A bikers guide to Sikkim & Bhutan
I was fortunate enough to visit the state of Sikkim and the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan on my personal bike along with my dear friend Renjith. Having completed the Chandigarh- Srinagar- Kargil- Ladakh circuit during the spring of 2015, this time my idea was to experience a winter ride. We planned a 2 week trip from March 4th to March 18th 2017. From the information I got from previous travelers and photographers who had visited Sikkim during the same period, it was supposed to be very cold during March and it was.
More than writing a lengthy travelogue on our experiences what I intend to do here is to throw some light on the permits and processes that are required if you are biking in Sikkim, as most of the areas are restricted because of the Indo-China border.Riding in Ladakh on your personal vehicle is a very smooth affair when you compare it with the permit formalities that you come across to get a permit to ride in Sikkim.
The political map divides Sikkim into 4 regions NSEW. We visited North and East Sikkim and Bhutan after that.
The first thing you need to pack for your bike ride to Sikkim is a lot of patience. Patience to remain stagnant in government offices where the concerned officials would never be on time. And you would also have to fight alongside drivers of 6500 odd taxis that roam around in Gangtok. But on the bright side, the people in Sikkim are very hospitable and extremely helpful.
We transported our bikes from Mysore to Siliguri through GATI (transport carrier). We collected them from their office near NJP. The bikes took around 9–10 days to reach Siliguri. We reached there on a BLR-IXB flight.
We rode to Darjeeling on the same day. Took the route which travels along the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and needless to say it was amazing.
It was pretty cold when we reached Darjeeling. The experience of travelling alongside a train which also crossed our path was priceless.
Other notes:
· Check out Darjeeling & Ghoom Railway Station, Local street food near Mall road.
· If you are booking hotels in advance, call them and confirm if they provide parking. Many hotels in Darjeeling don’t.
· Check out the engine yard near Darjeeling railway station.
· GATI Siliguri: 9933068379
· In case you have any damage to your bike while transportation. You can contact a local mechanic named Chotu in Siliguri town.
Chotu Siliguri : 9832093156
Gangtok
This would be your pit stop to get access to all the places in North and East Sikkim. We reached Gangtok by afternoon and could not get permits that day, we stayed overnight at Gangtok. The plan was to use the next day to get all the permits.
Permits
If you are travelling by your personal vehicle you need to apply for 2 different permits in Sikkim;
1. Permit for your vehicle from the Home Department in Gangtok (Vehicle Permit)
2. Inner Line Permits for yourself from the tourist department. (ILP)
Both the offices are close by.
Vehicle Permit
Vehicle permits are issued at the home department in Gangtok. The home department is an office located below the ground floor of the Secretariat. It is advised reach there by 8:30 am. Ask for the form to apply for the permit.
The list of documents required are:
o Driving License
o Vehicle Registration Document
o Insurance Document
o Pollution Document
o Notarized authorization Letter from the Owner (in case you are not the vehicle owner) ; Format can be downloaded here.
o ID proof with Address
o 2 photographs
Each vehicle owner has to fill a separate form. When you fill up the form you will have to mention the number of days you want the permit for. Add a tolerance of two days’ extra.
You will also have to fill up places you want to visit. Write all the places you have in your Itinerary.
Here is the list of places we wrote.
§ Lachung
§ Zero Point
§ Lachen
§ Gurudrongmar Lake
§ Zuluk
§ Nathula
§ Gnathang Valley
You will have to wait at least half a day to get this thing done. Meanwhile, instead of wasting time in that govt office. You can quickly submit your form and go to the tourism office near MG Marg to get your ILP.
ILP (Inner Line Permit)
For the following restricted areas Indians need Inner Line Permits (ILP):
North Sikkim: Chungthang, Lachung, Yumthang Valley, Yumesamdong, Lachen, Thangu, Chopta and Gurudongmar Lake.
East Sikkim: Zuluk, Tsongo Lake, Nathula Pass, Kupup and Menmecho Lake.
Tourist Office, Gangtok (North & East Sikkim ILP)
ILP is issued by the tourism department at MG marg in Gangtok. They open the office at 8:00 am. Reach there early or you would have to compete with hundreds of taxi drivers with 10 or 15 forms each. It usually doesn’t take much time to get this done.
Documents Required
o ID proof with address. (Note that PAN card is not acceptable.)
o 2 passport size photographs.
By the time you get the ILP you can go back to the Home department and collect your vehicle permits which would have been ready.
The Vehicle department provides your permit in the form of different letters to the concerned officials in the region. They will provide it to you in different envelopes which you will have to submit at different check posts. Take photocopies of all issued documents. It will ease the complications in the further processes.
This is the standard operating procedure.
Now the catch here is that the tourism office at Gangtok which issues ILP is open only until 11:00 am. After this the officials will be available at 3rd Mile check post which is the entry check post to Nathula side of the region.
3rd Mile check post
You can get your ILP’s issued at 3rd Mile check post till 3pm in the afternoon.
In case you missed to get your ILP at 3rd Mile check post by 3 pm, there is one more way out.
District Office at Mangan (North Sikkim ILP)
Now if you have come to the point that you couldn’t get an ILP issued from Gangtok or 3rd Mile check post and you don’t want to waste one more day at Gangtok. You can proceed to Mangan for the ILP into North Sikkim. But make sure your Vehicle permit is issued. There is no other place which issues that.
District Office at Mangan opens at 10 am in the morning. Be there by 9 :30 am. The form is sold at the canteen two floors below the building for Rs. 10 each. Fill up the form with all the documents required for ILP and get it signed by the SDO.
Notes:
· Mangan is a small town with almost all essentials available and it’s like the entry point to North Sikkim.
· Make sure your bike doesn’t have any issues. In case you have a problem, you can contact a local mechanic called Dayal in the town. Dayal: 76202581724
· In case you have any issues with the permit or staying in Mangan you can contact Guddu. He owns 3 hotels in Mangan and is a life saver when it comes to fixing problems. Guddu: 9735065972
Now once you have your ILP and the vehicle permit in your hand you’re good to go.
The first check post for North Sikkim is at Toong. Submit your ILP, Vehicle permit and carry on.
You will find check posts further at Lachung, Zero Point, Lachen and Gurudrogmar Lake.
We rode at -3 degrees C in heavy snowfall and rain and it was worth all that. We experienced some extreme weather in North Sikkim. The temperature was -7 deg. C when we reached Thangu valley
If you are getting your ILP at Mangan, it is only a permit for North Sikkim. For visiting Nathula Pass, Gnathang Valley and Zuluk, you will have to come back to Gangtok or go to Rongli and get another permit for East Sikkim.
When we completed our ride in North Sikkim and were back in Gangtok to get a permit into East Sikkim, they denied it since Nathula was closed due to heavy snowfall. So permits into East Sikkim was a negative from Gangtok. But when I first planned my trip, one of the places I didn’t want to miss was Zuluk and the silk route.
You can reach Zuluk either through the Nathula Pass and Gnathang Valley or enter it through the other side from Rongli. Since we were denied a permit at Gangtok to go through Nathula, we decided to take the other route.
Rongli (East Sikkim Permit)
You can directly go to the Rongli District office and ask for a private entry permit form at the office which sells for Rs 10, fill it up and get it signed by the Police officer there. They will charge you Rs 40 / person for the permit. The locals will ask you to go to the numerous travel agencies present in the town and get the permit done. They will charge you Rs 250 per person just to fill the details in their letter pad which is absolutely useless since you are travelling in your vehicle. Do not go to the travel agency. Take photocopies. Submit at the next check post and move forward.
You can reach Nathula from the Rongli side too, provided the roads are accessible. Do not miss Zuluk! It’s the best place in the whole trip, an entirely different geographical landscape and a weather you don’t get to experience normally. The people at the home stay we stayed were so hospitable and great that we stayed an extra day at Zuluk just for the chill!
Notes:
· Home stay at Zuluk. (the best home food ever)
Som Tamang : 963523078
General notes:
· Write your all your vehicle number’s in the ILP form.
· Photocopies: Take some 10- 15 copies once your ILP is issued. There will be several check posts where you will have to submit the copy.
· In case you need some spares for your bike you can get it at Indira Bypass at Gangtok.
· Ask the locals about the weather conditions and never ignore what they say. Avoid the risk of going further in the case of bad weather forecast, especially in North Sikkim.
· Try out the local beer and shredded pork at Cafe Live & Loud in Tibet Road , Gangtok.
· Economy stay at Gangtok- Modern Central Lodge
· Carry extra petrol while riding to North Sikkim. There are no petrol pumps after Mangan.
· Location : Home Department at Gangtok
· Location : Tourist Office at Gangtok
· Location : 3rd Mile Checkpost
Entering Bhutan (Time Zone Change GMT+6)
You can enter Bhutan through Jaigaon, WB. Bhutan is just a gate away which is open from 6am to 8pm. Across the gate is Phuentsholling, a Bhutanese border town. You can witness a stark difference in culture and the people just a gate apart
Again if you are travelling by your personal vehicle you have to get 2 permits in Bhutan too.
1) Entry Permit for yourself from the Regional Immigration Office.
2) Vehicle Permit from the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA)
Entry permit (Thimphu & Paro)
Indian nationals do not require a visa to enter Bhutan. But they have to get a permit from the Regional Immigration Office at Phuentsholling. The office is open from 9am to 5 pm (Bhutan Time). You have to fill up a form available at the office.
The documents required are:
· Passport Original or Voters ID Original
· Passport copy or Voters ID copy
· 2 passport size Photographs
· Hotel Booking receipt from Paro or Thimphu , wherever you’re headed first. This is a new rule which has been effective from April 10, 2017.
It takes about 3 -4 hrs, depending on the rush at the office to get the permits printed. It’s usually an easy affair unless you have some complications with your documents.
You will be issued with a permit only to visit Thimphu and Paro from this point.
Vehicle Permit (Thimphu & Paro)
Personal vehicles entering Bhutan need to get their permits issued from the RSTA office. This was the easiest permit which we got in the whole trip. Get an application form from a Xerox shop just outside the office which is located in the second floor of the bus stand building in Phuentsholling. Fill the form, get it signed by the officer sitting in the first room of the office. Go one floor up to the revenue department and pay the entry fee which is
Rs/ Nu 100 per day of your trip in Bhutan. Once you pay, get the receipt back to the office and get your permits printed by the officer. Take photocopies.
Once you get both these permits you are good to go in Bhutan.
The highlight of our trip in Bhutan was the trek to Taktsang Monastery (Tigers Nest). It was enlightening and a rich experience. We could find snow on the way up. We saw so many elderly people doing the trek which gave us the boost to reach the top. Also we trekked up with some Bhutanese friends who hailed from the village Haa, whom we made on the way. It goes without saying that the people out there are such gems, Hospitable, soft spoken, welcoming and so cool. The country is leading by example for several reasons. The only carbon negative country, free education for all, the King proposed democracy and most importantly they have a figure called the Gross National Happiness index! Bhutan is not a country, it’s an experience.
General Notes:
· Note the time difference in Bhutan. Its half an hour faster that IST.
· The currency is of same value as the INR, and most of the places in Bhutan accept Indian currency. But it is good to have some Ngultrum when you are travelling to Thimphu and Paro. Also note to exchange all leftover notes at Phuentsholling while returning back.
· Unfortunately, there is an entry fee at Taktsang Monastery now. It will cost you Nu 500. (INR not accepted here)
· Walking sticks that are available for rent at Tigers Nest gate are very useful for your trek. It costs just Nu 50.
· Ema Datshi is the national dish of Bhutan. Don’t miss out on that.
· Buddha Point at Thimphu is majestic and one not to miss.
· To travel beyond Thimphu and Paro in to Eastern Bhutan. You need to get separate permits for your vehicle and yourself at Thimphu.
· Economic Stay pointer at Phuentsholling — Punjab Grand Hotel: 9679814929
· For stay in Thimphu, you can ask for market. There are lots of economy stays around that.
· Location : Regional Immigration Office, Phuentsholling
Location: Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA)
Photographs from our trip can be viewed here.
Disclaimer :Please note that all the above information is from our personal experiences. Feel free to correct them if I am wrong.
