Gangtok to Darjeeling: Route, Time and a Kalimpong Stop

The short answer

Gangtok to Darjeeling is 98 km by road, about 5 hours: out of Sikkim at Rangpo, along the Teesta, then up through the tea gardens to Ghum and Darjeeling.

• No permit is needed to leave Sikkim, or for Darjeeling and Kalimpong: both are in West Bengal.
• Kalimpong is 75 km from Gangtok, about 4 hours, and 52 km from Darjeeling. Going by Kalimpong adds about 30 km and a climb up from the river.
• For more than a short look at Kalimpong, take a ride there on its own and stay a night.
• Foreign nationals and OCI card holders need a valid Sikkim entry permit (RAP) to come back into Sikkim.

Trips you can book for this

Gangtok to Darjeeling: One-Way Transfer5 hr journey · from $43 per vehicleGangtok to Kalimpong – Private One-Way Transfer4 hr journey · from $43 per vehicle

Both rides are one way and priced per car. Km are by road; drive times are what local operators plan for, without stops.

Which way does the road go from Gangtok to Darjeeling?

Down to the river and up again: out of Sikkim at Rangpo, along the Teesta to Teesta Bazaar, then up through the tea gardens past Lamahatta to Ghum and Darjeeling.

From Gangtok the road drops through Singtam to the Teesta and leaves Sikkim at the Rangpo check post. It then follows the river on NH10, past Melli, to Teesta Bazaar.

At Teesta Bazaar it leaves the river and climbs through tea gardens, past Lamahatta, to Ghum. At 7,407 ft (2,258 m), Ghum is the highest station on the toy train line, and Darjeeling, at about 6,700 ft (2,045 m), is just beyond it.

Darjeeling sits higher than Gangtok and is colder, so keep a warm layer out of your bag for the evening you arrive.

The Gangtok to Darjeeling ride is a private car from your Gangtok hotel to your Darjeeling hotel, priced per car: a Wagon-R for up to 3 people or an Innova for up to 6.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGangtok to Darjeeling: One-Way TransferTravel comfortably from Gangtok to Darjeeling through beautiful mountain roads, quiet villages and changing landscapes as you journey from the hills of Sikkim to the charm of West Bengal.5 hr journeyHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $43per vehicleSee the trip →

How long does Gangtok to Darjeeling take?

About 5 hours of driving for 98 km, as the operators who drive it plan it. Allow more in the monsoon, from June to September, and on holiday weekends.

Sikkim’s Information and Public Relations Department gives about 4 hours. The long drop from Gangtok to the river and the climb from Teesta Bazaar up to Ghum are what take the time: both are slow, winding roads.

Between Gangtok and Rangpo the ride shares NH10 with the road down to Bagdogra and NJP, so a slide there slows this ride too. In September 2026 the 20th Mile stretch at Bardang was running one way after a mudslide.

Darjeeling to Gangtok is the same road the other way, and takes about as long.

Should you stop in Kalimpong on the way, or go separately?

Stop only for a short look: Kalimpong isn’t on the way but a diversion from Chitrey, up to its ridge and back down, operators say. For more than an hour or two, give it a ride and a night of its own.

Going by Kalimpong makes the day about 30 km longer: 75 km from Gangtok to Kalimpong, then 52 km on to Darjeeling, instead of 98 km straight through. That is about 6.5 hours of driving instead of 5, before any time in the town.

The listed Darjeeling ride can take the Kalimpong diversion for an extra charge, operators say. If you want it, say so in the note box at checkout.

The other way is to give Kalimpong a day of its own: the ride from Gangtok, 75 km and about 4 hours, a night in the town, and Darjeeling, 52 km away, the next day. Day Trio doesn’t list a Kalimpong to Darjeeling ride yet.

What can you see in Kalimpong on a short stop?

Kalimpong, at about 4,100 ft (1,250 m), is quieter than Darjeeling, with Tibetan and Bhutanese influences. These are the places it is best known for:

• Durpin Monastery, consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 1976
• Deolo Hill, the town’s highest viewpoint, at 5,590 ft (1,704 m)
• The flower nurseries, which grow orchids, cacti and gladioli
• Dr Graham’s Homes, the school founded in 1900, below Deolo Hill

The Gangtok to Kalimpong ride is a private car from your Gangtok hotel to your Kalimpong hotel, priced per car. No permit is needed: Kalimpong is in West Bengal.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGangtok to Kalimpong – Private One-Way TransferTravel comfortably from Gangtok to Kalimpong with a private one-way transfer. Get picked up from your hotel in Gangtok and enjoy a smooth journey to your preferred drop-off point.4 hr journeyHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $43per vehicleSee the trip →

What do foreign nationals need when leaving and re-entering Sikkim?

No permit for Darjeeling or Kalimpong. To come back into Sikkim, foreign nationals and OCI card holders need a valid Sikkim entry permit, the Restricted Area Permit (RAP).

Darjeeling and Kalimpong are in West Bengal and need no permit. Indian travellers need no permit to cross back into Sikkim either.

The RAP is applied for online only, on the Government of India’s e-FRRO portal, before you enter Sikkim. Sikkim has issued no paper permits to foreign nationals since January 2026, and the Government of India asks foreign nationals already in India to apply at least 15 days ahead.

Leaving Sikkim for Darjeeling and coming back later? Check that your permit still covers the return before you leave Sikkim. OCI card holders count as foreign nationals here.

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

What if NH10 is shut on the day?

The ride may have to wait for the road to open, or go a longer way round. Allow extra time, and keep your first morning in Darjeeling free of anything fixed.

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

On such a day, the driver picks the way round by where the road is shut, operators say: through Kalimpong, through Lava, or through Darjeeling.

How closures on this road have played out in 2026 is in Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok, and every distance from the town is in Distances from Gangtok.

What should you have ready for the ride?

Your hotel’s address at the other end, one suitcase and one backpack each, and for foreign nationals a plan for the entry permit if you will come back. Other rides and days from the town are on the Gangtok page.

Questions travellers ask