5 days, 4 nights ยท Darjeeling and Gangtok
Five-day Darjeeling and Gangtok tour package: tea gardens and the Kanchenjunga view
Darjeeling and Gangtok sit about 100 kilometres apart across a state line, both looking at the same mountain. Five days gives two nights in each and the drive between them, which is enough for the tea gardens, the toy train, a dawn at Tiger Hill and a day in Sikkim. The airhead for both is Bagdogra on the plains, and the chauffeur and vehicle meet your flight there, positioned by our Kolkata desk.
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The mountain
Why everything here is organised around one view
Kanchenjunga is 8,586 metres and the third-highest mountain in the world, and unlike Everest it is visible from towns people actually stay in. Darjeeling and Gangtok both face it, and the entire rhythm of a trip here is built around catching it clear — which means early mornings, because the peak is usually visible at first light and gone into haze or cloud by nine.
That is why Tiger Hill exists as an institution. It is about 11 kilometres from Darjeeling at roughly 2,590 metres, and the dawn convoy up to it is a genuine phenomenon: several hundred vehicles leaving town between three thirty and four in the morning to watch the light hit Kanchenjunga and, on an exceptional day, Everest far to the west. It is crowded and it is worth doing once.
The honest caveat is that the mountain does not always appear. In October and November the odds are good; in the monsoon they are poor. We schedule the early starts and tell you the odds rather than promising a view nobody can guarantee.
The two towns
Darjeeling and Gangtok, and how they differ
A hundred kilometres apart, in different states, with different characters.
Darjeeling — the tea town
A Victorian hill station at about 2,050 metres: the Himalayan Railway, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and its zoo, Happy Valley tea estate, the Mall and Observatory Hill. Faded, crowded in season, and full of character.
Gangtok — the capital
Sikkim's capital at about 1,650 metres, and a far tidier, more modern town: a pedestrianised main street, Rumtek and Enchey monasteries, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, and a cable car over the ridge.
The road between
About 100 km and four hours through Teesta valley and Rangpo, where the Sikkim permit is issued. It is a river-valley drive rather than a ridge one, and the checkpoint stop is unavoidable.
Permits
The paperwork Sikkim actually requires
Sikkim is a protected state and entering it requires a permit for foreign nationals — the Inner Line Permit — issued at the Rangpo checkpoint on the way in, or in advance. Indian nationals do not need one for Gangtok itself. This is routine and takes minutes, but it needs passport copies and photographs for foreign visitors, and the chauffeur will tell you what to have ready before you reach the post.
Beyond Gangtok, additional permits apply to protected areas near the border. Tsomgo lake and Nathu La require a separate permit for Indian nationals arranged through a registered operator, usually a day ahead; Nathu La is closed to foreign nationals entirely, and Tsomgo is accessible to them only with additional clearance that takes longer to obtain. North Sikkim, including Lachen and Lachung, has its own permit regime again.
None of this is difficult but all of it has lead time, and it is the single most common reason a Sikkim day goes wrong. Tell the desk your nationality and what you want to see when you book, and the permits are applied for in advance rather than attempted at the gate. Where something is not available to you, we will say so plainly rather than driving you to a checkpoint to find out.
The toy train
What the Himalayan Railway is and how to ride it
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a two-foot-gauge line from New Jalpaiguri up to Darjeeling, built in the 1880s, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The full run takes about seven hours for 88 kilometres, which almost nobody does. What most visitors take is the joy ride: a two-hour round trip from Darjeeling to Ghum, the highest station in India at about 2,258 metres, and back, with a stop at the Batasia loop.
Steam services run on some joy rides and diesel on others, and the steam ones sell out first. Tickets are limited and are best booked ahead; the desk will do it, and the chauffeur drops at the station and collects at the other end so you are not tied to a return working.
The line runs alongside and across the road for much of its length, which means that even without a ticket you see it constantly — and that the road up from the plains shares its alignment, with the train appearing beside the car at intervals. It is one of the better arrival experiences in India.
Booking
How to book the five-day circuit
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Tell the desk the nationality of everyone travelling, because it decides which permits are needed and which areas are open. For hotels, permits and train tickets, ask through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100% inside 72, 48 and 24 hours.
Day by day
The five-day itinerary, leg by leg
Mountain roads again: short distances and long times, with the Sikkim permit stop at Rangpo built into the day-three leg rather than discovered at it.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bagdogra to Darjeeling | Met at Bagdogra and up through the tea gardens, the road running alongside the railway for much of the climb. Into Darjeeling by late afternoon for the Mall and Observatory Hill. | Bagdogra-Darjeeling ~70 km, 3 hrs |
| Day 2 | Darjeeling | Tiger Hill before dawn for Kanchenjunga, back via the Batasia loop and Ghum. The Mountaineering Institute, Happy Valley tea estate and the toy train joy ride in the afternoon. | Tiger Hill ~11 km; depart 03:45 |
| Day 3 | Darjeeling to Gangtok | Down into the Teesta valley and up the other side, with the permit issued at Rangpo. Into Gangtok for the evening on MG Marg. | Darjeeling-Gangtok ~100 km, 4 hrs |
| Day 4 | Gangtok | Rumtek monastery in the morning, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Enchey, with the ropeway over the ridge — or Tsomgo lake if the permit is in hand. | Rumtek ~24 km; Tsomgo ~40 km, 2 hrs each way |
| Day 5 | Gangtok to Bagdogra | Down the Teesta valley to the plains, timed on the outbound flight. | Gangtok-Bagdogra ~125 km, 4.5 hrs |
What it costs
The 5-day Darjeeling and Sikkim circuit: two ways to buy it
Five charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Permits and railway tickets are government and operator charges billed at cost, and the vehicle is positioned to Bagdogra at no extra charge.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 5-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 5 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $11,250 - $13,500 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Luxury SUV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 5-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $11,250 - $13,500 |
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $9,750 - $11,700 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $8,500 - $10,200 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $16,000 - $19,200 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 5-day Darjeeling and Sikkim circuit: frequently asked
Do we need a permit for Sikkim?
Foreign nationals need an Inner Line Permit, issued at the Rangpo checkpoint or in advance, with passport copies and photographs. Indian nationals do not need one for Gangtok itself. Protected areas near the border need separate permits again.
Can foreign nationals visit Tsomgo lake or Nathu La?
Nathu La is closed to foreign nationals. Tsomgo is possible only with additional clearance that takes longer to arrange. Tell the desk your nationality at booking and it will say plainly what is open to you.
When is Kanchenjunga actually visible?
Best in October and November, and on clear mornings through the winter. It is a first-light phenomenon — usually clear at dawn and gone into haze by nine. The monsoon months are poor.
Is Tiger Hill worth a 3:45 start?
Once, yes. Several hundred vehicles go up together and it is crowded, but the light on Kanchenjunga at dawn is the reason people come to Darjeeling.
How do we ride the toy train?
Most people take the two-hour Darjeeling to Ghum joy ride rather than the seven-hour full run. Steam services sell out first; the desk books ahead and the chauffeur drops and collects.
Where does the circuit start?
Bagdogra airport on the plains, which serves both Darjeeling and Gangtok. The chauffeur and vehicle meet your flight there, positioned by our Kolkata desk at no extra charge.
Same circuit, other lengths
The Darjeeling and Sikkim in a different number of days
On the route
Chauffeur service in the cities this circuit runs through
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Book
Book the five-day Darjeeling and Sikkim circuit direct
Five charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Give the desk everyone's nationality so the permits are right.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
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Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Hill-station stays
Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
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Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
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Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
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For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 7-day Darjeeling Sikkim tour · Chauffeur service in Kolkata · City to City · Charter · Rates · Tourists.
Official references used on this page:
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.
- Ministry of Home Affairs Police verification and character-certificate procedures used in chauffeur onboarding.
- India Meteorological Department Forecasts and monsoon warnings we check before hill and coastal journeys.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Motor Vehicles Act rules for commercial permits, licences and passenger carriage.