Sikkim-Darjeeling-Kalimpong
When the Maharaja of Sikkim gifted it to the British
Governor General Bentinck "out of friendship in the
1800s, the British turned Darjeeling into a hill
station. Now, almost two centuries later, The Queen of
Hill Stations entices thousands of visitors to its fairy
tale environs and leaves no one discontented. Once you
leave the sweltering plains of
Nestled between the Kingdoms of
Bhutan and Nepal is a little known region called
Sikkim. Now a province of India, Sikkim was an
independent Kingdom until 1952 and is the overland
gateway to Bhutan. Although the region has been
populated by a huge range of Himalayan ethnicities
Sikkim is still predominantly Buddhist. Famed for
its amazing array of flora and fauna, our trips here
offer all levels of trekker an intimate and
beautiful mountain experience. Apart from seeing the
3rd highest mountain, Kanchenjunga up close you will
meander through stands of Buddhist prayer flags,
idyllic villages and lush forests full of colorful
butterflies.
Highlights: Panoramic views of Kanchenjunga,
unspoilt Tibetan villages and culture, beautiful
mountain vistas, giant butterflies fluttering
through old growth forests
Climate
Due to the extreme altitude, there is an immense
variation in climate and vegetation. With a rainfall
of about 140 inches in Gangtok, the climate is
tropical up to 5,000ft, temperate between
5,000ft–13,000ft, alpine at 13,000ft, and snowbound
at 16,000ft and above.
The best time to visit Sikkim is between mid-March
and June but
especially, April and May, when the rhododendrons
and orchids are in bloom. However, temperatures can
be high, especially in the valleys. During the
monsoons, from the end of June until end September,
rivers and roads become impenetrable, though plants
nurtured by the incessant rain erupt again into
bloom towards the end of August. October, when
orchids bloom once again and November tend to have
the clearest weather of all. As December approaches,
it gets bitterly cold at high altitudes, and remains
that way until early March, despite long periods of
clear weather.
The best time to visit this zone is from mid
September to mid December, although it gets pretty
cold by December. The high seasons again starts from
mid-march & continues till mid June. During monsoon
months ie; from June to September, the view of the
mountains gets obscured & rainfall is pretty heavy
(270 cm annually)
People & Religion
Sikkim is the least populated state in India. There
are three principal communities of Nepalese (75%),
Lepchas (20%), and smaller proportions of Bhutias
and Limbus. The Bhutias are Buddhist and so are most
of the Lepchas. The Nepalese are chiefly Hindus.
Lepchas or the Rong appear to be the original
inhabitants of Sikkim as no legends of their
migration are available. In the 13th century, the
Bhutias from Kham area of Tibet came to the state.
They believed in Buddhism of the Mahayana sect. The
Nepalis were the last to enter Sikkim, in the mid
19th century.
All communities live in perfect harmony sharing each
other’s cultures, ethos and traditions with the
result that there is now a Sikkimese culture, which
is composite of all the three prominent communities.
Most of the people speak Nepali, which is also the
state language. It is the harmony of the place that
provides justification to the name of the state
derived form Sukhim, meaning “happy home, a place of
peace.”
Though Hinduism is equally followed, Buddhism is
entrenched in the tradition of the state. The people
have faith in the Buddha, the dharma (his
teachings), and the sangha (assembly of monks) where
religious texts are studied, taught and preserved.
Soaked in the religious tradition, the land has a
spiritual ambience where prayer flags with
inscriptions of Buddhist texts flutter around the
boundary of the village to ward off evil spirits,
prayer wheels rotate to the currents of water, and
chortens and lucky signs are common sights.
Entry
Formalities
Foreigners require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) in
addition to normal Indian visa to enter Sikkim and
can visit Gangtok, Rumtek, Phodang and Pemayangtse.
No permit is required to enter & stay in Darjeeling
& other parts of North Bengal including Kalimpomg.
All foreigners intending to visit Sikkim can avail
of 15 days inner-line permit with a further 15 days
extension available in Gangtok. Re-entry into Sikkim
is not possible within 3 months of leaving Sikkim.
Restricted area permit for individuals & groups for
restricted areas i.e., Gangtok. Rumtek, Phodong,
Pemagyantse can be obtained in advance from all
Indian missions aboard, Sikkim tourism offices at
Delhi, Calcutta, Siliguri & Gangtok, after
furnishing requisite documents. A standard Permit
allows one to visit Gangtok, Rumtek, Phodong and
Pemagyantse. The permits are checked and the visas
stamped while entering and leaving Sikkim.
Foreigners without a valid passport and permit are
not allowed to enter Sikkim. The best and the
easiest way to get the permit is when the
individual/group is getting their Indian visa stamp
on their passport. All they have to do is express
their desire to visit Sikkim & the Indian missions
abroad endorses the permit while granting the India
visa.
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