SIKKIM & DARJEELING

“The Queen of the Himalayas”

Sikkim offers the magical feel of a Himalayan fairytale land. It is an amazing place of hidden valley, mystical monasteries, snow-fed lakes and a mountain setting covered with flowers and forests.

This former kingdom is home to three major population groups-Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepal -providing a colorful composite of cultures. Mt. Kanchanjunga, the third highest peak in the world at 8,586 m, dominates the landscape and is revered as Sikkim's guardian deity.

Sikkim is state of India tucked in the Himalaya across Nepal's eastern frontier. It is crammed in between Tibet (China) to the north, Bhutan to the east and the India state of West Bengal to the south.

Sikkim an erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom, has been a state of India since it's merger in 1975. It is wedged in between the Kingdoms of Nepal in the west and Bhutan in the east. With an area of 7,096 sq kms, it has a rectangular shape measuring about 114 km. from the north to South and 64 km. from east to west.

The topography and location of Sikkim manifests in a diverse range of flora, which is tropical in the low-lying areas and alpine in the high reaches of the mountains. The human population throughout history has been very low, which has helped this place to maintain a high percentage of forest cover, evident even now. `A journey to Sikkim necessarily involves awakening the senses and discovering the pristine and mystic beauty of the land. Sikkim is a dreamland that one can realize and enjoy, now that the area is open to all.

The state offers a wide range of adventure sports opportunities as well including mountaineering in the Himalayas. For trekking, one can follow any of the four trek routes: the Monastic Trek, Rhododendron Trek, Kanchenjunga Trek and Coronation Trek. River rafting is possible in the rough waters of the Teesta and the Rangit. Kayaking is arranged on the Teesta only for special groups. Yak safari is arranged from Dzongri onwards. In north and west Sikkim, mountain biking is very popular these days. Jorethang, in west Sikkim, and certain parts of north Sikkim are popular locales for gliding. As per regulations foreigners should be in a group of 4 persons or more for trekking in Sikkim.

Sikkim is bounded by Tibet (China) in the north, West Bengal in the south, Tibet and Bhutan in the east and Nepal in the west. The state is spread below Mount Kanchenjunga (8,534 m), the third highest peak in the world. The locals worship the mountain as a protective deity. The elevation of the state ranges from 300m to over 8,540m above sea level. The nearest airport is Bagdora (120 km. far away from Gangtok, the capital). There are regular flights connected to Calcutta, Delhi and Guwahati. There are also regular train services to other parts of county.

INTRODUCTION

PEOPLE & RELIGION

ENTRY FORMALITIES

ACCESSIBILITY

CLIMATE & CLOTHING

FESTIVALS

INTRODUCTION

It is an erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom, has been a state of India since it's merger in 1975. It is wedged in between the Kingdoms of Nepal in the west and Bhutan in the east and bounded by Tibet (China) in the north, West Bengal in the south.

With an area of 7,096 sq kms, it has a rectangular shape measuring about 114 km. from the north to South and 64 km. from east to west.

The topography and location of Sikkim manifests in a diverse range of flora, which is tropical in the low-lying areas and alpine in the high reaches of the mountains. The state is spread below Mount Kanchenjunga (8,534 m), the third highest peak in the world. The locals worship the mountain as a protective deity. The elevation of the state ranges from 300m to over 8,540m above sea level. The human population throughout history has been very low, which has helped this place to maintain a high percentage of forest cover, evident even now. `A journey to Sikkim necessarily involves awakening the senses and discovering the pristine and mystic beauty of the land. Sikkim is a dreamland that one can realize and enjoy, which is now open to all.

The state offers a wide range of adventure sports opportunities as well including mountaineering in the Himalayas. For trekking, one can follow any of the four trek routes: the Monastic Trek, Rhododendron Trek, Kanchenjunga Trek and Coronation Trek. River rafting is possible in the rough waters of the Teesta and the Rangit. Kayaking is arranged on the Teesta only for special groups. Yak safari is arranged from Dzongri onwards. In north and west Sikkim, mountain biking is very popular these days. Jorethang, in west Sikkim, and certain parts of north Sikkim are popular locales for gliding. As per regulations foreigners should be in a group of 4 persons or more for trekking in

Sikkim.

PEOPLE & RELIGION

Sikkim is the least populated state in India. There are three principal communities of Nepalese (75%), Lepchas (20%), and smaller proportions of Bhutias and Limbus. The Bhutias are Buddhist and so are most of the Lepchas. The Nepalese are chiefly Hindus. Lepchas or the Rong appear to be the original inhabitants of Sikkim as no legends of their migration are available. In the 13th century, the Bhutias from Kham area of Tibet came to the state. They believed in Buddhism of the Mahayana sect.

All communities live in perfect harmony sharing each other's cultures, ethos and traditions with the result to Sikkimese culture now. Most of the people speak Nepali, which is also the state language. It is the harmony of the place that provides justification to the name of the state derived form Sukhim, meaning "happy home, a place of peace."

Though Hinduism is equally followed, Buddhism is entrenched in the tradition of the state. The people have faith in the Buddha, the dharma (his teachings), and the sangha (assembly of monks) where religious texts are studied, taught and preserved. Soaked in the religious tradition, the land has a spiritual ambience where prayer flags with inscriptions of Buddhist texts flutter around the boundary of the village to ward off evil spirits, prayer wheels rotate to the currents of water, and chortens and lucky signs are common sights.

ENTRY FORMALITIES

Foreigners require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) in addition to normal Indian visa to enter Sikkim and can visit Gangtok (Capital). Rumtek, Phodang and Pemayangtse, which is valid for 15 days with a further extension available in Gangtok. The permits are available at all Indian Missions, Consulates abroad, Siliguri and Gangtok. You must provide 2 passport size photographs and photocopies of the passport with the copy of valid visa. We advise you to obtain this before departing for India to avoid wasting valuable holiday time there The convenient way to get the permit is to mention their desire to visit Sikkim when one is applying for Indian visa and they simply receive it. No permit is required to enter & stay in Darjeeling & other parts of North Bengal including Kalimpomg. Re-entry into Sikkim is not possible within 3 months of leaving Sikkim.

ACCESSIBILITY

Air : From Kathmandu, fly to Bhadrapur in east Nepal (1 hour), then drive to Kakarbhitta (Nepal-India border, 34 km), to Siliguri (36 km) and to Gangtok (110 km, 3 hours 30 minutes). There are also flights to Bagdogra airport (120 km. far away from Gangtok, the capital) from Delhi, Calcutta or Guwahati.

Rail : New Jalpaiguri (NJP), 4 km away from the main city of Siliguri, has regular train connections from many parts of India.

By Road : The road in the region is fairly good, passing through very picturesque tea gardens, forests and hamlets. With flowers lending added charm. Jeeps or small coaches are provided on your tours.

CLIMATE & CLOTHING

Due to the extreme altitude, there is an immense variation in climate and vegetation. With a rainfall of about 140 inches in Gangtok, the climate is tropical up to 5,000ft, temperate between 5,000ft - 13, 000ft, alpine at 13,000ft, and snowbound at 16,000ft and above.

The best time to visit Sikkim is between mid-March to June when the rhododendrons and orchids are in bloom and mid September to mid December, although it gets pretty cold by December.

During the monsoons, from the end of June until end September, rivers and roads become impenetrable, the view of the mountains gets obscured & rainfall is pretty heavy though plants nurtured by the incessant rain erupt again into bloom towards the end of August to October.

November tend to have the clearest weather of all.

As December approaches, it gets bitterly cold at high altitudes, and remains that way until early March, despite long periods of clear weather.

Temperatures in Gangtok
	Min	Max
Summer	28. °C	13.1°C
Winter	14.9 °C	7.7 °C

FESTIVALS

The people celebrate the anniversaries relating to birth, enlightenment, and nirvana of the Buddha, besides the Buddhist New Year and the harvest festivals. Several festivals are celebrated in Gangtok and its adjoining areas. The Buddhist festival of Bumchu is held in the Tashiding Gompa during January. The festival of Chaam is held in Enchey Gompa during January-February and is marked by dancing. Kagyat Dance is a mask dance held every month at Gangtok, Pemayangtse and Phodong. Losar marks the Tibetan New Year and is celebrated during February-March at Pemayangtse and Rumtek. Tse Chu is a Buddhist dance held in May at Rumtek. Saga Dawa (held in Gangtok during May) and Drukpa Teshi (celebrated statewide during July) mark Buddha's first teaching. Phang Lhabsol is a mask dance celebrated statewide during August. Dasain, the biggest Hindu festival is celebrated during October, is marked by gift exchanges and animal sacrifices.