Zuluk and the Silk Route: Day Trip or Overnight?

The short answer

Zuluk works as one long day from Gangtok: about nine hours on the high road past Kupup and Thambi View Point. Stay overnight only for the Thambi sunrise.

• The day trip: Kupup, Lungthung and Thambi View Point, down past the Zuluk hairpin bends, and back to Gangtok through Rongli.
• A night in a Zuluk homestay adds the sunrise and slower time on the Silk Route, but you sleep at about 9,400 ft (2,870 m), where altitude bothers more people.
• Indian nationals only: each traveller needs a Voter ID, passport or driving licence (not Aadhaar) and passport photos.
• October and November are clearest; December to April brings snow to the high road; June to September is cloud and rain.

Trips you can book for this

One-Day Trip to Zuluk and Rongli from GangtokFull day · from $68 per vehicle

The day starts early: its card shows the pickup and drop-off times, live.

Can you do Zuluk as a day trip from Gangtok?

Yes. The one-day trip drives the whole loop in about nine hours: up the high road past Kupup and Thambi View Point, and back down through Rongli.

Many travel pages say a Zuluk day trip isn’t a good idea, because the place is famous for sunrise. That is fair for the sunrise. But the high road, the view from Thambi and the hairpin bends all fit into one long day, and you sleep back in Gangtok.

Zuluk is 93 km from Gangtok, 3 to 3.5 hours on the high road past Tsomgo Lake and Kupup. From Kupup it is another 43 km past Lungthung and Thambi down to Zuluk, and the lower road back through Rongli takes about three hours.

The day suits travellers with one spare day in Gangtok who want the Silk Route’s views without a night in a homestay. Most of the nine hours is spent on mountain roads, so it suits people who enjoy the drive. Things to do in Zuluk has the place at a glance.

How does the Zuluk day run, stop by stop?

Pickup in Gangtok early in the morning; Kupup, Lungthung and Thambi View Point by mid-morning; down past Zuluk to Rongli by lunchtime; and back in Gangtok by mid-afternoon.

Here is the day in its listing’s order. 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, 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 will you see at Thambi View Point and Kupup?

From Thambi View Point, the Zuluk hairpin bends winding down the hillside below you; at Kupup, a small high lake on the old Silk Route road.

Thambi is the highest stop of the day, at about 11,000 ft (3,353 m). Most photos of the Zuluk loops are taken from here. In 2026, Sikkim Tourism received India Today’s “Most Instagrammable Landscape” award for the hairpin bends near Zuluk.

On clear days, especially from October to February, the view from Thambi reaches a long line of snow peaks, with Kanchenjunga among them. The day trip gets there in the middle of the morning, and on a clear day its guests usually see Kanchenjunga too, operators say; the view is clearest at sunrise.

Kupup, the first stop, sits beyond Baba Mandir. Operators say its snow season runs from about December to April, the same as at Tsomgo Lake, with January to March the surest months.

Between Kupup and Thambi, the day drives through Nathang (Gnathang) Valley, which the Gangtok district administration puts at more than 13,000 ft (4,000 m).

What does a night in Zuluk add that the day trip misses?

Mainly the sunrise from Thambi View Point, plus time: a quiet evening in the village, and room for the slower sights of the old Silk Route.

• Sunrise at Thambi: you need to sleep nearby to be there at dawn, when the long view is clearest.
• The longer Silk Route loop: the day trip drives through Nathang Valley and past the old Baba Mandir; trips of two or three days add the Eagle’s Nest bunker and unhurried time at both.
• Time in Zuluk itself: a small village on the old trade road from Lhasa to Kalimpong, with homestays and no hotels.

A night has its own trade-offs. Homestays are simple, and the phone signal on this route is weak or missing in places. You also sleep at about 9,400 ft (2,870 m): the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the risk of altitude illness rises for travellers who sleep at about 8,000 ft (2,450 m) or higher, and that day trips which come back down the same evening are much less stressful on the body.

The day listed here is the one-day loop and doesn’t include a stay. If the sunrise is what you came for, plan a night in a Zuluk homestay; if the views and the road are enough, the day trip gives you both and gets you back to Gangtok.

What about Doka La?

Doka La is a border site near the Silk Route that Sikkim began opening to domestic visitors in 2025. Outlook Traveller reported that a visit needs one night at a Silk Route homestay, such as Kupup, Gnathang, Zuluk or Padamchen, with departures from Kupup. A later All India Radio report said the opening had been delayed. Check its current status before you plan; it is not part of the day trip.

When is the best time to go to Zuluk?

October and November for clear skies and long views; December to April for snow on the high road; March to May for rhododendrons; June to September only if you don’t mind cloud and rain.

• October and November: the clearest months. Sikkim Tourism’s season for crisp, clear views runs from October to mid-December.
• December to February: the coldest months, with snow on the high road and the clearest sunrises. Heavy snow can close the road.
• March to May: rhododendrons along the high road. Sikkim Tourism notes that snow lingers until the end of March in most high places.
• June to September: the monsoon. Rain is heavy from May to early October and July is the wettest month; expect landslides and views lost in cloud.

The high road around Kupup follows the same snow months as Tsomgo Lake. The Tsomgo Lake guide has the lake month by month, and Does it snow in Gangtok? covers snow closures.

Who can go to Zuluk, and which documents do you need?

Indian nationals only. Each traveller needs a Voter ID, driving licence or passport, and Sikkim Tourism asks for two passport-size photos; Aadhaar is not accepted.

Sikkim Tourism’s permit page lists Zuluk as not allowed for foreign tourists, and OCI card holders count as foreign nationals. For children under 18, the day asks for the child’s own birth certificate, school ID or passport.

The operator applies for the permit after you book, from each traveller’s name, date of birth and ID number, added up to 16 hours before the trip. The listing asks you to bring passport photos and copies of your ID on the day. The permits guide has the rest.

How can you make the day your own?

Add Nathula Pass at checkout, or pick a shorter high day to Tsomgo Lake instead.

Add Nathula Pass

The Zuluk day’s listing offers Nathula Pass as an add-on at checkout, priced per vehicle. Like every Nathula day, it is for Indian nationals and not on a Monday. With Nathula added, the pickup stays the same and you get back to Gangtok later, operators say. The Nathula guide covers its height, its weather and whether it is worth adding.

Prefer a shorter day?

A day to Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir runs about seven hours rather than nine, and the lake is open to foreign nationals too. Every day you can book from Gangtok is on the Gangtok page.

Travel light

The listing allows only a handbag on this day, with no large bags or suitcases, so leave your luggage at the hotel.

Questions travellers ask