THE BEST SEASONS TO VISIT THE HILLS OF DARJEELING AND SKKIM ARE:
- FROM SEPTEMBER TO END OF NOVEMBER.
AND
FROM EARLY MARCH TO END OF MAY
IT’S ADVISED THAT YOU CARRY SOME WARM OUTFITS LIKE SHAWLS, JACKETS, SWEATERS, WOOLEN CAPS, HAND GLOVES, ETC.
IF YOU WANT TO COVER THE ENTIRE HILLS FIRST GO TO LAVA, FOLLOWED BY GANGTOK AND ULTIMATELY DARJEELING. IF YOU ARE COMING BY TRAIN , YOUR LAST STOPPAGE WILL BE NEW JALPAIGURI (NJP). FROM NJP YOU CAN HIRE A TAXI (MOST OF THE TAXIS ARE JEEP OR MARUTI VAN). THE TAXIS WILL CHARGE YOU ABOUT RS. 1500/ (FOR HIRING IT AS A WHOLE) FROM NJP STATION TO LAVA BAZAAR. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE A TAXI FROM KALIMPONG/LAVA TAXI STAND (AT SILIGURI ABOUT 10 KM AWAY FROM NJP) BUT THAT WILL BE TROUBLESOME AND THE FARE IS ALMOST EQUAL AND UNNECESSARILY YOU’LL HAVE TO SPEND MORE MONEY FOR THE JOURNEY COVERED FROM NJP TO THE TAXI STAND. IF YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUAL OR DON’T NEED A HIRED TAXI YOU CAN COME ON A SHARED TAXI WHICH WILL COST ABOUT RS. 150/- PER HEAD.
IF YOU COME BY FLIGHT YOU NEED TO BE LANDED AT BAGDOGRA AIRPORT, YOU CAN GET A PREPAID TAXI AT THE MAIN EXIT COUNTER (OF BAGDOGRA AIRPORT). THEY MAY CHARGE YOU A FEW HUNDRED MORE, BUT YOU WONT BE CHEATED BECAUSE THE EXTRA MONEY CHARGED IS FOR THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY YOU FROM BAGDOGRA AIRPORT TO SILIGURI (30 KM APP).
ONCE YOU REACH LAVA, YOU CAN BOOK A HOTEL OR LODGE, ROAM AROUND IN THE EVENING TO HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL GLIMPSES OF LOCAL MONASTERIES AND SIGHT SEEINGS, HALT THERE FOR A NIGHT (HOTELS/LODGES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE RATES SUITABLE TO YOUR BUDGETS) AND GO EARLY IN THE MORNING TO LOLEY GAON OR KAFER (NOT SO IMPORTANT AND YOU CAN SKIP IT AS WELL). AFTER THAT YOU CAN ASK THE SAME TAXI TO TAKE YOU TO RISHAP WHERE YOU CAN ENJOY A RUSTIC ENVIRONMENT WITH BEAUTIFUL FLORA AND FAUNA AROUND YOU ALONWITH THE VIEWS OF KANCHEJUNGA, COVERED WITH SNOW. THAT COPLETES YOUR TOUR OF LAVA.
FROM LAVA YOU CAN DIRECTLY COME TO GANGTOK BY DIFFERENT TRANSPORTS OF YOUR CHOICE OR YOU CAN HALT FOR A NIGHT IN KALIMPONG AND VISIT SOME PLACES LIKE "DELLO". "TIRPAI", "DURPIN DARA", ETC AND LEAVE FOR GANGTOK THE NEXT DAY. YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPTIONS TO TRAVEL BY DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORTS AND HAVE DIFFERENT RANGE OF HOTELS OR LODGES TO CHOSE FROM AS PER YOUR ABILITY RIGHT FROM LAVA TO KALIMPONG AND SIKKIM. THE INTERESTING PLACES TO SEE IN SIKKIM ARE: TSANGO LAKE, BABA MANDIR, NATHULA PASS (IT’S THE BORDER BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE CHINESE PEOPLE). TAKING MORE TIME YOU CAN ALSO GO TO GORUDONGMAR, CHUNGTHANG, PELLING, RAVANGLA ETC. LOCAL PLACES I.E. AT THE OUTSKIRTS OF GANGTOK YOU MUST VISIT ARE: RUMTEK MONASTERY, RANKA MONASTERY, HANUMAN TOK, GANESH TOK, SARAMSA GARDEN, SMILE LAND, BAN JHANKRI JHORA, ETC.*
ONCE YOU COMPLETE THE ENTIRE TOUR OF SIKKIM OR SO, YOU WILL GET A LARGE NUMBER OF TRANSPORTS TO GO TO DARJEELING, DEPENDING ON YOUR TIME AND BUDGET YOU CAN VISIT AS MANY PLACES AS YOU WANT. THE BEAUTIFUL PLACES THAT ARE WORTH SEEING IN DARJEELING ARE: HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINARING INSTITUTE, BOTANICAL GARDEN, PADMAZA NAIDU ZOOLOGICAL PARK, MIRIK LAKE, TIGER HILL, ROCK GARDEN, ROPEWAY AT NORTH POINT, JAPANESE TEMPLE, ROCK CLIMBING ETC, ETC. EVEN IN DARJEELING YOU WILL HAVE LOTS OF FLEXIBILITIES WHEN IT COMES TO STAYING IN A HOTEL OR LODGE. BY THE TIME YOU LEAVE DARJEELING, AND REACH SILIGURI YOUR JOURNEY WILL BE COVERED IN A CIRCULAR FORM.
YOU WILL HAVE SAFE JOURNEY AND TIME IN THESE HILLS BUT DON’T BE OVERCONFIDENT EITHER. THE ONLY PROBLEM YOU MAY FACE, PARTICULARLY IN DARJEELING, IS WATER SCARCITY. AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE YOU MUST CARRY MINERAL WATER WHENEVER YOU GO OUT. SO FAR TAXI FARES ARE CONCERNED, THEY ARE, REASONABLY, CHEAPER THAN IN METRO CITIES. BUT DON’T FORGET TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF BARGAINING, IF YOU FEEL LIKE DOING SO, BEFORE YOU TAKE A TAXI ON HIRE. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR BARGAINING IF YOU TRAVEL BY SHARED TAXI AS THE FARES ARE FIXED ONES.
TSHERING DUKPA
GANGTOK
SIKKIM-737101