A great guide to have a memorable silk route trip by motorbike

Only the bikers know how frustrating it can be to stay away from the road for long. Do you belong to this group? Why don’t you go for a silk route tour with your trail bike? But before you start your ride, you need to understand the reasons behind popularity of Sikkim Silk Route. Old Silk Route, aka Silk Road, passing through East Sikkim belongs to the ancient trade routes that once connected China to our country. The route passing through Lhasa and then through Nathu La and Jelep La passes, ultimately reached Tamralipta port, presently known as Tamluk in West Bengal. The latest route starts from Siliguri. You can end the ride At Gangtok through Zuluk with its 59 hairpin bends.

Things to take care of

• If you want to have a bike ride through the Silk Route, make sure you ride in group.
  • Get all the papers related to bike and your licence including bike registration, insurance, pollution check and DL, updated.
  • Appoint an agent to do the jobs related to packing and documentation to avoid hassles and misuse of time.
  • If you want to travel straight from Kolkata to reach Siliguri by bike, it would be a bit hectic. Better, you transfer it by train to Siliguri. And this must be done at least two days in advance to ensure receiving the bike right on your trip-starting day.

• Get the bike packed properly to avoid any damages.
• Get the permit done beforehand while you plan this bike trip. Please note that having a permit is essential to enter Sikkim, Nathula, Cross Zuluk and Gangtok as well. Apart of 5 to 6 photocopies of permit, you should also carry due permission from Home Department of Sikkim. Your agent can help you get the permits done on time so you don’t need to run around.
• It would be good to choose the silk route tour via Kalimpong. The road is curvaceous; you are likely to descend and climb over and again to reach a small town Reshi by the river bank. Better, you stay first night at the eco resort to gain energy for rest of the trip. Also, you can explore the river bank forest, click beautiful pictures of butterflies, birds and landscape to set a great mood.
• The next morning, have your breakfast and start trip for Zuluk. Don’t forget to secure you bags with Bungee cords and cover them with polywraps so they don’t get wet if it is raining.
• The road from Reshi to Zuluk though is incredibly beautiful and well maintained, they are extremely narrow. So be careful. Also, you must show your permit and give a copy at the checkpost. Or else, you have to come back to submit the copy.
• Now it is time to reach Gnathang. Reserve your homestay in this small hamlet well in advance. The hospitality of the people here are something that you can hardly get anywhere else. The view of Zuluk from Gnathang is simply heavenly.
• Get a fresh start in the early morning from Gnathang and time to explore the picturesque route featuring lakes, snow covered mountains and army bunkers. To get the best of the route, get guidance from the locals so you can avoid missing anything. The route is full of lakes including the majestic Changu Lake. The road after the lake to Gangtok is a bit trickier to ride. Landslides, fog and traffic often make it little inconvenient.
• After the lake, have a cruise directly to Gangtok and enjoy rest of your itinerary.

These are some of the most important things to know about a bike ride through the Silk Route.