Before you go
Permits: foreigners need a PAP/RAP and must register within 24 hours; everyone needs permits for Tsomgo, Nathu La, Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang and Gurudongmar (Sikkim Tourism). Lachen and Gurudongmar permits resumed 9 March 2026 (PTI).
Getting there: NH10 is often cut by landslides (20th Mile reopened one-way 20 Sept 2026, UNI); Pakyong airport has had no scheduled flights since June 2024 - use Bagdogra.
Top places to visit in Sikkim
One place from each district that our guide covers in depth.
Nathu La
Pass at 4,310 m on the old Silk Route, linking Sikkim with Tibet's Chumbi valley; border trade post; permit needed (Incredible India; Sikkim Tourism).
Pemayangtse Monastery
Begun as a shrine in 1650-51 by Lhatsun Chhenpo and set up on its present site in 1705; antique images and scriptures (Incredible India).
Gurudongmar Lake
Lake at about 17,800 ft, sacred to Buddhists and Sikhs; permit needed (Incredible India; Sikkim Tourism).
Buddha Park (Tathagata Tsal), Ravangla
Park built 2006-2013 around a 130-ft Buddha consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama on 25 March 2013 (Namchi district portal).
Pakyong (district headquarters)
Headquarters of Pakyong district (formed December 2021) (Wikipedia; Sikkim Tourism).
Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary
Forest walk among rhododendron, pine, magnolia and oak; best in March-April in bloom, with Kanchenjunga views; forest permit needed (Soreng district portal).
Districts of Sikkim 6
6 (Pakyong and Soreng added Dec 2021) — 6 districts since Pakyong and Soreng were added in Dec 2021. Guides live for all 6.
Gangtok
The capital: monasteries and institutes in town, and permit trips to Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La.Highlights: Nathu La, Tsomgo (Changu) LakeGyalshing
Pelling, Pemayangtse, Rabdentse, Khecheopalri Lake, Yuksom, Dubdi and Tashiding; trailhead for Goechala.Highlights: Pemayangtse Monastery, Pelling, Rabdentse Ruins and Sidkeong Tulku Bird ParkMangan
High north Sikkim: Gurudongmar Lake, Lachen, Lachung and Yumthang on permits; Singhik views and Chungthang.Highlights: Gurudongmar Lake, Yumthang Valley and Zero Point, Khangchendzonga National ParkNamchi
Samdruptse's giant Guru Rinpoche, Char Dham, Ravangla's Buddha Park, Temi tea and sacred caves.Highlights: Buddha Park (Tathagata Tsal), Ravangla, Samdruptse, Siddheshwar Dham (Char Dham), SolophokPakyong
Sikkim's airport district: Rangpo gateway and the Zuluk-Gnathang high road on permits.Highlights: Zuluk (Dzuluk)Soreng
Sikkim's smallest district: Barsey rhododendron sanctuary, Rinchenpong, caves, monasteries and homestays.Highlights: Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary
Festivals and dates to plan around
- Namchi Mahotsav — Namchi Central Park: October each year (district portal); 2026 dates not found
- Payul monastery cham and Gutor puja — Near Sribadam, Soreng: December (district portal)
- Jorethang Maghe Mela — Jorethang, Namchi: January (district portal)
- Losoong, Losar, Maghey Sankranti, Gutor Cham — Statewide: January-March season (Sikkim Tourism)
- Bhumchu — Tashiding: 14th-15th day of the first Tibetan month (Incredible India); 2027 date to confirm
- Rhododendron season — Barsey, Singba: March-April (district portal; Incredible India)