Sikkim in May

Gangtok 14 to 22 °C, showers; Tsomgo 3 to 12 °C

Peak season for Indian families, with school holidays filling Gangtok's hotels and shared Tsomgo seats. Nathu La and Baba Mandir are generally open, and wildflowers spread above Tsomgo. Pre-monsoon showers arrive in the afternoons. Saga Dawa, the Buddha's day, may fall late in the month.

Go to: Nathu La · Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir · Gangtok

Lachung 7 to 18 °C; Gurudongmar −5 to 8 °C

Peak spring and peak demand. Yumthang is in full flower, Zero Point usually opens, and Gurudongmar starts to thaw at the edges when Lachen is open. Indian school holidays fill hotels and shared jeeps, so book weeks ahead. Pre-monsoon showers arrive late in the month.

Go to: Yumthang Valley · Zero Point (Yumesamdong) · Gurudongmar Lake

Pelling 11 to 21 °C, afternoon showers

Warm, green and busy with Indian family holidays. Pelling hotels fill and prices rise. Mornings can be clear, afternoons bring cloud and showers. The trekking season continues into the first half of the month. Waterfalls start to fill. A good month for families on the Pelling–Yuksom circuit.

Go to: Pelling · Kanchenjunga Falls · Darap

Namchi 16–26 °C, Ravangla 11–20 °C, warm, pre-monsoon showers

Warm in Namchi and pleasant in Ravangla, which makes May popular with families escaping the plains during school holidays. Buddha Park and Ralang are busy, and Saga Dawa falls in some years. Pre-monsoon showers come most afternoons by late May, and haze often hides the high peaks. Book rooms early, …

Go to: Ravangla · Buddha Park (Tathagata Tsal) · Yangang

Zuluk 6 to 16 °C; Aritar 15 to 26 °C

Warm, green and busy. Rhododendrons linger at the higher end of the route early in the month, the Nathang meadows start to green up, and the lower villages are good for river walks at Rolep. Pre-monsoon storms bring afternoon rain and the first slides by late May. Sakewa celebrations at …

Go to: Nathang Valley · Rolep · Mankhim · Aritar

Rinchenpong 15 to 25 °C, humid; frequent showers

Warm and increasingly humid, with pre-monsoon storms. The upper Barsey forest can still be in flower early in the month, but lower down the bloom is over and haze often hides the mountains. Prices fall after the April rush. It is a pleasant month for homestay stays and birding if …

Go to: Okhrey · Hilley · Kaluk