Sikkim & Darjeeling:

On your arrival at the Bagdogra airport (IXB), you shall be transferred to the hotel in Siliguri. Located at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, Siliguri is a bustling town in the district of Darjeeling (one of northern most districts of the state of West Bengal). Now originating at nearby New Jalpaiguri, the UNESCO heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (narrow gauge rail line completed in 1881) passes through Siliguri town which used to be the original southern-most station of the railways till 1964. You shall also meet your Royal Enfield motorcycles here, your companions for the next 12-13 days.

After breakfast and a tour briefing you shall gear up for your first ride, intentionally designed to be a short one so that you can get familiar with the motorcycle as well as the conditions. Within 30 mins of today’s ride you’ll be riding among tea gardens as you get nearer to Chalsa which is a beautiful region surrounded by tea estates, dense forests & rivers flowing through the gentle slopes of the Himalayan foothills (north-east of Siliguri) and right on the edge of the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. At one point on this day, you shall be just about 5 km (as the crow flies) from the Bhutanese border. Tonight you shall be staying in a resort in the middle of a tea estate.

Typical of the Himalayas, an average days ride involves ascending and descending in altitude (or vice versa & repeated a few times). This day shall be just that. From an elevation of ~150 at Chalsa, today you shall be climbing to ~2230 M through tea gardens which will slowly fade into cedar forests. This route offers some spectacular sights as you descend towards the town of Rangpo (Elev. ~400 M) where you shall be entering the State of Sikkim for the first time. Your “inner line permits” shall be obtained at the border here.

For today’s ride to Gangtok (the capital city of Sikkim), we’ve charted yet another route which takes the B-roads and avoids the highway traffic. Gangtok is the largest and the most populated town of Sikkim and has a little of everything – culture, nature, entertainment & food. A Cable car linking Deorali Bazaar with Tashiling Secretariat which offers views of mountains & the city. On clear days, Gangtok offers spectacular views of Mt. Khangchendzonga. Arriving around noon, you’ll have a good half of the day to explore it’s sights and the bazaars lined with shops, cafés and bars.

The surrounding area of Gangtok offers more in terms of natural beauty, culture & history. For this reason we have designed this day’s ride which takes you north of Gangtok into the “north Sikkim” district. First stop shall be a historic sight called “Kabi Lungchok” where the “Lepchas” and “Bhutias (2 ethnic tribes) ceremonially signed a "Treaty of Blood Brotherhood" with religious fervour in the 14th century. Stone pillars mark the location where the treaty was signed. Then comes the Seven Sisters waterfall, around 32 kilometres from Gangtok. It becomes a must see place in Gangtok after rains, when the falls come into a fierce life offering an awe-inspiring view. The gurgling water of the fall plunges out of the lush green vegetation plastering the rugged cliffs & falls over the limestones making a thunderous sound. You shall then continue to the Phodong Monastery (Elev. 1840 M) which is one of the six most important monasteries in Sikkim, rebuilt in the 18th century by Chogyal Gyurmed Namgyal, the then ruler of Sikkim although an older monastery existed at the same place. It belongs to the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism and houses beautiful paintings and murals. Tonight’s accommodation shall be at a beautiful hotel with spectacular views looking down the mountain valleys towards the north-west.

Taking the “long way round” yet again, you shall be making a big loop around Gangtok (avoiding the city and it’s traffic) through some more scenic B-roads to get to the village of Rumtek, famous for the biggest centre for Buddhism in the region, the Dharma Chakra Centre. Beginning in the dense cedar forests north of Gangtok, today’s ride shall bring you right alongside the Teesta (elev. ~700 M), the biggest river which flows through the state of Sikkim. After following the road downstream to an elevation of ~400, you shall ascend again over several switchbacks and through Martam’s rice valley to reach your day's destination at ~1650 M. Next 2 nights accommodation shall be at an enchanting homestay which shall give you a glimpse of rural life in Sikkim.

Rumtek village is known far and wide for one of the largest functioning monasteries in Sikkim. Re-built in 1960’s from ruins of the old mid-18th century monastery, the new complex also known as the “Dharma Chakra center” is the main seat of the Karma Kagyu sect and a centre of Buddhist studies where Buddhist scholars from far and wide come to study and practice Buddhism. The gompa, an epitome of Tibetan architecture, was designed by the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje himself based on his memories of the Tsurphu Monastery of Tibet. Tsurphu was completely destroyed by Chinese authorities in 1966. The monastery is always alive and buzzing with activity, and a visitor can get glimpses of the daily life of Buddhist monks, watching them going about their daily routine. The rest of the day can either be used for rest/relaxation or for exploring the village and surrounds.

From Rumtek, today’s ride shall bring you back down to the Teesta river and across. Ascending yet again and riding through Sikkim’s only Tea estates your first stop will be at the Temi Tea estate (~1750 M) where you can visit their factory which offers tour of the tea processing as well as tea tasting. Ascending further to about 2100 M, the road then descends towards Namchi (Elev. 1520 M), a small town now popular for the marvellous temple compound of “Char Dham” also known as “Siddhesvara Dham” locked away by spectacular mountains. The “Char Dham” compound has the replica of four hindu pilgrimage shrines (Uttarakhand’s Badrinath, Odisha’s Puri, Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram and Gujarat’s Dwarka) which are collectively called Char Dham, along with 12 jyotirlingas, which have been built atop the Solophok Hill. This sweeping temple compound was inaugurated in November 2011. The picturesque complex also houses a 108-feet statue of Lord Shiva (at ~1740 M). After checking into your hotel (which also has spectacular views of the Mt. Khanchendzonga on a clear day), we shall organise a visit to the “Char Dham” complex by cars/ coach.

Today’s ride gets a bit more adventurous. Back-tracking north towards Temi Tea estate, you shall turn towards Ravangla. Riding through dense cedar forests you shall arrive at “ The Buddha Park” (elev. 2150 M), also known as Tathagata Tsal, is situated near Rabong in South Sikkim district. It was constructed between 2006 and 2013 and features a 130-foot (40 m) high statue of the Buddha as its centerpiece. The site was chosen within the larger religious complex of the Rabong Gompa (Monastery), itself a centuries-old place of pilgrimage. Also nearby is Ralang Monastery, a key monastery in Tibetan Buddhism. After a short stop to have a look around this complex, you shall continue descending down to the Rangeet river (~ 670 M) which is one of the tributaries of the Teesta. From here the road gets narrow, steep & rough as you’ll have to deal with some gravel sections while you ascend past numerous big & small waterfalls, little hamlets & their terraced farms to the village of Yuksom (elev. 1745 M). Yuksom is a small village with historical significance as it is considered to be the first capital of the Sikkim Kingdom. Another short stop to look around and you’ll saddle up yet again for the final segment of the day’s ride to arrive at your hotel near the town of Pelling.

Pelling (elev. 1950 M) is a beautiful town in West Sikkim, most popular for breath-taking views of the Kanchenjunga peak and the Himalayas. The Pemayangtse Monastery (~2100 M) is one of the most ancient monasteries of Sikkim. “Pemayangtse” literally means “the perfect, sublime lotus”. It is said to represent the chakras or plexus in the human body, which are energy centres. Built in 1705 by Lama Lhatsun Chenpo, it was renovated and expanded later by his successors. Today’s ride is to the Singshore Bridge (~1670 M), which is a suspension bridge and an engineering wonder – the highest bridge in Sikkim and the second highest in all of Asia. At a height of at least 100m, and a span of 200m, the bridge is surrounded by densely green mountains, and has splendid views of the valley.

From Pelling, the route turns south as you exit Sikkim and head back into the state of West Bengal via Jorethang. The ride again heads down in altitude to ~360 M but as soon as you enter the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, the ascent starts. Over the next ~22 Km you shall be ascending to nearly 2150 M over countless steep & narrow switchbacks through beautiful tea gardens to the town of Darjeeling.

The 'Queen of Hills', Darjeeling is arguably the most popular tourist destination in northeast India. This hill town attracts travellers of varied interests. In the early 19th century, during East India Company rule in India, Darjeeling was identified as a potential summer retreat for British officials, soldiers and their families. The narrow mountain ridge was leased from the Kingdom of Sikkim, and eventually annexed to British India. Experimentation with growing tea on the slopes below Darjeeling was highly successful. By the late-19th century, a novel narrow-gauge mountain railway, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, was bringing summer residents into the town and carrying a freight of tea out for export to the world. Today, we shall organise some local sightseeing for you to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute & Padmaja Naidu zoological park and an afternoon joy ride (about an hour & 45 mins) on UNESCO Heritage Steam Railway. The rest of the day can be used to explore Darjeeling’s Mall Road, shop for souvenirs & of course, Tea.

We’ve saved the best for the last. After riding and zig zagging across the narrow gauge railway line for the first few kilometers, you shall first head westwards, right to India’s border with Nepal. Riding through some of the most dense cedar forests in the region and reaching altitude of ~2300 M, you will reach the border and view point looking down towards some Nepalese villages in the valley below. From here, you descend into the tea estates of Gopal Dhara & Mirik before arriving back to your final destination on the tour.

Transfers to Bagdogra airport for your return flights.