Stays · Homestays
Village homestays in Sikkim
Sleep in the house and eat in the kitchen. Registered homestays in Lepcha, Bhutia, Limbu, Sherpa and Nepali-speaking villages, booked directly with families and paid fairly.
A Sikkim homestay usually costs about ₹1,200–2,500 per person a night with dinner and breakfast. Rooms are simple and clean, meals are what the family cooks, and the money stays in the village. It is the cheapest way to stay in Sikkim and the best way to meet the people who live there. Rates are indicative: check current status before you travel.
Sikkim has a wide network of registered rural homestays, many run by families and village committees. Rooms are simple and clean, meals are what the family cooks, and the money stays in the village.
Expect shared bathrooms in some houses, early dinners and quiet nights. Bring a torch, cash and patience with the hot water.
What you get
- A clean private room, sometimes with its own bathroom
- Dinner and breakfast cooked by the family
- Local knowledge: walks, monasteries, the farm
- A quiet night in a village, not a bazaar
What to expect
- Hot water by bucket in some houses in winter
- Early dinners and few menu choices
- Weak mobile signal in some valleys
- Cash only in many villages: carry enough
Homestays we book
Families and villages we know
Martam village homestays
Family homestays and small village guesthouses in Martam, a farming village of terraced paddy and cardamom about 29–34 km from Gangtok via Rumtek. Home-cooked …
Budget
Lachung family homestays
Several Lachungpa families take guests in their homes, with dinner and breakfast cooked in the family kitchen. It is the cheapest way to sleep …
Budget
Lachen family homestays
Lachenpa families in the old village above the road host guests in wooden and stone houses, with dinner and an early breakfast. A low-cost, …
Budget
Mayal Lyang Homestay
A Lepcha family homestay at Passingdang in Upper Dzongu, run by Gyatso Lepcha and his family, one of the first in Dzongu. Wooden rooms, …
Budget
Dzongu Lepcha homestays
Lepcha families across Dzongu villages such as Lingthem, Lingdong, Passingdang and Hee Gyathang host guests in traditional homes. Homestays began here around 2006–08 as …
Value
Daragaon Village Retreat, Darap
A community-minded eco homestay in Darap, the Limbu village 8 km from Pelling, offering farm walks, day hikes and home cooking. It won silver …
Budget
Yuksom village homestays
Family homestays around Yuksom, several linked to the Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee, a Yuksom-based community group. A low-cost, local way to stay at the gateway …
Budget
Uttarey village homestays
Family homestays in Uttarey, the cool village at about 2,000 m on the Singalila Ridge near the Nepal border, beyond the Singshore Bridge. Simple …
Borong village homestays
Family-run rooms scattered across upper Borong, about 5 km beyond Ralang Monastery at roughly 1,770 m. Simple, clean, home-cooked food, and a front-row view …
Kewzing village homestays
A Bhutia village on the Ravangla–Legship road that started a community homestay programme in 2003. A village tourism committee shares guests between participating families. …
Budget
Yangang village homestays
A small group of family homestays in Yangang, a Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali village below Maenam hill on the Ravangla side. Expect simple rooms, …
Value
Bon Farmhouse
A family-run farmstay at Kewzing, set among a few acres of tea, cardamom and vegetable fields below Ravangla. Responsible-travel listings have featured it for …
Budget
Zuluk village homestays
Family-run homestays in Zuluk, the old overnight stop for Silk Route mule caravans at about 2,800 m. Simple rooms, thick quilts, home-cooked dal-bhat and …
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 …
Budget
Lungthung homestays
A few high homestays at Lungthung, around 3,800 m, a short drive above Thambi View Point on the road to Nathang. Sunrise over the …
Value
Aritar lakeside homestays
The better family homestays around Lampokhari lake and Aritar bazaar, at about 1,450 m. Rooms with attached baths, good home food and walks to …
Value
Mankhim hill homestays
Homestays on Mankhim hill above Aritar, near the Kirat Rai temple, at around 1,900–2,000 m. Wide views over the hills to the Kangchenjunga range …
Budget
Rinchenpong village homestays
Family homestays spread along the ridge between Rinchenpong bazaar, the old monastery and Kaluk. Simple rooms, home cooking and Kangchenjunga outside the window on …
Comfort
Yangsum Heritage Farm
A family farmhouse built in 1833 and remodelled in 1966, on a 44-acre organic farm about 2 km from Rinchenpong bazaar. Wood-panelled rooms, meals …
Budget
Okhrey Sherpa village homestays
Homestays run by Sherpa families in Okhrey, a village of about 2,300 m below Hilley, the road gateway to Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary. Wood-lined rooms, …
Budget
Sherpa Lodge
A family-run Sherpa homestay in Okhrey, about 30 minutes by car from the Hilley checkpost. Seven wood-panelled rooms with attached bathrooms, all meals included …
Budget
Hilley and Barsey trailhead homestays
A handful of small family homestays at Hilley, around 2,750 m at the road-end entrance to Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary. Basic rooms and hot meals, …
Ask for a homestay
Tell us the valley and the month. We check which families have rooms. 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. StartHomestay villages
Where village stays work best
Martam
Paddy terraces and family homestays an hour beyond Rumtek
village
Sang1,450M
Sang
A quiet Kagyu monastery village beyond Rumtek and Martam
valley
Dzongu1,200M
Dzongu
The Lepcha reserve across the Teesta from Mangan
village
Lachen2,750M
Lachen
Gurudongmar's base village, run by its own Dzumsa
village
Lachung2,700M
Lachung
A Dzumsa-run village at 2,700 m on the road to Yumthang
Mangan
District headquarters above the Teesta, gateway to Dzongu
viewpoint
Singhik1,500M
Singhik
A Lepcha village above Mangan with a view up to Kangchenjunga
Darap
A Limbu farming village 8 km from Pelling, with homestays
Dentam
A farming valley on the road to Singshore Bridge and Uttarey
village
Hee Bermi…1,950M
Hee Bermiok
Limbu heritage, cardamom farms and forest walks west of Pelling
lake
Khecheopa…1,700M
Khecheopalri Lake
The sacred lake where birds are said to clear the fallen leaves
village
Uttarey2,000M
Uttarey
A forest village on the Singalila Ridge by the Nepal border
village
Yuksom1,780M
Yuksom
Sikkim's first capital and the gateway to Kangchenjunga
Borong
Farm village above the Rangeet with a winter hot spring
Kewzing
A Bhutia village where homestay income is shared
town
Ravangla2,050M
Ravangla
A cool ridge town between Buddha Park, Ralang and Maenam
village
Yangang1,500M
Yangang
Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali farms below Maenam's Bhaleydhunga
village
Aritar1,400M
Aritar
Lake village on the old Kalimpong trade road
village
Lingtam1,500M
Lingtam
Warm river village just above Rongli
pilgrimage site
Mankhim1,980M
Mankhim
Kirat Rai temple on a ridge above Aritar
village
Padamchen2,200M
Padamchen
Forest village halfway up the Old 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
village
Zuluk2,800M
Zuluk
The old caravan halt below the zigzag road
Daramdin
Flat farmland, Limbu and Lepcha villages and a tower of clay pots
village
Kaluk1,550M
Kaluk
A breezy bazaar village and the comfortable base below Rinchenpong
village
Okhrey2,300M
Okhrey
A Sherpa village of homestays below the Barsey rhododendron forest
village
Rinchenpo…1,650M
Rinchenpong
A ridge village with a 1730 monastery and a full Kangchenjunga view
town
Sombaria1,500M
Sombaria
The last bazaar on the road to Okhrey, Hilley and Barsey
town
Soreng1,315M
Soreng
A farming district town with a sunrise hill above the bazaar
Tharpu and Mangardzong
The fort site of the last Mangar raja, in a warm paddy valley
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. StartGood manners
How to be a good guest
- Take your shoes off at the door and ask before you photograph people, the family altar or the inside of a prayer room.
- Eat what is cooked, or tell us about allergies and diets beforehand so the family can plan.
- Pay the agreed rate. If you want to give more, buy honey, cardamom or weaving from the family.
- Keep the evenings quiet; most villages sleep early and farm at dawn.
- Carry your plastic back down, and carry a refillable bottle.
Get my price
Tell us the valley, we will find the family
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