Kangchenjunga at first light
Photography in Sikkim
Sunrise on Kangchenjunga from Pelling or Tashi View Point, the Zuluk loops at dawn, prayer flags at Tsomgo, Rumtek's courtyard in morning light. We plan for the hours that matter and the weather windows that open them.
Photo: Anjan Kumar Kundu · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sunrise on Kangchenjunga from Pelling or Tashi View Point, the Zuluk loops at dawn, prayer flags at Tsomgo, Rumtek's courtyard in morning light. We plan for the hours that matter and the weather windows that open them.
The mountain shows itself most reliably from October to December and on clear spring mornings. Afternoons cloud over in most seasons, so photography trips start early and rest in the middle of the day.
Drones need permission and are banned near border areas, monasteries and military sites. Ask before photographing people and inside prayer halls.
Packages
Trips built around it
Sorted by price. Indicative per person, twin sharing.
Budget
Top2,200M
Pelling budget escape from NJP
Pelling
Budget
Top2,200M
Pelling and Yuksom on a budget
Pelling · Yuksom
Budget
Top4,200M
Dzongri short trek from Yuksom
Yuksom · Dzongri and Goecha La · Yuksom
Budget
Top2,150M
Namchi, Ravangla and Pelling, 6 nights
Namchi · Ravangla · Pelling
Value
Top4,100M
Silk Route photography trip, 5 nights
Padamchen · Zuluk · Thambi View Point · Nathang Valley
Value
Top4,700M
Yumthang rhododendron season
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok
Budget
Top4,570M
Goecha La trek, group departure
Yuksom · Dzongri and Goecha La · Yuksom
Value
Top5,183M
Lachen, Thangu and Chopta Valley slowly
Gangtok · Lachen · Lachung · Gangtok
Value
Top2,200M
Gangtok, Namchi, Ravangla and Pelling, 7N
Gangtok · Namchi · Ravangla · Pelling
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. StartWhere to go
Places for photography
viewpoint
Ganesh Tok1,980M
Ganesh Tok
A tiny Ganesh shrine at 1,980 m, opposite Gangtok's red pandas
pilgrimage site
Hanuman T…2,200M
Hanuman Tok
An Army-kept Hanuman temple at about 2,200 m above Gangtok
viewpoint
Tashi Vie…1,890M
Tashi View Point
Gangtok's sunrise point for Kangchenjunga, 8 km up the north road
lake
Tsomgo La…3,753M
Tsomgo Lake
A glacial lake at 3,753 m, 40 km from Gangtok
valley
Chopta Va…4,000M
Chopta Valley
A high meadow beside the Lachen river, just beyond Thangu
town
Chungthang1,600M
Chungthang
Where the Lachen and Lachung rivers meet to form the Teesta
lake
Gurudongm…5,150M
Gurudongmar Lake
A sacred lake near the Tibet border, above 5,000 m
waterfall
Naga Wate…1,300M
Naga Waterfall
A roadside waterfall before Toong on the way to Chungthang
waterfall
Seven Sis…1,300M
Seven Sisters Waterfall
A roadside cascade in the Kabi forest on the way to Phodong
sanctuary
Shingba R…3,200M
Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary
Sikkim's rhododendron forest on the road to Yumthang
viewpoint
Singhik1,500M
Singhik
A Lepcha village above Mangan with a view up to Kangchenjunga
valley
Thangu3,900M
Thangu
The last village before Gurudongmar, at about 3,900 m
valley
Yumthang …3,564M
Yumthang Valley
Sikkim's valley of flowers at 3,564 m, 24 km above Lachung
viewpoint
Zero Poin…4,660M
Zero Point (Yumesamdong)
Where the civilian road ends, about 4,660 m above Lachung
trek
Dzongri a…4,020M
Dzongri and Goecha La
Sikkim's classic trek from Yuksom to the face of Kangchenjunga
waterfall
Kanchenju…1,400M
Kanchenjunga Falls
A tall, two-pronged waterfall on the Pelling–Yuksom road
heritage site
Norbugang1,800M
Norbugang
The stone throne where Sikkim's first king was consecrated in 1642
town
Pelling2,150M
Pelling
West Sikkim's base, facing Kangchenjunga across the Rangeet
monastery
Pemayangt…2,085M
Pemayangtse Monastery
Sikkim's senior Nyingma monastery, home of the Zangdok Palri model
heritage site
Rabdentse…2,000M
Rabdentse Ruins
Forest ruins of the royal capital of Sikkim from 1670
monastery
Sanga Cho…2,200M
Sanga Choeling Monastery
A hilltop monastery dated to 1697, above the Pelling Skywalk
viewpoint
Singshore…1,600M
Singshore Bridge
Sikkim's highest bridge, 240 m across a gorge near Uttarey
monastery
Tashiding1,465M
Tashiding
The heart-shaped hill of chortens and the sacred Bumchu vase
Borong
Farm village above the Rangeet with a winter hot spring
pilgrimage site
Buddha Pa…2,115M
Buddha Park (Tathagata Tsal)
A 130 ft copper Buddha with Mount Narsing behind it
pilgrimage site
Char Dham…1,710M
Char Dham, Solophok
A 108 ft Shiva and India's four dhams on one Sikkim hilltop
Kitam Bird Sanctuary
Sikkim's low, warm sal forest, best known for wild peafowl
Namchi Rock Garden
Terraced paths, ponds and Precambrian rock on the Samdruptse road
town
Namchi1,500M
Namchi
Two giant statues, one tidy hill town, mild weather all year
pilgrimage site
Samdruptse2,200M
Samdruptse
Guru Rinpoche, 135 ft tall, on the wish-fulfilling hill
tea garden
Temi Tea …1,500M
Temi Tea Garden
The Chogyal's tea estate, organic since the 2000s, above the Teesta
pilgrimage site
Mankhim1,980M
Mankhim
Kirat Rai temple on a ridge above Aritar
valley
Nathang V…3,750M
Nathang Valley
A high yak valley where the 1888 campaign was decided
viewpoint
Thambi Vi…3,413M
Thambi View Point
Sunrise above the Zuluk loops, beside the 1888 Lingtu ridge
village
Zuluk2,800M
Zuluk
The old caravan halt below the zigzag road
sanctuary
Barsey Rh…3,000M
Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary
A 104 km² rhododendron forest reached by a 4–5 km walk from Hilley
village
Kaluk1,550M
Kaluk
A breezy bazaar village and the comfortable base below Rinchenpong
village
Rinchenpo…1,650M
Rinchenpong
A ridge village with a 1730 monastery and a full Kangchenjunga view
town
Soreng1,315M
Soreng
A farming district town with a sunrise hill above the bazaar
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. StartThings to do
Experiences on the way
Monasteries and shrines
Ganesh Tok shrine and the view over Gangtok
Climb the short steps to the tiny Ganesh shrine, stoop through its doorway to offer a prayer, then stand on the terrace …
Wildlife and birds
Red pandas at the Himalayan Zoological Park
Cross the road from Ganesh Tok into a hillside zoo of natural forest, where red pandas, Sikkim's state animal, live in large …
Nature
Evening lights of Gangtok from Ganesh Tok
Watch the sun set behind the western hills and the lights of Gangtok come on along the ridge below. A gentle hour …
Adventure
Walking down from Ganesh Tok to MG Marg
After the zoo, skip the taxi and walk back down the ridge to town, passing Enchey Monastery on the way. About 5 …
Monasteries and shrines
A quiet visit to the Hanuman Tok temple
Climb the steps to the small Hanuman temple built in 1950 over a sacred stone and kept by the Indian Army. A …
Nature
Sunrise over Kangchenjunga from Hanuman Tok
Leave Gangtok in the dark and reach Hanuman Tok as the first light hits Kangchenjunga, 8,586 m and about 60 km away …
Culture
Gangtok's three-point morning by taxi
The classic early taxi round of Tashi View Point, Hanuman Tok and Ganesh Tok, three hill-top viewpoints around Gangtok, with a stop …
Wellness
Hanuman Tok at an easy pace for seniors
How older travellers can enjoy Hanuman Tok without strain: a later start when the air is warmer, slow steps with rests, and …
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. StartWhere to sleep
Stays that fit
Premium
The Elgin Mount Pandim, Pelling
A hotel run by the Elgin group on the ridge just below Pemayangtse Monastery, with lawns that face Kangchenjunga across the Rangeet valley. The …
Premium
The Chumbi Mountain Retreat and Spa
A large resort in Pelling from the group behind The Chumbi Residency in Gangtok, with a spa, several dining options and rooms that face …
Comfort
Norbu Ghang Retreat and Spa
A well-known Pelling resort with wide Kangchenjunga views, a café and a hot stone bath spa. Our usual comfort-tier pick in Pelling when the …
Comfort
Summit Newa Regency, Pelling
A Summit Hotels property on the Pelling–Pemayangtse side of town with a spa and mountain-facing rooms. A solid comfort-tier base a few minutes by …
Budget
Hotel Garuda, Pelling
Pelling's long-standing backpacker favourite in Upper Pelling, near the helipad viewpoint, with good-value rooms, Kangchenjunga views from the terraces and a restaurant serving Sikkimese …
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 …
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
Plan a photography trip with us
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