 There can be more such scenarios/examples. We cannot rule out such scenarios in Himalayas, especially with Global warming & Climate change. But the probability of occurrence is very rare.
👉 This is a universal rule of tourism industry. Nothing special about our company.
👉 Mostly not possible. Sikkim has strict rules regarding movement of vehicles and following preset itineraries (unlike other Northeast places like Meghalaya, Assam or Arunachal).
👉 However, you can cover the optional places mentioned in the itinerary
– if place is open.
– if there is enough time.
– if offline permits are issued.
👉 Note that most optional places have extra offline permits (guests need to pay at check-post directly). So travel agencies usually avoid them in the main itinerary.