Sikkim in 4, 5 or 6 Days: Plans That Fit the Roads

The short answer

Four days covers Gangtok and Tsomgo Lake; five adds Pelling or two nights in Lachung; six fits Tsomgo and Lachung. Arrival and departure each take a 5-hour drive.

• 4 days: arrive in Gangtok, a day at Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir (Nathula too, on any day but Monday), a day in Gangtok, then down to Bagdogra or NJP.
• 5 days: Tsomgo Lake, then two nights in Pelling via Namchi and Ravangla, ending at Bagdogra or NJP. Or swap both for two nights in Lachung.
• 6 days: Tsomgo Lake, then two nights in Lachung for Yumthang Valley. Gurudongmar Lake needs a night in Lachen as well, so 7 days.
• North Sikkim is only 116–123 km from Gangtok, but 5–6 hours each way, so it never fits in a day.

Trips you can book for this

Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula PassFull day · from $43 per vehicleGangtok to Pelling 2N3D via Namchi & RavanglaMulti-day · from $159 per vehicleLachung & Yumthang 2N3D Private Cab, Hotels Not IncludedMulti-day · from $202 per vehicle

Each plan counts your arrival day as day 1. Each day’s card shows its live price and times.

How many days do you need for Sikkim?

Five or six days for a first trip that includes North Sikkim; four days covers Gangtok and Tsomgo Lake. Arrival and departure each take most of a day.

Bagdogra Airport is 125 km from Gangtok and NJP railway station 119 km. The drive normally takes 4.5–5 hours, and weather can stretch it to about 7, the transfer listings say.

Pakyong, Sikkim’s own airport, has had no scheduled commercial flights since mid-2024, so plan on Bagdogra or NJP.

For the last day, the rides from Gangtok to Bagdogra and NJP advise leaving at least 8 hours before your flight or train. Keep that day for the drive.

Each plan below counts the arrival day as day 1 and uses trips you can book. For the time of year, see the month-by-month guide; for every km, Distances from Gangtok.

What does a 4-day Sikkim itinerary look like?

Arrive in Gangtok, spend a day at Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir, a day on the town’s sights, then drive down to Bagdogra or NJP.

1. 1.Day 1: Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok, about 5 hours. An evening walk on MG Marg.
2. 2.Day 2: Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir, about 7 hours from Gangtok, with Nathula for Indian nationals on any day but Monday.
3. 3.Day 3: Gangtok’s viewpoints and monasteries, or the Temi, Char Dham and Buddha Park day in South Sikkim.
4. 4.Day 4: Gangtok to Bagdogra or NJP, leaving at least 8 hours before your flight or train.

What it leaves out: North Sikkim, which needs two nights at least, and Pelling, 4 hours west of Gangtok.

Add every traveller’s details as soon as you book. Operators apply for the lake permit the day before, and for the Nathula days they need the details by about 3–4 pm that afternoon.

For day 3, Gangtok’s 10-point sightseeing explains the town day. Operators say government-run sights close at about 4 pm, so it starts in the morning.

The shared Nathula day is a seat in a vehicle of 8–10 people, up to the pass and back by Baba Mandir and Tsomgo Lake. It is for Indian nationals.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimShared Trip to Nathula Pass, Tsomgo and Baba MandirNathula Pass · New Baba Mandir · Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake)6 seats left on Sat 14 NovFull dayPickup point: Vajra Stand / Chandmari StandFull refund up to 48 hours beforefrom $13per personSee the trip →

What does a 5-day Sikkim itinerary look like?

Keep Tsomgo Lake, then head west: two nights in Pelling by way of Ravangla and Namchi, ending at Bagdogra or NJP. Or swap both for two nights in Lachung.

1. 1.Day 1: Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok, about 5 hours.
2. 2.Day 2: Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir, with Nathula if you like.
3. 3.Day 3: Gangtok to Pelling, by way of Ravangla’s Buddha Park and Namchi’s Char Dham.
4. 4.Day 4: A full day around Pelling: its monasteries, the Rabdentse Ruins, Khecheopalri Lake and the waterfalls.
5. 5.Day 5: Pelling to Bagdogra or NJP, about 4.5 hours, with no sightseeing that morning.

What it leaves out: North Sikkim, and Gangtok’s sights beyond an evening in town.

The other 5-day plan goes north instead. Arrive on day 1, spend days 2 to 4 on a two-night Lachung trip, and drive down on day 5. It leaves out Tsomgo Lake and Pelling.

The private Pelling and Lachung trips don’t include hotels or meals, so book rooms for those nights yourself.

The two-night Pelling trip via Namchi and Ravangla starts from your Gangtok hotel and drops you at Bagdogra, NJP, Darjeeling or Kalimpong.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGangtok to Pelling 2N3D via Namchi & RavanglaBuddha Park Ravangla · Chardham, Namchi · pelling +10Next available: Tue 10 NovMulti-dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $159per vehicleSee the trip →

What does a 6-day Sikkim itinerary look like?

Tsomgo Lake plus two nights in Lachung: arrive, a day at the lake, three days north for Yumthang Valley, then down to Bagdogra or NJP.

1. 1.Day 1: Bagdogra or NJP to Gangtok, about 5 hours.
2. 2.Day 2: Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir, with Nathula for Indian nationals.
3. 3.Day 3: Gangtok to Lachung, 116 km and 5–6 hours, past Seven Sisters Waterfall and Naga Falls.
4. 4.Day 4: Yumthang Valley, about an hour beyond Lachung. Zero Point is an extra, paid to the driver.
5. 5.Day 5: Lachung back to Gangtok, about 5 hours on the road.
6. 6.Day 6: Gangtok to Bagdogra or NJP.

What it leaves out: Pelling and the South, Gurudongmar Lake, and most of Gangtok’s own sights.

Indian nationals can take the shared Lachung trip instead, with two nights in a village homestay and its meals included.

Foreign nationals can book the two-night private Lachung trip as a group of two or more. The registered guide they need is paid separately to the operator.

Registered guide for foreign nationals on the two-night private Lachung trip: ₹2,500 per day, paid separately to the operator · checked Oct 2026

With a seventh day, add Pelling at the end: the Lachung trips come back to Gangtok, and a one-night Pelling trip from there ends at Bagdogra or NJP. You can also go straight on from Lachung to Pelling without a night back in Gangtok, operators say; it is a long drive, and no listed trip does it, so ask before you book.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimLachung & Yumthang 2N3D Private Cab, Hotels Not IncludedSeven sisters waterfalls · Naga Falls · Chungthang +3Next available: Tue 10 NovMulti-dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $202per vehicleSee the trip →

Why does North Sikkim need nights?

Lachung and Lachen are only 116–123 km from Gangtok, but the road takes 5–6 hours each way, and vehicles must clear the Toong check post by 4 pm.

Under a Mangan district order of September 2026, tourist vehicles going up to Lachen and Lachung, or coming down, must cross Toong by 4 pm. With 5–6 hours each way, that leaves no room for a same-day return.

The sights also lie beyond the villages. Yumthang Valley is 26 km past Lachung, about an hour, and Gurudongmar Lake is 69 km past Lachen, 2–3 hours each way, with cars leaving between 5 and 7:30 am.

For foreign nationals, Sikkim Tourism issues North Sikkim permits for at least 3 days and 2 nights, and up to 5 days and 4 nights, with a registered guide.

For Gurudongmar as well as Yumthang, plan 7 days. The three-night trip sleeps a night in Lachen for the lake, then two in Lachung; add arrival, Tsomgo Lake and departure.

The two-night Lachen trip is the shorter way to Gurudongmar alone. Its listing doesn’t recommend the lake, at 17,800 ft (5,430 m), for children under 5.

Lachen reopened to tourists on 29 August 2026, after the road at Taram Chu was repaired. Roads up here change with the weather, so the listings say stops can change on the day.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGurudongmar & Yumthang 3N4D Private Cab, Hotels Not IncludedSeven Sister Waterfalls · Naga Falls · Chungthang +4Next available: Tue 10 NovMulti-dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $319per vehicleSee the trip →

How much does a Sikkim trip cost?

It depends on the trips you pick: each day card on this page shows its live price, private trips per vehicle and shared trips per seat.

On the private North Sikkim and Pelling trips, hotels and meals are extra, so add the rooms you choose. The shared Lachung homestay trip includes the stay and meals.

A few costs are paid on the spot: Zero Point and Katao to the driver on the Lachung trips, entry tickets and the Pelling ropeway, and gear hire on the Tsomgo Lake road in the snow months.

The protected-area permit is included in these trips’ prices. Operators say Indian travellers pay no government fee for the Tsomgo Lake and North Sikkim permits for now; a fee is planned, possibly from 15 November 2026, but is not yet in force.

Every day and ride from the town, each with its live price, is on the Gangtok page.

How should you order the days?

High days early, the long drive last: if snow, a landslide or a permit stop moves a day, there is time to rebook before you leave.

Put Tsomgo Lake or Nathula on day 2, not your last full day. Nathula is closed on Mondays, and operators say Tuesday and Sunday are its busiest days.

Go north after the lake day, and never on the day before your flight. Coming back from Lachung or Lachen takes most of a day, and the drive down to Bagdogra or NJP needs a day of its own.

In the snow months, leave a spare day after a North Sikkim trip. The snow guide explains what happens when a road shuts.

Questions travellers ask