Frequently asked questions
Permits, payments and what actually happens when a mountain road closes. If your question is not here, ask us — we answer fastest on WhatsApp.
Permits and paperwork
Yes. Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar and Nathula all sit in protected areas that need an inner-line or protected-area permit. We file these for you before you arrive, so you do not spend a morning of your holiday in a permit office.
Bring an original photo ID (Aadhaar, voter card, passport or driving licence) plus two passport-size photographs per traveller. Foreign nationals must carry their passport and a valid Indian visa, and are subject to different permit rules for some areas.
Nathula Pass and Gurudongmar Lake are currently open to Indian nationals only. Foreign passport holders can still travel most of Sikkim, and we will re-plan those days around places you are permitted to visit.
Bhutan
No. Indian nationals get a free entry permit instead of a visa, issued by Bhutan's Department of Immigration at the Pedestrian Terminal in Phuentsholing. Carry an original Indian passport with at least six months' validity, or an original Voter ID card, plus two passport-size photographs. We build the border formalities into the first day of your itinerary.
Anyone under 18 needs a passport or a birth certificate in English, and must travel with a parent or legal guardian. Bring the original, not a photocopy.
Yes. Bhutan charges Indian tourists a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) of ₹1,200 per person per night. Children aged 5 and under are exempt, and children aged 6 to 12 pay half. We show the SDF as its own line in your quote. The fee is set by the Government of Bhutan and can change, so we confirm the current rate when we quote.
Booking and payment
For March to June and October to December, book four to six weeks ahead. Lachen and Lachung have a small number of rooms and they go early in peak season. Off-season, a week or two is usually enough.
Send an enquiry through any form on this site, or message us on WhatsApp. We reply with a written itinerary and a quote listing what is and is not included. A booking is confirmed once you accept that quote and pay the advance.
Prices shown on a tour page are per person on twin sharing, unless the page says otherwise. Solo travellers and anyone wanting a single room pay a supplement, which we state in the quote rather than adding later.
No. Every quote lists inclusions and exclusions in writing before you pay anything. Items that are normally excluded are personal expenses, entry tickets not named in the itinerary, and anything caused by a road closure outside our control.
On the trip
You pick it. Every tour page has a cab selector, and whatever you choose is carried into your enquiry so the quote is priced for that vehicle. Leave it blank and we match the car to your group size and luggage.
It happens, particularly around Chungthang in North Sikkim and on the Zuluk road. Our office is in Gangtok, so we usually know the same morning and re-plan that day rather than cancelling it. Where a night has to be moved, we arrange the alternative stay.
Most of our itineraries are, but high-altitude days such as Gurudongmar (17,800 ft) are not recommended for anyone with heart or breathing conditions, or for infants. Tell us who is travelling and we will say honestly which days to skip.
Gangtok and Darjeeling are fine. North Sikkim is patchy and often has no data at all, and postpaid connections work where prepaid does not. Plan to be offline for a day or two, and tell people at home in advance.