Sikkim Old Silk Route Tour Plan Cost Packages Best Itinerary
Silk Route Tour Packages is referred to a trade route between China and other South Asian and other European nations. One of them is in India, known as the Sikkim Silk Route. This route is a hilly Road connect Lhasa via the Jelep La Pass to India. This route is now are the parts eastern Sikkim and West Bengal.
Explore Different Day Wise Trip Plan Here
Activities & Places To Visit
In Sikkim Silk Route Tour Packages lot of places are there to visit which are unique to this place.
Thambi View Point located north of Zuluk, is situated at an altitude of 11,600 ft. offers an excellent sunrise view. From Thambi View Point you can have marvelous view of the Kunchenjunga Range and also the zig-zag road with its 99 turns. Make sure to visit in the early morning to avoid clouds obstruction. (As per locals they have sighted Yeti or Banjhakri(in Nepali), remember the abominable snowman from Tintin In Tibet. You can here hear stories from locals here).
Lungthung very close to Thambi Valley is at an altitude of 11,500 ft. offers an exiting view of the Kunchenjunga, Sunrise, Sunset as well as the serpentine Zig Zag Road. The complete area of Lungthung falls under Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary with home to different types of rhododendrons, ferns, birds and animals. The area has high army presence due to proximity of the China border.
Menmecho & Elephant Lake If you travel further north from Gnathang Valley you come to Kupup. Here on both sides of the road are two Lakes. On The right is the Elephant/Kupup lake which can be viewed from the Elephant Lake View Point on the main road and if you want you can take next right turn and go the edge of the lake. Menmecho Lake is however is on the left side of the main road and you have to trek for considerable distance to reach the lake.
Jelep La(Pass) Do not get confused Its is same route and probably there was a previous road near Tukla which crossed over to China before the Nathula Pass was build.
Kupuk Yak Army Golf Course & Environmental Park boasts of Guinness Book listing for the highest golf course in the world.
Tukla Valley is the place where the so called Old Baba Mandir is located. It 12500 ft. Tukla valley contains a war memorial, which was constructed to commemorate the death of British soldiers in their military expedition to expel Tibetan forces from Sikkim in 1888.
Lampokhari/Aritar Lake is one of the natural lake in Sikkim and recently artificially constructed for the tourism. Altitude of 4600 ftit is the only lake with boating facility in Sikkim. Aritar Gumpa or Monastery is famous for its traditional architecture, carved and painted murals, rare manuscript and artifacts.
Sillery Gaon/Pedong/Icchegaon are villages in West Bengal which offer an excellent view of Mount Kunchenjunga. These are quite locations along the trail which is being promoted as part of village tourism. These places does not have much activity but one can visit Damsang Fort Ruins, Sangchen Dorjee Monastery and the Cross Hill. The Cross Hill commands a glorious view of the facing mountains and you can get a glimpse of Tibet and the People's Republic of Chinese border and also a perfect sunset point.
Accommodation & Places Of Stay
Additional Information
Accommodation in homestays in Sikkim Silk Route Tour Packages
In Sikkim Silk Route Tour Sikkim Circuit, in an attempt to promote tourism in these region both the states of Sikkim and West Bengal government as well as local people started promoting nearby villages to be used as place of stay for tourist willing to visit this historical trail. Places like Sillery Gaon, Icche Gaon, Pedong, Rishi Khola, Rangpo Khola, Aritar, Mankhim, Padamchen, Zuluk, Lingtham, Gnathang Valley multiple other villages in the proximity has turned into places of over night stay for the Tourist. These mostly are called a home stays as the concept is basically guests share rooms within a same building with local families and experience the local cultures and cuisines. But today with huge amount of tourist footfalls these homestays have now developed into nothing less than small hotels yet with the local flavors intact. Accommodation in Silk Route are family Run homestays provide all meal inclusive packages. So it means you will be staying with a local family taking care of all your requirements. Since the home stays are promoted by local government there is a certain standard of service they need to deliver. Also if you are a female travelling alone or in a group you are in the safest hands. Even though you will not have prompt service like a hotel but the mountain view and warmth of your host will make your stay worth while in East Sikkim.
Rishikhola Homestay
Rishikhola in West Bengal & Sikkim border is located on a river side and provides lot of activities activities like bird watching jungle trekking etc. Also due to its proximity to Siliguri, Kalimpong & Darjeeling sees lot of tourists throughout the year.
Padamchen Village Homestay
Padamchen is a small village on the ancient Old Silk Route circuit just 14 kms. from Rongli and 4 kms from Zuluk. The pleasant weather throughout the year and this is one of the main reasons for its popularity among tourist undertaking Silk Route.
Sillerygaon Homestay
Sillery Gaon is a village in the Kalimpong district in the state of West Bengal, India. Sillery Gaon is situated at an altitude of 6000 ft. The area offers views of the Mt. Kangchenjunga and its is allied peaks and the Teesta River.
Ramdhura Homestay
Ramdhura is famous for excellent view of Mt. Kanchenjunga on the horizon and the twists of River Teesta visible far below. Its truly give some of the superb views of the Eastern Himalayan range and Mount. Kanchenjunga.
Q & A - EAST SIKKIM
What is the best time to visit Silk Route?
Best Time To Visit Silk Route Sikkim are the months of March to June which is the peak season with huge tourist inflow. However the months of October to February is also preferred due to availability of Snow. July to September is avoidable due to monsoon rainfall and landslides.
How do I get a silk route from NJP?
The route can be approached via Kalimpong or Gangtok which is well connected with NJP and can be reached by shared or reserved taxi. After that you need to take a reserved car(ILP is issued based on Vehicle} for the number of days you want to visit the route.
Where should I stay on the Silk Route?
There are multiple villages along the route to stay. These have numerous homestays offering Stay and Meals options. Most popular of these villages are Sillery gaon, Rishikhola, Aritar, Padamchen, Zuluk, Gnathang Valley. Some other villages like Icchegaon, Ramdhura, Lingtham, Mankhim, etc.
How much time does it take to visit Silk Route?
Silk Route can be best covered in minimum in 3 Nights 4 Days Tour. However if you want a more relaxed tour you can opt for 4 Nights 5 days or more.
How to get permits for Silk route tour?
It's very simple to collect the permit for Silk route. Just carry your voter ID card and two passport size photos. With these documents and you can collect the permit from Sikkim Tourism at Gangtok or Rongli Check post.
Sikkim Silk Route Tour Plan & Packages
