Travel safely, and leave the mountains as you found them.

Altitude: go up slowly

Gangtok is about 1,650 m. Tsomgo Lake is above 3,700 m and Nathula Pass about 4,310 m, reached in a single morning's drive. Zero Point and Gurudongmar in North Sikkim are higher still. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) can affect anyone, regardless of fitness.

• Spend at least one night in Gangtok before Tsomgo Lake or Nathula. We plan for this by default.
• Drink water steadily, skip alcohol the night before and the day of a high pass, and eat a light breakfast.
• Keep time at the very top short. At Nathula, a short visit is normal and sensible.
• Watch for headache, nausea, dizziness or unusual breathlessness. If symptoms appear, the answer is to descend. Tell your driver straight away. They will turn back.
• Infants, pregnant travellers and anyone with heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions should consult a doctor before planning high-altitude days. We will happily plan a route that stays lower.

Roads and weather

Mountain roads here are narrow, steep and often under repair. In the monsoon (roughly June to September), landslides can close the main highway between Siliguri and Gangtok for hours or days. In winter, snow can close Nathula, Zero Point and North Sikkim at short notice.

• Permits for high-altitude areas are cleared by the Indian Army and state authorities, often the evening before. A closure is a safety decision, not a negotiation.
• We avoid night driving in the hills wherever possible and build buffer time into transfer days.
• We keep an alternative for every high-altitude day, so a closure becomes a change of plan, not a lost day.

Safety on the trip

• One vehicle, one driver, your group only. The driver's name, phone number and vehicle registration are shared with you before arrival.
• Seatbelts and steady pace. Ask your driver to slow down at any time. Tell us if you are ever uncomfortable with the driving and we will act on it the same day.
• Women and solo travellers. Tell us your preferences, such as stays in central locations or check-in calls, and we will plan around them.
• Motion sickness. Hill roads have many bends. Carry your usual medication and ask for a front seat.
• Cash and connectivity. ATMs and mobile signal thin out quickly beyond Gangtok, Darjeeling and Pelling. Carry some cash and download offline maps.

[NEEDS APPROVAL: vehicle standards you can confirm, e.g. commercial registration, insurance and permit papers carried in every vehicle; driver experience requirements]

Plastic and waste

Sikkim was one of the first Indian states to restrict single-use plastics and actively enforces the rules. Recent drives by the State Pollution Control Board target items including disposable cutlery and cups, thin carry bags and packaged drinking-water bottles of two litres or less.

• Bring a refillable bottle. Hotels and many restaurants can refill it.
• Carry a cloth bag for shopping and a small pouch for your own waste on day trips.
• Never leave anything at high-altitude lakes or viewpoints. There is no collection at 4,000 m.

Culture and sacred sites

Monasteries, prayer flags, chortens and lakes such as Tsomgo and Gurudongmar are sacred to the people who live here. A little care goes a long way.

• Walk clockwise around stupas, chortens and prayer wheels.
• Dress modestly in monasteries, remove shoes and hats where asked, and keep your voice low.
• Ask before photographing monks, people at prayer or the inside of a shrine. Some prohibit photography.
• Do not throw coins or objects into sacred lakes, and do not remove prayer flags or stones.
• Photography is restricted near military installations and the border at Nathula. Follow the instructions of Army personnel.
• In Darjeeling's tea estates, stay on paths and ask before walking among the bushes or photographing pickers.

Spend locally

Eat at family-run restaurants, buy tea directly from estates and handicrafts from local cooperatives, and consider a homestay night in a village. Fair, unhurried tourism keeps these places liveable for the people who call them home.

Emergencies

We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and trip interruption for high-altitude travel.