[//M]

“All good things come in small packages, like this wonderland – Sikkim”

We read this line at a café situated at 15,000 feet above sea level on the way to Gurudongmar Lake, aptly named “Café 15000” and couldn’t agree more. Sikkim is indeed a wonderland.

This state nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, boasts of some of the highest peaks, amidst spectacular terrain, pristine lakes, luxuriant forests and roaring rivers. Nowhere in the world is the elevation as varying as in Sikkim, from 224 meters to 8590 meters above sea level, which gives Sikkim its incomparable range of flora and fauna.

Lying under the protective shadow of Mount Khangchendzonga (8598 meters), the third highest peak in the world and the highest peak in India, Sikkim is a treasure house of glaciers, mountains, rivers, streams, lakes, rhododendrons, ferns, orchids and birds. Sikkim must have been in the mind of George Herbert, when he referred to “Nature’s bounty, a gift of God”.

No wonder we were left impressed and enchanted on our sojourn to the mystical landscapes of North Sikkim.

North Sikkim is a land of the mighty Teesta River



Of barren landscapes



Of snow-capped peaks



Of monasteries



Of prayer flags



Of waterfalls



Of winding mountain roads



Of no roads



Of dirt tracks



Of rhododendron sanctuaries



Of high altitude lakes



Of icy-cold streams



Of verdant lush green meadows



And frozen lakes

[//M]

I finished my MBA degree earlier this April and since then a motorcycling trip was in cards. However, due to elections and a few other commitments the plan just got postponed. With the onset of summers, there began the itch to ride up in the hills. So the discussions about a week-long motorcycling trip started with a few friends. Eight of us agreed to join in for a roadtrip. Finally after contemplating between Bhutan and Sikkim, it was decided that we would ride up to East Sikkim and West Sikkim covering places like Aritar, Reshi, Zuluk, Kupup, Tsongmo Lake, Pelling, Yuksom, Namchi, Pemyangtse Monastery, etc.

However something else was in store for us. One by one, out of eight people, five of us backed out of the trip due to personal reasons. But the remaining three of us were adamant of making this trip a success. So a few weeks later, a proper plan was made. I also consulted fellow bhpians and travel guru, H.V.Kumar Sir and he gave me some important inputs about East Sikkim. Meanwhile we contacted a few travel agents who could help us with the permits necessary for taking private vehicles to East Sikkim, on the Silk Route.

Finally one agent agreed to help us with the permits and also agreed to arrange accommodation in Zuluk for one night. I finalized everything by 4th May and we were all ready to leave Ranchi by 5th early morning and return back by 12th May.

Someone I knew just got back from a trip to Yumthang Valley so I thought of having a quick discussion about the road conditions and stay options in North Sikkim in case we fail to obtain the permits for East Sikkim, so North Sikkim was a back-up plan.

But, this discussion forced me to change my plans. I was totally mesmerized by seeing the amazing pictures he took in Yumthang and Lachung. But he also told me that permits for North Sikkim are difficult to obtain. But still he gave me a few contact details of people in Gangtok who might help if needed. So after getting in the inputs from this gentleman, I was in a state of dilemma whether to visit West Sikkim or North Sikkim or East Sikkim. Meanwhile the only DSLR that we had went kaput and we were left with only digital cameras and phone cameras just before this trip. So my dear bhpians, please excuse me for the picture qualities.

Insomnia set in as I couldn’t sleep out of excitement and confusion.

[//M]

5th May, Day 1

Three of us started off from Ranchi at 5 am on two motorcycles, a Royal Enfield Classic 500 Desert Storm and a Hero Honda CBZ Extreme. The Ranchi-Hazaribag 100 kms stretch was a blast to ride. Proper 4-lane tarmac, zero traffic, cool early morning breeze made riding a pleasure. From Hazaribag, we turned towards Bagodar. This road had a fair share of potholes but still the scenic ride was very much enjoyable. At Bagodar, we joined into the Grand Trunk Road and proceeded towards Dumri. From Dumri we turned left towards Parasnath and Giridih. We continued upto Giridih and then took the shorter route to Deoghar, instead of going via Madhupur. Surprisingly, the weather was perfect for motorcycling. Generally the summers in Deoghar and Giridih are unbearable, but due to the overnight rains, the weather was absolutely perfect with just traces of heat-waves. We continued to Banka and then to Bhagalpur via Amarpur. The Banka-Amarpur-Bhagalpur route sees less traffic than the other route from Banka-Bhagalpur. Both stretches had more or less similar distances to be covered so we took the route less chosen by. En route, we had ample stops, some of them were extended stopovers. From Bhagalpur, we went on to Purnea. By the time we reached Purnea, it was already 5 pm and Siliguri was still 170 kms away.

The Purnea-Siliguri stretch was a good 4-laned highway so we covered the distance in quick time and we were in Siliguri by 8.30 pm. Meanwhile I tried to contact my agent in East Sikkim several times but the network connections were weak and I couldn’t contact him, thus spoiling my chances to visit East Sikkim. We finally decided that if we won’t be able to contact the agent, we will carry on to North Sikkim and evaluate possibilities of obtaining permits once we reach Gangtok. In Siliguri, we checked into Hotel Gateway on the Sevoke Road. The rooms were simple and cheap but not recommended as I am sure there would have been better options for stay had we checked out a few more options. But we were a little tired for that but the excitement and enthusiasm over-ruled the tiredness as we retired to bed.

Route Taken: Ranchi-Hazaribag-Bagodar-Dumri-Giridih-Deoghar-Banka-Amarpur-Bhagalpur-Purnea-Islampur-Siliguri (720 kms)

[TaureanBull]

Beautiful start! What contrasting landscapes in Sikkim. I almost took this trip in April but had to cancel at last minute.Would be following this TL closely.

What is the lightening effect in the gear pic? Is it flash reflection?

[//M]

6th May, Day 2

The Sevoke-Teesta stretch was under repairs and the road conditions were really bad. But the rest of the road till Gangtok was nice. We also visited the famous Rumtek Monastery before we entered Gangtok. At Rumtek, we met a few Bulleteers who told us to visit Manan Bhavan (Secretariat) in Gangtok and request the officials for permits to visit North Sikkim. Once in Gangtok, we straight away headed to Manan Bhavan.

We were given a form to be filled up by the Home Department in order to get the permits. We had to fill in our name, address, identity proof, route intended to cover, number of days to cover the route and a couple of references. One passport sized photograph had to be attached along with the form and the photocopies of driving license, insurance papers, voter ID card, registration card had to be enclosed. We were a little generous when we filled up the duration of travel column as we were told that the Home Department shortens up the days of stay at times and also due to landslides, one might get stuck for a couple of days so it is always advisable to have a few buffer days of permit at hand. So we requested a permit for 10 days.

We took the form and started looking for a hotel. We stayed in Hotel Darshan as it was cheap and we were on a budget. Again there might have been better options to stay but we didn’t look out for much options. After filling up the forms, we went to the M.G.Road for a stroll. The Manan Bhavan opens up at 10 am and closes by 4 pm. So next day we planned to reach there sharp at 10 am and get the remaining formalities done.

Route Taken: Siliguri-Sevoke-Teesta-Rangpo-Rumtek Monastery-Gangtok (130 kms)

[preetam_KORG]

Beautiful Photographs!
Rated a well deserved 5*
How is the bike doing bro? Any complications to report?

[//M]

Originally Posted by TaureanBull

Beautiful start! What contrasting landscapes in Sikkim. I almost took this trip in April but had to cancel at last minute.Would be following this TL closely.

What is the lightening effect in the gear pic? Is it flash reflection?

Thank You Sir.

The lightening effect is nothing but flash reflection on the reflective stripes of my saddlebags.

Originally Posted by preetam_KORG

Beautiful Photographs!
Rated a well deserved 5*
How is the bike doing bro? Any complications to report?

Thank You Preetam Da. The bike is running as good as ever. There's something about these bullets I believe. In the urban confines, there had been a couple of oil leak instances, I had to ride it back home for 7 kms without a clutch once, and small niggles, at times too much vibrations. But show it the highway and it feels at home. Never ever I had a problem in this trip with my bike. It went over most steep inclines in second gear with two heavily built people on board and luggage too. The only time it showed signs of displeasure was a puncture just before Bhagalpur on our way back. That displeasure is understood though, as neither I was feeling good leaving the lovely environs of Sikkim behind and heading towards home.

[//M]

Some pictures from the Rumtek Monastery, situated at about 12 kms from Gangtok.

Taking photographs was not allowed at Rumtek and in order to enter the monastery one must show a valid identity proof to the security personnel. When we entered the premises, we saw almost everyone clicking photographs. So we requested the officials if we can take photographs and they allowed us almost instantly.

[//M]

7th May, Day 3

Bags packed, we headed to Manan Bhavan and reached there at 9.30 am. At 10 am the officials began to arrive. By 10.30 am we were called in. We showed them the forms and they were forwarded to some senior officer. The senior officer verified the forms, identity proofs, papers and documents, and then forwarded it to a lady who was the Head of the Home Department in Gangtok. We had initially requested a 10 days permit but we were granted a permit of only 7 days. Finally by 12.30 pm, we were given 5 letters and a personal copy of the main letter that was issued for the permits. Four out of the five letters were to intimate various authorities about our trip and one was the main letter against which the permits were to be issued by the checkpost in 3rd Mile, JN Road near Hanuman Tok on the way to Nathu La.

The four letters had to be given to:
1. Tourism Office, MG Road, Gangtok
2. DC, Mangan
3. SP, Mangan
4. SDM, Chungthang

We left Manan Bhavan and went to the Tourism Office in MG Road, Gangtok. We gave them the letter and proceeded to the 3rd Mile Checkpost on the Nathu La Road. We reached the 3rd Mile checkpost by 1.45 pm. The permits were issued from here and by 2.30 pm we had the permits with us. Without wasting any time we proceeded to Mangan via Tashi View Point, Panthang and Dikchuk. This was an amazing road with lovely views of the small towns and the mighty Teesta River alongside from Dikchuk to Mangan. We were told to get 7 copies of the permit to be submitted at 7 different checkposts in the entire route. At Dikchuk, we got ten copies of the permit done, each copy to be submitted at each checkpost. By the time we reached Mangan, it had started raining. We went to the DC office and found that it had been closed for the day and will open only by 10 am the next day. We requested the clerk there that it was important for us to submit the letters today itself else we won’t be able to leave early the next morning. Finally the clerk showed us the directions to the DC residence and asked us to drop the letter there. The letter that had to be given to the SP of Mangan was accepted by the Mangan Police Station.

After submitting the letters, we checked into a hotel, Hotel Khimsa Malling in the Mangan Bazaar Area. The room had amazing views of the snow-capped peaks and was extremely spacious, comfortable and value-for-money. For non-veg lovers, the Chicken Thenthuk is a must try in Hotel Khimsa Malling.

Mangan is the last important town in North Sikkim. It has the facilities for mechanics and repair shops as well as the last petrol pump. Beyond Mangan, there is no petrol pump in North Sikkim. If one plans to visit Yumthang Valley and Gurudongmar Lake, then he must ensure that he’s carrying enough fuel for a 350 km round trip to Mangan. However on our way back we found that the Mangan petrol station had no petrol left and people with no fuel were stranded for one day till petrol arrived here. There is one diesel pump in Chungthang though, but not sure if it is operational.

We carried an extra 15 liters of petrol from Mangan for our motorcycles and ensured we have enough fuel till we get back to Mangan considering the high altitude and bad roads will impact the fuel efficiency of the motorcycles.

Route Taken: Gangtok-3rd Mile Check Post-Tashi View Point-Panthang-Dikchuk-Mangan (90 kms)

[DragonHawk]

Oh man!!, Photographs are really tempting to make a trip over there. Definitely this is going to be next ride after my Ladakh trip this year.

BTW I see you have changed your stock tires. Can you share the details of your new tire.

[-veSpace]

Beautiful pictures and descriptions of these divine places... would love to see more.

We visited Sikkim from 26th Apr to 4th May this year. Visited Gangtok (Tsomgo Lake), Lachung (Yumthang Valley) and finally Darjeeling on our way back.
Having visited and experienced the relatively untouched beauty of Lachung and Gangtok - Darjeeling felt like a bit of a downer.
Enjoyed our trip to Sikkim much more than our similar trip last year to Shimla and Manali.

[sayakc]

Hey Arunabh,
So you have done it!Hearty congratulations.
Were you focussed solely on North Sikkim or did you explore other regions as well? Do let us know more.

And i guess you procured the permits from the Home dept? It will be helpful if you can share any contact since the travel agents charge exorbitantly.
I am planning another trip to the area this Oct.

Btw, during the time you were in North Sikkim, I too had gone venturing out to Goecha La, a popular trek .Will share them later on the forum.

Rated 5*

Thanks!
Sayak

[raghubhaskar]

Really beautiful pics..!! One would definitly agree, India is very beautiful..!

How did the CBZ fare? Any hiccups? Also how did you arrange the stays there? I'm planning a family trip this year end so just wanted to know.

Again, a very daring and beautiful TL..!! 5 stars..!!

[gaurav_3000ad]

Bravo!!!

Having stayed in north sikkim for the better part of past two years, it speaks a lot about your mettle to take two wheelers upto gurudongmar and back. The roads after mangan are probably some of the worst i've encountered. But yes, on the flip side, the views more than make up for it.

Waiting for the rest of your write-up. Cheers.

[Oreen]

Oh, what pics. Went mad looking at them and lusting like crazy.
The last longish ride I had done was in Himachal with son and wife (Machismo 350) way back in 2008. After that been itching to go, but these pics have totally woken me up. Oh, to be able to bike up there!

Can you share some phone numbers of people who can get passes and permissions? I had been to East Sikkim in 1994 (Yoksum, Bakhim, Jamlinkham, and Chaurikiang), but all a trek up from Yoksum, not motorable roads at all. Your pics brought back wonderful memories. Thanks! Rated 5 stars.