Hmmm ... so Sikkim travel tips ..... where do I begin ?
- The roads of Sikkim are truly tortuous !! I mean this literally .. the road has turns on average every 25 - 50 meters. Unless you have a cast iron stomach - this is going to be a real problem when you travel. There is winding .... and there is "winding". Sikkim is tightly tightly wound ! :)
- The soil of Sikkim is very loose - so the roads are always half eroded due to landslides / rockslides / water erosion / road being done etc. Always the road state is in a flux ! :) BRO works through out the year to keep the roads clear.
- Due to the above reasons - distances of even 20 kms are a long long journey. Did I mention tortuous roads that feel torturous ? :)
- In November - it is very cold. Temperatures go to minus so yes one needs lots and lots of warm clothing. Don't go with what the Sikkim guides say - they think the temperature is not too cold in November ! :)
- North Sikkim needs permits. The travel agents take care of this - but you need approx 6 PP snaps and 6 ID proof xeroxes. Yes even for a child. We took our baby's school ID. They seem to prefer Voter ID for adults!
- Out of 6 days we felt we actually saw points of interest only on 3 days. Travel to the places takes time. Not that the scenery is not pretty but still.
- North Sikkim - altitude sickness is very prevalent. Be prepared.
- Our driver mentioned that for every itenary - there is an extra driver's point that can be taken to by the driver on extra cost. For e.g. - on the Yumthang valley drive - travel to Zero point is optional and extra. On the NathuLa drive - travel to Kachenjunga view area is optional and extra. Do your research.
- BSNL is the only service provider up in the mountain and that too only to a point.
- Since Nathu La is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays - if you are going to this place on the last day of your itenary you may want to consider driving from there onwards to Zuluk and then go to Bagdogra airport / JBP railway station. You need permit for Zuluk so you should take care of this before. We came back to Gangtok which I felt could have been avoided and instead could have made a circular route with Zuluk in the fray.
- Places to see include points in West Sikkim and Bhutan which can be accessed by road. We felt - those areas could be done in another trip in which we would include Darjeeling too. This is a personal preference.
- Unless otherwise mentioned - driver is not available for the full day.
- Try and include meals in your hotel stays - there are not many options on the road other than Maggi and tea.
- I would definitely recommend home stay - Hidden Forest Resort in Gangtok and Teen Taley Eco Resort ( home stay again ) in Rumtek. They were fantastic.
- And last but not the least our driver - Mr. Ketan Pradhan - 94343-56528 / 94348-69042 who is associated with Alpine Nature Beyond was wonderful. Safe driver , very interested in actually showing us places and very punctual. He is the best driver / guide I have come across so far.
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