Gangtok is the capital of the Himalayan state Sikkim in northeast India. Sikkim is small but a beautiful state, full of tourist attractions. It being a city and better connected by road to Bagdogra airport is the preferred destination for travelers. Places to visit in Gangtok are many and diverse. Look at the variety it offers – Flower-shows, Monasteries, Himalayan Zoological Park, Tibetology Institute, Waterfalls, and of course bustling MG Marg.
Places to visit in Gangtok City
We have put together this post for you to explore the popular destinations in and around the capital city of Sikkim. Some of these places are within the city, and a few are nearby that can be visited by hiring a day cab. Distant places of interest can be explored by opting for the conducted tours from the city.
Flower Shows in Gangtok City
The city residences and roads are full of beautiful flowering plants grown in pots. The weather seems to be suitable for gardening. The city hosts flower shows bang in the heart of the city. Visit the flower show and you will find beautiful colorful flowers. You can not miss the wide variety of orchid flowers. Photography is allowed. A very nominal entry fee is charged for entry.
MG Marg or Mahatma Gandhi Marg
The city center is known as M G Marg and is a nice hangout area. If the weather is clear you can see the Kanchenjunga Peaks of the Himalayas.
Food joints, souvenir shopping, hang out with crowds on vehicle free stretch of road is a nice experience. You can do some planning and inquiries with Tour operators for off-the-city destinations travel.
Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
Several original Thangka paintings, Buddhist prayer items, Buddhism related articles are on display at the institute. No photography is allowed inside the building. A nominal entry fee is charged.
Do Drul Chorten Stupa
Make your wishes at the prayer wheels at Do-Drul Chorten. It is very close to the Tibetology Institute. Perhaps the biggest Stupa in Sikkim, it has the Gold plated spire. Do Drul Chorten is circled by Chorten Lhakhang and Guru Lhakhang.
Places to visit near Gangtok
The city is on a hillside. Surrounding areas including hills have several interesting places to visit. You require a cab to visit these tourist attractions, as the public transport is poor. Following is a list of tourist attractions near the state capital city.
Bakthang Waterfalls
It is a relatively small waterfall en route to Banjhakri Falls. About 3-4 km from the city Bakthang waterfalls are on the main road. There are some adventure activities like rope climbing, rappelling, etc. Tourists can also dress up in Sikkimese traditional attire for photo opportunities here.
Being a hilly state, the views from the waterfall area is also nice subject to weather conditions. In the local language ‘Bak’ means forest and ‘thang’ means meadow or place. The natural spring water source of these falls originates from the dense vegetation above this site which is preserved as a Smriti Ban by the Forest Department. You can stop by for 15-20 minutes here to enjoy nature.
Video of Bakthang Waterfalls
Watch this short video of Bakthang Waterfalls in HD mode for the best effect.
Banjhakri Falls
It is also known as Ban Jhakri waterfalls. Banjhakri Falls is a perennial Waterfall. The water cascades down in stages over the rocks from the springs in the higher reaches. The height of the waterfall is estimated to be about 100 ft. The direct plunge fall appears to be about 40 to 50 ft. It is located in a landscaped park about 7 km from the city.
Around the waterfalls, gardens have been beautifully landscaped and adorned with ethnic sculptures and figurines depicting Jhakri culture. The figurines in the park illustrate rituals, some healing ceremonies, and others the induction process in the life of a shaman.
Ban literally means forest or jungle, and Jhakri means traditional healer. A Ban Jhakri is a mythical man, who exists only in folktales within the Nepali Community in Sikkim.
Video of Banjhakri Falls
Watch this video we managed to capture during our visit to the Banjhakri Falls. Best viewed in HD mode on our YouTube channel.
Himalayan Zoological Park
Himalayan Zoological Park near the capital city is a good place to visit to meet the wildlife of the Himalayas. The campus has Himalayan flora, fauna, and local forest trees.
Wildlife enthusiasts can find several Himalayan animals housed in large enclosures here. One of the main attractions is the Red Panda.
You can easily spend an hour on this vast lush green campus enjoying the chilly weather. A nominal entry fee is charged for entrance to the park.
We enjoyed a long walk in the hilly terrain of Himalayan Zoo Park. On a clear day, you can see a lot of birds. Incidentally, when we visited it was raining and we missed the birds.
Rumtek Monastery
One of the oldest and largest monasteries, the Rumtek Monastery is about 20 km from the capital city. Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre houses many sacred objects within the complex, magnificent one is the about 13-foot-high Golden Stupa. The Beautiful landscape is also a highlight of the place.
Day Trips from the city
Chardham, Namchi
Chardham at Namchi is a re-creation of the revered Char Dhams of India on a hilltop. You can easily spend 2-3 hours admiring the Temples and the giant Shiva Murti here. The weather is lovely as the clouds and the sunshine keeps on playing hide & seek on the hilltop.
Read our detailed travel blog on Chardham Namchi.
Temi Tea Estate
Temi Tea estate is the largest tea estate in Sikkim. It is en route Gangtok to Namchi. You will like the vast green landscape of tea gardens amidst the clouds. Driving along the rolling hills with fresh green leaves of tea is a treat for the eyes.
Buddha Park of Ravangla, Samdruptse Hill
The world’s largest statue of the Buddhist Padmasambhava at about 120 feet towers over the Samdruptse hill. It is one of the Buddhist pilgrimage centers. Padmasambhava known as Guru Rinpoche is the patron saint of Sikkim. A rock garden is also nearby.
Adventure Trips – Places to visit near Gangtok
Surrounded by the Himalayas, the adventure cannot be too far from the capital city. Here are some of the popular options:
Nathula Pass and Tsomgo Lake
Nathula pass is about 60 km east of the capital city on one of the highest motorable roads. A visit to Nathu La Pass requires a permit and you must take a conducted tour from the city. The conducted tours also are subject to weather conditions. The route passes through Tsomgo Lake which freezes during winters. The frozen lake, snowfall, and landscapes are attractions for visitors.
Other interesting places to visit in Sikkim are Gurudongmar lake in north Sikkim, Kanchenjunga Waterfalls, and Rabdentse ruins at Pelling in West Sikkim.
Choose the places to visit in the capital of Sikkim based on your interests.
Recommend you read the following travel blog.
Top 12 Sikkim souvenirs to pick
Luxury hotel and resort Mayfair – Art & Aesthetics
Hi Anu,
I have a plan to visit Sikkim sometimes in next month. Your article has helped me in preparing a list of some of the places I want to visit there.
BTW your blog remained inaccessible for few days. I was wondering what must have happened to it. It’s good that it’s back now. So keep travelling.
Happy that this post helped you Shareb.
Yes, have been facing some challenges at the backend of the site. We are working on making it work normally asap. If you see another outage, please let us know.
I was with a thought that your hosting package must have been expired and you have forgotten to renew it.
If that is not the case, I think you must let your hosting provider to know about it ASAP. On my side, I will let you. I am one of the regular readers of your blog.
Thanks
I did change the host as the last one was being very troublesome. Please do ping me if you see any more disruptions. Thank you for reading IndiTales 🙂
Hi Anuradha Goyal,
Great Blog. I am Eager to Visit Sikkim. Thanks for sharing this information with us.
You are most welcome, George Mitchell.
Well Said, well depicted,Minute details accounted,Thanks,all the best.
Thank you, Arun.
hey anu ji.
my last 2 trips 2 sikkim and outskirts plus the places like lachen and lachung look incomplete after c-ing yr. vivid videos and vivid descriptions.
feel like planning a 3rd trip. credit goes 2 u.
Thank you, Dr Karthik.
Hi Anuradha,
How did you guess that I’m planning the trip to Sikkim this year ? 🙂
Thanks for some useful tips (as usual :))
Greetings from Poland, Jan
Great Jan, you must have wished for information on Sikkim and universe conspired to make me write this. Enjoy your Himalayan Holiday.
Great job by you. I am in Canada and whenever in India, I shall visit Gangtok. Thanks.
Am planning a trip to Sikkim soon,this post will be very helpful,awesome pics,thanks for posting
Great Anindita. Look forward to hearing your experiences of Sikkim.
Good information. Very useful. Nice photos!!
Thank you, Aravind.
Thank you , Anuradha !
We can’t visit , but I enjoy watching photos and videos .
Thank you for information also .
Thank you Shobha. I do hope that you get to go to Sikkim some day soon.
Wow.. Thanks for such a wonderful post of all things to see IN and Around Gangtok. Will surely make it a plan and visit these.
You are welcome, Harish. Do share your experience of visiting Gangtok as and when you go there.
good video presents and equally vivid descriptions.
although i have travelled to sikkim twice earlier u have provided a deeper perspective.
lachen and lachung were quite far off from gangtok.
there was also a spring hot water about 3-4 hrs. journey from gangtok.
I am yet to go to North Sikkim – hopefully some time soon.
Hi Anuradha Mam,
I must say, I was reliving my days when I first visited this place. My first solo trip was to Gangtok and Yumthang valley in the year 2005 (i guess)
Really liked your article. the places that you mentioned and all.
Have visited some of them. May be if I visit this place again, would try to visit the non-visited ones.
Btw, If you like you may also check out my small blog about my first solo trip to Yumthang Valley.
Sikkim is one of the best places to visit in India. The natural beauty of the place is admiring. One should visit this state of India and get lost in its natural beauty.
True, Shweta.
the one of the best place in INDIA is Sikkim
so we have to visit Sikkim
Yes, Swathi – Sikkim is beautiful.
Anuradha, Thanks for detailed article. I have never thought of such a beautiful place in Sikkim.
We may plan to go there, my self and my wife. We would like to know the best months to visit Sikkim, being old age couple. Further how is expensive stay at Sikkim. Both are important and practical point.
Thanks for such a excellent article. Anantray Trivedi, Retied A.O., Ahmadabad.
Thank you, Anantray Ji. If you want to see lots of snow, go in winters, else rest of the year is good. Avoid monsoons.
There are accommodations of all kinds in Gangtok – you should not have a problem regarding that.
I want to visit Gangtok and Nathula in mid of January 18 with family. Is it right time to visit
It will be very cold. If you are ok with that – it should be fine. Nathula is open or not you would know only when you are there.
hii Anuradha,
Very Good descriptive information about Sikkim. Very useful. Nice photos. Loved the way you explained the go through in your trip.
Reagards
Sudhanshu
Thank you, Sudhnshu
Thank you for sharing this travel-related information…