To
Sikkim
Cultural Tours - The Enchanting Sights
The
Enchanting Sights
Day 01 : Arrive Siliguri / Bagdogra / New Jalpaiguri – Darjeeling (85 km,
3 hours)
Meeting & assistance on arrival and transfer to Darjeeling. Overnight at
the hotel in Darjeeling.
Day 02 : Darjeeling
Full day sightseeing of Darjeeling. It includes ;
Early morning sunrise view from Tiger Hill. The view from this point is
unforgettable, for colours changing from grey to pink and to luminous
gold. Mt. Everest (8,848m), the world’s highest peak is visible from Tiger
Hill but being 170 km away does not stand out as strikingly as the nearer
Kanchenjunga.
After breakfast, visit Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the house of
Late Tenzing Norgay, the sherpa who first climbed Mt. Everest with Edmund
Hillary in 1953. Then visit Natural History Museum, Lloyd Botanical Garden
established in 1878 and the Zoo, specializing in high altitude species.
Afternoon visit to Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre which produces and
sells a wide range of Tibetan artifacts and curios. Here you can see
Tibetan craftsman making traditional items like carpets, woolen boots,
wood carvings and leather boots. The centre was established in 1954 to
rehabilitate those refugees who had fled Tibet with Dalai Lama in the wake
of the Chinese invasion.
Overnight at the hotel in Darjeeling.
Day 03 : Darjeeling – Pemayangtse (131 km, 5 hours)
Transfer to Pemayangtse entering through Melli and passing through the
towns of Jorethang and Gayzing. Overnight at the hotel in Pemayangtse.
Day 04 : Pemayangtse
Visit Sangacholing Monastery which is an hour’s walk from the hotel.
Afternoon visit the Pemayangtse Monastery located on top of a hillock.
Built by the patron saint of Sikkim, Lhatsun Chempo in the 17th century,
it is the paramount seat of Nyingmapa monasteries and regarded as Sikkim’s
most prestigious centre of religious learning. Overnight at the hotel in
Pemayangtse.
Day 05 : Pemayangtse / Martam (141 km, 5 hours)
The morning view of mountain peaks is breathtaking. The prominent peaks
visible are ; Rothong, Kabru Dome, Talung, Kanchendzonga and Pandim. After
breakfast, drive to the tea plantation of Temi Tarku. Thereafter continue
drive to Martam resort by late afternoon.
Day 06 : Martam / Gangtok (28 km, 1 hour)
Morning visit to Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre which is an hour’s drive from
Martam. Located on a hilltop opposite Gangtok, the monastery is a
veritable treasure of some of the most unique Buddhist religious art
objects in the world. Later, drive to Gangtok en route visit Do-drul
Chorten and the Research Institute of Tibetology. Afternoon visit in
Gangtok the Cottage Industries and the Enchey Monastery. Overnight at the
hotel in Gangtok.
Day 07 : Gangtok – Kalimpong (77 km, 3 hours)
Morning drive to Kalimpong. Afternoon visit to Tharpa Choling Monastery,
belonging to the Gelugpa sect of Dalai Lama. Then drive to Deolo Hill, the
highest point in Kalimpong at 5,500 ft, which offers good view of the
surroudnign region. It also has two water reservoirs, the source of
Kalimpong drinking water.
Then visit Zong-Dog Palri Fo-brang Monastery followed by visit to Gauripur
House, the favorite retreat of Rabindra Nath Tagore who wrote many of his
works here.
Overnight at the hotel in Kalimpong.
Day 08 : Kalimpong – Siliguri / Bagdogra airport / New Jalpaiguri (80 km,
3 hours)
Morning transfer to Siliguri / Bagdogra airport / New Jalpaiguri for
onward journey.
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