Posting a detailed itinerary and guide for the trip since it involves getting permits for vehicles and making it a comprehensive guide.
Route Planned-
Day 1 : Siliguri- Zuluk
Day 2 : Zuluk-Nathang- Kubup - Nathu La - Tshangu Lake - Gangtok
Day 3 : Gangtok - Pelling
Day 4 : Pelling - Yoksum - Pelling
Day 5 : Pelling - Namchi
I will start with the process of getting permits
You require permits for - Old Silk Route(Zuluk, Padmaneng, Kubup), Nathu La
Note- Not posting contacts of Travel Agents, Homestays and Hostels in public, please DM me for them
Permits reqd- Tourist Permit, Police Permit. Carry Original and 5 Photocopies of both. Permits can only be collected in Sikkim, not in West Bengal. I collected mine after entering Sikkim in Rongli. My travel agent had coordinated it, I just went and collected it enroute.
For Bikers, there are two ways-
- Personal Bike -The best way I would say. Get your documents sorted- DL, Vehicle RC, Passport/Voter ID card(Aadhar not valid)
Contact a travel agent in Siliguri, ask him to sort out your permits and he will have them ready for you(Usually 1k-2k). Cannot be obtained online, only through travel agents.
- Rented Bike- Things get tricky here. You can only venture North sikkim and East Sikkim only on Sikkim Registered Bikes, there are only 3 places I could find who have Sikkim registered bike, they will get your permits sorted.
Checkpoints :
Rongli-You can get your permits made here too, cheaper but takes 30 minutes atleast, and if there is a line, then longer. Get them checked, get original stamped, submit a copy.
Lingtham -Forest Services check post, submit a copy, get stamped
Padmaneng -Get them checked, get original stamped, submit a copy.
Kubup -Same(however no one was present in the post when i was passing through, and upon asking locals they said you can go if no one is present).
Nathu La Entry -Advantageous to be a biker since there is a long line of cars due to less parking above at the pass, get documents checked and go straight in
Before entering Gangtok -Get them checked, get original stamped, submit a copy.
Carry 8 Passport Size Photos(Just in case)
Day 1(Siliguri To Zuluk) : 121 KMs
Had taken the bike an evening before so I could start early in the morning. Start as early as you can, at the first light preferably-To avoid traffic, and mainly the weather thickens up post 1200 hrs in Zuluk and above. I started at 0630 hrs
The route was amazing, scenic, road condition was great till Rongli, post that roads got bad but tolerable. I took more than a few stops, along the river and to have breakfast at Rongli. Reached Zuluk comfortably by 1130 hrs. Wouldve taken me another 2 hours at max to reach Kubup but the route being challenging the fatigue sets in.
Zuluk Tribal Homestay Zuluk is a small village at the base of the hairpins of Old Silk Route, lovely views and plenty of Army and from my window at my homestay you can see the valleys and army trucks moving. This was my homestay, lovely property, well furnished, the homestay owner and the staff were such beautiful people who made me feel right at home and they cook amazing food for you, local cuisine. Rs 1700 per night including all three delicious meals
Walked around the village, do visit Zuluk Helipad. Came back to homestay, met another guest who was from Bangalore and the homestay owner. They saw my bike and said if i wanted to join them for Bird Spotting. Both of them were Ornithology Enthusiasts and I said yes immediately. We later decided to take a car instead, drove one hour till Nathang in almost nil visibility due to clouds, reached the top, went down to spot birds but I could hear a storm approaching and within 30 minutes it started to rain and then **SNOW.** I have seen snowfall before in Arunachal but this one was a full fledged storm and within no time we the whole landscape turned white. Like sensible people we should have headed back to the comforts of our homes but we decided to go ahead to a place to have Old Monk xD.
We ended up getting caught in snow, our vehicle was stuck but we were very close to the summit so we decided to push the car all the way up in the snowfall and then again drove in snow fall, no visibility, no snow tire chains, skidding downhill. Life threatening but damn, I would do it all over again. Long story short, we reached back, opened the Old Monk bottle we picked along the way at the homestay. I played UNO with the host's family till 0100 hrs in the night and then hit the bed.
The concern, since it snowed, the opening of road till Nathu La was subject to weather next day and snow clearance. Called peeps in and around Nathu La and it seemed unlikely
So I had two options
Option 1-Wait till 0900 hrs , if snow clears move to Nathu La then Gangtok ; if it didnt, change my whole booking and plan and head to Pelling and do Nathu La while returning
Option 2-Start at 0600 hrs, ride the way I had come up, intercept the road to Gangtok and then go to Nathula from there and then reach Gangtok Back
Day 2 : Zuluk-Nathang- Baba Harbhajan Singh Shrine - Nathu La - Tshangu Lake - Gangtok : 112 KMs
Thankfully snow cleared by 8 AM and I proceeded to Gangtok Via old silk route.
IF YOU'RE A BIKER , PLEASE DO OLD SILK ROUTE ATLEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFE
The roads got better and after Nathang the road was smooth af. Snow all around me, hands freezing so much that I had to stop and warm them up. The landscape is as pretty as it can be. Made few stops, passed through Kubup, stopped at Baba Harbhajan Singh Shrine. Please read the history and enter the shrine, it feels so peaceful. The whole place is run and maintained by Indian Army. They have a lovely Souvenir Store,bought a few items myself.
Nathu La -It was freezing there, I was on bike so didnt have to get in line and rode straight to the top and oh it was mesmerizing. You would people struggling to walk till top, breathless due to high altitude effects, slipping down in snow, kids crying and imagine our troops had fought battles there. You can see the Chinese side and there soldiers manning the post.
Rode back to Gangtok, stopped at Sarathang Lake, Tshangu Lake, a viewpoint, smoked a doob in the snow. The roads are lovely, you wiill spot plenty of Yaks, Buddhist flags along the roads.
Gangtok -Reached at around 1500 hrs, checked into my Airbnb. The Airbnb- Bookman's B&B first floor- a cute cafe. Second Floor - One of the best bookstores I've been . Third Floor- The Airbnb room , with a stunning view. 3k/night
Lunch -Nepali Kitchen Very small outlet, run by a father and his adorable daughter. Very enthusiastic pair and they serve a delicious Authentic Nepali Thali. He brought the thali to me, explained the dishes and I ate more than I could store. When the bill came, it was only Rs 350 hence had to tip him extra.
Went to MG road in the evening, strolled around, again ended up meeting two amazing women and hanged out with them having dinner here. The Lazy Chef Good vibes, serves Local Cuisine and Mexican. Costed us only 1k for three of us including drinks
Ended my day and packed for next morning