The Tista river winding through a deep forested gorge between Gangtok and Darjeeling

PKG-03 · G2>D2

5 Days Gangtok & Darjeeling

4 nights / 5 days

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The journey

Day by day

Both hill stations in five days, with Tsomgo Lake on one end and Tiger Hill on the other. The most-asked-for route we run.

  1. The wide Tista river running between green hills with the highway alongside
    The Tista, on the road up

    We meet you at Bagdogra Airport or New Jalpaiguri station and head north. The road follows the Tista almost the whole way — river on one side, terraced hillside on the other — and climbs steadily out of the plains into Sikkim.

    You'll reach Gangtok in the late afternoon. After check-in the evening is yours; M.G. Marg is pedestrianised, lined with cafés, and a ten-minute walk from most hotels in town.

    124 KM · 4 HRS · GANGTOK 1,650 M

  2. Tsomgo Lake under snow in East Sikkim, with visitors along the far shore
    Tsomgo Lake · 3,753 m

    An early start east towards the Nathu La road. Tsomgo sits at 3,753 m, an oval glacial lake about a kilometre long that freezes over in winter and changes colour with the season. We continue to Baba Mandir, then turn back down the same road.

    This is the highest you'll go on most of our routes, and it is felt — take it slowly for the first hour up there and drink more water than you think you need. Nathu La can be added if permits are available; ask us at least two days ahead.

    55 KM EACH WAY · 3,753 M · PERMIT REQUIRED

  3. A hillside town of brightly painted houses with cloud filling the valley below
    A hill town above the cloud line

    A compressed morning in Gangtok before you leave it: Banjhakri Falls, the Flower Exhibition Centre, the Ropeway, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Do Drul Chorten. Enough to know the town rather than pass through it.

    We set off for Darjeeling after lunch, down to the Tista and across at Melli. You'll arrive with the evening free — and an early night is a good idea, because tomorrow starts at four.

    MORNING IN TOWN · THEN 100 KM · 4 HRS

  4. Dawn light on the Khangchendzonga range seen from Tiger Hill, onlookers silhouetted in the foreground
    Khangchendzonga at dawn, from Tiger Hill

    We leave at four. Tiger Hill is 2,590 m and about forty minutes out, and on a clear morning Khangchendzonga catches the light a good while before the valley does — first pink, then white. On the clearest days you can pick out Everest to the west.

    Coming back we stop at Ghoom Monastery and at Batasia Loop, where the toy train turns a full circle around the Gorkha war memorial. After breakfast: the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the Padmaja Naidu zoological park next door, the Ropeway, Tenzing Rock, a working tea garden, and the Japanese Peace Pagoda to close the day.

    DEPART 4:00 AM · TIGER HILL 2,590 M

  5. A hill town spread along a ridge above tea slopes on the descent from Darjeeling
    The ridge above the tea slopes

    Down through Kurseong and the tea gardens to Bagdogra or NJP. Give us your flight or train time the night before and we will set the departure with real margin — the descent is quicker than the climb, but not by as much as people expect.

    70 KM · 3 HRS · ALLOW MARGIN

The wide Tista river running between green hills with the highway alongside Tsomgo Lake under snow in East Sikkim, with visitors along the far shore A hillside town of brightly painted houses with cloud filling the valley below Dawn light on the Khangchendzonga range seen from Tiger Hill, onlookers silhouetted in the foreground A hill town spread along a ridge above tea slopes on the descent from Darjeeling
The Tista, on the road up

What you'll see

Places on this route

  • Gangtok
  • Tsomgo Lake
  • Baba Mandir
  • Banjhakri Falls
  • Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
  • Do Drul Chorten
  • Darjeeling
  • Tiger Hill
  • Ghoom Monastery
  • Batasia Loop
  • Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
  • Japanese Peace Pagoda

What's included

  • Private vehicle for the whole route, exclusively yours
  • Fuel, tolls, parking and driver allowance
  • All airport and station transfers
  • Sightseeing on every day listed above
  • Driver who lives and drives here year-round

Not included

  • Hotels and meals
  • Entry fees, permits and camera charges
  • Nathu La and other add-ons arranged on request
  • Anything not listed under what's included

Vehicle Swift Dzire for two, Innova or Crysta for four or more

Ask us for a price on PKG-03 — we'll reply with a figure and what's available.

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Other routes

If this one isn't quite it

Darjeeling town at dawn with the Khangchendzonga range on the horizon PKG-01

4 Days Darjeeling

The shortest way to do Darjeeling properly — Tiger Hill at sunrise, the town over a full day, and Mirik and the Nepal border on the third.

3N / 4D View route
The illuminated I-love-Gangtok sign on M.G. Marg at night PKG-02

4 Days Gangtok

Gangtok at an unhurried pace: a full day in and around the town, and a full day up at Tsomgo Lake.

3N / 4D View route
The Khangchendzonga range catching sunrise light above a sea of cloud PKG-04

5 Days Gangtok & Pelling

East to west across Sikkim, taking in Tsomgo Lake, the giant statues at Namchi and Ravangla, and Pelling's monasteries.

4N / 5D View route

Plan your journey

Tell us the dates. We'll do the rest.

Send this over and we'll come back with a price, a vehicle and a driver. No deposit to ask a question.

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Call +91 93062 20309 WhatsApp +91 93062 20309 Email darjeelingcarrental1@gmail.com Find us Victoria Rd, Chauk Bazaar, Darjeeling