Day by day trip itinerary

Day 01: Kathmandu (1360M)

Once you arrive at Kathmandu, our representative will pick you up at Tribhuvan International Airport and transfer to the hotel. You will be given a pre-trip briefing by the group leader. You must bring in your passport and insurance papers in this meeting. The group leader will discuss the entire program with you and will give you an overview of what to expect and what not to during this entire trip.

The evening will be free and the group leader will arrange for an evening welcome meal in one of the better Nepali restaurants.

Day 02: Kathmandu

There will be a sightseeing tour of Kathmandu City in the morning where you will be visiting Boudhanath Stupa which is one of the holiest Buddhist shrines in the world. You will then be taken to Patan Durbar Square. Patan is an ancient city with narrow alley ways and myriad temples and monuments of historical importance. Here you can see the regal splendor of ancient Nepal in full charm.

In the afternoon you can either relax in your hotel or you can make a visit to Thamel which is the most happening place in the city (B)

Day 03: Kalimpong (1,250M)

You will be taken to the airport right after breakfast. You will take a 55 minute flight to Bhadrapur, which lies in the eastern district of Nepal. Then you will be driven to Kakarvitta, which shares its border with Nepal and India.

Once you are done with the formalities you drive across warm Indian plains for 4 hours until you reach Kalimpong. Kalimpong is a small town which boasts of cactus farms and was once popular as the summer capital of Bhutan. History has it that Kalimpong was a trade hub for eastern and central Tibetan wool. With two hills, Deolo and Rinkingpong (Durbin) on either side of the town Kalimpong has a moderate climate with enough rain to sustain healthy floriculture. (B)

Day 04: Gangtok (1,600M)

You will be driven to Gangtok after breakfast. The drive will take about three hours and it will lead you through beautiful valleys and green forests alongside the beautiful meandering Teesta River. Before you reach Gangtok you’ll be taken for a visit to Rumtek monastery. This is the largest monastery in the Eastern Himalaya which was built by the Gyalwa Karmapa in accordance to the conventional designs of the Kagyurpa monastery in Tibet. Rumtek is also the seat of Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. This splendid gompa is about 24 km from Gangtok. If you take a fifteen minute walk downhill it will lead you to the old monastery which was originally built in 1730 by the ninth Karmapa which was destroyed by fire and was reconstructed to the present state. Late in the evening you will be driven to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. Upon reaching here you will immediately transferred to your hotel (B)

Day 05: Gangtok

In the morning you will be taken for sightseeing accompanied by a local guide. You will be taken to Enchey monastery which is located on top of a hill overlooking Gangtok. This monastery is 200 year old and the name Enchey means the Solitary temple. The monastery is known for the mask dance called ‘Cham’ performed in the month of January. After your visit to Enchey monastery you will be driven uphill to Ganesh Tok which gives a bird eye view of Gangtok town .There is a small temple where local residents come to pray. You will then be taken back to the hotel for rest. In the evening you can take a stroll in the market (B)

Day 06: Yuksom (1,760M)

Driving 7 hours
Today you will head to Yuksom after breakfast and the drive will take about six hours. Yuksom is the point from where your trek will begin. You can enjoy the scenic beauty of the green hills here. Halt overnight at Yuksom (B)
Day 07: Bakhim (2,740M)

Trekking 7 hours

Right after breakfast we leave Yuksom behind and embark on a trail that gradually climbs uphill. It runs parallel to the Rathong River. We will soon walk across oak forests. You might also see pine trees, magnolia and orchids. The trek will for a while seem delightful and becomes quite a botanists’ delight. You can also see a large variety of beautiful birds.

Right after you cross the Prek Chu River, the trail steeply climbs up. It moves right into a thick forest and once the forest is cross we will reach a small village at Bakhim. We will camp overnight at Bakhim (BLD)

Day 08: Phetang (3640M)

Trekking 5 hours
Leaving the camp site in the morning you climb up across beautiful and alpine meadows until you reach the village of Tshoka situated at a height of 3050m. You can see panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks from here. From here you keep ascending up across rhododendron forests. You can see flowers in full bloom during the spring season. Soon we will reach a small clearing in the forest where we will camp for the night (BLD)

Day 09: Dzongri (4,030M)

Trekking 3 hours
Since it is necessary to acclimatize the trek will be much easier. Once we leave the camp in the morning we will ascend on a path where the forest becomes much thinner. Soon, the climb becomes steep until we reach a ridge where many a prayer flags stand fluttering in the clear air. There is a beautiful view of Mount Kanchanjunga from here. You can find rhododendrons and juniper trees here. A short walk will take us to our campsite where we can relax. There are amazing views of the Himalayan mountain range from the campsite. You can not only see Kanchanjunga but also the entire host of its fellow peaks, namely, Pandim, Rathong, Kokthang and Simvo (BLD)

Day 10: Dzongri (4,030M)

Rest and acclimatization

You will find that Dzongri is a stunningly beautiful spot and therefore becomes an ideal spot for rest and acclimatization. The morning time is the perfect time for taking photographs. The view becomes wonderful because of the sunrise in the morning. It is important for your body to adapt to the altitude. Therefore we advise you to spend this day relaxing and also taking pleasure of the beautiful scenery around you (BLD)

Day 11: Thangsing (3,980M)

Trekking 5-6 hours
Today you will have to make an uphill climb on a trail that ascends for about a mile. Here you will get to see spectacular view of Mount Kanchanjunga and Pandim.You will also see Chortens here. You will then have to tread downwards, first traversing towards Pandim on the farther end of the valley, then descending steeply on a path through a rhododendron forest to the Prek Chu River at 3,749m. There is a new trekking lodge here which the crew may use for cooking. You cross the river and ascend gradually for 1½ hrs through pine forest to reach a grassy campsite, beneath the shapely unclimbed peak of Pandim. A hut has been built here, which may be available for cooking or even sleeping. Camp overnight here (BLD)

Day 12: Samiti Lake (4,240M)

Trekking 4 hours
You will trek uphill through green vegetation where yaks graze and beautiful glacial moraine which will lead you to a short downhill trek to Samiti lake. Acclimatization is necessary due to the altitude so the trek should be slow and steady. You will reach the camp site at about lunch time and after lunch you can loosen up for tomorrows trek (BLD)

Day 13: Thangsing (3,980)

Trekking 5-6 hours
Today we trek toward Goeche La Pass early in the morning. The trek will be sturdy as the route is coarse over the glacial moraine that will lead you to the pass. You will have a panoramic view of Mount Kanchanjunga on the way and on reaching the pass you will see beautiful prayer flags fluttering in the cold winds giving you a warm welcome. You will then retreat back to the lake for lunch and then to Thangsing for halt (BLD)

Day 14: Tsoka (3,050M)

Trekking 6 hours
In the morning we will make the hike up to a ridge. There are amazing views from here especially of Mount Kanchanjunga and it is possible to look back up to the Goecha La. Just after we leave Thangsing, we take another route back and avoiding the long ascent to the Dzongri Plateau. We will descend to the Prek Chu River and curve round through a forest, with occasional ups as well as downs, to emerge at Phetang. From there it is a steep walk down to Tsoka where there is a trekking lodge passed on your way up. Halt overnight (BLD)

Day 15: Pelling (2,090M)

Trekking 5 hours, Drive 3 hours
Today we will be moving downhill towards Yuksom where our transportation to Pemayangtse will be waiting for us. At Pemayangtse you will get to visit one of Sikkim’s oldest monasteries. The monastery has not only religious value but its stunning design makes it all the more important in an aesthetic sense Right after visiting the monastery we will have to drive a short distance to the town of Pelling where you will overnight in a hotel (BLD)

Day 16: Darjeeling (2,134M)

Driving 4 hours
On this day we will be heading towards Darjeeling, a quaint hill station also dubbed as “Queen of the hills”. Darjeeling was once the summer capital of Bengal during British rule. The view of Mount Kanchanjunga is breathtaking from Darjeeling. Once we reach Darjeeling, you will be transferred to your hotel. The afternoon will be free either to relax in your hotel room or to explore the town (BLD)

Day 17: Darjeeling

We will spend the entire day visiting some amazing places in and around Darjeeling. We will first make a visit to Lyodd Botanical garden. There is a wide array of Himalayan plants and flowers here. We will then make a visit to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. There is an interesting museum here. We will later make a joy ride on the Toy train and travel through the stunning Batasia Loop. Later we will also visit the Ghoom Monastery (BLD)

Day 18: Kathmandu

Today after breakfast we will drive to Kakarvitta and then to Bhadrapur. In the afternoon you will catch you flight back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival at Kathmandu you will be transferred to your hotel (B)

Day 19: Kathmandu

This day will be free either to relax or go for shopping in the bazaars of Kathmandu where there are usually some interesting to buy (B)

Day 20: Kathmandu

Today after breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for departure (B)