SIKKIM UNEXPLORED

Duration : 11 Days

Kolkata – Bagdogra – Darjeeling – Pelling – Gangtok – Kalimpong – Bagdogra - Kolkata

Day 01 : Kolkata
Arrive Kolkata in the evening. Transfer to Hotel by private vehicle.

Day 02 : Kolkata
After breakfast, full day city tour visiting Dalhousie Square (Covering Raj Bhavan, High Court, GPO, Town Hall, Writer’s Building and other important colonial buildings), Flower Market, Howrah Bridge, Kumhartoli (The Potter’s Village), Jain Temple, Marble Palace, Indian Museum, St.Paul’s Cathedral Church and Victoria Memorial.

Day 03 : Delhi - Bagdogra (Flight)
Bagdogra - Darjeeling (90 kms., 2 hrs. drive)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport to board flight for Bagdogra. Arrive Bagdogra and drive to Darjeeling. Arrive Darjeeling, check-in at prebooked hotel.

Day 04 : Darjeeling
Early Morning, excursion to Tiger Hill, situated at an altitude of 2590 meters (8482 ft.) and 13 kms. from the town, this spot has earned international fame for the magnificent view of the sunrise over Mt.Kanchenjunga (28,146 ft. - world’s third highest peak) and the great Eastern Himalayan Mountains – Kabru (24,000 ft.), Janu (25,300 ft.), Tibet’s Chamol Hari Mountain (Subject to clear weather conditions).

After breakfast, excursion to Ghoom on board the Word Heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Toy Train. Experience the Batasia Loop – a marvelous feet of engineering, constructed with the purpose of allowing the train to take sharp drop in altitude between Darjeeling & Ghoom.
Arrive Ghoom – the last town on Indo-Nepal border & the highest railroad station in world. Visit the Ghoom monastery. Founded in 1875, it has a 4.8m statue of Lord Buddha. Drive back to Darjeeling.

After lunch, sightseeing of Darjeeling, Visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute –a training centre & a museum housing equipments used by the famous duo Edmund Hillary & Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. (closed on Monday) Tibetan Refugee Self-Help centre established for the refugees who had fled with H.H. Dalai Lama after Chinese invasion. It has been developed as workshop for artisans producing Carpets, wood carvings, leather & woolen items etc. (Sunday closed)

Day 05 : Darjeeling - Pelling (115 kms, 03 hrs. drive)
After breakfast, drive to Pelling. Arrive Pelling and check-in at prebooked hotel.
Afternoon, visit the premier Pemayangtse monastery. View of Mt. Kanchenjonga is at its best. Visit the sacred Khechuperi Lake shaped like Budhha’s foot and all around rich forest cover guards the habitats.

Day 06 : Pelling - Gangtok (130 kms, 03 hrs. drive)
After breakfast, drive to Gangtok – the fairytale capital of Sikkim in the clouds, balanced precariously on steep mountain slopes, surrounded by lush rice terraces, swift flowing, gurgling, foaming rivers and distant snow peaks. Arrive Gangtok and check-in at prebooked hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.

Day 07 : Gangtok
After breakfast, 24 kms. excursion to the Rumtek monastery enroute witness delightful vignettes of the hamlets, fields & people of rural Sikkim.
Institute of Tibetology is dedicated to furthering Tibetan studies, Buddhist philosophy and religion.
Enchey monastery is a 200 year old monastry and has in its premises images of gods, goddesses & other religious objects.
Government Institute of Cottage Industries which produces authentic Sikkimese designs from the whole state.
Do-Drul Chorten, one of the most important Stupa in Sikkim.

Day 08 : Gangtok
Day excursion to Tsomgo Lake. It is oval shaped, 01 km long & approx. 15 mtrs. deep. It is considered sacred by local people & remains frozen during winter months. The Lake is home to brahminy ducks besides a stopover for various migratory birds. Enroute to Tsomgo lake witness numerous waterfalls, streams & rhododendron rich Kyongnosla Alpine sanctuary.

Day 09 : Gangtok - Kalimpong (85 kms, 02 hrs. drive)
After breakfast drive to Kalimpong, well known for its many educational institutions. Kalimpong has become an important tourist destination owing to its temperate climate and proximity to popular tourist locations in the region. Kalimpong is famous for its flower market, especially the wide array of orchids. Flower nurseries involved in exporting Himalayan grown flower bulbs, tubers and rhizomes contribute to the economy of Kalimpong. It also houses several Buddhist monasteries which hold a number of rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures. Arrive Kalimpong and check-in at prebooked hotel.
Afternoon, visit Flower Nurseries, Zang Dog Palri Fo-Brang Monastery, Durpin Dara, Tharpa Choling Monastery and Thongsa Gumpa

Day 10 : Kalimpong - Bagdogra (79 kms., 02 hrs. drive)
Bagdogra - Kolkata (Flight)
After breakfast, transfer to the Bagdogra airport to board flight for Kolkata. Arrive Kolkata & check-in at prebooked hotel.

Day 11 : Depart Kolkata
Morning, transfer to the airport to board onward/return flight.