10 Days - Darjeeling, Kalimpong,Gangtok and North Sikkim

[1100D]

Excellent trip and lovely snaps. Love those mountains.

[Nitin]

Beautiful pics! And a very nice write up indeed!

[johy]

Awesome BlackPearl - you sure are an adventurer. Next time, do ping me when you are in these parts. :-)

The Calcutta-Siliguri part really intimidates me. Is is doable in a small car? Were you the lone one at the wheel?

[s0uljah]

I dream to visit these places soon and Arunachal as well. Thanks for the report

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Malda can get very congested after 10 in the moring till 9 in the evening. You can easily lose 1-2 hours there if you dont plan properly.

I am not aware of the Kolkata-Krishnanagar-Moregram route which the buses take, we take a slightly longer route - Kolkata-Panagarh-Siuri-Moregram (about 60 Kms more).

I thought they had a flyover through Malda town. Any chances of a bypass?

I have driven on the Krishnagar-Moregram route to Darjeeling and it takes upto 14 hours to Dum Dum.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by johy

The Calcutta-Siliguri part really intimidates me. Is is doable in a small car?

Nothing intimidating about this route. I have done it both in a bike and a small Matiz. But for a few patchy roads here and there in Raiganj/Kishangaj area and congested and small roads immediately north of Kolkata, it is a peaceful drive. And once the GQ work gets over, the drive from Siliguri to Dalkola will be fantastic. And if you take the Moregram-Siuri route, the Durgapur expressway is one of the fastest roads in India.

[BlackPearl]

thanks @mobike, razor, 1100D, nitin, johy and s0uljah

Originally Posted by johy

Awesome BlackPearl - you sure are an adventurer. Next time, do ping me when you are in these parts. :-)

The Calcutta-Siliguri part really intimidates me. Is is doable in a small car? Were you the lone one at the wheel?

will surely ping you next time I go there. There is nothin intimidating about Kolkata-Siliguri. we went to Gangtok during december 2006 in my wifey's alto. only thing you have to do is to take prior information about the road condition between Malda and Farakka as it gets badly hit every year by rain and flood. Last year it took me 3 Hours to travel 25-30 Kilometers between Farakka and Malda and a total of 17 hours to reach Siliguri from Kolkata. But this year it was very good except the odd 30 Km stretch.

[suman]

BP, that was a excellent trip report & good pics ; Darjeeling brought back old memories, particularly Keventers, Glenary's & that Chinese joint close to the Planters Club which we would frequent on our visits to Darj (can't remember the name)? Oh yes & Kalimpong & Gangtok too!

Its been ages since I've done the Kolkata-Siliguri sector by road but it sounds like road conditions have improved significantly - 9.5 hours to Bagdogra is real good timing I would say.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by suman

Its been ages since I've done the Kolkata-Siliguri sector by road but it sounds like road conditions have improved significantly - 9.5 hours to Bagdogra is real good timing I would say.

Dada, Now its time for a Delhi - Gangtok dash on your beast...Try it out !!

Abhi

[kARTIK IYER]

Black Pearl ,

Looks like you had a great trip . You reminded me of my honeymoon at Sikkim . Though went by train. But the place is awesome . Pelling is one of the good places not to talk about other locations .

I may plan a trip again and will visit places mentioned by you . I had a superb beer called Dansberg . It was one of the best beers i have had in India .
Thank you for the well drafted note .

[1100D]

Originally Posted by suman

; Darjeeling brought back old memories, particularly Keventers, Glenary's & that Chinese joint close to the Planters Club .

Keventers now is only a name. Its too crowded. If you go there with old memories (even 15 years old), you would be disappointed. Planters though, still offers the fantastic view of the snow tops. The setting is just too fantastic. Only it isn't as serene/calm as before. However thats a general observation of Darjeeling as a whole with its ever growing population. Still a favourite.

For some reason this road intimidates me too. Far too many family incidents that had taken place on this road.

[HappyWheels]

great BP. that was a lot of driving.

great spots you have hit.

Thanks for the write up.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by kARTIK IYER

Black Pearl ,

Looks like you had a great trip . You reminded me of my honeymoon at Sikkim . Though went by train. But the place is awesome . Pelling is one of the good places not to talk about other locations .

I may plan a trip again and will visit places mentioned by you . I had a superb beer called Dansberg . It was one of the best beers i have had in India .
Thank you for the well drafted note .

Thanks Kartik for the compliment. here are a few snaps for you -
taken during my honeymoon in Sikkim in Jan 2006

Tsomgo Lake or popularly called Changu Lake


Rinchenpong


Hotel Mt Pandim in Pelling


River Rangeet

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Keventers now is only a name. Its too crowded. If you go there with old memories (even 15 years old), you would be disappointed. Planters though, still offers the fantastic view of the snow tops. The setting is just too fantastic. Only it isn't as serene/calm as before. However thats a general observation of Darjeeling as a whole with its ever growing population. Still a favourite.

surprisingly, this time around Darjeeling was not at all crowded. I think it gets crowded during the summers... the view of Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling is really different from anywhere in Sikkim. The altitude of Darjeeling plays an important role here, its truly the queen of the hills..

[kaushik_s]

Aahaaa, this reminds of my trip to Gangtok/Tsomgo lake 5 years back.Lovely pictures of a lovely place.Thanks for sharing.I wish I could again be there soon and will visit Darjeeling also this time.