Gangtok Sightseeing: The 10 Points and How the Day Runs

The short answer

Gangtok's 10-point sightseeing is a full day by car around ten points from a government list: viewpoints, temples, monasteries and the ropeway.

• A car for the whole day is the easy way to do it: the points are spread over the hills, and a taxi back from Tashi View, Hanuman Tok or Banjhakri Falls is hard to find.
• There are two official versions: any 10 of 14 listed points, or a fixed list of 10 in which some sights share one point.
• The city sightseeing day visits seven of the most important points, timed for sights that mostly close by about 4 pm.

Days you can book for this

City Sightseeing: Mountain, Monasteries with Banjhakri FallsFull day · from $32 per vehicle

From October into November, Kanchenjunga is usually in view from Tashi View Point on clear mornings.

What does 10-point sightseeing mean?

It's a full day by car around Gangtok's best-known sights, picked from a list the Sikkim Transport Department sets for sightseeing taxis.

Ask at a Gangtok taxi stand for "10 points" and this is the day you get. Operators who run it say it takes about seven hours, most of the day. The usual round at the stands takes in Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Gonjang Monastery, Bakthang Falls, Banjhakri Falls, the ropeway, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Do Drul Chorten.

The easy way to see them is with one car for the whole day. The points are spread across the hills around town, and while a shared cab can take you out to a viewpoint, finding a taxi back from Tashi View, Hanuman Tok or Banjhakri Falls is hard. With a car of your own, the same driver takes you from point to point and back to your hotel.

Which points are on the official lists?

The Transport Department lists two versions of the full-day 10-point package: any 10 of 14 named points, or a fixed list of 10 in which some sights count together as one point.

Both appear in its table of sightseeing packages, dated 1 July 2024. Here they are in the notice's own order, with spellings tidied and full names added.

The two lists differ in a few names: the fixed list has no zoo, and it names a Flower Exhibition Centre rather than a Flower Show. Because it counts the ropeway, the Institute and the stupa as one point, and Gonjang with Tashi View as another, its 10 points name 13 sights.

Which points does the city sightseeing day visit?

Seven: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Do Drul Chorten, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, the ropeway and Banjhakri Falls.

These are the most important points on the route. Most government-run sights close by about 4 pm, so the day keeps to the ones it can reach comfortably while they are open.

That is 7 of the 14 points on the longer list. It leaves out the Plant Conservatory, Gonjang Monastery, Bakthang Falls, the handicraft centre, the flower show, Enchey Monastery and the zoo.

Here is the day in the order its listing gives. The live pickup and drop-off times sit under the timeline, and each stop's time is on the day's own page.

Book this day

Gangtok, SikkimCity Sightseeing: Mountain, Monasteries with Banjhakri FallsTashi View point · Ganesh Tok · Hanuman Tok +4Full day·pickup incl·refundable 24hfrom $32per vehicle, all-inSee the day →

How does the ropeway work on the day?

It is a return ride from Deorali, the station near the Institute of Tibetology, so you finish where you started.

Most days it is straightforward. Sometimes the ticket queue takes one to two hours, so it is the stop where a little patience helps most.

The ropeway ticket is not part of the day's price, and nor are monument, museum or park entry.

When can you see Kanchenjunga from Tashi View?

Usually from October into November, on clear mornings.

Tashi View Point is the first stop on the full day, so you reach it in the morning. In other months the view depends on the weather that day.

Is the day good for children?

Yes, for the views: small children usually enjoy the viewpoints most.

If yours would love animals, the Himalayan Zoological Park is on the longer official list. It sits just above Ganesh Tok on the way to Tashi View Point, but it is not one of this day's stops.

For other ideas with children, see every day you can book from Gangtok.

What happens if a stop is closed on the day?

On a full day like this one, the driver usually skips the closed stop and carries on with the rest of the route.

On a half day, operators say the driver usually takes you to another point instead.

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, for example, lists Sundays and government holidays as closed days on its website, though its museum opens on them in the peak tourist seasons.

How can you make the day your own?

Add a stop that is on the way: two sights the day passes are easy to include.

Add Bakthang Falls or Gonjang Monastery

Both sit on the way, so on a full day they are easy to add. They are not in this day's plan, so if you would like either one, say so in the note box at checkout.

Prefer a shorter morning?

The early-morning day covers Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok and Gonjang Monastery, with a cup of roadside coffee by the viewpoint.

It suits a first morning in Gangtok, or a day when you would rather keep the afternoon free.

A day you can book

Gangtok, SikkimMorning of Mountain View Temple Blessing & Gonjang MonasteryTashi View point · Ganesh Tok · Hanuman Tok +1Half day·pickup incl·refundable 24hfrom $26per vehicle, all-inSee the day →

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