We went to Sikkim in the month of January, when it is relatively less crowded.
It’s the right destination specially if your motive is to relax, enjoy nature and have a little adventure as well!
How to Reach - You have several options. I would recommend a Train from Kolkata-New Jalpaiguri. It is an overnight Journey and which is quite comfortable if you book in AC 3 Tier or 2 Tier. You could also take a flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra i.e. the airport at New Jalpaiguri.
You can then book a taxi to Gangtok from the prepaid taxi booth. A Sumo could cost you around Rs.1500. Its a 5 hour drive up to the hills. You could also take a shuttle taxi but its quite crowded as they take 10(2+4+4) passengers in a Sumo; but easier on the pocket at around Rs. 150 per head.
Where to Stay- One of the best hotels to stay would be Hotel Tibet ask for a room with a view of the Himalayas(Dalai Lama also stays in this hotel whenever he visits Sikkim). A double room was in the range of Rs. 1000 in January which is off season. In Peak season you could expect it to be around Rs.1500. If you want to go for a high end hotel then I would recommend Hotel Tashi Delek(https://hoteltashidelek.com). It is a very beautiful place but quite expensive at around Rs. 2500-4500. And if you want for a more reasonable place then you could check out Hotel Norbu Ghang just opposite Hotel Tibet which offers good service at a reasonable price.
A heater is generally additional to the hotel tariff but a necessity at night. All the hotels I mentioned are centrally located. There are a lot of other hotels in gangtok which offer excellent service at different price range.
*Don’t Forget to get up at sunrise and enjoy the view of the Himalayas from your room. The snow on the peaks gleam like gold and its just too good, you can see Mt. Kanchenjunga right from your hotel room during this time as the sky is clear.
Where to eat-> Non vegetarian food is readily available everywhere in Sikkim but being a vegetarian I can’t comment on them. The perfect Vegetarian restaurant we found was a small restaurant called Rasoi which is on the main road in Gangtok. You could also try the Snow Lion Restaurant at Hotel Tibet where the Chinese and the north Indian cuisine(roti sabji) is quite nice. The ambience is very nice in both the restaurants. We didn’t experiment more as we liked these two restaurants so we stuck to them for most of our meals.
Places to visit-> We visited more of North Sikkim so I would only elaborate on that. With Gangtok as your base location you can see the following places;
1. Changu lake and Nathula Pass: This is a 1 day trip. You have to do the booking in advance for this trip as it is a border area and you will need a permit to go there. The travel agents can get it processed for you(so if you want to go on tuesday you should do the booking latest by monday). During off season you could get there for Rs.700 per head(up to 1500 in full season) in a shared Sumo or book your own vehicle which would again be expensive but worth the comfort.
The Changu lake is beautiful, especially when it is frozen. The Yak ride around the lake is fun. You can also play with snow if there is any around the lake. The lunch menu at this high altitude is simple: Hot Maggi, Potato Chipps and Tea for Vegetarians and egg is an additional item for the non vegetarians. A few Kms further up is the Nathula pass(14450 Ft) which is the Indo-China border. The height makes it a little uncomfortable specially for the kids and elderly. The view is excellent; you can shake hands and click photos with the Indian and the Chinese soldiers.
2. Yumthang Valley: 2 Days 1 Night trip. We started from Gangtok in the morning and after going through small villages scattered in the mountains we stopped for an overnight halt at Lachung. The hotels here are small with basic rooms and simple food. So you get an opportunity to spend a night in a small log cabin amidst the mighty mountains. The people are very friendly and caring. You can ask for a bonfire for which they will charge some extra money. Early next morning you start for the valley which is covered with flowers during march-April.
Some other points to be seen near Yumthang are the following, but you should tell the driver or the travel agent before staring from Gangtok that you want to see these points.
a. Katau(15300Ft) which is the Indo Tibet border and generally covered with snow.
b. Zero point which is the point where the road ends and you can see the Glacier which is the source of the river Teesta.
3. Local Sightseeing: A visit to a Monastery either Enchey or Rumtek is worth it. Tashi view point, Hanuman tok, Ganesh tok etc are some other spots for tourists but I dint find them very interesting. There is a helicopter ride offered by the tourism dept which is worth a try if you can afford it. Gangtok also has a ropeway.
4. River Rafting: Rafting in the River Teesta on your way back from Gangtok to New Jalpaiguri is quite adventurous.
5. Ravangla: This is a small village on the way to Pelling which has a beautiful resort called Mt. Narsing situated amidst the mountains. This is one of the places which we could not visit because of lack of time but would love to visit the next time we go to sikkim. More information on this can be found at https://east-himalaya.com/hotels/ravangla.htm.
6. Pelling and Kalimpong: If you have time you can visit these places but personally I don’t know much about these so would not be able to help.
For all the above mentioned trips you could go in a shared vehicle or book your own vehicle. Both have there own pros and cons. Shared is very crowded and own vehicle a little expensive.
Where to Shop-> Don’t do any shopping on the M.G. Marg or the mall road. It is too expensive. Ask anyone for the directions to Lal Market. It has a lot of variety of imported stuff specially if you are looking for jackets, bags, souvenirs, Chinese bells, mufflers etc. But be careful as you can easily bargain up to 30-40%.
Suggestions-> If you are a group of three take tickets for four people on the shared vehicle and make sure its the centre seat(not the front or the back), but its best to have a vehicle for yourself if you don’t mind spending.
The roads in Sikkim are very good at almost all the places thanks to Border Road Organization and Dantak. But the hilly roads can lead to nausea and vomiting so it is better to take tablets like Avomin in the morning after breakfast to avoid uneasiness.
Finally if you are planning to visit in the peak season its best to do your bookings in advance both for travel and hotels so that you are not disappointed.
In case you have any other queries you could ask me, I would love to be of any help!