From village trails to Goecha La
Treks and walks in Sikkim
Day walks to Hanuman Tok and Tendong, the Hilley–Barsey rhododendron trail, the Monastery Trail in the west and the Dzongri–Goecha La trek into Khangchendzonga National Park. Graded by hours and height gained.
Photo: Dibyendu Ash · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Day walks to Hanuman Tok and Tendong, the Hilley–Barsey rhododendron trail, the Monastery Trail in the west and the Dzongri–Goecha La trek into Khangchendzonga National Park. Graded by hours and height gained.
You do not need to be a mountaineer to walk in Sikkim. Many trails link villages and monasteries with three to five hours on foot and a car waiting at the end.
The big treks need permits, a registered guide and fitness. We grade every walk by hours, height and terrain, and tell you plainly who it suits.
Packages
Trips built around it
Sorted by price. Indicative per person, twin sharing.
Budget
Top3,000M
Okhrey, Hilley and Barsey rhododendron walk
Okhrey · Hilley · Okhrey
Budget
Top4,200M
Dzongri short trek from Yuksom
Yuksom · Dzongri and Goecha La · Yuksom
Budget
Top4,000M
Sikkim by shared jeep: 9-night budget circuit
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok · Pelling · Yuksom · Ravangla
Value
Top2,600M
South Sikkim birding trip, 5 nights
Namchi · Ravangla
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
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 treks and walks
sanctuary
Fambong L…2,100M
Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary
Oak, magnolia and red panda forest west of Gangtok
Martam
Paddy terraces and family homestays an hour beyond Rumtek
monastery
Tholung M…2,400M
Tholung Monastery
Upper Dzongu's relic monastery, opened every three years
monastery
Dubdi Mon…2,100M
Dubdi Monastery
The hermit's cell above Yuksom, often called Sikkim's oldest monastery
trek
Dzongri a…4,020M
Dzongri and Goecha La
Sikkim's classic trek from Yuksom to the face of Kangchenjunga
sanctuary
Khangchen…1,780M
Khangchendzonga National Park
India's first mixed World Heritage Site, entered on foot from Yuksom
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
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
Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary
Red panda forest and a summit of medicine plants above Ravangla
town
Ravangla2,050M
Ravangla
A cool ridge town between Buddha Park, Ralang and Maenam
Tendong Hill
The Lepcha ark mountain, a half-day forest walk from Damthang
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
Rolep
Riverside farming hamlet for slow days
sanctuary
Barsey Rh…3,000M
Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary
A 104 km² rhododendron forest reached by a 4–5 km walk from Hilley
viewpoint
Hilley2,750M
Hilley
The road-end checkpost where the Barsey forest walk begins
town
Sombaria1,500M
Sombaria
The last bazaar on the road to Okhrey, Hilley and Barsey
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
Nature
Day hike through Fambong Lho forest
A guided day walk through Fambong Lho's layers of forest, from broadleaf trees and ferns into oak, magnolia, rhododendron and bamboo. Steady …
Wildlife and birds
Birding morning in Fambong Lho
An early start with a local bird guide in one of the best forest birding sites near Gangtok. Mixed flocks of minlas, …
Adventure
Climb towards Tinjure ridge
A longer, harder walk up through Fambong Lho to the area of Tinjure, at about 2,749 m the sanctuary's highest point. For …
Nature
Rhododendrons and magnolias in spring
A gentle spring walk in the middle forest of Fambong Lho, when magnolias and rhododendrons flower and orchids open on the tree …
Village life
Walking Martam's paddy terraces
Walk the field bunds and village paths of Martam with a local guide, through rice terraces, bamboo groves and hamlets. Green in …
Food
Cooking and eating in a Martam kitchen
Join a farming family in their kitchen for a meal of home-grown rice, dal, local greens, gundruk or pickles, and perhaps chicken …
Craft
Large cardamom fields and drying kilns
Visit a shady cardamom plot under alder trees with a farming family, see the red pods cut from the base of the …
Wildlife and birds
Morning birding around Martam
The mix of fields, bamboo, cardamom and forest edges around Martam draws a good variety of common Himalayan birds. An early walk …
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
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 …
Value
Yuksum Residency
One of the better hotels in Yuksom, with a terrace and garden, used by families on the Pelling–Yuksom circuit and by trekkers resting before …
Value
Hotel Tashigang, Yuksom
A long-running Yuksom hotel popular with trekkers and families, which can help arrange trekking equipment. A good-value, practical base for Norbugang, Dubdi and the …
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 …
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 treks and walks 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