A journey to Sikkim involves awakening the senses and discovering the pristine and mystic beauty of the land. This corner of the Eastern Himalaya has a great deal to offer. Sikkim is unique in its appeal, almost completely true home of Tibetan Buddhism. Sikkim is renowned for its flora and large number of Buddhist monasteries with their fine collections of paintings and relics. Darjeeling, 2000m above the plains of Bengal, is surrounded by tea plantations and is the archetypal hill station; slightly faded, but still a lively centre for the different hill peoples. The view from Tiger Hill at sunrise is one of the most impressive in the Himalaya, with the great bulk of Kanchenjunga dominating the northern horizon.

Day - 01

Fly Bagdogra and Drive to Darjeeling

Fly to bagdogra from delhi. You are met at bagdogra airport and transferred to darjeeling, a 5 hour drive. Situated at an altitude of 2,134 m, darjeeling was developed by the british as a hill resort to escape the heat and rains of the plains. In the 1840s, tea plantation was introduced in the area overnight at hotel windamere.

Day - 02

In Darjeeling

Early in the morning, drive to Tiger Hill, 10 km south of Darjeeling, to get a spectacular view of Mt. Kanchenjunga at sunrise. On the way back, stop at Ghoom, a small monastery by the roadside, built in 1875 housing a 5-meter statue of the Buddha.
After breakfast, explore this quaint hill station. At the centre of the town is the Mall, Darjeeling's commercial street, lined with souvenir shops which leads to Chaurastha, a square with a bandstand and several antique shops. The Observatory Hill is perhaps the oldest built-up site in Darjeeling. A Red Hat Buddhist monastery, Dorjeling once stood here but was destroyed by the Nepalese in the 19th century. On Birch Hill to the north stands the Shrubbery, the residence of the Governor of West Bengal and further down along the Birch Hill Road is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute previously headed by the late Tenzing Norgay. A museum displays the equipment used on the first successful expedition to Mount Everest. The nearby Zoological Park specializes in high-altitude wildlife - yaks, Himalayan black bears, pandas, but is also has four Siberian tigers. Dominating the Mall is the Planter's Club, where planters from all over the area meet, particularly on Sundays. The Lloyd Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1878 on land donated by the owners of Lloyd's Bank. They present a collection of Himalayan and alpine flora. Nearby is the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre with its temple, school, hospital and a shop selling carpets, textiles and jewelery.
Overnight at Hotel Windamere.

Day - 03

Darjeeling to Gangtok

After breakfast depart on the 6-hour drive to gangtok, the capital of sikkim, which lies at an altitude of 1,640 m. The most important building in the southern part of the city is the choegyal's palace, usually closed to visitors except for the tsuklakhang royal chapel, where festivals and ceremonies are held. The palace itself opens once a year, during the last week of december, for the pong labsal festival during which masked lamas perform a dance to kanchenjunga around a banner pole. The research institute of tibetology the most prestigious one of its kind built in 1958 by the last choegyal to preserve tibetan culture, houses a library of more than 30,000 books on buddhism, astrology, medicine and philosophy as well as a collection of thangkhas (tibetan religious paintings on cloth).today it is a renowned worldwide centre for the study of buddhist philosophy and religion.
Dinner and overnight at hotel norkhill.

Day - 04

In Gangtok

After breakfast visit rumtek monastery, which lies 23 km west of gangtok, a 45- minute drive away. The monastery belongs to the yellow hat karmapa sect, a reformist branch of tantric buddhism, founded in the 15th century. Built in the 1960s, it is traditional in design and is a replica of the original kagyu headquarters in tibet destroyed at the time of the Chinese takeover. The monastery houses some of the most unique religious art objects and is the largest one of its kind outside tibet. The annual festival is held on the 28th and 29th days of the 10th month of the lunar calendar. After lunch explore gangtok. The deer park, set amongst the picturesque dales and mountains of sikkim, is based on the model of a similar one in sarnath, in homage to the bodhisattva who got reincarnated as a musk deer. The deer feeding ritual at 0800 hours is a thrilling experience. Visit the government handcrafts centre instituted with the aim of promoting and keeping alive the state's traditional art and crafts. The centre is a storehouse of hand-woven woolen carpets with traditional motifs, blankets, shawls in lepcha weaves and exquisitely carved choktse tables. The orchid sanctuary is where over 250 different species of temperate and intermediate orchids bloom in April and may, and in winter, during the months of December and January.
Overnight at hotel norkhill.

Day - 05

Phodong and Labrang

After breakfast drive to phodong monastery, situated 38 kms from gangtok in north sikkim. The original monastery, which belongs to the kargug-pa sect, was built by the chogyal gyurmed namgyal in the first quarter of the 18th century. It has old mural paintings and has around 260 monks. The annual festival is performed on the 28th and 29th days of the tenth month of the lunar calendar when the religious chamms (dances) are performed. Stop for a picnic lunch and continue on to labrang monastery, situated a km uphill from phodong. Built about 100 years later than phodong, it belongs to the nyingma-pa sect. Just below the road betwen phodong and labrang are the ruins of the third capital of sikkim - tumlong. In the beginninf of the 19th century, the capital of sikkim was shifted from rabdanste to tumlong, which remained the capital for almost 90 years. Return to Gangtok for overnight at hotel norkhill.

Day - 06

Gangtok to Kalimpong

After breakfast depart on the 4-hour drive to kalimpong, a quiet hill resort once the former headquarters of the bhutanese governor. Situated at an altitude of 1250 m. Between the deolo and durbindra hills it lies in the valley formed by the lower teesta river and its tributaries in the foothills of the Himalayas. There are two yellow hat buddhist monasteries in kalimpong, the tharpa choling at tirpai, the largest one, houses a library of tibetan manuscripts and thangkas. The zang-dog palrifo brang monastery on durpin dara hill is smaller and of more recent construction. There is also a small market selling spices, fruit and traditional tibetan medicines, textiles, wool and musk. Kalimpong was once the starting point for the trade route to lhasa.
Overnight at the hotel Himalaya.

Day - 07

Drive Kalimpong to Bagdogra and fly /Delhi

After breakfast depart on the 4-hour drive to bagdogra airport for your flight to delhi. Upon arrival in delhi you will be transferred to the international airport as per your flight schedule.