You are not currently logged in.

Travel Guides

Gangtok Travel Guide

Travel to Gangtok - Mountain Views and Buddhist Monasteries

Ratings:: 3.8 out of 5 (5 votes)

Reviews:: Be the first to write a review

Gangtok is a hill town situated at an altitude of 1437m in the Sivalik Hills of the eastern Himalayan range. It is the largest town and capital of the state of Sikkim and is the state’s most-visited due to its mild year round climate, scenic location and the superb views it offers of Kanchenjunga.

Gangtok grew as a Buddhist pilgrimage site after the Enchey Monastery was built in 1840 before becoming an important stopover on the trade route between Lhasa in Tibet and cities like Calcutta, during the 20th century. Gangtok became capital of Sikkim after independence from the British in 1947 but was officially named India’s 22nd state capital in 1975.

These days Gantok is an important centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and the town has several monasteries and centres for religious educational and Tibetology.

Attractions in Gangtok

The magnificent Rumtek Monastery is the largest monastery in the eastern Himalayas. Located only 24 km from Gangtok, Rumtek is the seat of Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism.

Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden, 24km from Gangtok, has an impressive oak forest and up to 50 different kinds of trees species.

The view point of Ganesh Tok, 7km from Gangtok, offers a fantastic view of Gangtok. Here you will also find a small temple of lord Ganesh.

Changu or Tsomgo Lake is a small, sacred lake which can be visited only with a special permit. The route to the lake takes a few hours through high mountain passes but once there you can take a short hike (approx 1 hour) to the top of the hill which overlooks the lake and surrounding Himalayan peaks.