Sikkim With Kids or Parents: Altitude and Pace

The short answer

Start with Gangtok’s city days, which suit every age, then add one high day such as Tsomgo Lake; keep Gurudongmar for healthy travellers aged five and up.

• Gangtok’s city days stay in and around town, at about 5,400 ft (1,650 m), and need no extra permit.
• The high days, Tsomgo Lake at 12,313 ft (3,753 m) and Nathula at 14,140 ft (4,310 m), are day trips back to Gangtok to sleep. Their listings say they aren’t suitable for pregnant women or people with heart conditions.
• Children under 18 need their own birth certificate, school ID or passport for permit areas, not Aadhaar, and travel with their parents.
• North Sikkim means 5–6 hours each way on winding roads and nights at about 8,500–9,000 ft (2,600–2,750 m).

Trips you can book for this

Gangtok Morning: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman TokHalf day · from $27 per vehicleGangtok Sightseeing: Viewpoints, Temples & Banjhakri FallsFull day · from $32 per vehicleTsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula PassFull day · from $43 per vehicle

Pregnant, or anyone with a heart or lung condition in the group? Check with a doctor before you book a high day.

Is Sikkim good for young children and older parents?

Yes, if you match each day to the person: Gangtok’s city days suit every age, while the high days need more care, and a doctor’s word for anyone with a heart or lung condition.

Two things decide how a day will feel for a small child or a parent in their seventies: how high it goes, and how long you sit in the car. Gangtok is at about 5,400 ft (1,650 m), and its city days stay around town. The famous days out climb much higher, to valleys, lakes and passes between about 11,800 ft (3,600 m) and 17,800 ft (5,430 m).

Age alone is not the issue. The CDC, the US public health agency, says children are as likely as adults to get altitude sickness, and that older travellers are at no extra risk because of their age. What matters is health, and how high you sleep.

For an easy start, look through every day you can book from Gangtok and pick the gentle ones first.

Which trips suit young children and older travellers?

The Gangtok city days first, then the Tsomgo Lake day, then, for those who are well and keen, the two-night Lachung trip. Families with small children or older parents most often book Gangtok sightseeing, Tsomgo Lake with Baba Mandir, and two nights in Pelling, operators say.

How the trips compare

The trips	AA. Gangtok Morning: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman Tok from $27 per vehicle	BB. Gangtok Sightseeing: Viewpoints, Temples & Banjhakri Falls from $32 per vehicle	CC. Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula Pass from $43 per vehicle
Best for	A short first morning, for small children and older parents	A full day of Gangtok’s sights without leaving the town’s height	Snow and a high lake on a day out, back in Gangtok to sleep
Highest point	Viewpoints in and around Gangtok	Viewpoints in and around Gangtok	Tsomgo Lake, 12,313 ft (Nathula, 14,140 ft, as an add-on)
Permit	No extra permit	No extra permit	Protected-area permit; Indian nationals only
Its listing says	Dress code: shoulders and knees covered; car for up to 4	Not wheelchair accessible; ropeway ticket not included	Not suitable for pregnant women or people with heart conditions
Times	Pickup 05:30–06:00 · back by 09:30	Pickup 08:30–09:00 · back by 15:30	Pickup 08:00–08:30 · back by 15:00
Price	from $27 per vehicle	from $32 per vehicle	from $43 per vehicle
	See this trip: Gangtok Morning: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman Tok	See this trip: Gangtok Sightseeing: Viewpoints, Temples & Banjhakri Falls	See this trip: Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula Pass

A

A. Gangtok Morning: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman Tok

from $27 per vehicle

Best for: a short first morning, for small children and older parents

Highest point

Viewpoints in and around Gangtok

Permit

No extra permit

Its listing says

Dress code: shoulders and knees covered; car for up to 4

Times

Pickup 05:30–06:00 · back by 09:30

See this trip →: Gangtok Morning: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman Tok

B

B. Gangtok Sightseeing: Viewpoints, Temples & Banjhakri Falls

from $32 per vehicle

Best for: a full day of Gangtok’s sights without leaving the town’s height

Highest point

Viewpoints in and around Gangtok

Permit

No extra permit

Its listing says

Not wheelchair accessible; ropeway ticket not included

Times

Pickup 08:30–09:00 · back by 15:30

See this trip →: Gangtok Sightseeing: Viewpoints, Temples & Banjhakri Falls

C

C. Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula Pass

from $43 per vehicle

Best for: snow and a high lake on a day out, back in Gangtok to sleep

Highest point

Tsomgo Lake, 12,313 ft (Nathula, 14,140 ft, as an add-on)

Permit

Protected-area permit; Indian nationals only

Its listing says

Not suitable for pregnant women or people with heart conditions

Times

Pickup 08:00–08:30 · back by 15:00

See this trip →: Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula Pass

From the trip’s listing, always current. Other rows written by Day Trio.

The Gangtok morning is the gentlest: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok and Gonjang Monastery in a private car for up to four, with a free cup of roadside coffee at the first stop.

The city sightseeing day covers more in a full day, the ropeway included, though the ticket is extra. On a busy day the ropeway queue can take one to two hours, so bring snacks and patience for the children.

The South Sikkim day to Temi Tea Garden, Char Dham and Buddha Park needs no protected-area permit and suits parents who enjoy temples and gardens, but it is a long day in the car.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimGangtok Morning: Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok & Hanuman TokTashi View point · Ganesh Tok · Hanuman Tok +1Next available: Tue 10 NovHalf dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $27per vehicleSee the trip →

Which trips are not suited to them?

Read each listing’s restrictions: the high days are not suitable for pregnant women or people with heart conditions, and Gurudongmar Lake is not recommended for children under 5.

• Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula: not suitable for pregnant women or people with heart conditions, the listings say. Nathula, at 14,140 ft (4,310 m), also has stairs to climb at the top.
• Gurudongmar Lake: not recommended for children under 5, nor for pregnant women or people with heart conditions. See who should go to Gurudongmar.
• The shared North Sikkim trips: they also list breathing problems, limited mobility, and back or neck problems.
• Wheelchair users: the city sightseeing day, the shared trips and the Tsomgo Lake day for foreign nationals say they are not wheelchair accessible.

The shared Nathula day puts 8 to 10 people in one vehicle, and on the shared trips seats can’t be chosen in advance. With a baby, a toddler or a parent who needs the front seat, a private car is easier.

In a private car, you can ask for the front seat for a parent and for extra stops to rest, operators say. Child seats aren’t available, so bring your own if your child needs one. None of the trips has child prices: private cars are priced per car, and on shared trips every seat is paid for, a child’s too.

Operators report taking babies from about six months old, and travellers over 60, up the Nathula road and to Lachung and Yumthang. For babies and toddlers, the warmer months suit better than peak winter. Gurudongmar is different: there, a very young child or an older traveller is sometimes advised not to go up.

The CDC asks for extra caution with infants under six weeks old at altitude, and suggests pregnant women avoid sleeping above about 10,000 ft (3,050 m).

How should you pace the high days?

Sleep low and go high by day: spend your first night or two in Gangtok, make the high day a day trip, and keep a spare day after it.

This is the CDC’s main point for families. The body’s oxygen falls most during sleep, so the height you sleep at matters more than the height you visit, and a day trip up with an evening return lower down is much easier on the body.

• Gangtok, about 5,400 ft (1,650 m): where you sleep.
• Lachung, about 8,500–8,900 ft (2,600–2,700 m), and Lachen, about 9,000 ft (2,750 m): where you sleep on North Sikkim trips.
• Yumthang, about 11,800 ft (3,600 m), and Tsomgo Lake, 12,313 ft (3,753 m): day visits.
• Nathula, 14,140 ft (4,310 m), and Zero Point, about 15,400 ft (4,700 m): day visits, higher still.
• Gurudongmar Lake, 17,800 ft (5,430 m): a day visit from Lachen, the highest of all.

The CDC says anyone sleeping at about 8,000 ft (2,450 m) or higher without time to adjust can get altitude sickness, and advises against going from below about 3,900 ft (1,200 m) to sleep above about 9,000 ft (2,750 m) in one day. So if you fly into Bagdogra, on the plains, spend at least a night in Gangtok before heading north.

Signs to watch for, the CDC says, are a headache with tiredness, dizziness, nausea or loss of appetite, usually 2 to 12 hours after arriving, rather like a hangover. A child too young to say so may go off their food, turn irritable or look pale. Tell the driver straight away if anyone feels unwell; going down even about 1,000 ft (300 m) helps quickly.

The Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir day makes a good first high day: a private car, back in Gangtok to sleep, with Nathula as an add-on for those who are well.

A trip you can book

Gangtok, SikkimTsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir Day trip with Optional Nathula PassNew Baba Mandir · Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake)Next available: Tue 10 NovFull dayHotel pickupFull refund up to 24 hours beforefrom $43per vehicleSee the trip →

How long are the drives from Gangtok?

Tsomgo Lake and Nathula are about 2 hours each way, the South Sikkim towns 2–3 hours, Pelling about 4, and Lachung or Lachen 5–6 hours.

Getting to Gangtok takes time too: Bagdogra Airport is 125 km away, about 5 hours by road, which is reason enough to keep the first day light.

The roads are winding and can be bumpy, the North Sikkim listings say, and toilets on the way are basic and few. Carry motion-sickness tablets, as the shared trips’ listings suggest, with water and snacks.

Every distance and drive time is in the distances from Gangtok guide, and the Lachung and Yumthang guide covers the months and the two-night plan.

The two-night private Lachung trip is the easier way north for a family: pickup from your Gangtok hotel, a car for your group alone, and rooms you choose. Its listing says it isn’t suitable for pregnant women or people with heart conditions.

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 →

What documents do children need for Sikkim’s permits?

Their own birth certificate, school ID or passport, for every child under 18, travelling with their parents. Aadhaar is not accepted.

Gangtok’s city days and the South Sikkim day need no protected-area permit. Tsomgo Lake, Nathula and North Sikkim do, and the operator applies for it from the details you add after booking: each traveller’s name, date of birth and ID, by the cut-off on the day’s page.

On the days listed on Day Trio, anyone under 18 counts as a child for this, so a 13-year-old sends a child’s ID just as a toddler does. Sikkim Tourism’s permit page also names a birth certificate or passport for under-18s at Nathula and Gurudongmar, and says Aadhaar is not accepted.

Adults send a Voter ID, passport or driving licence. Every traveller, children included, also sends a photo.

Foreign nationals and OCI card holders follow other rules, set out in the permits guide. For the Nathula day’s papers, see the Nathula guide.

What should you pack for children and older travellers?

Warm layers for the high days, snacks and water, motion-sickness tablets, any medicines, and the same ID you sent for the permit.

Even when Gangtok is mild, the lakes and passes are cold. On the road to Tsomgo Lake, shops at 17th Mile hire out snow boots, gloves and jackets.

Snow boots, gloves or a jacket at 17th Mile: about ₹300–500 per item, depending on the shop, the material and the size (operators) · checked Oct 2026

Shops on the way up also sell portable oxygen cans, which are worth having to hand with an older parent.

Portable oxygen cans, at shops on the road to Tsomgo Lake: about ₹500 each (operators) · checked Oct 2026

Questions travellers ask