Planning a Trip to Gangtok? Why do we love to travel all over those mysterious and beautiful places? We want to gather some great memories to cherish for life. We want to go and see the areas which attract us with their marvelous picture. We need to explore and experience those places personally to evolve more.
The silent sea-beaches, snowy mountain top, and the rhythm of flowing water heal our hearts. Sometimes we want to break the chain of our daily tradition and want to explore other’s cultures, food, customs, and festival.
Gangtok, Sikkim’s little heart, situated between the Nepal and Bhutan border, is a perfect combination of beautiful sceneries, rich culture, spectacular tradition, and delicious food. This mountain valley hides many secrets in its narrow and stony roads. Let’s reveal all of it.
The heart of Sikkim
This place is always decked up with white and fluffy clouds. This place is part of the northern East Coast of the Himalayas. The background imagery or the classic backdrop is decorated with the mountains of the Himalayas.
The gold finishing scenario of Kanchenjunga adds a bit more magical essence in the time of sunset. Each Buddhist shrines, exotic flora, and fauna, including hundreds of different butterflies and fantastic adventures, made it more special.
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Ways to reach Gangtok in your preference ?
The most significant and famous way to go to Gangtok is through railways. Here we drop a detailed description of the way to go Gangtok in a Rail.
- The nearest 🚂rail station is New Jalpaiguri means NJP, approximately about 150 km from Gangtok.
- NJP is connected very well with most of the major cities in India.
- Outside the 🚂New Jalpaiguri station, you can take a shared 🚕taxi for Gangtok. The fare is around Rupees 200 – 250. It takes around 3-4 hours to reach Gangtok.
- If you prefer to travel by 🚌bus, you can get the same from the Siliguri bus stand. It costs Rupees 150 per person.
- Remember, due to the hilly terrain, buses are slower compared to sumo/safari.
The description of the Roadway:🚌/🚕
- Gangtok is connected in an exemplary manner by road with Siliguri, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong.
- You can go for National Highway 31A to reach the region.
- You can also find several regular Sikkim state transport buses that regularly ran their services between Gangtok and Siliguri.
Another possible route is the way of Air:🛫
- The nearest airport is Bagdogra Which is also well-linked with all the cities of India.
- Nearly Gangtok is around 124km from Bagdogra. You can quickly get public transport near the exit gate of the Airport.
Short facts about Gangtok:
Buddhism a way more influences Gangtok. There are numerous types of Buddhist temples situated in Gangtok. The meaning of the name is The top of the Hill. This place is like a small package comes with hundred kinds of surprise in it.
Religion, culture, and festivals in Gangtok:
You can spot different types of people of other religions here. Various cultures, ethics, and communities are mixed here in the one place named Gangtok.
You can spot Nepalese, Bhutia, Tibetan, and Lepcha altogether here. The local language of the people from Gangtok is Nepali. Eventually, they are also able to speak Hindi, English, and other languages.
You can spot people of various religions with diverse beliefs. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims are living here peacefully with each other. Isn’t it great?
The major religious festivals of Gangtok are the light festival Diwali, Christmas, Dusshera, Holi, etc. Maghe Sankranti, Ram Navami is also celebrated here gloriously.
Chotrul Duchen, Buddha Jayanti, the birthday of the Dalai Lama, Loosong, Bhumchu, Saga Dawa, Lhabab Duechen, and Drukpa Teshi essential festivals. This place is a beautiful cocktail of different religions and different cultures.
The delicious rollercoaster ride of foods in Gangtok:
The famous food of Gangtok is their delicious momo. You can also get an extensive range and various noodles served as a soup form called Thukpa.
Other noodle-based items are chowmein, thanthuk, fakthu, gyathuk. You can also get both steam and fried crunchy wonton here. One of the most traditional cuisines of this place is shah-phaley and Gack-ko soup.
Churpee, a kind of hard cheese made from cow’s or yak’s milk, is also popular among the people here. One of the most top-rated cafes is Baker’s cafe, and one of the famous restaurants is Nine Native Cuisine.
Picturesque and heart stealer places of Gangtok:
- MG Road: This road is considered the little beating heart of Gangtok.
- Rumtek Monastery: This is one of the sacred Buddhist Monastery of Gangtok
- Ganesh Tak: A fairy tale viewpoint to watch the beautiful backdrop of the Himalayan coast.
Apart from these three glorious places, you can also visit Ban Jhakai Fall, Baba Ka Mandir, Tashi view Point, Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology.
Visitor’s reactions?
Each year hundreds of visitors from all over the world visit this place to be happy spiritually. This place is an underrated gem of Sikkim.
Charles said (England)
“I am just blown away by the beauty of this place. And the spiritual vibe can completely remove the negative thoughts of your mind.”
Rachel said (Singapore)
“I love this place and try to come here every two years to visit this place again and again to create more memories.”
Author,
Ramesh Bhatt (Blogger)
