Gangtok district · Theme
Monasteries in East Sikkim
Prayer halls, masks and butter lamps
Photo: Amitabha Gupta · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In East Sikkim, monasteries works best in Enchey Monastery, Gangtok, Ranka and Lingdum and Rumtek. We have 5 packages built around it. Sikkim has a gompa in almost every valley, from Dubdi (1701) above Yuksom to Rumtek, seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in exile. We time visits for morning prayers and the mask-dance days of the Tibetan calendar, and we brief you on the etiquette before you step inside.
Buddhism reached Sikkim with the Nyingma lamas who consecrated the first Chogyal at Yuksom in 1642. The monasteries that followed, Pemayangtse, Tashiding, Phodong, Rumtek, still run on ritual time: prayers at dawn, cham dances on fixed days of the lunar year.
Walk clockwise, ask before photographing inside a prayer hall, and keep your voice low. Mask-dance dates move with the Tibetan calendar each year, so check current status before you travel.
Places
Where to go
monastery
Enchey Mo…1,860M
Enchey Monastery
Gangtok's Nyingma monastery on the ridge, 3 km above MG Marg
town
Gangtok1,650M
Gangtok
Sikkim's capital on a ridge at 1,650 m
monastery
Ranka and…1,420M
Ranka and Lingdum
A Zurmang Kagyu monastery in the Ranka forest, 20 km from Gangtok
monastery
Rumtek1,500M
Rumtek
The Karmapa's seat in exile, 24 km from Gangtok
village
Sang1,450M
Sang
A quiet Kagyu monastery village beyond Rumtek and Martam
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartPackages
Trips to start from
Indicative prices per person, twin sharing. Each one can be changed.
Budget
Top3,564M
Gangtok, Lachung and Pelling on a budget
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok · Pelling
Budget
Top2,000M
Gangtok monasteries and food, 4 nights
Gangtok · Martam
Budget
Top4,310M
Gangtok, Tsomgo and Nathu La on a budget
Gangtok
Budget
Top4,000M
Gangtok weekend on a budget
Gangtok
Budget
Top4,000M
Sikkim by shared jeep: 9-night budget circuit
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok · Pelling · Yuksom · Ravangla
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartExperiences
Hours that fit the theme
Monasteries and shrines
Morning prayers at Enchey
Reach Enchey before the sightseeing taxis and sit at the back of the prayer hall while the monks chant with drums and …
Culture
Watching the Detor Chaam at Enchey
Each winter Enchey's monks perform the Detor Chaam, two days of masked dances in the courtyard before the Tibetan new year. Gangtok …
Nature
Ridge walk from Enchey to Ganesh Tok
Walk the upper ridge road from Enchey to Ganesh Tok, past the TV tower and through conifers, with views over the town …
Nature
Dawn light at Enchey for photographers
At sunrise the golden cupola, prayer flags and pine trunks of Enchey catch low light, and the ridge is almost empty. A …
Culture
Namgyal Institute and Do Drul Chorten
A morning at Deorali seeing the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, opened by Nehru in 1958, and the white Do Drul Chorten above …
Food
MG Marg and Lal Bazaar food walk
A walk from the clean, car-free MG Marg down to Lal Bazaar, Gangtok's main market, tasting momos, thukpa, sel roti and churpi …
Nature
Ropeway ride from Deorali to Tashiling
A short cable-car ride across the steep face of Gangtok, from Deorali near the Tibetology institute to Tashiling beside the Secretariat. Under …
Craft
Workshops at the Handicrafts Directorate
Watch young artisans paint thangkas, carve and paint wooden choksee tables and weave carpets and Lepcha loin-loom cloth at the government Directorate …
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartStays
Where we would book
Budget
Mintokling Guest House
A long-running, family-feel guest house on Bhanu Path, just below the Secretariat road and about 10 minutes on foot from MG Marg. Quiet garden, …
Budget
Hotel Sonam Delek
A small Tibet Road hotel that has been running since the early 1990s, a 10-minute walk from MG Marg. Rooms have balconies facing the …
Value
Netuk House
A family-run heritage house on Tibet Road built in the late 1950s for Gellong Netuk Lama, a counsellor to the Chogyal. Traditional Sikkimese rooms, …
Value
The Hidden Forest Retreat
A family-run guest house in Middle Sichey, about 2 km from central Gangtok, set in roughly three acres of garden built around an orchid …
Value
Hotel Tibet
An established mid-range hotel on Paljor Stadium Road, a few minutes' walk from MG Marg, decorated in a traditional Tibetan style. Suites and deluxe …
Comfort
The Chumbi Residency
One of Gangtok's best-known mid-range hotels, open since 1997 on Tibet Road, five minutes' walk above MG Marg. Consistent service, valley and Kangchenjunga views …
Comfort
The Elgin Nor-Khill
Built in 1932 as the royal guest house of the Chogyal of Sikkim, Nor-Khill sits in its own gardens beside Paljor Stadium in central …
Premium
Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino Gangtok
A five-star resort at Lower Samdur near Ranipool, about 10 km below central Gangtok on the NH10 side, with a full spa, a casino …
Premium
Taj Guras Kutir Resort & Spa, Gangtok
IHCL's Taj resort in the Pangthang forest, about 20 minutes' drive from Gangtok, opened in September 2023. 69 rooms and villas across 14 acres, …
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartGet my price
Tell us your dates and your budget
Who is travelling, when, and roughly what you want to spend. The Gangtok desk replies within one working day with a day-by-day plan and an itemised price.
- No payment to start
- Permits handled through registered partners
- Every hotel, car and fee listed