A Travelescape guide · 15 stories and guides
Bhutan, Sikkim and Darjeeling
Three neighbours in the eastern Himalaya, one gateway at Bagdogra: written by the people who went, with the rules and costs checked.
This page gathers Travelescape's writing on Bhutan, Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills: three places that sit side by side in the eastern Himalaya and share one gateway, Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri station in north Bengal. One trip can take in two of them.
Start with the three below if you are planning now. Then come the guides by place. Bhutan is first: its seven guides were checked in October 2026 for the rules that have changed for Indian travellers (the Sustainable Development Fee, a licensed guide, certified hotels). Then Sikkim, from Gangtok to the high lakes of North Sikkim, with two women's solo journeys. Then Darjeeling, and three quieter villages in the hills around it.
The Sikkim and Darjeeling guides were written between 2018 and 2023, and each says when. Roads in these hills close in the monsoon and permits change, so read "Before you go" at the end of this page, and check the official sites it names, before you travel.
Start here
Three to begin with
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Bhutan Tour Itinerary For Indians
Five days in Paro and Thimphu for Indian travellers: the ₹1,200-a-night fee, the guide rule and what the trip really costs. Checked October 2026.
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Trekking to Tiger’s Nest Bhutan – What Nobody Tells You
Nilabh's own climb to the monastery in May 2025: the distance, the time it takes, the Nu 1,000 fee and what nobody tells you. Checked October 2026.
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Solo Female Travelogue To Darjeeling & Sikkim From Delhi By Priya
Priya Sharma's first solo journey: by train from Delhi to New Jalpaiguri, then Darjeeling and Sikkim on her own.
7 stories and guides
Bhutan
By road through Phuentsholing or by air to Paro. Indians need a passport or voter ID, pay ₹1,200 a night and travel with a licensed guide; all seven guides were checked in October 2026.
4 stories and guides
Sikkim
Gangtok, the monasteries and the high lakes of North Sikkim, by road from New Jalpaiguri or Bagdogra; two of these are women's solo journeys.
4 stories and guides
Darjeeling and the hill villages
The town itself, and three quieter places among the tea gardens: Takdah, Tinchuley, and Ramdhura and Lamahatta on the Kalimpong side.
Plan it
Before you go
- Getting there
- Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri station serve all three. From Bagdogra, Gangtok is about 125 km (four to five hours, the Sikkim government says), Darjeeling 70 to 90 km (about three hours) and Phuentsholing on the Bhutan border 150 to 170 km (four to five hours). Paro also has flights from Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Bagdogra.
- Bhutan, for Indians
- An Indian passport or the original voter ID, the Sustainable Development Fee of ₹1,200 a night, a licensed guide beyond the border town, and certified hotels only. The details and costs are in our Bhutan itinerary.
- Sikkim permits
- No permit for Gangtok. Tsomgo Lake, Nathu La and North Sikkim need a protected-area permit, arranged by a Sikkim-registered tour operator with your photo ID. Hotels collect a ₹50 visitor fee. Foreigners apply online (e-FRRO) for a Restricted Area Permit before entering Sikkim.
- North Sikkim and the roads
- Lachen and Gurudongmar reopened to visitors in 2026 after the 2023 Teesta flood, and have closed since for landslides: ask in Gangtok before you plan on them. NH10 along the Teesta closes often in the monsoon, and at night (9 pm to 6 am) between Sevoke and Rangpo from 26 October to 5 November 2026; the usual detour runs by Lava and Gorubathan.
- When to go
- October to December for the clearest views of Kanchenjunga, and March to May. July to September brings cloud and landslides. Bhutan's Department of Tourism names spring and autumn as its best seasons too.
- Darjeeling's toy train
- The joyrides from Darjeeling to Ghum run through the day: ₹1,310 by steam, ₹800 by diesel in 2026. Book on IRCTC.
Questions
What readers ask us
Can I combine Bhutan with Sikkim and Darjeeling?
Yes: all three start from Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri. Darjeeling is about three hours away, Gangtok and the Bhutan border at Phuentsholing four to five, so allow a day of travel between them. Priya Sharma's solo trip did Darjeeling and Sikkim; our Bhutan itinerary has the road from Bagdogra.
Do Indians need a passport for Bhutan?
No: a passport valid for six months, or the original voter ID; no other ID is accepted. The entry permit is free, and the Sustainable Development Fee is ₹1,200 a night for adults. More in our Bhutan travel blog.
Do I need a permit for Sikkim?
Not for Gangtok. Tsomgo Lake, Nathu La and North Sikkim need a permit, which a Sikkim-registered tour operator arranges. The journey to North Sikkim from Kolkata shows what that trip is like.
Is Sikkim safe for a woman travelling alone?
Priya Sharma travelled across Sikkim on her own for 20 days and found it so; her Sikkim travelogue has her tips and what she spent.