SOUTH SIKKIM LEISURE TRIP

Itinerary 4N/5D:

Day – 1 Kolkata to Bagdogra flight – Bagdogra to Ravangla (pre-booked cab)

Day - 2 Leisure day at the resort / nearby hikes

Day – 3 Visit to Temi Tea Garden and Buddha Park

Day – 4 Namchi Chardaam tour

Day -5 Ravangla to Bagdogra – back to Kolkata

Introduction:

Ok, so, I’ve been to Sikkim a bunch of times before and as someone from Calcutta, Sikkim is probably the best place to go when it comes to an overall experience in the mountains. Most of the places are not yet commercialized and therefore far from the maddening crowd. The small but majestic land of Sikkim is divided essentially in to four parts, North – South – East – West, not much of a surprise there!

This article is about my recent experience in South Sikkim at a small town called Ravangla, which happens to be one of most important places for the Tibetan settlements in Sikkim.

I am not going to go much into the history as this article is aimed at giving you a concise idea of a nice leisurely vacation on Sikkim, specially for people from Kolkata or neighboring cities.  

Day -1

We got a flight to Bagdogra but now if the tickets prices are not that high, the newly opened Pakyong Airport in Sikkim is a better idea.

Ravangla is little bit of an off-beat destination so you won’t ready private cabs from the airport, so ideally it’s better to book one from before.

Charges vary from anything between Rs. 2,000/- to Rs. 5,000/- depending on the car and the season. We got a Wagon-R for Rs. 2,500/- (October).

About 125 Kms, 5 Hrs – mostly because of the poor road conditions and small halts for lunch / tea.

Day – 2

We stayed at a beautiful and cosy resort named Barfung Retreat. Some of the pictures of the resort are below. Some alternatives would be Narsing Resort (recommended because of the view), Babumoshai resort (not quite recommended but if it suits your budget then not that bad)

Spend the day at the resort, soak in the fresh cold mountain air. Listen to the birds. Watch the butterflies mingle with the flowers. Drink some Chhang (their local alcoholic drink made out of fermented millets, served in bamboo stems – must try)

You may also go for small hikes.

Remind you, that most of these resorts are at least 2-3 kms away from the town, which is quite a walk in the mountains. Bargung retreat is about 6 kms downhill from the Town. Narsing is about 4 kms up-hill.

Try this food joint called Kookay Restaurant right at the mouth of the town where the taxi stand begins.

Must try items- Beef Thenthuk, pork momo, Shay Phalay and the mighty smooth but kicking Dansberg beer (probably one of my favorite brews from the country)

Day -3 

Now, if you have pre-booked a car for your entire trip which would cost nothing less than Rs. 3,000/- a day + GST + lunch for driver etc. then you’re sight-seeing is sorted. However, you haven’t done that, like I didn’t, then it’s ideal to go to the town and negotiate with a taxi driver for sight-seeing. The resorts also arrange for cars but they will be slightly expensive, since there’s some commission involved.

Temi Tea Garden – 30 kms.

Buddha Park – 10 mins up-hill drive from Ravangla town. You may take a walk, if it fancies you.

Tip: The view at Buddha Park is beautiful if you can make it early in the morning. Go for the tea making tour at Temi Tea Garden. Really worth it. Mention that to the driver before hiring.

Day – 4

Namchi – Chardam is a place for temple lovers. As the name suggest, it’s got small model representations of some of the most important pilgrimage destinations in India, such as, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannatha Puri temple… etc. etc..

The complex is quite new, well maintained and serene. Ideal place for family day trip.

There’s also a ropeway nearby in the Samdruptsey hill. Unfortunately, when we visited the weather was cloudy but had it been clear, the view from the rope-way would be stellar. Rs. 50/- per head.

Day – 5

Get a cab, bid your goodbyes to the beautiful town of Ravangla.

Cost with taxi (approximately): Rs. 36,000 – Rs 40,000/- for two

Plan well ahead to reduce flight costs or avail trains if you have more days in hand.

You may also save on private taxi and get shared cabs at least for airport / station transfers, which are insanely cheap.

Hope this article was helpful ! 😊 Drop in a comment or an email me if you want to know more about Sikkim !