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| 10th August 2018: From Hotel Nirvana Gangtok |
We often search, where to stay in Gangtok, What to see in Gangtok, the best time to visit Gangtok or which local food is must try in Gangtok. If you are also searching for this information, your search ends here, in this very post. Before that, we should know why Gangtok is one of the most famous places in entire Sikkim.
Gangtok, the state capital of Sikkim, is nothing but a City in the lap of Mountains. You can also consider this place as a gateway of Northern and Eastern part of the Sikkim, although there are alternative routes available to these places, still, many tourists prefer via Gangtok. MG Marg is the only popular place in Gangtok which remains congested during most of the time and also considered the heart of the city.
Places to visit: You have plenty of good places to visit around Gangtok.
Gangtok, the state capital of Sikkim, is nothing but a City in the lap of Mountains. You can also consider this place as a gateway of Northern and Eastern part of the Sikkim, although there are alternative routes available to these places, still, many tourists prefer via Gangtok. MG Marg is the only popular place in Gangtok which remains congested during most of the time and also considered the heart of the city.
Places to visit: You have plenty of good places to visit around Gangtok.
- Tashi View Point: This is the most scenic place around the city, on a clear day, you can witness the huge Kanchenjunga. You might try to see Sunrise from this point also.
- Hanuman Tok & Ganesh Tok: Tok represents cut and leveled in the local language. Both of this temple located nearby to 3rd mile check post, known for the majestic view of surroundings.
- Banjhakhri falls, Bakthang falls, Butterfly falls, Lhasa Falls: This waterfalls look very good in monsoon and definitely worth the visit.
- Rumtek Monastery: Rumtek Monastery is located above 4900 ft and around 24 kilometers out of Gangtok. It is the largest Monastery in Sikkim and one of oldest of its kind.
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| Hanuman Tok |
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| Bakthang Falls |
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| Lhasa Falls |
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| MG Marg |
Accommodation: Getting an accommodation of your choice in Gangtok and that in a very tight budget is a bit challenging. Most of the people prefer to stay near MG Marg which further unlocks restaurant and shopping options. But if you want peace and a calm place to enjoy every bit out of your stay, you can stay a little far from the MG Market. You can choose any of the options below, all the hotel names are clickable to redirect you to its location on google map, also note these recommendations are based on the review we read and where it is located. Also, do check out our "How a Hotel should be" guide.
Hotel Nirvana Gangtok
Hotel Pinewood
Sonam Hotel
The Park Residency
M3 Residency
Hotel Pineridge
Hotel Silverline
Hotel New Sikkim
You might get great deals in apps like OYO, MMT, etc. or even book bank Holiday homes. All the hotels mentioned above are in budget mostly within INR 1.5K but the rates vary season-wise.
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| Cloudy view from the Hotel Nirvana Gangtok |
Fooding: You will get food of almost every cuisine, not all but most of the dishes in nearby restaurants. We would recommend to try out momos, thukpas, noodles, and tea. Foods are generally good and cheap in almost everywhere, but few restaurants may charge more for the theme they maintain or the brand value they hold.
P.S. - Smoking in public is a punishable offense in Gangtok.
How to reach: Reaching Gangtok is very easy from its nearest Railway station or Airport. It has got well connectivity from recently opened Pakyong Airport, Bagdogra Airport, NJP station, Siliguri Station or even Siliguri Bus terminus. You can choose between state government bus (SNTC), shared cab (INR 200 - 250) or even a rented cab (Within INR 3K). By all mode, you will reach Gangtok in 4 to 5 hours depending on the traffic and the breaks. Cab rates may vary season-wise.
Transportation: You can hire a shared taxi, rent a cab or a motorcycle. Being a rider, I will suggest to get yourself a motorcycle but only if you have a passion to ride.
We will share information about parking and motorcycle restricted areas permits in another post soon.
Best Time to Visit: You can visit Gangtok throughout the year, even the hottest days will feel pleasant due to surrounded mountains. Our recommendation will be Either March-April or November. The way to the captioned city even look more naturistic in monsoon but there are chances of getting landslides which may lead to wasting times.
P.S. - The above timelapse is taken from the roof of Hotel Nirvana Gangtok.
Places to visit nearby: You can visit Guudongmar Lake, Yumthung Valley, Katao, Singhik, part of Silk Route or the complete silk route by exiting from rongli (all these routes cover high altitude areas, so prepare for that. other options will be Rishikhola, Ravangla, Pelling, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Lava, Lolegaon, Rishop, Icchegaon, Sillery Gaon, Tukdah, Lamahatta, Chatakpur, Tinchuley and many more. You cannot complete entire Sikkim in one go and that is the best part I believe, you have to Visit Sikkim again and again. We are yet to cover all the nearby places with a descriptive post very soon. Till then you like to read our Rishikhola, Pelling and Ravngla posts.
Suggested Itinerary: It is not possible to cover entire Sikkim in one go, so I am breaking it into a few options based on Gangtok.
Itinerary 1:
Day 1: NJP to Lachung
Day 2: Lachung to Yumthung Valley to Lachen
Day 3: Lachen to Gurudongmar to Singhik
Day 4: Singhik to Gangtok (Sightseeing of Gangtok on the way)
Day 5: Gangtak to Zuluk via Nathula, Baba Mandir
Day 6: Zuluk to Rishikhola
Day 7: Rishikhola to NJP
Based on your choices you can return back to Gangtok on Day 5 from Baba Mandir and on Day 6 reach NJP.
Itinerary 2:
Day 1: NJP to Pelling (Via Namchi Chardham)
Day 2: Pelling Sightseeing
Day 3: Pelling Sightseeing
Day 4: Pelling to Ravangla/Keuzing/Borong
Day 5: Ravangla to Gangtok
Day 6: Gangtok Sightseeing
Day 7: Gangtok to NJP
Itinerary 3:
Day 1: NJP to Gangtok
Day 2: Gangtok Sightseeing
Day 3: Gangtok to Nathang (Via Nathula Tsongmo Lake, Baba Mandir)
Day 4: Nathang to Rishikhola (Via Zuluk, Aritar)
Day 5: Rishikhola to Lava (Lava Sightseeing including Rishop)
Day 6: Lava to NJP
All the itineraries can be modified based on your requirements.
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