Hi Travelers!
I recently traveled to Gangtok, and honestly, this trip came with its own strange sense of humor. I had manifested this journey with a very specific dream in mind — a honeymoon in Gangtok. Life, however, had other plans, and my marriage got postponed indefinitely. It seems the universe still wanted me in Gangtok though, just not the way I’d imagined. In fact, it played a rather ironic joke on me: I ended up traveling with the brother and cousin of the very person I was supposed to marry. Funny how things work out. Anyway, jokes aside — let’s get into the actual journey.
Getting Away From Mumbai
Getting the time off wasn’t entirely straightforward. I told my manager I’d be working remotely for a week, and thankfully, he agreed. My senior boss, however, wasn’t looped in on the Gangtok plan, so I mentioned a family emergency back home in Madhya Pradesh instead.
The journey itself was a proper adventure in logistics. I took a 3rd AC train from Mumbai to Patna, reaching Danapur at around 4 AM, then hopped in an auto to Patna Junction, where I waited until 10 AM for my travel companions to arrive from Gaya. Once they landed, we grabbed breakfast and boarded the Vande Bharat Express to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) at 1 PM, arriving there around 8 PM.
We’d hoped to catch a night bus straight to Gangtok, but that plan fell through — night travel on that route isn’t recommended due to the ghat sections, steep mountain roads, and thick fog. So we had dinner in Siliguri, waited it out at the bus station until 5 AM, and finally boarded a bus at 5:30 AM.
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The Road to Gangtok
We reached Gangtok by 11 AM, and the journey itself was worth the wait. The Teesta river ran alongside us for most of the ride, framed by breathtaking mountain views. What struck me most was the sudden shift in weather — Siliguri had been warm, but the moment we entered the forested hills, the temperature dropped noticeably. It was a small but genuinely magical transition.
Settling In
We checked into Summit Namnang Hotel at 11 AM — decent rooms, and genuinely warm, accommodating staff. We’d booked three nights and four days.
Pro tip: if you’re visiting during the monsoon season, you can score discounts of up to 50% at hotels like this one.
Officially, check-in was at 2 PM, but the staff kindly let us in early — a small gesture I really appreciated, especially since I had an office meeting scheduled for 11 AM. I quickly grabbed my key, set up in a separate room for work, and joined the call. The view from the window was stunning. One quirky detail: despite being a 4-star property, the rooms had no AC — Gangtok’s naturally cool climate makes it unnecessary.
Life at MG Marg
We had our first lunch at a restaurant right on MG Marg, the main marketplace and unofficial city center of Gangtok. Calling Gangtok a “vertical city” isn’t an exaggeration — seeing an entire city built into the slopes of a mountain is a genuinely unique experience.
Every day, we tried a different restaurant along MG Marg for lunch and dinner (breakfast was already included with our hotel package). One standout: the butter tea at The Local Cafe. It was so good that I ended up having it every single day of the trip.
A quick heads-up if you’re planning a visit — come prepared to walk, and walk on an incline. Gangtok isn’t built on flat ground, so you’ll constantly be going up or down slopes. Downhill is manageable, but uphill will genuinely feel like a cardio workout. Even 500 meters can feel like a small trek — though there’s something oddly enjoyable about it too.
Nathula Pass: The One I Didn’t Miss
Work commitments meant I missed out on several sightseeing spots that my companions managed to cover. But there was one place I made sure not to miss — Nathula Pass.
We took a road trip up to Nathula Pass, which sits at an even higher altitude than Gangtok. The place stays freezing cold through every season — even during monsoon, when we didn’t get snow but still felt the bitter chill. Nathula Pass sits right at the Indo-China and Indo-Bhutan border, and interestingly, it seems to be a destination almost exclusively for Indian tourists — you won’t spot visitors from the Chinese or Bhutanese side. Says something about how curious we Indians are about seeing everything for ourselves.
After Nathula Pass, we visited the Harbhajan Singh Temple, dedicated to the soldier who’s believed to continue protecting army personnel even today. The exact legend behind it is debated, but the reverence around it is unmistakable.
Along the route, Yaks are a common sight, and I decided to try Yak milk cheese, known locally as Churpi. Fair warning — it’s incredibly hard and takes a good 3-4 hours in your mouth just to soften up. I ended up carrying that same piece of cheese in my mouth for the entire stretch from Gangtok to Nathula Pass before finally giving up and spitting it out near the temple. To make matters worse, the whole experience left me feeling nauseous, and I ended up getting sick on the way back to Gangtok.
The Long Way Home
Our Nathula Pass trip marked the final day in Gangtok. We boarded a bus to Siliguri at 1 PM, reaching NJP by 7 PM. My travel companions had a train at 7:50 PM that same night, but mine wasn’t until 5 AM the next morning since I couldn’t get a matching reservation.
They left by 7:30 PM, and I boarded the Vande Bharat to Patna around 5 AM, arriving there by 1 PM. From there, things got a little chaotic — I booked a hotel for the night since I couldn’t get a Tatkal ticket to Mumbai. The next day, I managed to book a Mumbai-bound train from Delhi (the Tejas Rajdhani Express), but Patna-to-Delhi remained elusive. So I ended up booking a 24-hour bus journey with Indo Canadian Bus Service, which turned out to be a genuinely comfortable ride to Delhi.
While in Patna, I explored City Center Mall and made sure to try the famous Champaran Meat at Old Champaran Meat House — easily one of the best food experiences of the trip, and something I’d recommend to anyone passing through Patna.
By the time I reached Delhi, I had barely 90 minutes before my next train. I made a quick stop at Jama Masjid and had Mutton Nalli Nihari at Jawahar restaurant. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations, so I ate quickly and rushed to New Delhi Junction to catch my 4:55 PM train.
From there, it was a straight run back to Mumbai the next day.
The Full Route, In Case You’re Counting
Mumbai → Patna → NJP → Gangtok → Nathula Pass → back to Gangtok → back to NJP → back to Patna → Patna to Delhi (via a long bus ride) → Delhi to Mumbai.
Looking back, it’s wild how many states this single trip covered — and how many unexpected turns it took along the way.
Travel has a strange way of making you feel alive, even when nothing goes according to plan. If you’ve been to Gangtok or have questions about the trip, drop them in the comments — happy to help fellow travelers plan their own version of this journey. Sharing some real photos from the trip below!
You can follow me on YouTube for my travel videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@EasyBuzzTravels
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