How to travel South-West Sikkim in three days

 "If you think adventures are dangerous, try routine: It's lethal" - Paulo Coelho

Are you lost and bored in your daily routine life? Do you often feel irritated, lonely? Then please have a visit to Sikkim. Sikkim is a place where nature smiles. A state , full of spiritual sacred landmarks, is isolated from the world by river, and mountains. In this content, a reader of any age group can find answers to the question i.e. how to visit South-west Sikkim excluding Gangtok in three days.

What to visit - In three days, you shouldn't expect that you can explore the whole of South-West Sikkim. So first make a plan according to your choice and taste so that you will know which places you wanna visit. If you want to explore the whole of South-West Sikkim, it should take one month. Now talking about choice, I am making a list of tourist places and writing for whom these are suitable with a short description alongside.

1. Pelling Town- Must for Honeymoon couple, also good choice for friend group and aged person, children. The name Pelling means the seat of the religious body formed by Pema Linga, discoverer of ancient Tibetan texts and also a treasure revealer. Pelling is divided into three parts. You will reach Upper Pelling from Geyzing, then as you go downwards you will discover Middle and lower Pelling. If you take "I love Pelling" hoarding as a (0,0) landmark. Then in the South you will get an SBI ATM.  An uphill road towards west will lead you to the football ground- this road will end at the Skywalk.The downhill road to southwest will lead to Changey Waterfall, Dentam Valley view Point, Singshore Bridge, and Uttarey. The Uphill road from the hoarding to the east will lead to Do-Thum Lake, No 2, 3, 4 sights in this list. And if you access the north-east road downhill from the hoarding and a downhill turn near the Petrol pump towards the west then you will reach the middle and lower Pelling. Pelling is a beautiful town with a panoramic view of Kangchenjunga . The aura of the town is very pure till now. You will feel just like the end scene of " The Birdman" when you will lose yourself to the serene beauty of the valleys and the mighty range in front of you.You can enjoy her majesty, her mood at sunrise , sunset, on a cloudy day, at night -24*7 from this town as this is only 41 km away ( Horizontally) from the Kangchenjunga. You can make this town as a base for tour planning, car reservation, and local sightseeing as I already described road directions. As people of Pelling use 7 AM to 9 PM as heavy working hour. You can stroll around the road as a lonely soul before 7 AM if you want.

   

   Pure Beauty from Pelling

   
   

   

   The First Light on Her , Upper Pelling

   

   From Petrol Pump, Upper Pelling

   
   

   

   View of the Mt Kangchenjunga from Upper Pelling
   

   
   

   

   Way to Lower Pelling

   
   

   

   Lower Pelling

   
   

   

   Her Majesty at night,Pelling

2. Pemayangtse Monastery- Must for philosophers, peace seekers, religious people, Buddhists. "Pemayangtse" means perfect sublime lotus. This is the most famous monastery in Sikkim, also one of the oldest too. You can enrich your ear with Buddhist mantras that will strike your soul as an unknown tranquil enigma that you have never felt before. The way to this is lined with fluttering Buddhist prayer flags. You can assimilate the ravishing beauty of the Kangchenjunga peaks along with Monastery chanting hymns.

   

   Pemayantse Monastery

   
   
   
   It is within walking distance from Pelling. It will take 30-45 min to reach by foot from " I Love Pelling " Hoarding for a moderately fit person. You can see how Buddhist monks live there, what they eat, watch their lifestyle, and there is a separate Buddhist museum inside the monastery. You can buy a souvenir for your home from a gift shop beside.
3. Rabdentse Ruins - A must for Buddhists, History lovers. Rabdentse was the second capital of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814 AD until the city was destroyed by the invading Gurkha Army and only the ruins are seen now. It will take a minimum of one hour for this to complete. So it's better to avoid it if you don't like history that much and if you want the tour in three days.
4. Sidkeong Tulku Bird Park, Rabdentse - Must for children, and ornithologists. If you are interested to witness the ambiance created by a plethora of several species of flora and fauna, then it's a must-go place. But it will take a minimum of 1 hour and it remains open between 10 AM to 4 pm, so it's difficult to include this in a three-day plan.
5. Changey waterfall - A must for all Nature lovers.

   

   Changey Waterfall

   
   It will be on the way to Singshore Bridge. It will take 10-15 mins. Please note this is not the same Changey in Lava. 
6. Dentam Valley - Must for the Market explorer, good for viewing from distance. Even if you exclude Dentam Valley from your plan. You can enjoy the view of the valley nestled between mountains from a viewpoint that will be on the way from Changey waterfall to SingShore Bridge. 

   

   Dentam Valley from Dentam Valley view Point

   
   
7. Singshore suspension Bridge - Should include if you love nature and architecture.

   

   Singshore Suspension Bridge , 240 m length, 100 m in height

   
   
   
   
   This is the highest bridge in Sikkim. You can enjoy the view of verdant hills and valleys from this bridge which connects two villages Dentam and Uttarey. Please be cautious when a car passes through the bridge because it will feel like an earthquake!! 
8. Uttarey - Should include if you love nature. It's a gateway to Nepal via Chewyabhang Pass. The Titanic Park, The Kagyu Gumpha, The Tenzing Hillary Memorial Park, Trout Farm, Mainebass waterfall are significant tourist spots here. In my opinion, if you want to complete the tour in three days you should forget Uttarey. Because there are 1-2 hr uphill downhill roads in between these spots and no tourist spots remain open before 7-10 AM and after 4 or 5 PM.
9. Skywalk and Chenrezig statue- Must watch for everyone. There is a wheelchair access to the statue. This place has three things viz. India's first glass skywalk, the tallest Chenrezig statue in the world, and Sang-ngag Choling Monastery , one of the oldest ( local claims this is the oldest monastery )in Sikkim. Sang-ngag means the land of divine teaching. You can literally feel this here. Teesta and Rangeet rivers flow near the glass walkway. This is a must-selfie or group photo site with the Kangchenjunga as the background. Photography is not allowed inside any monastery in Sikkim. The view of the Chenrezig Statue from the skywalk is magnificent. A spiral gallery inside the statue will lead you to the upper corridor from where you can watch the best view of Kangchenjunga from Pelling. There are several paintings on the walls of spiral way . All are related to Buddhism. If you are interested in Buddhism this is your must-go place. Now, you should know Chenrezig ( Chenrezik in Tibetan) also known as Avalokitesvara ( In Sanskrit) is a bodhisattva (a person who is on the path toward bodhi i.e. awakening) who acquires the compassion of all Buddhas . He has 108 avatars ( One notable being Padmapani) . He is described as either male or female in various cultures. 

   

   The Chenrezig Statue

   
   

   

   View from Skywalk

   
   

   

   The Skywalk 

   
   

   

   Statue from below with praying wheels on both sides

   
   

   

   View of Skywalk and statue from a distant hill

   
   
10. Rimbi Waterfall - Must for everyone.

    

    Rimbi Waterfall

    
    On the way to Yuksom via Pelling town and Darap Village, you will find Rimbi waterfall. 
11. Rimbi river and Orange garden - Must for everyone. Further, on the way to Yuksom along with the pleasant sound of Rimbi river, you will reach the Rimbi Orange Garden. There are several homestays and river camping sites here ( e.g. Orange Village Homestay - 9593771779 for advanced booking ).

    

    Rimbi River

    
    

    

    Rimbi Orange Garden 

    
    You can taste fresh Orange Juice here for Rs 50-100 . There are several natural wine available here. You can taste local momo also.
12. Kangchenjunga Waterfall - Must for everyone. This waterfall will be on the way to Yuksom further from Rimbi Orange Garden. On the way, you will find some natural water showers that will wash your car as it directly falls upon the driving road. The road is very bumpy here. Elderly persons should avoid this trip. This mighty waterfall has two parts.

    

    Kangchenjunga Waterfall upper part

    Life Should be like a waterfall- that's the feel you will get near this waterfall. All of your boredom and negativity will be washed away.
    

    

    Kangchenjunga Waterfall Lower Part

    
    

    

    Kangchenjunga Waterfall lower along with Rope-slide

    
    You have to climb some stairs if you wanna see the upper part. You can experience rope-sliding in the lower part. This is a perennial stunning waterfall. Your dress might get wet by the mist it produces. The burble produced by the upper part is so soothing. If you are a trekker or hiker Rope-slide is a waste of time for you, but it's good for kids or family persons.
13. Yuksom - Yuksom alone will take one day, but if you subtract Namchi and Buddha Park, Ravangla from your choice list then its possible to include Yuksom in three days. Yuksom means " meeting place of the three learned monks". Yuksom is itself a beautiful peaceful village. Besides you can explore Dubdi Monastery(1 hr walk from Yuksom), Kathok Pokhri, Kartok Monastery ( newly constructed, it is situated opposite the lake), Yuksom temple, Shrine of Yanghang Rinpoche. You can trek to Dubdi and Hongri monasteries ( 4 hours one way ) . You can trek 2 hours into the wildlife sanctuary of Kangchenjunga National Park. You can get an awesome view of Kangchenjunga from here. And if you are on a Buddhist pilgrimage, do not miss Tashiding Monastery. There are several other trekking routes are here, but they are not for a three-day plan. e.g. Dzongri Trek ( From Yuksom to Dzongri and Goecha La -5 to 6 days) , Dzongri via Samiti Lake, Goecha La Trek ( 8-9 days), Kangchenjunga Goecha La Trek ( 12-14 days).
14. Khecheopalri lake - Must go for all. Etymologically it means palace of flying yoginis or "Taras" ( female manifestations of Avalokiteshvara as mentioned before). Actually, if you trek higher to the lake viewpoint ( it will take 15-30 mins one way) you can see the lake as a footprint of her. Do not miss that if you are fit . Remember- " The best view comes after the hardest climb "
    
    
    

    

    View of Khecheopalri Lake from view point

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    According to folklore, this lake is one of the four plexuses of the human body, viz the thorax, the other three plexuses are said to be revealed by Yuksom ( the third eye), Tashiding ( head) and Pemayangtse ( the Heart ). The lake is considered a very sacred and wish-fulfilling lake. It is said local birds don't even allow to fall a leaf on the lake. The Lake is almost 800m from the entrance gate. Elderly and unfit people should not try to climb to the viewpoint . There is Tashi Choling Monastery nearby the lake.
15. Namchi (South Sikkim)- Namchi usually will claim one whole day minimum. But if you wanna choose only famous places, then you may visit  Chardham or Guru Rinpoche statue ( Statue of Guru Padmasambhava at Samdruptse hill- The wish fulfilling hill), Sai temple. The Namchi Monastery, Ralang Monastery and Tendong Hill are local Buddhist pilgrimage centers. But if you are not a religious person then you should focus more on Central park, Temi tea garden , Cherry resort in temi tea garden. In Chardham there is a statue of Lord Shiva and replicas of four most famous Dhams in the 4 ends of India, viz Badrinath from the North, Dwaraka from the West , Rameswaram from the South, and Puri from East India. These are Dham of Satyayuga, Dwaparyuga, Tretayuga and Kaliyuga respectively. There are twelve jyothirlingas there.
    
    
    

    

    Model of Chardham

    
    

    

    Full range of Kangchenjunga behind Lord Shiva Statue, Char-Dham

    
    

    

    Statue of Kirateshwar Mahadev, Chardham

    A full range of Kangchenjunga, statue of Guru Padmasamvava , Darjeeling is visible from here.
16. Ravangla (South Sikkim)- There are many Buddhist Monasteries surrounding Ravangla. It is the starting point of the trek to Maenam Wildlife sanctuary. Besides Ralong Monastery, Doling Gompa, Ralong Hot Springs, Bonn Monastery, Kheunphelling Carpet Centre, Rayong Sunrise View Point, Mangbrue Gampa View Point, Tumlong Monastery, Sharchog Bephug are accessible from here. But it will take time if you want to explore the whole Ravangla ( at least 2-3 days). If you have to choose just one place where you can taste the mixture of nature and spirituality then you can't miss the Buddha Park, Ravangla.

    

    View from the Buddha Park, Ravangla

    
    
    
    
    

    

    Ravangla Town

    
    

    

    Statue of the Buddha, Ravangla

    
    

    

    Buddhist Praying wheels in the Buddha Park, Ravangla

    
    It has spacious pathways, a Buddhist conclave, a meditation center, a museum with a spiral gallery, and above all a 40 m statue of the Buddha made of 60 tonnes of copper reflecting the sunlight with Mt Kangchenjunga as background. This breathtaking park is not the one to miss for anyone. Ecofriendly cars are available to roam around the park. You can walk on foot also. 

How to reach -
If you have a short time and enough money then book a flight to Bagdogra Airport, then reserve a car to Pelling. If you have a night to spare then book a train ticket to NJP station and then book a cab. But if you want to plan suddenly, then your choice is the bus. Redbus is the best booking option. If you are a honeymoon couple book an upper sleeper, otherwise lower sleeper is best. There is seater option too. But for a 12-14 hour journey, it should be avoided, otherwise, energy for the tour will be exploited here. Three day West Sikkim tour is tiresome itself. After reaching Siliguri by bus you can take a share cab from opposite of Siliguri Bus terminus. There are buses for Pelling (10.30 AM), Ravangla( 1.00 PM), Namchi(8 AM) too. All shared cab options should be availed within 10-11 am i.e. as early in the morning as possible. If a direct shared cab to Pelling is not available. Then book a shared cab to Jorethang.

The Teesta River on the way to Jorethang

Then to Geyzing followed by Pelling or Ravangla or Namchi. Share cab from Jorethang to Pelling is difficult to avail. Reserve car from Siliguri to Pelling will charge Rs 5-6k. You can reach Ravangla first, then come to Pelling the next day. A shared cab is available from the Ravangla Taxi stand. 

Ravangla Taxi Stand in Google map

Time table of shared cab from Ravangla Taxi Stand

How to plan - It's true best plan is no plan. But we are not a nomad. We have job attachment and family responsibilities. So it's better to be practical to extract the most fun out of the schedule. First, accept you can't visit everything in three days. Then choose according to your choice. If you are a nature lover, you should exclude Ravangla and Namchi which is in the Southern part of Sikkim. If you arrive Siliguri in the early morning, you shouldn’t waste time, then you will reach Pelling within 1 pm. Bus will take more time. A shared cab is the best option. Try to take the middle row of a cab. Middle row includes 4 people. If you are 4 or less, you should take a shared cab. If you have enough money to spare then only take a reserved car. Now, stay the night in Pelling. If you have reserved car, then visit Pemayangtse monastery, Rabdentse ruins, and bird park on D1. If you want the plan budget-friendly then after checking in, you should visit Pemayangtse monastery by foot. The path will take 2-3 hr till u return. You have to exclude Rabdentse ruin and bird park then. Because these three are on the same path. Rabdentse ruin will require one-hour minimum to visit. Bird Park will claim minimum 30-45 mins.  On D1 you have to reserve a car from a local travel agent or hotel for D2 . On D2 by car, you can only complete Option 5 to 14 excluding 8 and 13 . In the night of D2 stay in Yuksom or Rimbi Orange Garden if you wanna include option no 13 i.e. Yuksom. Otherwise, return back to Pelling that evening. Take a reserved car to touch Chardham or Samdruptse hill in Namchi and the Buddha Park in Ravangla in D3. Stay the night in either place and return back to Siliguri the next day. You should return back Siliguri as early as possible if you don't wanna miss your return vehicle at any cost. Because often there is traffic jam near Siliguri and from Ravangla , Pelling or Namchi it takes approx 4-6 hr on average. This is in the general plan . If you feel bored in Siliguri after arriving early, then you can explore local restaurants like Epare Bangla if you are a foodie or you can go to Bengal Safari Park. If you are on a honeymoon, family trips exclude Yuksom and include Namchi, Chardham. If you are on a solo trip or friend circle trip you should include Yuksom. You can start your tour from Namchi or Ravangla also , you can explore those areas well than the western part. If you want to explore the Pelling Town itself, You can do that on D1 after 5 pm or D2 before 7 AM. If you are on a honeymoon trip that will be too demanding to execute. So plan accordingly.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page "

Local Culture, what to eat - Nepali is the most spoken language in West Sikkim. Hindi, Engllish are also used . Buddhist, Hindu are the most common religion. Even if you don't obey their religion , you shouldn't disrespect. Photography is prohibited inside any religious place and you shouldn't litter plastics or garbage here. Football is the most popular outdoor sport in Sikkim. In Namchi you can find Bhaichung Stadium. Danny Denzongpa, the Bollywood actor is a popular figure in Pelling, Yoksum and Geyzing. In Pelling, Bengali, South Indian, North Indian food is very costly and not so good. Only local food like momo, noodles, Thukpa, Zhero are budget friendly and better comparatively. You can't find boneless chicken momo in West Sikkim. You can dine with a Kangchenjunga view at Hotel Kabur. Try only local cuisine. Alcohol is also available here. Another good bar cum restaurant option is Crassula's Kitchen. It's a wifi restaurant. In Pelling, the network will be an issue , so you will need wifi sometimes. 

Where to Stay - See, Car reservation for one day will charge Rs 4-6 K. For a tour to be budget-friendly, you should opt for Middle or lower Pelling. For a Honeymoon couple, upper Pelling view is a must. Almost all hotels in Upper Pelling ( Specially choose top floor) will provide an excellent view. I am naming some hotels which are on the way to lower Pelling with excellent views specially from the top floor viz Blueben Alpine, Hotel Green Valley, The Holiday Inn, Hotel the Golden Ice, Hotel Snow view on cloud nine, Hotel Parodzong, Hotel Panchak, Hotel Kingstone, Hotel Shenga, Hotel Haven, Hotel Norling, Hotel Pine Crest, Hotel Udaan, Hotel Norphel, Hotel Dzongrilla etc. There are many other hotels with good view. These hotels haven't paid me a single penny. The problem with lower Pelling is the road is not parallel to the Kangchenjunga range. So, the view is obstructed and the view is also from a lower angle. But if you are a solo fit explorer and you want a budget-friendly tour then that won't be a problem. Lower Pelling is much budget-friendly. It's easily possible to reach upper Pelling in the morning on foot to get a good view. It will be a good cardio exercise too. There are some hotel options near Chardham and the Buddha Park. but if you want to spend the night in a quiet place, you may try hotels near the taxi stand of Ravangla. 

Budget, When to Visit - It's best to avoid the monsoon season i.e. from June to September. You will want a clear sky for a Clean Kangchenjunga view. So it's wise, to go through the weather forecast before planning. The budget for two people, plan including the return bus fare will be Rs 30-40 K total for comfortable three days honeymoon trip. But for 3-4 friends group it can be reduced ( per head budget) to Rs 40 -45 K total. Remember - " An investment in travel is an investment into yourself ".

End Note-

It is said that the area around Kangchenjunga is home to a mountain deity called as Dzonga, a type of Yeti. It is also said that there is a valley of immortality hidden in its slopes. Local Lhopo people believe that the treasures are hidden, but reveal themselves to the devout when the world is in peril. Frankly, Kangchenjunga is a mystery. Even its etymology is a mystery. In Bengali, its spelling means " Golden Thigh ". Actually most people agreed with the brothers Hermann, Adolf, and Robert who explained the word derived from the Tibetan word as follows-

 "gangs" [kaŋ] meaning snow or ice, "chen"  [tɕen] meaning great , "mzod" meaning treasure, "lnga" meaning five . Tibetan pronunciations are inside third bracket.

I don't know what treasures are hidden in this mountain range. But i am sure you can find an abstract treasure whenever you are near her, the third highest peak in the world. It doesn't matter how many times you went near her , how much time you spent near her this mountain range remains always a mystery to a seeker. Werner Herzog rightly said, " Everyman should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life ". And If I choose one mountain in this world that will be Her always. Because - as Confucius said, " Wherever you go becomes part of you somehow ". How serene it will be when she will be part of you !!

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."- Helen Keller

[N.B. "Travel leaves you speechless. Then it turns you into a storyteller". That's what I am trying to do. So, please help me to rectify this content, if necessary, and please share. This content is purely dedicated to the people of Sikkim and travel enthusiasts. If you have any productive reviews for editing, please don't hesitate to write me at sapronwhitecoat@gmail.com. All copyrights are reserved.]