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Routes · Asia

Istanbul to the eastern Himalaya: Darjeeling and Gangtok

Istanbul → Darjeeling → Gangtok

Darjeeling
"Darjeeling, India, Tea plantations on hills.jpg" by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
TEA GARDEN 1 (Bagdogra)
Photo: idk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tea gardens, a toy train & monasteries Best season (general guide): Mar–May, Oct–Nov

In India's far north-east, the hills of Darjeeling and Sikkim face Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain. This route spends three nights in Darjeeling and three in Gangtok. From Istanbul you'll connect via Delhi to Bagdogra, then drive up into the hills, which takes most of the first day.

How to pace it: on day two, get up before dawn for the sunrise over Kangchenjunga from Tiger Hill, then rest. Day three is for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the narrow-gauge toy train that opened in 1881 and was listed by UNESCO in 1999; its Batasia Loop is a spiral of track around a war memorial. Combine it with a tea garden, as many estates welcome visitors. Darjeeling tea was the first Indian product to receive a geographical indication tag, in 2004. In town, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was founded after the first ascent of Everest, with Tenzing Norgay as its first director of field training, and the zoo breeds red pandas and snow leopards.

On day four, drive to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, on a ridge facing the mountains. Visit Rumtek Monastery, an important centre of Tibetan Buddhism, on day five, and Tsomgo Lake on day six. Sikkim became a state of India in 1975 and was declared India's first fully organic state in 2016. Momos, steamed dumplings, are sold everywhere in both towns.

Practical notes: foreign visitors need a permit to enter Sikkim and further permits for areas such as Tsomgo Lake, so arrange them before the drive. Spring and autumn are the clearest seasons; the monsoon brings heavy rain and landslides that can close roads, so leave slack before your flight from Bagdogra.

Safety: Canada advises a high degree of caution in India, with regional advisories for other areas (updated 13 Jul 2026), and the US rates India Level 2 (16 Jun 2025). Neither names Darjeeling or Sikkim.

Suggested outline

  1. Istanbul

    Start

  2. Darjeeling

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A hill station among tea gardens, with the toy train.

  3. Gangtok

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    Sikkim's capital, on a ridge facing the snows.

    Gangtok
    "Sikkim Gangtok.jpg" by Kailas98, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Darjeeling — Arrive; drive from Bagdogra· Istanbul → Bagdogra (by air), then Bagdogra → Darjeeling (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Darjeeling — Sunrise at Tiger Hill
  3. Day 3 · Darjeeling — Toy train and a tea garden
  4. Day 4 · Gangtok — Drive to Gangtok· Darjeeling → Gangtok (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Gangtok — Rumtek Monastery
  6. Day 6 · Gangtok — Tsomgo Lake (with permit)
  7. Day 7 · Gangtok — Travel home from Gangtok· Gangtok → Bagdogra (overland), then Bagdogra → Istanbul (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Darjeeling

Nearest airport: Bagdogra Search fares · Bagdogra ↗

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