Old Silk Route trip cost: real numbers for 2026

Where the money goes

On the Old Silk Route the car is the trip. There are no buses to Zuluk or Nathang, the few local shared jeeps run once or twice a day on the Rongli–Zuluk stretch and are meant for villagers, and the high road above Zuluk needs a vehicle that is on the permit. So most of your spend is car hire, and the single best way to cut the cost per head is to fill the car.

The second line is the homestay. Almost every bed between Padamchen and Nathang is in a family home, and the rate is per person with dinner and breakfast, often with lunch too. That makes the Silk Route one of the cheapest places in Sikkim to sleep and eat. Permits are a small, fixed amount. After that you are paying for tea, Maggi at Thambi, a room heater and tips.

All figures below are indicative for 2026, per person unless we say otherwise, and rounded. Fuel prices, festival weeks and snow can move them. Check current status before you travel.

Car hire: the line that decides your budget

Drivers in Siliguri and Gangtok quote the Silk Route as a package: pick-up at NJP or Bagdogra, three or four days on the route, drop back at NJP. For a small car or Bolero-class vehicle that seats four to six, expect about ₹18,000–22,000 for 4 days in 2026, which works out to ₹4,500–5,500 a day. A larger SUV such as an Innova or Scorpio costs ₹5,500–7,000 a day. Starting and ending in Gangtok is a little cheaper because the run to NJP is the longest day.

The quote should include fuel, the driver's food and stay, tolls and parking. Ask whether the car is a Sikkim-registered tourist vehicle, because only registered vehicles can be put on a Silk Route permit. Self-drive cars from outside Sikkim have faced restrictions on this road in the past; ask us before you plan around your own car.

Homestays, food and the small extras

A standard Silk Route homestay at Padamchen, Zuluk, Lungthung or Nathang charges about ₹1,200–1,800 per person a night with dinner and breakfast, twin or triple sharing. The newer places with attached bathrooms, geysers and wooden floors charge ₹2,000–2,500. Aritar and Rolep, lower down, have both homestays and small hotels, where a double room runs ₹1,500–3,000 and a better hotel ₹3,000–5,000.

Meals are mostly included. When they are not, a thali at Rongli costs ₹150–250, a plate of momos ₹80–120 and a bowl of noodles at a Thambi or Kupup tea stall ₹60–100. Budget for a few things people forget:

• Room heater at Zuluk or Nathang: ≈ ₹200–300 a night, where electricity allows
• Hot water by the bucket: sometimes free, sometimes ₹50–100
• Lunch on the long road days: ≈ ₹200–300
• Sikkim tourist entry fee: ₹50, collected once at check-in, valid 30 days
• Tip for the driver: ≈ ₹300–500 a day is usual if you were happy
• Gumboots or snow boots on hire at Kupup in winter: ≈ ₹100–200

Permits: small money, but plan it

The Silk Route protected-area permit is for Indian nationals only and is processed at Rongli through a registered agent, driver or homestay. The fee itself is about ₹200 per person; with handling, agents usually charge ₹300–700. You need a photo ID and two passport photos. If your trip continues over Kupup to Tsomgo Lake and Gangtok, a separate Tsomgo permit through a Gangtok agent adds roughly ₹200–400. Nathu La, if added, is about ₹200 more. Rules and fees change, so check current status before you travel. Our Silk Route permits guide has the details.

Three real budgets for a 3-night trip

Here is how a typical NJP–Padamchen–Zuluk–Nathang–NJP trip adds up at our three main levels. The budget line assumes four people sharing one car. The value line assumes two people with a private car to themselves. The comfort line uses an SUV and the best rooms on the route plus a good hotel night at Aritar if you add one.

How to spend less without suffering

The Silk Route rewards a little planning more than a big budget. Most of the savings come from timing and sharing, not from sleeping in worse places.

• Travel as four or six. A Bolero split six ways costs less per head than a shared jeep plus a reserved car for the high road.
• Start from Gangtok if you are already there. You save most of a long road day and part of the car bill.
• Avoid Durga Puja, Diwali, Christmas and New Year weeks, when Bengal and the rest of India arrive together and car rates rise ₹500–1,000 a day.
• Book homestays as part of the car package. Drivers have long relationships with families on the route and get the standard rate.
• Carry dry snacks and a refillable bottle. Tea-stall prices at Thambi and Kupup are fair but add up over four days.
• Do not cut nights to save money. A trip squeezed into two nights means sleeping at 4,000 m on day one or turning back before Nathang, and both are poor value.

What costs more, and why

Two things push a Silk Route trip up. The first is winter. From December to February drivers want a bigger car and snow chains, some homestays charge extra for firewood or heaters, and there is always a chance of a lost day to snow. Add 10–20 percent and a spare day. The second is the Kupup crossing to Gangtok. It saves the long run back to NJP but needs a second permit and a driver who holds both, and Gangtok hotels cost more than Silk Route homestays.

On the other side, the monsoon from late June to mid-September brings the lowest prices of the year. Slides on the Rongli–Zuluk road and NH10, plus fog, are the reason. We only suggest it to travellers with flexible dates. Our month-by-month guide explains the trade-off.

Reading a package quote line by line

Silk Route packages online range from ₹5,000 to ₹20,000 per person for what looks like the same three nights, and the difference is almost always hidden in the basis. A very low number usually means six or seven people in one vehicle, triple or quad rooms, a start at Siliguri rather than NJP or Bagdogra, and permits, heaters and lunch left out. A very high number often includes a 3-star hotel night at Aritar or Gangtok that you may not need.

When you compare quotes, ours included, ask the same questions of each. How many people is the price based on, and what does it become for two? Is the car exclusive to you or shared with another group? Which nights are homestays and which are hotels, and are the bathrooms attached? Are dinner and breakfast included at every stop? Who processes the permit, and is the fee in the price? Is the drop at NJP, Bagdogra or Gangtok, and at what time? A fair quote answers all of these in writing. If a seller cannot tell you where you will sleep at Zuluk, keep looking.