The Story

Best time to go: October - April
Best for: Adventure & Off-the-beaten track, Cultural & Immersive, Trekking & Walking, Repeat Visitors

In recent years, there have been some wonderful developments in luxury tourism to Sikkim; the chance to get completely off-the-beaten track in relative style and exclusivity. Combined with a stay at the amazing Glenburn Tea Estate, you can have have a wonderfully immersive experience. Not too long along the classic route was to see Darjeeling, head up to Pelling, across to Gangtok and down to Kalimpong – the hotels were decidedly poor and taking Gangtok for instance, you visited fairly dull towns. Sikkim is all about getting into the countryside, seeing the amazing views and seeing the vibrant local culture in action. Forget the norm, here is our way of doing Sikkim.

Begin in Calcutta, a city that is definitely worth two or three nights given how much there is to see and do. Fly to Bagdogra and work your way up to Darjeeling. In terms of former British hill-stations, Darjeeling is probably the most interesting, with such amazing markets and winding streets. Take a walking tour uncovering it all, before heading north into the Sikkim, once an independent kingdom totally separate from India. You’ll stay in village houses that have been lovingly refurbished, making some of the rooms more like a boutique hotel experience with extraordinarily comfortable beds and en-suite bathrooms. You get led through the area by a team of guides, porters and cooks, making your way from one village house to another on foot. Serendipity is ever-present; as you get invited into local homes, meeting the chief monks and generally being welcomed at every point of your journey. The houses are only taken exclusively, so you simply don’t see other tourists, and they only allow a handful of guests to do this each year, so the local communities love welcoming their visitors. Stop at amazing locations for a picnic lunch, and each night your cook rustles up the most amazing local cuisine. Move back south and stay in Glenburn Tea Estate for some well-deserved R&R. Live it up like a planter of old, sitting back on your veranda with Himalayan snow-capped peaks rising up above you, over the verdant green tea fields of the estate. Fly back to Calcutta to end your tour of India.

Guide Pricing

Starting At

  • LOCATION:
  • £4885
    Price per person including all accommodation, private transfers, unique experiences and excluding international flights. We can arrange international flights should you wish.

    Highlights

    • One the most immersive, authentic and amazing journeys you can do in India
    • Get off-the-beaten track, walking through unspoilt villages right under snow-capped mountains
    • Combine with a stay at Glenburn Tea Estate, one our favourite mountain retreats
    • Have your own private guides, porters and cooks
    Days Location Hotel
    Day 1-2 Calcutta The Oberoi Grand
    Day 3 Darjeeling Mayfair Darjeeling
    Day 4-5 Biksthang Biksthang Farmhouse
    Day 6-9 Shakti Sikkim Shakti Sikkim Village Houses
    Day 10-12 Glenburn Glenburn Tea Estate
    Day 13 Calcutta The Oberoi Grand

    Suggested Hotels

    Day 1-2
    The Oberoi Grand, Calcutta, India

    The Oberoi Grand

    $ $ $ $ $  

    The Oberoi Grand is a luxury colonial city hotels and the Grand Dame of Calcutta, located right in the heart of the city on Chowringhee Road.

    View hotel
    Day 6-9

    Shakti Sikkim Village Houses

    $ $ $ $ $  

    Shakti Sikkim Villages Houses offer a fantastically authentic and immersive experience in this off-the-beaten-track corner of the Indian Himalayas.

    View hotel
    Day 10-12

    Glenburn Tea Estate

    $ $ $ $ $  

    Glenburn Tea Estate is quite simply the quintessential luxury colonial tea plantation bungalow; flowing with old-world charm, set under the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas close to Raj-era hill station of Darjeeling.

    View hotel
    Day 13
    The Oberoi Grand, Calcutta, India

    The Oberoi Grand

    $ $ $ $ $  

    The Oberoi Grand is a luxury colonial city hotels and the Grand Dame of Calcutta, located right in the heart of the city on Chowringhee Road.

    View hotel

    Further Itinerary Suggestions

    Remote & Heavenly Himalayas

    Delhi - Mukteshwar - Almora - Leti - Binsar - Delhi  

    Kumaon is truly one of the most remarkable and beautiful corners of India where you can get off-the-beaten track in style.

    14 days from £5805 p. p.

    Walking in Bhutan

    Kathmandu - Paro - Thimphu - Punakha - Gangtey - Bumthang - Paro - Dhulikhel  

    Dust off your trekking boots and travel to one the most untouched and beautiful corners of the Himalayas in Bhutan, trekking through remote villages, off-the-beaten-track.

    18 days from £5320 p. p.

    Nepal Trekking Holiday

    Kathmandu - Annapurna Trek - Pokhara - Dhulikhel  

    This is the ultimate Nepal Trekking Holiday. The mountain scenery of Nepal is impossibly spectacular, combine Kathmandu with a five day trek in the Annapurna Range and some R&R in Pokhara.

    11 days from £1775 p. p.