BRIEF ITINERARY :
Day 1 : Bagdogra airport arrival and move to Gangtok.
Day 2 : Visit beautiful Changu Lake and Baba Mandir.
Day 3 : Visit Ranka Monastery, Ropeway & Institute of Tibetology, Dro dul Chorten and flower show.
Day 4 : Visit Ravangla, the Buddha Park and head to Pelling.
Day 5 : Visit 2nd highest bridge in Asia : Singshore bridge, Pelling skywalk & 18th century Rabdent’s ruins.
Day 6 : Move from Pelling to Yuksom, visiting Rimbi falls, orange garden, Khechepeolri lake, Kanchenjunga waterfall. Stay at Yuksom.
Day 7 : Walk around Yuksom : See Coronation throne, Karthok lake, village walk and footprint stone.
Day 8 : Leave early morning from Yuksom to Bagdogara. Fly back from Bagdogra.
DAY 01 : FLY INTO BHAGDOGRA; TRANSFER TO GANGTOK
Upon your arrival at the airport, We will move to Gangtok– A beautiful hamlet amongst the hills. It was established as a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the 1840s. We can go out for a walk and find a nice little restaurant for the evening. The small town remains a Tibetan Buddhist centre and a base for hikers organising permits and transport for treks through Sikkim’s Himalayan mountain range.
DAY 02 : CHANGU LAKE VISIT
After breakfast, we shall go to see the famous Tsongmo Lake. Tsomgo Lake (also called as Changu Lake) is one of the highest lakes in India set at an elevation of 12310 Feet .The lake is considered sacred by the local people and the water here is believed to have medicinal value. So are we going to drink it ? No. Take bath ? Big No. We are just going to sit here and take in the beauty of it.
After this , we visit the famous Baba Mandir, located between Nathula and Jelepla pass at an altitude of 13,123 ft and about 52kms from Gangtok, Baba Harbhajan Singh Temple is popularly known as Baba Mandir.
Ok then , Story time : Harbhajan Singh was a Sentry of Punjab Regiment and was posted here as part of border patrol force. In 1968, he disappeared, was said to have fallen and drowned. After a few days he reappeared in the dreams of one of his sentry colleagues and asked him to make a memorial here on his name. Harbhajan Singh is no more, the sentries and guards here believe that his spirit is still alive and he is therefore treated as a living being. They all believe that Harbhajan will guard and protect them in this very difficult terrain.
DAY 03 : GANGTOK LOCAL SIGHTSEEING
We’ll first go to the Ranka Monastery, this magnificent monastery complex is spread over a sprawling 21 acres of richly forested mountain side and offers a brilliant view of the majestic mountains that surround it. After this, let’s head to see the mesmerising townscape of Gangtok by riding in a ropeway/ cable car and the famous Sikkim flower show, usually held around March when the orchids in the region are in full bloom. This is quite a tourist attraction this time of the year. We will then visit the Dro dul Chorten Stupa, which is marked by a golden top dome. This golden top can be seen from various places in Gangtok. Walking distance from here is the Namgy a l Institute of Tibetoglogy, which is one of the most important and famous institutes in the world that does research in the areas of Tibetan language and culture. It also has in its premises a museum, a Tibetan library with rich collections and also a reference centre about Tibet and Himalayas in general.
DAY 04 : GANGTOK TO PELLING VIA RAVANGLA
After breakfast, we say goodbye to Gangtok and head towards Pelling. On our way to Pelling , we go via Ravangla to visit the Buddha Park holding the 130 foot high Golden Budha Statue, it was built by virtue of the 2550th birth commemoration of Lord Gautama Buddha in 2006. We will be staying in Peling for the night.
DAY 05 : PELLING SIGHT- SEEING
Pelling is one of the must visit places for its scenic view.It is from this Sikkimese town, one can have the best views of the Himalayas and the Kanchenjunga Peak. Today, we visit Asia’s second highest bridge called the singshore bridge at a height of over 100metre and 240metre in length. Post which we visit a gigantic 137 feet statue of Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara) and a transparent Sky Walk made of glass that leads to the statue. This is India’s first ever skywalk made. After the gorgeous skywalk , we will head to Rabdentse Ruins, a former capital of Sikkim, which was destroyed in 18th century. It has many stories of power and glory. You will be mused with the fact that there are still patches of blood on the walls. The view from the top of the ruins scanning across deep valley to the mystic heights of Kanchendzonga ranges is something to be cherished and etched in memory.
DAY 06 : PELLING TO YUKSOM
Today, after breakfast, we shall start off for a scenic route with many pit stops. The first pit stop will be the Rimbi waterfalls. Nearby is the Rimbi orange gardens where we will be walking amongst tons of oranges hanging around us and even enjoy some freshly plucked oranges.
Post this we will be moving towards the Kechepeolri Lake, sit there , have some hot chai and conversations.
Post our relaxation at the lake , we will go to the famous Kanchenjunga falls and take a dip if we wish ,in this magnificent falls. This one of the largest waterfalls in Sikkim. After our dip here, we will be heading towards our stay in Yuksom. Yuksom signifies “meeting spot of three lamas” and is the chronicled capital of Sikkim built up in 1642 AD. For Buddhists, it’s one of the sacred destination.
DAY 07 : YUKSOM SIGHT – SEEING
Today we visit the Coronation throne and the Norbugang Chorten.Norbugang Chorten was established during a consecration ceremony that was held by three learned Lamas headed by Lhatsun Chempo, crowning the first Chogyal of Sikkim. The Norbung Chorten (stupa), is said to contain water and soil from all parts of Sikkim. From here, we will be heading to see the Kathok lake, which is considered a holy lake as the water of this lake was used to or the consecration ceremony held to crown the Chogyal. A foot print seen here is attributed to be of one of the lamas involved in the crowning ceremony. By removing the head board, imprints are clearly seen of toes and soles of feet.
DAY 08 : HEAD TO BAGHDOGRA BY EARLY MORNING
Most of us have flights around 2pm so we have to move around 5am from here.
COST ( excluding 5% GST )
Rs. 27,000 / person ( Before
FLIGHTS CONSIDERATION :
Onwards : Before 11 am Outwards : After 3pm
GROUP TRIP DATES:
SLOTS AVAILABLE :
HOW TO BOOK A SLOT ?
You can block the slot by paying a token amount of 10,500 INR for this trip either by UPI or by Bank transfer. As discussed the total amount is 27,000 INR. Once it’s done, please share the reference number with me. Choose UPI or Bank transfer by clicking on the tab below.
SCAN TO PAY
UPI : oneintheorangejacket@icici
BANK DETAILS :
A/C HOLDER’S NAME: Orange jacket Adventures LLP
A/c No : 169105000957
RTGS/NEFT IFSC CODE : ICIC0001691
BANK NAME AND BRANCH: ICICI , Thoppumpady
Account type : Current account
UPI : oneintheorangejacket@icici
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Homestay / Lodging
- Transportation : Bagdogra Airport to Bagdogra Airport
- Accommodation : 7 Nights in hotels
- Breakfast Bed tea/ coffee with “Wake uuuuup guys” call from me
- Government taxes and service charges except tips for tour guides and drivers
- Permits
- Airport Transfers
- Local Transportation
- A Trained Outdoor leader to keep you safe. I Promise 🙂
- Mineral Water or any other room service
- Entrance fees to the scenic spots listed in the itinerary
- Camera Charge
- Cost of any Extra Day
- Lunch and dinner
- Any expenses due to deviation from itinerary
- Flight tickets to Bagdogra and back to home city
- Before 45 days of trip, there will be 10% cancellation charge.
- Before 30 days and within 44 days of arrival, there will be 25% cancellation charge.
- Before 15 days and within 29 days of arrival ,there will be 50% cancellation charge.
- Within 14 days of trip there will be 100% cancellation charges.
All this been said if you or me can find a replacement for the slot. I will be happy to refund the entire amount. 🙂
Here is our 9 point checklist that we follow with regards to OJ trips.
- Our trippers will be asked to get -ve RTpcr certificate before they arrive.
- You will staying at a hotel where we are the only guests. its more like a guesthouse.
- Your tempo traveller will be sanitised before it reaches you.
- Your driver is also tested -ve RTpcr before our trip starts.
- We ask our trippers to keep themselves away from any crowded space 2 weeks before the trip.
- We ask our trippers to be careful of the restaurants and hotels that they might go before and after your trek.
- Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, cold, shortness of breath or fever ) are being asked to reschedule their trips/ treks.
- On treks, we are providing hygiene sleeping bags to everyone. You will be using this throughout the trek and only return on the last day
- On treks, every tent will have only 2 people compared to 3 ( which is the usual number at pre-covid era )
- *Mandatory : Original ID Proof
- Clothes : 2 Fleece jacket , 3 Synthetic / cotton pants ,4 Full sleeves tees , Sunhat , Woollen head-scarf/ muffler ,Towel , 2 pair of thermals , 1 down jacket ( zero degree equivalent ), Water proof jacket or poncho.
- Shoes & socks: High ankle shoes , cotton socks
- Skin care essentials : Sunglasses with UV protection ,Lip balm Cold cream, Sunscreen lotioniv)Other accessories : LED Torch/ headlamps (If already bought)
Most people come alone for my trips. About 25% of the people bring a friend or partner.Honestly It really doesn’t matter. I have seen on all the batches I have lead. Most people really gel with everyone, even the ones who thought wouldn’t gel up, surprise themselves always with the way they got comfortable with everyone.
Each trek/ trip is rated according to the number of days we spend outdoors . If you aren’t sure where to start, go with an easy trip or trek.
For trips,
I dreamed of trips where we could go out hike , get exhausted , come back to hotel and have a great evening. This is exactly why some of my trips have Day hikes in it. It is a perfect chance for people who have never hiked in their entire life. Don’t worry, We are there :).
For treks,
you can start with Sandhakphu or Chandrashila . You can also benchmark yourself for the treks.
- If you can run for 30 mins and cover around 3-3.5 km , then you can go ahead with an easy trek
- If you can run for 30 mins and cover around 3.5-4 km , then you can go ahead with an moderate trek
- If you can run for 30 mins and cover around 4-5 km , then you can go ahead with an difficult trek
If you have never done a high altitude trek, then start with a easy or Easy- moderate trek. That way you will understand how your body reacts to high altitude and you can check you cardio strength too.
Usually, most batch sizes are between 12-20 people who are aged between 16-38. Most people come alone or with a friend. The trip would feel like you are travelling more with college friends than strangers. We tend to do more outdoorsy things than regular trips .
For example : If we find a very pretty waterfall/ a beautiful sunset / Rainbow on the way. We would stop the vehicle right away to catch the beauty of it.
We usually sleep very late on these trips as we play a lot of group games and most people feel they will miss the precious time with the group members and decides to stay awake.
Here are few places you can read more about the brand and trips
