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| Sikkim |
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| Sikkim
–Denzong, The Rice Bowl |
| The Land of Mountain crest –
lies between the kingdom of Bhutan in the east, Nepal
to its west and on its northern border tower the plateau
of Tibet. This small stretch of rugged land may just
be a speck on the world map but its size belies its’
richness and diversity of culture, customs, heritage,
flora and fauna.
Sikkim – one of the most beautiful nooks in the
Himalayas offers visitors nature in all its grandeur.
The worlds 3rd highest mountain Mt.Kangchendzongna (28,156
ft) and it’s attendant peaks - Pandim, Narsing,
Kabru, Talung, Siniolchu, Pau-Hunri, Simvo, and Jopuno
present a surreal vista unmatched in the world and which
local legends will have you believe resembles an alter
of the Gods.
Once an independent Himlayan kingdom, now Sikkim is
one of the states of India. |
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Darjeeling |
| The place of Thunderbolt |
Darjeeling is popular hill-resort in
Eastern India. Also known as "The Queen of the
Hills", Darjeeling lies perched at a height of
2,134 meters with a panoramic view of the mighty Himalayan
peaks of the Mt. Khangchendzongna Cluster.
Darjeeling was the very first "hill sanitarium"
developed by the British to escape from the hot Indian
summers of Gangetic Bengal.
Famous Tea Gardens: ‘Darjeeling’ and ‘excellent
tea’ have become synonymous. Tea - drinkers the
world over must constantly bless the memory of the person
who decided around 1840 that the climate of the Darjeeling
region was very conducive to the growth of tea. Huge
forest areas were cleared and tea was planted. Chinese
experts were called in to teach the art of tea making
and thousands of Nepalese were hired to work in the
tea gardens. Darjeeling Tea become so famous for its
aroma and delicacy of taste that it was soon named the
"Champagne of the East".
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Kalimpong
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| "The Governor’s Fort"
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Kalimpong nestles in Himalayan West Bengal
at a modest altitude of 1,250-m. enjoying moderate climate.
Forming a triangle with its more illustrious ‘neighbors’,
Darjeeling and Gangtok.
Kalimpong is an excellent spot for a restful and quiet
holiday. Kalimpong has a number of houses, which speak
of the town’s heritage and gracious living in
earlier decades of this century when it was the main
trading post between Tibet and British India. Today
it is a flourishing floriculture center as the climate
has proved to be extremely conducive to this activity.
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Siliguri: |
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Siliguri serves as a gate- way because
of its location as it connects 3 international borders
(Bangladesh, Bhutan & Nepal). Siliguri is the only
road and rail link to North Eastern India, Sikkim, and
the hills of Darjeeling. The train station is known
as NJP (New Jalpaiguri) and the airstrip of Bagdora
is only 13 kms away. However the town by itself has
not much charm other then being a convenient stopover.
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Entry
formalities: |
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Along with the Indian visa, foreigners
are required to obtain Inner line permits for Sikkim,
which are valid for 15 days at a time and can be extended
for a further 15 days once in Sikkim.
The permits are available at all Indian Missions, Consulates
abroad and Sikkim Tourism Offices at Delhi, Calcutta,
Siliguri and Gangtok.
Recently Sikkim has introduced issuing permits at its’
border (Rangpo) valid for 3 days. While applying locally
you must provide 2 passport size photographs and photocopies
of the passport pages with the copy of valid Visa. We
advise you to obtain this before departing for India
to avoid wasting valuable holiday time here.
However no special permits are required for travelling
to Darjeeling & Kalimpong.
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Access
(Getting there) |
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Air: Bagdora airport
There are regular flights to and from Delhi, Calcutta
& Guwahati etc.
There is also nearby airport of Bhadrapur and Biratnagar
in Nepal
Rail: New Jalpaiguri (NJP)
4 Kms away from the main city of Siliguri (NJP station)
has regular trains from many parts of the country (Delhi,
Calcutta, Varanasi etc.) Trains to Calcutta take about
8 –10 hours, to Delhi between 17 – 26 hours
depending on the train.
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. Distance
chart is provided for your reference.
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Climate
& Clothing |
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Whichever season you do come carry some woolens, an
umbrella for sun or rain and some light and warm clothing
as the weather is very changeable at anytime of the
day.
Temperatures in Gangtok
Summer Max : 28. C Min: 13.1°C
Winter Max : 14. 9 C Min: 7.7°C
April to September : Light Woolen
Clothes
October to March : Warm Woolen Clothes
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