Sikkim Tourist Places by Region, and How to Visit

The short answer

Sikkim’s places sit in five areas: Gangtok, the East (41–93 km away), the North (116–190 km), the West (Pelling, 114 km) and the South (Namchi, 76 km).

• East: Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula are a day out from Gangtok, and so is Zuluk on the old Silk Route. Nathula, Kupup and Zuluk are for Indian nationals only.
• North: Lachung and Yumthang, and Lachen and Gurudongmar Lake, are 5–6 hours from Gangtok each way, so trips there take two or three nights.
• West and South: Pelling’s monasteries and Kanchenjunga views, Namchi’s Char Dham and Ravangla’s Buddha Park. Indian travellers need no permit.
• Gangtok: viewpoints, monasteries and MG Marg, set out in the 10-point sightseeing guide.

Trips you can book for this

Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula PassFull day · from $43 per vehicleGurudongmar & Yumthang 3N4D Private Cab, Hotels Not IncludedMulti-day · from $319 per vehicleGangtok to Pelling 1N2D Private Cab with SightseeingMulti-day · from $106 per vehicle

Km are by road from MG Marg in Gangtok, where most trips start. Drive times are what local operators plan for, without stops.

How is Sikkim divided for travellers?

Into four regions, North, East, South and West, with Gangtok, the capital, as the base most trips start from.

Since December 2021, the official districts carry new names. North Sikkim is now Mangan district, West is Gyalshing, South is Namchi and East is Gangtok, and two new districts, Pakyong and Soreng, were added. Travellers still speak of the four old regions, and so does this guide.

The table lists every place by road from Gangtok, nearest first, with the drive time and the permit it needs.

The roads between places, such as Lachen to Lachung or Namchi to Pelling, are in Distances from Gangtok.

What are the tourist places in Gangtok?

Viewpoints, temples and monasteries close to town: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Do Drul Chorten, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, the ropeway, Banjhakri Falls and Enchey Monastery.

MG Marg, the pedestrian street at the heart of town, is the place for an evening walk. Rumtek Monastery is 22 km out, 30–60 minutes by road.

Which points the city day covers, and how it runs, is in Gangtok sightseeing: the 10 points. Operators say government-run sights close at about 4 pm, so start early.

Every day you can book from the town is on the Gangtok page.

What are the tourist places in East Sikkim?

Tsomgo (Changu) Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula Pass on one high road, and Kupup, Thambi Viewpoint and Zuluk on the old Silk Route beyond it.

Tsomgo Lake, at 12,313 ft (3,753 m), is 41 km from Gangtok, 1.5–2 hours by road. Foreign nationals can go this far, in a group of two or more with a registered guide. Baba Mandir is further up, and Nathula Pass, at 14,140 ft (4,310 m) on the border, is 58 km from Gangtok.

Nathula is closed on Mondays and open to Indian nationals only; the Nathula guide has its open days and documents. The Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir day can add it at checkout.

Zuluk is 93 km from Gangtok, past Kupup and Thambi Viewpoint, with its 32 hairpin bends below the village. Like Kupup, it is open to Indian nationals only.

The Zuluk and Rongli day climbs past Kupup to Zuluk and comes down through Rongli, about 9 hours in all.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimOne-Day Trip to Zuluk and Rongli from GangtokKupup · Lungthung View Point · Thambi View Point +1Next available: Tue 10 NovFull dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $68per vehicleSee the trip →

What are the tourist places in North Sikkim?

Two valleys that split at Chungthang: Lachung, for Yumthang Valley and Zero Point, and Lachen, for Gurudongmar Lake. Both villages are 5–6 hours from Gangtok.

Lachung is 116 km from Gangtok. Yumthang Valley, with its meadows, hot spring and spring rhododendrons, is 26 km beyond, and Zero Point, where the road ends near the border, is about 25 km further.

Zero Point and Katao are extras, paid to the driver on the day. Foreign nationals can go to Lachung, Yumthang and Zero Point in a group of two or more with a registered guide, on the two-night private Lachung trip. Katao, operators say, is for Indian nationals only.

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

Lachen is 123 km from Gangtok, and Gurudongmar Lake, at 17,800 ft (5,430 m), is 69 km beyond it, 2–3 hours each way. The lake is for Indian nationals only; foreign nationals can go as far as Thangu.

On the drive up you pass Seven Sisters Waterfall and Naga Falls, and Chungthang, where the Lachen and Lachung rivers meet to form the Teesta.

Under a Mangan district order of September 2026, tourist vehicles must cross the Toong check post by 4 pm, going up or coming down. With 5–6 hours each way, North Sikkim never fits in a day, and every trip here stays two or three nights.

The three-night trip covers both valleys: a night in Lachen for Gurudongmar, then two in Lachung for Yumthang. It is listed for Indian nationals.

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 →

What are the tourist places in West Sikkim?

Pelling and the sights around it: Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse Ruins, the Chenrezig statue and skywalk at Sangachoeling, Khecheopalri Lake and two waterfalls, all facing Kanchenjunga.

Pelling is 114 km from Gangtok, about 4 hours, and 124 km from NJP. Kanchenjunga, at 28,169 ft (8,586 m), fills its skyline on clear mornings, most often from October to December.

Pemayangtse was founded in 1705, and Rabdentse was Sikkim’s capital until the late 18th century. At Sangachoeling, a 137-ft Chenrezig statue stands at the end of a glass-floored walkway, and a ropeway opened in 2025 climbs there from town.

Khecheopalri Lake, sacred to Buddhists and Hindus, is 27 km from Pelling, about 45 minutes. Kanchenjunga Falls and Rimbi Waterfall are on the same day out.

The one-night Pelling trip sees the main sights in a morning and ends at Bagdogra, NJP, Darjeeling or Kalimpong, so Pelling can be your last stop.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGangtok to Pelling 1N2D Private Cab with SightseeingPelling · Pelling Skywalk · Sangachoeling Monastery +4Next available: Tue 10 NovMulti-dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $106per vehicleSee the trip →

What are the tourist places in South Sikkim?

Namchi’s Char Dham and Samdruptse, Ravangla’s Buddha Park and Temi Tea Garden, all within 2–3 hours of Gangtok.

Namchi is 76 km from Gangtok. On Solophok hill above the town, Char Dham gathers copies of India’s four great pilgrim temples and the twelve jyotirlingas around a giant Shiva. Samdruptse, on a hilltop nearby, has a tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava.

Ravangla, 77 km from Gangtok, has Buddha Park, where a 130-ft Buddha was consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 2013.

Temi Tea Garden, 55 km from Gangtok, is the only tea estate in Sikkim, the Namchi district administration says. Indian travellers need no permit anywhere in the South.

The Temi, Char Dham and Buddha Park day covers all three in about 9 hours from Gangtok. The two-night Pelling trip via Namchi and Ravangla also stops at both statues on its way west.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimTemi Tea Garden, Char Dham & Buddha Park Day from GangtokTemi Tea Garden · Chardham, Namchi · Rabongla Buddha ParkNext available: Tue 10 NovFull dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $43per vehicleSee the trip →

Which places need a permit, and who can go?

Indian travellers need a permit for the East’s high road, Zuluk and all of North Sikkim, and the operator applies for it. Foreign nationals also need Sikkim’s entry permit (RAP) for anywhere in the state.

The operator applies for the protected-area permit after you book, from each traveller’s details. Send a Voter ID, passport or driving licence; Aadhaar isn’t accepted.

OCI card holders follow the rules for foreign nationals. Documents and timings are in the Sikkim permits guide.

How many days do you need for each region?

About a day for Gangtok, a day each for the East’s lake road and for Zuluk, two or three nights for North Sikkim, and one or two nights for Pelling.

The South fits into a day out from Gangtok, or onto the road to Pelling. Arriving and leaving take most of a day each: Bagdogra Airport is 125 km from Gangtok and NJP 119 km, about 5 hours by road.

Day-by-day plans are in Sikkim in 4, 5 or 6 days, and the months that suit each region in the month-by-month guide.

Questions travellers ask