Explore the Kalimpong & Sikkim Tour Plan With OurGuest

Sikkim Kalimpong Offbeat Family Tour - May

Places Covered: Gangtok, Lachung, Dzongu, Ravangla, Pelling

28,000  10D/9N

About The Tour

Our guests from Bangalore gave us the directive that they loved flowers and they wanted to visit and stay in places around Sikkim where they could see lot of flowers. They took this Sikkim and Kalimpong tour during end of May 2022.

Read all about Rhododendrons here

Tour Packages Details

  • Transportation by Innova/Xylo as per the itinerary.
  • Accommodation as mentioed in the itinerary.
  • Meals as mentioned in the itinerary.
  • Drive allowances - food & accommodation.
  • Parking fees as per the itinerary
  • 5% GST included

 

 

 

5% GST included

Pricing Options

  • ₹ 28,000 Per Person (Group of 6)
*Inclusive of GST

Tour Itinerary

31st May: Bagdogra to Gangtok
Day - 1

31st May: Bagdogra to Gangtok

Arrive to Gangtok by late evening after your pick up from the airport and check into your homestay. You will be staying at Hidden Forest Retreat which is a charming place built on the slopes, where each room is on a different level. The rooms are lovely and spotless with all the basic amenities. The owners are around and the staff are very courteous and ask your preferences for meals.

The outdoor lounge amidst the flowers is a wonderful place to hang out with a cup of coffee and watch the clouds roll pastArrive to Gangtok by late evening after your pick up from the airport and check into your homestay. You will be staying at Hidden Forest Retreat which is a charming place built on the slopes, where each room is on a different level. The rooms are lovely and spotless with all the basic amenities. The owners are around and the staff are very courteous and ask your preferences for meals. The outdoor lounge amidst the flowers is a wonderful place to hang out with a cup of coffee and watch the clouds roll past.

Night Stay:  Hidden Forest Retreat, Gangtok                                                                                                                                                                             

Travel time: 4.5 hours from Bagdogra to Gangtok

1st June: Gangtok Local Sightseeing
Day - 2

1st June: Gangtok Local Sightseeing

Post breakfast at the hotel, we go for local sightseeing to explore the sights and sounds of Gangtok and its surroundings. This will be a day of getting familiar with what Sikkim has to offer and what better way than to start by visiting the local hangouts and Monasteries.

Highlights:

1. Enchey Monastery

2. Flower Exhibition Centre

3. Handloom & Handicraft Centre

4. Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman Tok

3. Do-drul Chorten

4. Deorali ropeway

5. National Institute of Tibetology

Meal included: Breakfast

Night Stay: Hidden Forest Retreat, Gangtok         

2nd June: Gangtok to Lachung
Day - 3

2nd June: Gangtok to Lachung

Post breakfast, we depart for Lachung in North Sikkim.

Highlights:  Tashi view point, Kabi, Mangan (district headquarter of North Sikkim and good place for lunch stopover), Seven Sisters waterfalls. 

Lachung is a picturesque mountain village, at a height of 9600 feet, embraced by snow- capped mountain peaks, breath-taking waterfalls, sparkling streams and apple orchards. Reach Lachung by afternoon. Take lunch at the homestay. You have the remainder of the day to take some rest and some nice village walks around the area. At Lachung you can visit the Lachung Gompa, built around 1880, the monastery is situated amidst apple orchards across the river from the town centre.

You will be staying at OurGuest Homestay, Lachung which is a very good homestay in Lachung, run by a very nice local couple. The view is really nice from the homestay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Dinner included 

Driving time approx. 2.5 hours from Lachen to Lachung

Night stay:  OurGuest Homestay Lachung

3rd June: Lachung to Yumthang, Zero Point and back to Lachung
Day - 4

3rd June: Lachung to Yumthang, Zero Point and back to Lachung

Post breakfast in the morning, we travel from Lachung to Yumthang Valley and then onwards to Yumesamdong (Zero Point). This day also covers considerable ground exploring the famous Yumthang Valley situated at 12,000 feet in the Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary. From Yumthang, we drive upwards towards Yumesamdong (Zero Point) where you are surrounded by mountains.

Driving time Lachung to Yumthang 2.5 hours one way.

Highlights:

  • Yumthang Valley
  • Yumesamdong (Zero Point)

Return to Lachung by late afternoon for lunch. Rest for the remainder of the day after a visit to higher altitudes.

Meal Plan: Breakfast & Dinner included 

Accommodation: OurGuest Homestay Lachung                                                                                                   

Driving time: 6 hours

4th June: Lachung to Dzongu
Day - 5

4th June: Lachung to Dzongu

Post breakfast at Lachung, we travel to Dzongu. Dzongu, the special Lepcha reserve, lies in the North District of Sikkim amidst deep valleys and lush forests of the Himalayas. An almost virgin territory with a scanty population of Sikkim’s native inhabitants, it is a beautiful land of dense jungle groves and pristine glacial streams. There are numerous waterfalls cascading down steep cliffs and natural hot springs bubbling at the various creeks and caves.

You will be staying at Munlom Nature Resort in Dzongu which is a beautiful Nature Retreat surrounded by nature. You reach by lunch time at Dzongu. You can go for some walks to the nearby monastery in late afternoon.

Meal Plan: All meals included

 Stay at: Munlom Nature Resort, Dzongu

Travel time: 4 hours

5th June:   Visit to Dzongu Hot Spring and Picnic lunch and then onwards to Rabongla
Day - 6

5th June: Visit to Dzongu Hot Spring and Picnic lunch and then onwards to Rabongla

Post breakfast, we go for an excursion to Sulphur Hot Spring at Dzongu.

After a one hour drive, we reach the Sulphur hot-spring in Dzongu. We arrive at our stop at the Hot Springs in ‘Lingdem’, a beautiful little hamlet in a cove with a hot sulphur spring that is operational year round!

After the refreshing hot spring bath, you come down to have lunch at a homestay nearby.  Then you drive down to Rabongla for the night. It is a four hour drive.

You will be staying at Barfung Retreat, Rabongla. Nestled in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, in the quaint village of Barfung, situated near Ravangla, South Sikkim lies The Barfung Retreat – designed exclusively as a weekend getaway for the modern family who would like to revisit their past and reconnect with nature, history and tradition for themselves and especially their children.

Travel time: 4 hours from Dzongu to Barfung Retreat, Ravangla

Meal included: Breakfast and Lunch

Night Stay: Barfung Retreat, Ravangla

6th June:  Barfung to Pelling
Day - 7

6th June: Barfung to Pelling

Post breakfast at Barfung, we visit Buddha Park and Ralong Monastery at Ravangla and then depart for Pelling in West Sikkim.

The Buddha Park at Rabongla, also known as Tathagata Tsal, was constructed between 2006 and 2013 and features a 130-foot (40 m) high statue of the Buddha as its centerpiece. The statue was consecrated on 25 March 2013 by the 14th Dalai Lama, and became a stop on the 'Himalayan Buddhist Circuit'. The statue of the Buddha marks the occasion of the 2550th birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha.

You can visit Ralang Monastery after Buddha Park.

In the afternoon, we depart for Pelling. It is only a two and a half hour drive.

Pelling, a beautiful town in the West district of Sikkim, has some of the most breathtaking views of Mount Khangchendzonga and the neighbouring peaks. It has also some nice sightseeing points for you to cover the next day. You reach Pelling towards late afternoon. You will be staying at Phamlagang Homestay which is about 3 kms from Pelling. This exotic homestay tucked between the grandeur of the majestic Himalayas is the perfect place to get lost and enjoy the best views of the Eastern Himalayan Range, particularly Mt. Kanchenjunga, yet all in the privacy and quietude of the woods.

The Father of the host is an excellent storyteller, an enthusiastic trekker and a man of immense local knowledge. He will be happy to take you around his farm and for some really interesting village walks. The food at the homestay is really good, homemade and organic from the property garden.

Stay at: Phamlagang Eco Retreat, Pelling

Meals included: Breakfast

Driving time: 2.5 hours from Ravangla to Pelling

7th June:  Pelling Sightseeing
Day - 8

7th June: Pelling Sightseeing

Post breakfast, you will be driving to Pelling. Have lunch on the way and do some Pelling sightseeing:

Chenrezing Sky Walk: Nestled in the snow-capped mountains, the 135-feet (40m) statue of Chenrezig is located at an elevation of 7,200 metres at Sangha Choeling, 1.7 km away from Pelling.  

Pemayangtse Monastery: The Pemayangtse Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Pemayangtse, near Pelling.The monastery follows the Nyingma Order of Tibetan Buddhism and controls all other monasteries of that Order in Sikkim. The head lama of this monastery had the unique privilege of anointing the Chogyals of the erstwhile monarchy of Sikkim with holy water. Pemayangtse means "Perfect Sublime Lotus", and is said to represent one of the four plexus of the human body.

Rabdentse Ruins: Rabdentse Ruins is the archeological site that tells Sikkim’s story of glory. Until 1814 A.D, it was the second capital of Sikkim, established by the Chogyal II. Later on, after the Nepalese invasion in the 18th century, the palace and the monastery complex was destructed and turned into ruins. The place is a must see for the history-enthusiasts who want to dig into the state’s past in between the spectacular view of Kanchenjunga peak and the gushing river flowing through the foothills. The ruins of Rabdentse Palace are just a walk away from the Pemayangtse Monastery through the dense forest on the way to Pelling.

In the evening you return to the homestay.

Stay at: Phamlagang Eco Retreat, Pelling

Meals included: Breakfast

8th June:  Pelling to Kalimpong
Day - 9

8th June: Pelling to Kalimpong

Post breakfast at Pelling, we depart for Kalimpong. This sleepy little town situated at an altitude of 1,200 mtrs, some 50 kms to the east of Darjeeling. It once used to be the hub of the trans-Himalayan trade between India and Tibet when merchants used to ferry commerce by mule caravan over the Jelepla pass on the Sikkim-Tibet border.

You will be staying at Holumba Haven in Kalimpong. HOLUMBA offers the nature loving tourists an expansive orchid nursery:-"Nurseryman's Haven", world wide exporter since 1972 - specialist in Indo- Burmese orchids & Himalayan & Exotic - bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, plants, & seeds.  HOLUMBA offers the tired travelers, a quiet rest in quaint & affordable six individual home stay in wooden chalet - type cottages of "Holumba Haven" complex, situated within the acres of orchid farm and forested botanical park.

You can also go for some sightseeing around Kalimpong if you wish. Please note that Sikkim vehicles are not allowed to do sightseeing around Kalimpong. We can arrange for a vehicle to do sightseeing for Kalimpong but it will be at an extra cost.

Some sightseeing points around Kalimpong:

Flower Nurseries: Kalimpong is famous for its nurseries which export exotic flowers like Amaryllis Lilies, Anthuriums, Roses, Gerbera, Dahlias, Gladiolus as well as Orchids and Cacti. Among renowned nurseries are Brindaban Garden Nursery, Ganesh Mani Pradhan Nursery, L.B.Pradhan Nursery, Pinewood Nursery, Standard Nursery, Shangrila Garden Nursery, Twin Brothers Nursery and Universal Nursery.

Durpin Monastery: Formally known as the Zong Dog Palri Fo-Brang Gompa, the monastery was consecrated by Dalai Lama in 1976. Located at the Durpin Hill, it is Kalimpong’s largest monastery and is important because it holds the sacred Kunguyar containing all 108 volumes carried by Dalai Lama when he left Tibet. The Gompa is worth a visit for its impressive wall paintings in the prayer room, and a rare three-dimensional mandala on the second floor. Prayers are held at 4 pm.

Meal Plan: Breakfast included 

Stay at:  Holumba Haven, Kalimpong

Travel time: 3 hours from Pelling to Kalimpong

9th June:  Kalimpong to Bagdogra

Post breakfast at the homestay, we depart for Bagdogra Airport. You can expect a lot of traffic, so it is a good idea to depart early

Travel time approx. 3 hours.

 Meal Plan: Breakfast included 

                                                                                                               TOUR ENDS