SIKKIM – DELUXE- Gangtok, Pelling, Darjeeling -6 Night

Important Notes

Important Facts for Travelers:

North Sikkim

Hotels in North Sikkim do not match the standards of hotels in other cities as the places are remote areas. Please do not expect luxury facilities while travelling to these areas. If the guests are unable to compromise on comfort then such places of travel should not be a part of the itinerary.

All the North Sikkim tours will start and end from Gangtok. Because of poor road conditions especially during landslides and road blockages, the guests must travel with limited luggage and keep the balance luggage at the hotel in Gangtok. The best time for travel to North Sikkim is from Mid-February to Mid-June & from Mid-September to Mid-December.

Meals on Day 1 of the tour to North Sikkim would start from dinner at the hotel only. All the other meals would also be served at the same hotel only. If the guest wants to have any meals on the way or in any other hotels, they can do so on a direct payment basis. Further meals served to the guests are simple food cooked by the hotels which may not be upto the standards of other cities.

In case of load shedding/Power Cut the guests would be provided with candles due to lack of generator facilities. No room heating systems are provided by maximum hotels due to shortage of power. The hotels instead provide hot water bags. Sometimes guests may also come across situations where hot water is supplied by buckets by the hotels in case the geyser doesn’t work due to power failure.

Mobile networks are poor in these areas. However, Airtel, Vodafone & BSNL operate better in this area. Landlines may not be available in most of the hotels because of cable fault or weak signal

The hotels here have a very strict cancellation policy. Once the package is booked & confirmed no refund will be entertained. They also do not take any responsibility for the issue of permits. For any cancellations or no show even because of non-receipt of permits, full cancellation shall be applicable and there will be no refund.

Lachung

Excursion to Zero point (Yumesamdong) is optional and is not included in the package. If the guests want they can visit the place after paying an extra cost Rs. 4,000 per vehicle directly on the spot. (Rates can be changed due to fuel price hike)

During the winter season because of heavy snow, vehicles will be able to drive till Snow point on the way to Yumthang Valley.

Lachen

• Due to low oxygen level as per army’s restriction, guests below 10 years and above 60 years are not allowed to visit Gurudongmar Lake beyond Gaigong Army gate.

Tiger Hill

As per restrictions imposed by the local tourism department at the time of sunrise, Tiger Hill visit is subject to availability of permit. If the client are not able to cover the Tiger Hill at the time of sunrise, it would be covered with other sightseeing points.

Nathula Pass

Nathula visit is subject to availability of permit & road condition. Only limited permits are issued by the Sikkim Tourism Department before 24 hrs. of tour or on the day of tour depending on road condition to those travel agencies registered with Sikkim Tourism Department on Rotation basis. We will do our best to get the permits. However we cannot guarantee. Organizing permits takes about a minimum of 72 hours with all documents. It cannot be arranged on a last minute basis. However if inspite of our efforts we are unable to get the permits then the tour would be till Baba Mandir only and we shall refund the amount charged for Nathula Pass (if included in package). In case the permit is available one can opt for the trip with an extra charge approx. Rs. 5,500/- per vehicle. Also note that if Nathula Pass permit is issued and due to any reason the guests cannot visit Nathula Pass then no refund shall be made.

Nathula Pass can be clubbed on the same day with Tsomo Lake – Baba Mandir. It is closed on Mon & Tue.

NAME, ADDRESS, AGE & GENDER i.e. naming list of all guests traveling are required for processing of permit. It is mandatory that guests should carry photo proof identity cards such as Voter Id / Passport / Driving Licence and passport size photograph. PAN Card & Aadhar Card are not considered as valid ID proof. For above 05 yrs. The child School ID card is valid.

Because of the limited number of permits issued, guests will have to travel by any car whichever is available (like Innova/Xylo/Scorpio-Maxx/Bolero/Sumo) as per permits already issued. There is no choice of vehicles. Also the guests must follow following rules as laid down by department of tourism:-

In case of less than 6 people from one travel agent, the authorities will generally club guests of various travel agents together who would be using the same vehicle just for 4 km up and down before Nathula Pass. Nathula Pass can be visited from 11:00AM to 12:30PM only. Guests will have to start early from Gangtok.  If guest delays than they will not be able to visit Nathula Pass irrespective of the fact whether the permits have been issued.