India Tours: India Eastern Himalayan Tour Itinerary
The beauty of the Himalayas is unmistakable with its myriad valleys and peaks including the highest of them all – Mt. Everest. Begin your tour in New Delhi and thereafter set off on a journey to explore the raw beauty of the mountains with diverse landscapes at every stop. Visit monasteries steeped in history and tradition that evoke a spiritual calm in Kalimpong and see the awesomeness of the entire Kanchenjunga range from Gangtok. A window into the warmth of the people of the hill stations dotted along the way as well as a chance to admire the sheer enormity of nature, this is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
India Tour Length: 12 days
Day 1: Delhi
Upon arrival, transfer and check into your hotel for overnight stay.
Day 2: Delhi
After breakfast, enjoy a full day city tour of Old and New Delhi and visit the Red Fort which has within it some exquisite palaces, the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, the Chandni Chowk bazaar and the Rajghat, a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi. Also visit the historic Humayun's Tomb and the Tower of Victory, Qutub Minar, built in 1193. Drive past India Gate and Rajpath. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 3: Delhi - Baghdogra - Darjeeling
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight to Bagdogra. Upon arrival, drive to Darjeeling, a popular hill station straddling the ridge at 2134 mts surrounded by tea plantations. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 4: Darjeeling
After breakfast, visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the Snow Leopard breeding enclosure attached to the Himalayan Zoo. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 5: Darjeeling
Early in the morning, visit the Tiger Hill for a fabulous view of Kanchenjunga with Darjeeling in the foreground and Mt Everest and Makalu on the horizon. On the way back, visit the Ghoom monasteries. Situated at an elevation of 8,000 feet, the monasteries belong to the Yellow Sect of Buddhists who worship a 15-foot statue of the ‘Coming Buddha’ (Maitreya Buddha). Return to the hotel for breakfast. Later, visit the Peace Pagoda in the woods and a Tibetan refugee self-help center where one can see carpet weaving and wood carving being done. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 6: Darjeeling - Pemyangtse
After breakfast, drive to Pemayangtse situated 6,000 feet above sea level near the River Rangit. En route, visit the Tashiding Monastery atop a heart-shaped hill. Upon arrival, transfer and check into your hotel for overnight stay.
Day 7: Pemyangtse
After breakfast, visit the Sanga Choelling monastery, one of the oldest and most revered Gompas. Also, visit the Pemayangtse monastery, one of the most important monasteries in Sikkim built in 1705. The monastery contains an array of antiques. Later, proceed to the Khecheopalri Lake considered to be one of the most sacred lakes by both Hindus and Buddhists. According to legend, even if a single leaf falls into the lake, birds are quick to sweep down and remove it, thus maintaining its purity. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 8: Pemayangtse - Gangtok
In the morning, drive to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The city offers excellent views of the entire Kanchenjunga range from many points in the city. Upon arrival, transfer and check into your hotel for overnight stay.
Day 9: Gangtok - Rumtek
After breakfast, visit the Enchey monastery dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Built in Tibetan architecture, its exquisite murals depict protective deities and the wheel of law. Also visit the Deer Park, the Research Institute of Tibetology and a museum of Buddhist scripts Do-Drul Chorten. Drive to Rumtek in the afternoon. Upon arrival, transfer and check into the hotel. Visit the Rumtek monastery with the Rumtek Dharma Chakra Center, the seat of the Kagyu order, one of the four major Tibetan Buddhist sects. It houses some of the world's most unique religious scriptures and religious art objects. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 10: Gangtok - Kalimpong
After breakfast, drive to Kalimpong. Upon arrival, transfer and check into your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 11: Kalimpong
After breakfast, visit Deoli Hill for a magnificent view of the Kanchenjunga range and its adjoining peaks. Thereafter, proceed to the Zong Dog Palri Monastery which houses the Kanguyar in 108 volumes, brought by the Dalai Lama when he fled Tibet. Also visit the Thongsa Monastery that has the oldest Gumpa built during the Bhutanese period in 1630 and the Mangal Dhara Hindu Temple. Stay overnight at your hotel.
Day 12: Kalimpong - Baghdogra - Delhi
After breakfast, drive to Baghdogra for a flight to Delhi. Upon arrival, transfer to the airport for onward travel.
