One idea to each route
The journeys that define the house
Our broadest routes, for a first or second visit: each is built round a single idea, and ordered so that the drives and the altitude stay sensible rather than covering everything.
- 8private journeys
In short
What is the best luxury itinerary for Darjeeling and Sikkim?
The First Time, for most first visits: Gangtok and the high lake while you are fresh, Pelling for the mountain, and Darjeeling last because it is the closest town to the airport. Choose Kanchenjunga at First Light if the mountain is the reason you came, The Planter's Week if tea is, and Two Kingdoms or Three Kingdoms if Bhutan has to be part of it.
Choose by the idea first, then by the nights you have. Six or seven nights buys depth in one: tea, the mountain from three ridges, Sikkim's monasteries, or western Bhutan by air. Eight lets The First Time join Gangtok, Pelling and Darjeeling without a punishing day at the wheel. With eleven or more, Bhutan comes by road, and the longest route starts in Kathmandu.
Then choose by season. October and November give the clearest mornings on all eight, and that air holds into early December on every route but The Planter's Week, which closes when plucking stops. March to May brings first-flush tea and rhododendrons, with haze building by May, which is why Kanchenjunga at First Light avoids it.
Ages narrow it further. The First Time and The Planter's Week suit children over eight, Kanchenjunga at First Light and Bhutan: The Western Valleys children over ten, Monasteries of the East teenagers, and the two kingdom routes children over twelve.
Passports settle the rest. For Sikkim, foreign and OCI guests need the state's permit, filed online through e-FRRO about 30 days before reaching the state, and Nathu La is for Indian citizens only, so on The First Time and Two Kingdoms we plan a different morning. In Bhutan, Indian guests pay ₹1,200 a night and most other passports US$100, plus a US$40 visa. Two Kingdoms needs an Indian visa allowing a second entry, and Three Kingdoms a regular tourist visa, because it crosses into India by land at Panitanki.
A first week in these hills goes best when it does one thing properly. Tea, the mountain from three ridges, the monasteries, or the road into Bhutan: pick the idea that made you look at the map in the first place, and leave the rest for another visit. The one plan we would talk you out of is the week spent mostly in a car, trying to see Darjeeling, Gangtok, Pelling and Bhutan at once.
A Darjeeling Trips designer
Choose by
Eight journeys, side by side
| Starts in | Best months | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Planter's Week | 6 | Kurseong | About 3 h | Mar to Apr, Oct to Nov | ₹1,60,000 |
| Kanchenjunga at First Light | 7 | Darjeeling | About 4 h | Oct to Dec, Mar to Apr | ₹1,55,000 |
| Monasteries of the East | 7 | Gangtok | About 5.5 h | October to mid December, March to May | ₹1,40,000 |
| A Himalayan Honeymoon | 7 | Glenburn Tea Estate | About 5 h | October to April, clearest October to December | ₹2,65,000 |
| Two Kingdoms: Sikkim to Bhutan by Road | 11 | Gangtok | About 7 h | October to December, March to May | ₹5,30,000 |
| The First Time: Darjeeling and Sikkim | 8 | Gangtok | About 5 h | October to early December, March to May | ₹1,75,000 |
| Bhutan: The Western Valleys | 6 | Thimphu | About 4.5 h | October to December, March to May | ₹4,55,000 |
| Three Kingdoms | 14 | Kathmandu | About 7 h | October to mid December, March to April | ₹5,70,000 |
Signature journey
6 nights
The Planter's Week
Kurseong2Glenburn Tea Estate2Darjeeling2
Six nights on the working side of Darjeeling tea: Makaibari, Glenburn, then the town the planters rode up to.
Signature journey
7 nights
Kanchenjunga at First Light
Darjeeling3Pelling2Kalimpong2
Seven dawns on three ridges facing the third-highest mountain on earth, each from a different angle.
Signature journey
7 nights
Monasteries of the East
Gangtok3Ravangla1Pelling3
Sikkim's great monasteries from east to west, one a day, with time to sit through the prayers.
Honeymoon or anniversary
7 nights
A Himalayan Honeymoon
Glenburn Tea Estate3Kalimpong2Gangtok (Pangthang)2
Seven nights for two: a tea bungalow, a fire-lit heritage room, a spa above Gangtok, and slow mornings.
Signature expedition
11 nights
Two Kingdoms: Sikkim to Bhutan by Road
Gangtok3Phuentsholing1Thimphu2Punakha2Paro3
Sikkim's royal past, then Bhutan's royal present: eleven nights by road, ending on the cliff at Taktsang.
Signature journey
8 nights
The First Time: Darjeeling and Sikkim
Gangtok3Pelling2Darjeeling3
Gangtok, Pelling, then Darjeeling: the high lake while you are fresh, the mountain close, the airport near.
Signature journey
6 nights
Bhutan: The Western Valleys
Thimphu2Punakha2Paro2
Fly in from Bagdogra, cross Dochu La to Punakha, and end the week at the Tiger's Nest.
Grand journey
14 nights
Three Kingdoms
Kathmandu3Darjeeling3Gangtok2Phuentsholing1Thimphu2Paro3
Kathmandu to the Tiger's Nest by way of Darjeeling and Gangtok: three old kingdoms, three borders, one team.
One idea each
What each idea actually looks like
Tea: the first flush comes in late March and the second in May, and the factories stand idle in midwinterArjis Kundu / Pexels 
The mountain: December is the driest month on these ridges, and three ridges give three different angles on the same summitsIndrasish / Pexels Bhutan: Two Kingdoms keeps Punakha, and Three Kingdoms trades it for Kathmandu and Darjeeling at the startDaniel Grandfield / Unsplash
Before a first visit
If it is your first time
Six things worth knowing before your first journey in the Eastern Himalaya, whichever route you choose.
- Your driver waits outsideAt Bagdogra, drivers wait at the arrivals exit, never inside the hall. Look for your name as you come out.
- Sikkim first, Darjeeling lastOn routes that take in both, Gangtok comes first and Darjeeling last. Darjeeling is about three hours from the airport and Gangtok about four and a half, so the shorter road falls on the morning you fly.
- Two nights lower before a high lakeTsomgo, at 3,753 m, is never your first morning in Gangtok. Nathu La, at 4,310 m, is for Indian citizens only; on foreign passports the journey tops out at Tsomgo.
- More than one dawn for the mountainCloud can sit on Kanchenjunga for a day or two even in autumn, which is why the mountain routes keep a spare dawn rather than a single early start.
- Fly home in the afternoonMost flights from Bagdogra leave from 13:00 onwards. Book yours for the afternoon, and the last morning starts after breakfast rather than before dawn.
- Bhutan by air on set days, or by road on a weekdayThe Drukair flight from Bagdogra to Paro runs on set days, so we fix your dates around it. By road, Phuentsholing's immigration office works Monday to Friday, so the crossing day is planned first.
Questions
Three questions about signature journeys
The First Time or Kanchenjunga at First Light?
The First Time if you want Gangtok, a high lake and, with an Indian passport, Nathu La: two high mornings, at 3,753 m and 4,310 m. Kanchenjunga at First Light if the summits are what you are travelling for: three ridges, a spare dawn at every stop, Tiger Hill and Kalimpong, and nothing higher than 2,590 m. First Light is the kinder choice for grandparents, and for anyone who would rather not think about altitude at all.
Which signature journey for a second visit?
If you have seen Darjeeling, Monasteries of the East goes deeper into Sikkim, from Rumtek to Tashiding and Dubdi, and suits anyone drawn to Tibetan Buddhism. Two Kingdoms was built for second-time visitors who enjoy a long road, and Three Kingdoms for returning guests who want the wider region, from Kathmandu to Paro. If what you missed last time was the tea, The Planter's Week spends most of its nights inside working estates.
Which signature journey is the slowest?
A Himalayan Honeymoon and The Planter's Week, the two gentle routes here. The honeymoon moves between three houses with nothing before nine except one optional dawn. The Planter's Week keeps its drives inside three hours and fills the days with fields, factories and long dinners with your hosts. Every other signature route is paced moderately, with more early mornings and longer days, and the two kingdom routes each include one road day of about seven hours.
Plan my journey
Which of these eight fits your dates?
Four lines are enough to start: when, who, how to reach you, and the trip you picture.
- Journeys
- 8
- Length
- 6 to 14 nights
- From
- ₹1,40,000 per person