Gangtok & Nathula

Highlights

• Tsomgo (Changu) Lake
• Nathula Pass - Indo-China border (permit required)
• Rumtek Monastery
• MG Marg, Gangtok

Day by day

1. Day 1Bagdogra/NJP - Gangtok

   Four or five hours up from Bagdogra or NJP, the road following the Teesta as it narrows and the hills close in. Gangtok sits along a ridge, and in the evening the whole town walks MG Marg — no cars, no litter, everyone out. Overnight in Gangtok.

2. Day 2Tsomgo Lake & Nathula Pass

   A full day climbing to Tsomgo Lake, a glacial lake held in a bowl at over 12,000 feet that freezes in winter and turns clear green in summer. Higher again to Nathula, standing on the old Silk Road pass at the Indo-China border, with soldiers on both sides a few metres apart. Permit required, and arranged. Overnight in Gangtok.

3. Day 3Gangtok Monastery Tour

   Rumtek, seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage, with its golden roof and monks in the courtyard; Enchey above the town; and the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, which holds one of the finest collections of Tibetan works outside Tibet. This is the day Gangtok stops being a hill station. Overnight in Gangtok.

4. Day 4Gangtok Local Sightseeing

   Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok for the views back across the valley to Kanchenjunga on a clear day, Banjhakri Falls in its forest park, and the Flower Exhibition Centre. Overnight in Gangtok.

5. Day 5Departure

   The drive back down to Bagdogra or NJP for onward travel.

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