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Month by month
District by district: the weather, where we would go and what to watch for on the roads.
In December the best districts are East Sikkim, West Sikkim, South Sikkim, Pakyong and the Silk Route. Weather and road status change year to year: check current status before you travel.
Gangtok 5 to 14 °C, dry; Tsomgo −8 to 4 °C
Festival season in Gangtok: the Kagyed dance at the Tsuklakhang in early December, then Losoong, the Sikkimese new year. Skies are clear and mountain views are good, though the first heavy snow can close Nathu La. Christmas and New Year bring a rush of visitors from Kolkata and beyond.
Go to: Gangtok · Ganesh Tok · Tsomgo Lake
East Sikkim in DecemberLachung −4 to 9 °C, snow possible; Mangan 6 to 17 °C
Winter arrives in the high valleys, with the first proper snow at Lachung, and Gurudongmar trips often stop. Lower down, it is festival season: the Phodong chaam on the 28th and 29th days of the 10th Tibetan month, and the Lepcha Namsoong at Namprikdang near Mangan at the turn of …
Go to: Phodong · Labrang · Lachung
North Sikkim in DecemberPelling 2 to 13 °C, clear, frosty mornings
Cold and clear, with some of the best mountain views of the year. Christmas and New Year weeks fill Pelling hotels, but the first half of the month is quiet and good value. Higher villages such as Uttarey may see frost or light snow. Treks into the park are mostly …
Go to: Pelling · Pemayangtse Monastery · Dentam
West Sikkim in DecemberNamchi 6–17 °C, Ravangla 2–12 °C, crisp, clear
Crisp, clear and festive. Ralang holds its winter cham on the 29th day of the 10th Tibetan month, usually in December, and Losoong falls in some years. The hot spring season begins at Borong. Christmas and New Year bring weekend crowds to Ravangla from Siliguri and Gangtok. Nights are cold, …
Go to: Ralang Monastery · Borong · Ravangla
South Sikkim in DecemberZuluk −4 to 8 °C, first snow likely; Aritar 6 to 17 °C
Early winter. The first snow usually reaches Zuluk and Nathang in late December, and clear days give long views. Roads can close after a heavy fall, so build in a spare day. The Christmas–New Year week fills Aritar and Zuluk with families from Kolkata and Siliguri. The lower villages stay …
Go to: Zuluk · Aritar · Mankhim · Rhenock
Pakyong and the Silk Route in DecemberRinchenpong 4 to 16 °C; dry; Okhrey near freezing at night
Cold and clear, with sharp sunrise views and peak orange season. Chasok Tangnam may fall early in the month, and on 30 December the Gurung community marks Tamu Lhosar at the Gurung Gumpa near Rinchenpong. The Christmas and New Year week is busy on the Rinchenpong–Kaluk ridge; the rest of …
Go to: Rinchenpong · Kaluk · Daramdin
Soreng in DecemberFestivals
Most dates follow the lunar calendar and move each year. Ask us for the date in the year you travel.
Bhutia, with Lepcha Namsoon…
Losoong is the Sikkimese Bhutia new year and harvest festival, held in December. In Gangtok it is preceded by the Kagyed dance …
Lepcha
Namsoong is the Lepcha new year and harvest festival. Since 1979 its best-known public celebration has been held at Namprikdang, a riverside …
Bhutia and Buddhist monasti…
Phodong Monastery, a Karma Kagyu seat 38 km north of Gangtok, holds its annual masked dance on the 28th and 29th days …
Kirat Khambu Rai
Sakewa is the great earth-worship festival of the Kirat Khambu Rai. On Mankhim hill above Aritar, the Rai community gathers at its …
Limbu (Yakthung)
Chasok Tangnam is the Limbu harvest festival, held on the full moon of Mangsir, when the first grain of the year is …
Gurung (Tamu)
Tamu Lhosar is the Gurung new year. Near Rinchenpong it is marked at Rinchen Choling Monastery, the Gurung Gumpa at Meghi Dara, …
Packages
Cheapest first. Indicative prices per person, twin sharing.
Budget
Top1,700M
Rinchenpong
Budget
Top1,800M
Namchi
Budget
Top1,500M
Dzongu
Budget
Top2,200M
Pelling
Budget
Top2,000M
Gangtok · Martam
Budget
Top2,100M
Namchi · Ravangla
Budget
Top3,564M
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok
Budget
Top2,100M
Namchi · Ravangla
Questions travellers ask
In December the best districts are East Sikkim, West Sikkim, South Sikkim, Pakyong and the Silk Route. Weather and road status change year to year: check current status before you travel.
East Sikkim: Gangtok 5 to 14 °C, dry; Tsomgo −8 to 4 °C. North Sikkim: Lachung −4 to 9 °C, snow possible; Mangan 6 to 17 °C. West Sikkim: Pelling 2 to 13 °C, clear, frosty mornings. South Sikkim: Namchi 6–17 °C, Ravangla 2–12 °C, crisp, clear. Pakyong and the Silk Route: Zuluk −4 to 8 °C, first snow likely; Aritar 6 to 17 °C. Soreng: Rinchenpong 4 to 16 °C; dry; Okhrey near freezing at night.
Rates are lowest in the monsoon (June to mid-September) and in late January and February. They peak in October, around Christmas and New Year, and in May and early June when plains holidays begin. Book the peak weeks early.
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