Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok: Time, Routes, Road Closures

The short answer

Gangtok is 125 km from Bagdogra Airport and 119 km from NJP station: usually 4.5–5 hours on NH10, though weather and roadworks can stretch it to about 7.

• A private car from the airport or the station to your Gangtok hotel is priced per car, not per seat: a Wagon-R for up to 3 people, an Innova for up to 6.
• NH10 follows the Teesta river into Sikkim. Monsoon landslides close or slow it most years, so leave a spare half-day around tight plans.
• Indian travellers need no permit at Rangpo. Foreign nationals and OCI card holders apply online for Sikkim’s entry permit (RAP) before they reach it.
• Pakyong airport has had no scheduled flights since June 2024, and no train runs into Sikkim yet: Bagdogra and NJP are the way in.

Trips you can book for this

Bagdogra Airport to Gangtok: One-Way Transfer7 hr journey · from $43 per vehicleNJP Railway Station to Gangtok: One-Way Transfer7 hr journey · from $48 per vehicleGangtok to Bagdogra Airport Transfer7 hr journey · from $43 per vehicle

Going home? Leave Gangtok at least 8 hours before your flight or train.

How far is Gangtok from Bagdogra and NJP, and how long does it take?

Bagdogra Airport is 125 km from Gangtok and NJP station 119 km. The drive usually takes 4.5 to 5 hours, and the operators who run it plan for up to 7.

Landing late? Start up to Gangtok by 4–5 pm at the latest, operators advise, because of the road.

Siliguri town, between the two, is 114 km from Gangtok. All three share the same road for most of the way: north across the plains to Sevoke, then up the Teesta valley on NH10 into Sikkim.

The 7 hours on each listing is a planning allowance, not the usual time. It leaves room for the days when rain, repairs to the road or holiday traffic slow everything down.

Distances to the rest of Sikkim are in Distances from Gangtok, and every ride and day that starts in the town is on the Gangtok page.

Which is better, Bagdogra airport or NJP station?

Whichever matches how you travel. Bagdogra is the airport for Gangtok and NJP its main railway station, and the drive up from each is almost the same.

Bagdogra (IXB), just outside Siliguri, is where the flights for Sikkim land. Pakyong, Sikkim’s own airport near Gangtok, has had no scheduled flights since June 2024, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has said.

NJP (New Jalpaiguri), on the edge of Siliguri, is as close as the railway comes. The Sevoke–Rangpo line into Sikkim is still being built; in March 2026 officials expected trains on it by March 2027.

The NJP to Gangtok ride picks you up at the station and drops you at your hotel. Add your train time when you book, as the listing asks, and keep the first day light after a night on the train.

A trip you can book

Siliguri, West BengalNJP Railway Station to Gangtok: One-Way TransferTravel from NJP Railway Station to Gangtok with a one-way transfer. Allow extra time for mountain roads, traffic and changing weather conditions.7 hr journeyPickup point: NJPFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $48per vehicleSee the trip →

Is there a helicopter from Bagdogra to Gangtok?

The Government of Sikkim’s pages describe one: a five-seat helicopter run by the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation, about 20 minutes between Bagdogra and Gangtok, depending on the weather.

Operators confirm it is running (October 2026). With five seats and flights that depend on the weather, keep the road as your back-up plan.

How much is a taxi from Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok?

The rides listed here are private cars priced per car, not per seat: a Wagon-R for up to 3 people or an Innova for up to 6. The card below shows today’s price.

One fare covers the car, the driver, fuel and parking, and the drop at your hotel anywhere in Gangtok. If a car can’t reach your hotel’s lane, the driver stops at the nearest point on the road.

The luggage allowance is one suitcase and one backpack per passenger. For a group of four or more, the Innova is the size that seats everyone.

Shared jeep or private car?

A shared jeep or a bus costs less per seat; a private car goes from the airport or station to your hotel on your own timing. Sikkim’s Information and Public Relations Department says government buses (SNT) run between Gangtok, Siliguri and NJP, and shared jeeps run through the day.

Day Trio lists private cars only for this ride. Shared jeeps leave from Siliguri, not from the airport, and stop at the Deorali taxi stand in Gangtok, operators say.

The Bagdogra Airport to Gangtok ride picks up at the airport only. For the same choice on day trips and North Sikkim, see Shared or private taxi in Sikkim.

A trip you can book

Siliguri, West BengalBagdogra Airport to Gangtok: One-Way TransferTravel from Bagdogra Airport to Gangtok with a one-way transfer. Allow extra time for mountain roads, traffic and changing weather conditions.7 hr journeyPickup point: Bagdogra AirportFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $43per vehicleSee the trip →

How is the road from Siliguri to Gangtok?

It is a mountain highway, NH10, that follows the Teesta river through a deep, forested gorge for most of the way. It is slowest in the monsoon, June to September.

From Siliguri the road runs flat to Sevoke, where the Coronation Bridge crosses the Teesta. It then climbs the gorge with the river below, passes Melli and enters Sikkim at the Rangpo check post.

Beyond Rangpo it follows the river to Singtam, then makes the last long climb up to Gangtok. The bends and the climb, more than the distance, are why 125 km takes about 5 hours.

Most landslides come with the monsoon rain, and long weekends and holidays bring heavy traffic. On the listed rides, tea and meal stops are up to you.

What happens when NH10 is closed?

Traffic waits, moves one way at a time, or goes round by a longer road. A closure can last a few hours or, after a big slide, weeks.

In 2026, a landslide shut the 20th Mile stretch at Bardang, in Sikkim, from the night of 7 July. It partly reopened on 10 August, with traffic let through at intervals and halts of two to four hours. A mudslide there on 20 September left it open one way.

When NH10 shut for three days in August 2025, the police sent Gangtok–Siliguri traffic round by Lava and Gorubathan, through the Kalimpong hills. That road is longer and slower.

On a closed day, the driver takes the longer road through Lava instead, operators say, at an extra cost.

What do foreign nationals need before Rangpo?

Sikkim’s entry permit, the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), applied for online before you reach the Rangpo check post. It is free. Indian travellers need no permit to enter Sikkim.

Since January 2026, Sikkim no longer issues paper permits to foreign nationals. The RAP is applied for only online, on the Government of India’s e-FRRO portal, after you arrive in India and before you enter Sikkim.

The Government of India asks foreign nationals already in India to apply at least 15 days ahead, and operators say to allow the same. OCI card holders count as foreign nationals here, so they apply too.

Where foreign nationals can go once inside, and what to send for Tsomgo Lake or the north, is in the Sikkim permits guide.

When should you leave Gangtok for a flight or train?

At least 8 hours before your flight or train. The drive is usually about 5 hours; the rest covers a slow road and check-in.

The rides down pick you up at your Gangtok hotel and go to Bagdogra Airport or NJP station, priced per car, with the same Wagon-R and Innova sizes as the rides up.

For an early-morning flight or train, think about spending your last night in Siliguri, close to both the airport and the station.

The Gangtok to Bagdogra Airport ride is the one most travellers take on their last day.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGangtok to Bagdogra Airport TransferTravel from Gangtok to Bagdogra Airport with a private one-way transfer and plan for up to 7 hours for changing mountain-road and weather conditions.7 hr journeyHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $43per vehicleSee the trip →

Catching a train instead? The ride to NJP takes the same road down to Siliguri.

Book this trip: Gangtok to NJP Railway Station Transfer · from $43 per vehicle

What should you have ready for the ride?

Your flight or train time, your hotel’s address, and for foreign nationals the entry permit. Pack light enough for one suitcase and one backpack each.

Questions travellers ask