Why pair Pelling with Soreng
Pelling, at about 2,150 m in Gyalshing district (West Sikkim), is one of Sikkim's best-known hill towns. It sits close to some of the state's most important early history: Pemayangtse Monastery, Sanga Choeling, the ruins of Rabdentse, which served as the royal capital of Sikkim from the late 17th century until the early 19th, and Khecheopalri Lake, sacred to Buddhists and Hindus. It also has the widest choice of hotels in western Sikkim, from backpacker rooms to some of the best hotels in the state.
What Pelling does not have is quiet. In season the ridge fills with hotels and tour cars. Soreng, just to the south, is the opposite: farming villages, homestays, forest trails and the same Kangchenjunga view with a fraction of the traffic. Combining the two gives you the history and the comfort of Pelling with the calm of Rinchenpong, Kaluk or Okhrey, and the drive between them is short.
Most of our West Sikkim guests now do it this way, and it costs little more than staying in Pelling alone.
Drive times between the two
Distances are short but the roads wind, so allow for the 20–25 km an hour average that is normal in the hills. Shared jeeps between Pelling and Soreng's villages are irregular, so for transfers a reserved car is much easier. All times below are typical in dry weather.
| Route | Road distance and time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pelling to Rinchenpong or Kaluk | ≈ 35–40 km · 1.5–2 h | Easy half-day transfer |
| Pelling to Hilley (Barsey walk) | ≈ 75 km · 3–3.5 h | Via Dentam; long day trip |
| Pelling to Okhrey | ≈ 85 km · 3.5–4 h | Via Dentam and Hilley |
| Pelling to Yuksom | ≈ 35 km · 1.5–2 h | Add-on for Dubdi and Norbugang |
| Rinchenpong to Okhrey | ≈ 50 km · 2.5 h | Via Soreng and Sombaria |
| NJP to Pelling | ≈ 135 km · 5–6 h | Via Melli, Jorethang and Legship |
| NJP to Rinchenpong | ≈ 125 km · 5–6 h | Via Melli and Jorethang |
Which way round to go
Both Pelling and Rinchenpong are 5–6 hours from NJP, so either can come first. We usually suggest Soreng first and Pelling second for two reasons. The quiet villages make a gentle landing after the long drive from the plains, and ending in Pelling, with its bigger hotels and restaurants, feels like a treat at the end of a trip. Pelling also has more cars for the return to NJP or onward to Gangtok.
Reverse it in April if the Barsey rhododendrons are your main reason for coming. Start in Pelling, then move to Okhrey for the walk once you have had a few days to get used to the hills, and finish with Rinchenpong or Kaluk on the way down to NJP.
In the monsoon both routes into the district from Siliguri use NH10 along the Teesta to Melli, which closes after landslides. The alternative is via Darjeeling to Jorethang, which adds one to two hours. Check current status before you travel.
If you are carrying on to Gangtok rather than returning to NJP, end in Pelling or go via Ravangla in Namchi district: Pelling to Gangtok is about 115 km and 5 hours, and the Ravangla route breaks the journey with Buddha Park and Ralang Monastery.
We turn this into a priced, day-by-day plan for your dates.
Four ways to put it together
These are the shapes our guests choose most often. All start and end at NJP station or Bagdogra airport.
Our journeys pages show each of these as a priced package at budget, value and comfort level, with the price split line by line into stays, car, fees and planning, so you can see exactly what you are paying for and adjust it. Every itinerary can be shortened, lengthened or turned round to suit your dates.
- 4 nights: Rinchenpong 2, Pelling 2. The shortest trip that does both justice
- 5 nights: Rinchenpong or Kaluk 2, Pelling 3. Adds a full day for Khecheopalri Lake and Yuksom
- 6 nights in April: Okhrey 2 for Barsey, Pelling 2, Yuksom 2
- 7 nights: Okhrey 2, Rinchenpong 2, Pelling 3. Barsey, the quiet ridge and Pelling's history in one loop
What to see on the Pelling side
Give Pelling at least one full day. Pemayangtse Monastery, founded in the early 18th century and one of Sikkim's most important Nyingma monasteries, is a short drive or walk from town; the ruins of Rabdentse are a 20-minute forest walk from the road below it. Sanga Choeling, on a ridge above Pelling, is among the oldest monasteries in Sikkim and now sits near a large Chenrezig statue with a glass skywalk.
A second day can go to Khecheopalri Lake, about 1–1.5 hours away, where prayer flags line a quiet forest lake, and on to Yuksom, the village where Sikkim's first Chogyal was consecrated at Norbugang in the 17th century. Kanchenjunga Falls and the Singshore Bridge, near Dentam, can be seen on the way to Hilley or Uttarey.
On the Soreng side, a full day is enough for Rinchenpong Monastery, which Wikipedia dates to 1730 and which holds an unusual image of the Ati Buddha, the forest walk to Resum Gompa on the crest of the ridge, and a slow wander through orange and cardamom orchards to Kaluk. If you stay in Okhrey, the 4 km walk from Hilley to Barsey fills a morning, and the Sherpa village and its small monastery fill the afternoon. The pleasure on this side is less in sights than in time: sunrise from a terrace, dinner with your hosts, and roads with almost no traffic.
Where to stay on each side
On the Soreng side, our stay guide to Rinchenpong and Kaluk covers homestays, Zostel Rinchenpong, Kaluk's village resorts and Yangsum Heritage Farm. In Okhrey, family homestays and small lodges are the only option and are part of the charm.
In Pelling, there is far more choice. Budget hotels on the main road charge about ₹1,500–3,000 a room. Comfortable mid-range hotels and resorts, such as Norbu Ghang Resort, cost roughly ₹5,000–10,000 a room. At the top end, The Elgin Mount Pandim, a heritage hotel below Pemayangtse, and The Chumbi Mountain Retreat are among the best hotels in western Sikkim, at about ₹12,000–25,000 a room. All prices are indicative 2026 bands; check current status before you travel.
What a combined trip costs
Here is roughly what five nights, two in Rinchenpong and three in Pelling, cost per person for two people sharing, from NJP and back, in 2026. The budget level uses shared jeeps for arrival and departure and a car only for the transfer and one sightseeing day; the others use a private car throughout.
| Level | Stays | Transport | Per person, 5 nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Homestays and budget hotels | Shared jeeps plus two car days | ≈ ₹15,000–19,000 |
| Value | Good homestays and 3-star hotels | Private small car | ≈ ₹24,000–30,000 |
| Comfort | Kaluk resort and a top mid-range Pelling hotel | Private SUV | ≈ ₹35,000–45,000 |
| Premium | Best heritage stay in Rinchenpong and a top Pelling hotel | Private SUV, guide | ≈ ₹75,000 and up |
Practical tips for a combined trip
Book the car for the whole trip rather than leg by leg. A driver who stays with you from NJP to NJP knows the plan, waits during walks and costs less overall than hiring at each stop. Make sure the car carries Sikkim tourist registration. In April and October to December, book Pelling hotels and Okhrey homestays four to six weeks ahead; Rinchenpong and Kaluk fill up later but are busy on long weekends.
- Carry cash for the villages; Pelling has ATMs, Okhrey does not
- Mobile signal is good in Pelling and on the Rinchenpong ridge, patchy around Okhrey and Hilley
- Pack layers: Pelling and Okhrey nights are cold from November to March
- Start drives early to avoid afternoon cloud and rain on the hill roads
- Keep one spare day on trips of six nights or more
Rules, fees, fares and road status change often. Check current status before you travel.
