Pakyong district · Theme
Offbeat Sikkim in Pakyong and the Silk Route
Villages few packages reach
Photo: Rangan Datta Wiki · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In Pakyong and the Silk Route, offbeat sikkim works best in Kupup, Lingtam, Nathang Valley and Padamchen. We have 6 packages built around it. Okhrey, Hee Bermiok, Dzongu, Rolep, Kewzing, Uttarey and the new district of Soreng. Quieter roads, cheaper rooms, and places where you are a guest, not a number on a sightseeing list.
Most Sikkim packages repeat the same six stops. A day's drive from any of them are villages with homestays, monasteries and views that see a fraction of the traffic.
Offbeat means simpler rooms, longer drives on smaller roads and fewer ATMs. It also means you meet people. Carry cash and keep a buffer day.
Places
Where to go
lake
Kupup3,940M
Kupup
Elephant Lake and the Yak golf course below Jelep La
village
Lingtam1,500M
Lingtam
Warm river village just above Rongli
valley
Nathang V…3,750M
Nathang Valley
A high yak valley where the 1888 campaign was decided
village
Padamchen2,200M
Padamchen
Forest village halfway up the Old Silk Route
town
Rangpo333M
Rangpo
Gateway town where the Teesta meets the Rangpo
town
Rhenock1,040M
Rhenock
Old crossroads town between Kalimpong and the Silk Route
Rolep
Riverside farming hamlet for slow days
town
Rongli1,585M
Rongli
Permit town and old market at the foot of the Silk Route
Rorathang
River junction where the Silk Route road turns
Price your own route
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Trips to start from
Indicative prices per person, twin sharing. Each one can be changed.
Budget
Top1,980M
Aritar weekend: lake, Mankhim and villages
Aritar
Value
Top1,980M
Pakyong villages: Aritar, Mankhim and Rolep, 4N
Aritar · Mankhim · Rolep
Rolep riverside village stay, 3 nights
Rolep
Budget
Top4,100M
Silk Route from Gangtok on a budget, 3 nights
Zuluk · Nathang Valley · Aritar
Budget
Top4,100M
Old Silk Route on a budget, 3 nights from NJP
Padamchen · Zuluk · Nathang Valley
Budget
Top4,100M
Full Silk Route loop on a budget, 6 nights
Aritar · Padamchen · Zuluk · Nathang Valley · Gangtok
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
Nature
Look down on Elephant Lake
Stop on the road above Bitang Tso, the small glacial lake known as Elephant Lake, and see if you can trace the …
Adventure
See the world's highest golf course
Spot the army's Yak golf course on the Kupup valley floor, listed by Guinness World Records as the highest golf course in …
Monasteries and shrines
Stop at the Old Baba Mandir shrine
Visit the older, smaller shrine to Baba Harbhajan Singh on the Silk Route circuit near Kupup, built around the bunker associated with …
Nature
Lake Menmecho, source of the Rangpo
On the road down from Kupup, look out over Lake Menmecho, a deep mountain lake below Jelep La that feeds the Rangpo …
Village life
Cardamom and kitchen garden walk
A slow walk through Lingtam's terraces where cardamom grows under shade beside maize, ginger and vegetables, with a host who explains each …
Nature
Rongli river edge walk
A short, careful walk to the river near Lingtam to listen, watch birds and see the water that later joins the Rangpo …
Food
Farmhouse supper and evening chat
Dinner in a Lingtam farmhouse, with produce from the garden, tea afterwards and unhurried conversation about the road and the seasons.
Culture
Permit morning and Rongli bazaar stop
A relaxed start at Rongli: finish your Silk Route permit with a host or agent, then walk the bazaar, the oldest market …
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We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
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Where we would book
Budget
Nathang Valley homestays
A handful of family homestays in Gnathang, a small high village of yak herders and army neighbours at about 3,750 m. The coldest and …
Budget
Padamchen village homestays
Quiet forest-edge homestays at Padamchen, about 2,200 m, between Lingtam and Zuluk. A good first night on the Silk Route for families who want …
Budget
Lingtam village homestays
Farmhouse homestays in Lingtam, a warm village at about 1,400 m just above Rongli, where cardamom, maize and vegetables grow around the houses. The …
Budget
Rolep riverside homestays
Village homestays at Rolep, a farming hamlet at about 1,200 m on the upper Rangpo river, around 20 km beyond Rongli. River sounds, terraced …
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