Sikkim Stories

Sikkim has always been on my wishlist and it was wonderful. It took me long to finally go there as it takes at least 10 days to cover this place & a lot of effort to coordinate leaves with others in the group :P

After my delivery, I had tried planning this trip many times but kept on delaying it as I wasn’t sure of Viraaj’s altitude sickness and hectic schedule in hilly terrains. Finally came the time I could tick off this beautiful destination off my bucket list as I had 10 day block leave (bankers can relate) to be utilized & also because my Mom & Sister accompanied me which made handing Viraaj very easy (this time Viraaj and I were the baggage they were carrying :P).

Tip: Group trips are good when you travel with kids because you have others to help you manage the baby

You can book your tour through the famous travel websites, but their charges are exorbitant. I would highly recommend you guys to book your tours through any of the local travel agents in Sikkim. They charge lesser, are reliable, know the terrains well & chalk out an itinerary that suits your comfort. We booked through a local tour operator at Gangtok called Himalayan Sojourn Tours & Travels and our tour coordinator Titus had arranged a good deal for us @Rs 38,000/-(for three of us). This included airport (Bagdogra) pick up-drop and travel across Sikkim in an AC Xylo with lodging & food arrangements in north Sikkim (Flights, stay in Gangtok & Pelling, permits for Nathula Pass separate). I can share his contact details personally if required. A similar package from one of the famous travel websites was quoted at Rs. 27,000/- per person (excluding flights).

With limited time in our hands, all of us decided to travel by plane, also its less hectic as the train journey from Mumbai to Siliguri (the nearest rail station from Gangtok) takesmore than 42 hours! We started off with an early morning flight from Mumbai & after a five hour long flight with one stop, landed at Bagdogra at around 12 noon. The tickets to Bagdogra are much cheaper from Delhi, so Dilliwale should plan soon!

Tip: Don’t take late flights as onward journey from Bagdogra to Gangtok is another 5-6 hours.

Our tour guide Gaius was right on time and we left Bagdogra around 2 p.m., stopped on our way once for lunch & reached Gangtok around 7:30 p.m. Thankfully the monsoon season was over & the roads on this route are well developed with just few bad patches. The entire route to Gangtok is through the hills, so please take your medicines before hand if you are prone to altitude sickness.

Viraaj got a little anxious with the route and the speed of the vehicle so I made him sleep. Sikkim gets pitch dark after 6 p.m. because of early sunset and it is difficult to move around in hilly terrains, so plan your travel accordingly. We were dead tired from our journey so we quickly ate hot freshly cooked dinner at our hotel & snuggled in the blankets.