Welcome To Crown Holidays

SIKKIM – DARJEELING (6N)

6 NIGHTS/ 7 DAYS

Tour Information

Sikkim is a state in northeast India, bordered by Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal. Part of the Himalayas, the area has a dramatic landscape that includes India’s highest mountain, 8,586m Kangchenjunga.
Darjeeling is a town in India’s West Bengal state, in the Himalayan foothills. Once a summer resort for the British Raj elite, it remains the terminus of the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, or “Toy Train,” completed in 1881. It’s famed for the distinctive black tea grown on plantations that dot its surrounding slopes. Its backdrop is Mt. Kanchenjunga, among the world’s highest peaks.

Package Highlights

Gangtok
Kalimpong
Darjeeling

Day 1:ARRIVAL NJP RAILWAY / IXB AIRPORT – GANGTOK

On arrival at NJP Railway Station / (IXB) Bagdogra Airport, (413 Ft / 126 Mts) you will be met by our office Executive who will assist you to board your vehicle to Gangtok (5412 Ft / 1650 Mts, 130 Kms / 04 to 05 Hrs). Overnight at Hotel.

Day 2:GANGTOK – TSHANGU LAKE & BABA MANDIR EXCURSION (B)

NRI, OCI, PIO Card holder & Foreign National are not allowed to visit Baba Mandir & Nathula Pass. They are allowed to visit till Tshangu Lake, with a valid permit. They also have to be 02 & above is number to visit Tshangu Lake.
For getting the valid permit these guest will have to bring with them their valid passport & visa / OCI / PIO Card.
They will also be required to bring along with them 08 passport size photograph for processing their permits into Sikkim, Tshangu lake, Lachen & Lachung. There will be an additional cost for processing the permit & making the tour applicable. Kindly write to us for additional cost.
For Indian Passport Holders to process the permit we would require the following:
03 passport size photograph of each member traveling whether Adult or Children with their name, age & gender written behind each photograph.
Photo Copy of Photo ID proof of each member traveling whether Adult or Children. Original to be brought with self.
A list mentioning the Name Age & Gender of all traveler family wise.
Any documents issued by Central or State Government having Photo, Name and the address will be considered as ID Proof. The Photo ID Proof can be anyone of the following, Driving License, Voter Card, and Valid Passport & Aadhar Card. Pan Card is not accepted as ID proof by the authorities.
In case of Child traveling below 18 Years or couple traveling where there is no ID proof of wife, there has to be a written declaration given from the parents / husband.
For Tshangu Lake & Nathula Pass there is no refund, after the permit is confirmed by Sikkim tourism, due to whatsoever reason (Land slide, Heavy rain fall, VIP Movement, Health issue etc).

After breakfast, in the morning, start for excursion to Tshangu Lake (12400Ft / 3780 Mts / 43Kms in 3Hrs one way from Gangtok) & Baba Mandir (13100Ft / 3994 Mts / 16Kms in 1Hrs one way from Tshangu Lake. Situated at a height of 12400Ft / 3780 Mts / 43Kms in 3Hrs one way, with an average depth of 50 ft. The cool water of the Lake is perfectly attuned with the scenic beauty around. Back to Gangtok and Overnight at Hotel. (In case of Landslide or due to any other reasons if Tshangu Lake is closed then an alternate sightseeing will be provided)

OPTIONAL NATHULA
One can opt for Nathula Excursion by paying a supplement cost which varies from month to month. Organising the permit at the last moment is not possible & a clear window of 72 Hrs with proper documents is required to process the permit. Nathula permit gets confirmed a day prior OR on the day of journey (depending on the working of the permit issuing office) & it is subjected to permit availability as it is allotted as per turn. At times the demend for Nathula permit goes to 700 vehicle where as the permit issued is only 60 for civil & 40 for government. Nathula is closed on Monday & Tuesday for tourist.
Nathula Can Be Guaranteed If You Have Contacts In The Army Or If You Are Government Employee. Kindly Use Your Sources So That The Permit Could Be Procure. The Modus Operandi For This Would Be That You Would Be Requiring The Car Number And Driver License A Day Prior To The Journey Date. Incase You Take The Number And Driver Details In Advance And God Forbid Due To Whatsoever Reason If The Driver And The Vehicle Any One Of Two Is Not Able To Report Then Your Whole Exercise Of Getting The Permit Done Gets Futile. While Coordinating This With The Army Or Other Source, Please Request The Source To Do Both The Army And The Tourism Permission, This Saves A Lot Of Time.Worse To Worse If All Above Goes In Vain Please Do Not Get Disheartened As You Will Only Miss 4 Km Drive As The Visit To Thangu Lake &Amp; Babamandir Takes You Into The Area Where Nathula Is Located.

Nathula (14140 Ft / 4310 Mts / 20 Kms in 1Hrs one way from Tshangu Lake) Baba Mandir (13100Ft / 3994 Mts / 16Kms in 1Hrs one way from Tshangu Lake) is an Indo China border, controlled by the Indian Army & is situated approx 20 Kms ahead of Tshangu Lake at an height of 14140 Ft / 4310. The journey to Nathula & Baba Mandir is same up to 16 Kms. At this point the right arm of the “V” which is 4 Kms takes one to Baba Mandir & left arm of the “V” which is 4 Kms takes one to Nathula.

Day 3:GANGTOK – KALIMPONG (B)

Morning Go for a half day (04 hrs) sightseeing covering Jhakri Water Falls along with Do-rul Chhorten, Research Institute of Tibetology (Closed on Sunday), Directorate of Handicraft & Handloom (Closed on Sunday) and Flower Show. Afternoon transfer to Kalimpong (4091 Ft / 1247 Mts, 85 Kms / 03 to 04 Hrs). Check in hotel. Evening free for self activity. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 4:KALIMPONG (B)

After breakfast visit Dello hills, Dr. Graham’s Home, Flower Nurseries, Jang-Dong-Palriffo Brang and Durbin Dara Hills. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 5:KALIMPONG – DARJEELING (B)

After breakfast transfer to Darjeeling (6710 Ft / 2046 Mts, 70 Kms / 03 to 04 Hrs).

Overnight at Hotel.

Day 6:DARJEELING (B)

Early morning tour to Tiger Hills (8482 Ft / 2586 Mts at around 4 AM) to view sunrise over Kanchendzonga Peak (subject to clear weather). On way back visit Ghoom Monastery, Batasia Loop. After breakfast go for a half-day sight seeing of Japanese Temple, Peace pagoda, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park & Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (Closed on Thursday), Darjeeling Ropeway Ride (Ticket cost not included & will be approx INR 180.00 per person) Tenzing & Gombu Rock, Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Center (Closed on Sunday) & panoramic view of Tea Estate. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 7:DARJEELING – NJP RAILWAY / IXB AIRPORT

After breakfast proceed to NJP Railway Station / (IXB) Bagdogra Airport (413 Ft / 126 Mts, 100 Kms / 03 to 04 Hrs), for your onward connection.

Inclusions

Meet & Greet upon arrival at Airport / NJP Station

Hotel Accommodation as per the name mentioned in the Category for duration as mentioned in the itinerary.

All applicable Transfers & Sightseeing by Specified vehicle which will not be at disposal and will be exclusively used for the guest as per the itinerary only (on point to point basis). This vehicle will also change sector wise.

All taxes are included

Exclusion

Air fare / Rail Fares

Any meals other than those specified in ‘Cost Includes’

Expenses of personal nature such as tips, telephone calls, laundry, liquor etc

Any other item not specified in ‘cost includes’.

Service Tax as per Government Policy on Total cost of the Package

Cost of foreign exchange for personal use

Service tax on the total package as per the Goverment Policy

Guide & Any Sports Activities Charges during sightseeing

Please Note

Note on the Pure Veg & Jain Meals:
It is very difficult to get Good veg hotels in our area as all good hotels serve both veg & non veg. We can put a request to the hotels to provide Pure Veg & Jain meals to the group.
The Jain food provided will not be of that standard that we get in Mumbai & Gujarat area. The food provided will be pure veg meals which will not included onion, potato, garlic etc and things which are grown underground. Moreover, there will be very limited menu for Jain Meals hence, kindly inform the guest beforehand in order to avoid any confusion and last minute crisis.

The Following Points are to be noted for Child Rate
Children above 10+ years will be charged 100% as per Adult Rate
Children of 5+ to 10 sharing parent’s room will be charged as per Child with Bed
Children below 5 years Complimentary (Use any Extra food, Paid directly at Hotels)
(Hotels are very strict with the child policy. Please carry the age proof so that it can be produced when asked for)

New & Important
Mandatory document for any travelers:-As per the latest ruling from the Government PAN card & ADHAR card will not be accepted as id proof w.e.f. 15/12/2011.Indian Nationals / Passport Holders are required to travel with valid Photo ID with address mentioned on it issued by GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. This could be original passport, driving license, voter ID etc. This is a mandatory requirement for all adult traveling in the group.
For children they have to be accompanied along, with their parents and should have a Photo ID issued by the school authority. It is also advisable to carry photo copy along with the original Birth Certificate of the children traveling along.
Hotel Check in time is 14:00 Hours & the Checkout Time is 11:00 Hours. For early check in / late check-out / extending of stay, will be completely subject to the availability as per the situation then.
Mandatory Document for permits to Tshangu Lake, Baba Mandir, Nathula & North Sikkim – Any documents issued by Central or State Government having Photo, Name and the address will be considered as ID Proof. In case of Child traveling below 18 Years or couple traveling where there is no ID proof of wife, there has to be a written declaration given from the parents / husband. 04 Passport size photograph for each traveler is mandatory including child. The Photo ID Proof can be anyone of the following, Driving License, Voter Card or Passport.

Note on Hotel used in the Packages:
We have star category hotels in our area which is not to be compared with the Hotels of other developed destinations. For the understanding we have termed
Check-in time at Hotel will be 1400 Hrs & Check-out time will be 1100 Hrs. All the bookings are non-transferable & all in-house hotel rules will be effective during your stay. As imposed by the Government Valid photo ID for all members staying at the hotel is mandatory.
As the area is backward it is quite obvious that the constructions of the hotels are unplanned. This further means that almost all the selected hotels are located in the city centers. These hotels may have the view of the building in the front, beside or behind them. As the services are under mark in the area, we have made our hotel selection on the basis of SERVICES provided by them.
For Extra Person Sharing the Room & Child with Extra Bed, almost all the hotel of our area provides MATTRESS and ROLL OVERS as a supplement to Extra Bed.
In our area, most of the hotels do not have lift. You will have to climb stairs to reach your allotted rooms. In case any of you, have problems with blood pressure, breathing, knee & heart or if you cannot climb the higher floors, we will request you to report this immediately, so that we handle it with care, before the Hotels assign you your room, which will be convenient than the ones quoted/reserved for you. DIFFRENCE IF ANY WILL HAVE TO BE SETTELED DIRECTLY BEFORE CHECK OUT.
In hilly area, scarcity of water & electricity is a natural phenomenon. Everybody buys water for their day-to-day needs & have learnt to live even without electricity. In case of Load Shading, kindly bear with such situation. To overcome the water crisis certain hotels have fixed schedule for supplying hot & cold water. We strongly regret the inconvenience.

Note on Transportation used in the Packages:
The vehicle used will not be at disposal and will be exclusively used for the group as per the itinerary only (on point to point basis). It will change sector wise. NAC Tata Sumo / Mahindra Maxx cannot drop the guest, to the hotel (Government rule) and have to leave the guest, in the Taxi Stand. From the Taxi stand, the guest are shifted into local Taxi (Maruti Van / Wagon R maximum 4 pax in a vehicle) and then transferred to their respective hotels. Again the day they are going to Lachung, Lachen or Tshangu Lake and Nathula, they have to be transfer, by local Taxi, to a different stand and then get shifted into their vehicle which is a NAC Tata Sumo / Mahindra Maxx. The same exercise is vice-versa, on their return from Lachung, Lachen or Tshangu Lake and Nathula. This Taxi fare is already included into the packages & will be paid by your driver.

As the area is backward & due to unwritten syndicate rules your vehicle & drivers will change for every transfer & sightseeing. These drivers come from remote places and are not educated in tourism etiquette and some of them do not know how to speak & behave. You are requested to be soft & gentle with your drivers.
Often in past guests like you, have been misguided by such drivers. We would like to inform you not to listen to such people & reconfirm whatever they say with your File Handling Executive (FHE).

As the vehicles & drivers change always, we will request you to be very careful with personal belongings. Once left in the vehicle, there is almost nil or little chance, of getting it back.
Certain sightseeing, are totally controlled, by the syndicate. We do not have any say over such services. We will request you to bear with such uncalculated situations. FHE will guide you on such services e.g. Tshangu Lake, Nathula, packages to North Sikkim etc. Especially while using such services you will have to be gentle in dealing with the drivers as due to lack of their exposure to the tourism industry & practices. They at times, get annoyed and may misbehave.
Since Nathula is a restricted area and gets sealed, without any notice, for security reasons. In such case your tour will only be till Tshangu Lake and there will be no refund for unutilized services.
Due to shortage in space for parking, please be informed that you will have to be ready on time & wait in the lobby. Due to uncalculated situations the vehicle reporting may get delayed. We will request you to bear with us and as soon as vehicle arrives you will have to get in, within few seconds, before the policeman blow his whistle.

Due to vehicle-parking difficulty, most of the areas are restricted to entry of vehicle & specific time is allotted for entries. Kindly follow the time strictly as given to you. Incase of delays the vehicle will have to leave the hotel area without you & get parked in a parking area. In such a case, you will have to be transferred in a Maruti Van FOR WHICH THE COST WILL HAVE TO BE BORNE BY YOU & WILL HAVE TO BE COLLECTED DIRECTLY FROM YOU.
Due to specified time, your transfer vehicle for your next connecting destination may not be allowed to enter the hotel area. Under such circumstances you will be transferred from stand to the hotel or vice versa, in a local taxi ( Maruti Vans) for which the driver of your connecting vehicle will make the payment.Depending upon the situation the FHE may request you to make the payment which will be reimbursed to you immediately at the next station.
As per Motor Vehicle Act capacity of an Xylo/Scorpio is 06 pax including Adult or Child. Also while opting Xylo/Scorpio for please travel light with minimum baggage of one piece per person. However for comfortable & safe traveling it is advisable to fit in 04 to 05 adult in a Innova.

Note on General Operations:
The area is backward but rich in Nature and the facilities available cannot be matched to those available in the Plains and other developed destinations. We strongly regret this constraint of the area.
Please note that our Executive will hold placard as advised by you, just outside the only exit gate of Bagdogra Airport.
Incase you are arriving at NJP Railway station which has 03 entry & exit gate, please be informed that you will be meeting our Office Executive at the old exit gate (which happens to be the main gate which houses the Army Counter) holding placard in you name / or as advised by you.
It is to be noted that incase, you are arriving by train in the late evening / night & are departing early morning, it is mandatory for you to spend a night in SILIGURI. In such situation of late arrival & early departure, if you have not opted for a stopover package at Siliguri, then you will have to wait at the Waiting / Retiring Room of the station. Our Executive will be meeting you at 0600 hrs in the morning for the meet & greet and arrival transfer. This has been planned keeping your security factors in mind.
In case of any Flight / Train Cancellation has effected the operation of the Tours then the Company will not be responsible for the same and the cancellation policy will be applicable.
Tour start and end from Bagdogra (IXB) Airport / New Jalpaiguri Railway (NJP) Station. The 1st Day tour Meal starts with Dinner at the booked hotel & ends with Breakfast at the booked hotel,
Sikkim & Darjeeling is a hilly area & change is weather is a regular feature. It is advisable that light layer clothing should be carried always. In winters it is advisable to carry heavy woolens.
Landslide is a common occurrence in hilly areas. EXPENSES INCURRED FOR DIVERSION, DUE TO THIS OR ANY OTHER REASONS WILL BE COLLECTED DIRECTLY AS PER ACTUAL EXPENDITURE INCURRED.
Kindly be informed that we make contingency plans so that the sightseeing points do not fall on a closing day. Incase due to inevitable situation if the sightseeing falls on a closing day, it will have to be left out & cannot be carried forward to the next day.
If you are taking the left out tour on the next day they will have to pay the extra against the vehicle charges as advised by the File Handling Executive (FHE).
Sightseeing point remains closed on State Government & Bank National Holidays. The points which are closed

ON SUNDAY, STATE GOVERNMENT & BANK NATIONAL HOLIDAYS are Research Institute of Tibetology, Handicraft & Handloom Showroom and Flower Show in Gangtok & Tibetian Refugee Self Help Centre in Darjeeling.
ON THURSDAY, STATE GOVERNMENT & BANK NATIONAL HOLIDAYS are Padma Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling.
Weather in the hills is unpredictable. We have kept your sightseeing related with nature, like Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, flexible. This is done, so that the chance of good view of Sunrise becomes more probable. When your FHE call for such change we will request you to take it sportingly & without any apprehension. Once Tiger Hills sightseeing is decided between the you & FHE which will be done before 5 P.M. no changes will be allowed. Incase of any changes it will be treated as cancellation without any refund. Changes after 5 P.M. cannot be accommodated as the allotted drivers leave the Operations premises by 5 P.M. & are not contactable. By Default the vehicle will report at 4 A.M. in the morning, whether you go for the sightseeing or not for any reason or eventuality (which could be because you wanting to change after 5 P.M. or bad weather or heavy downpour) the bills will be raised against us. These rules are formulated by the local syndicate which is very strong. For further clarification please contact the FHE.
People with knees, heart & blood pressure problem & having children below 05 years should avoid going to Nathula, Gurudongmar & Yumosomdong (Zero Point) as it could be of high risk & medical facility are also very poor.
High Mountains sightseeing like Tshangu Lake, Yumthang Excursion, Gurudongmar Excursion has to start early in the morning so that you come back early. This is designed for your security as in the afternoon the weather gets cloudy & foggy throughout the year.
Due to non availability of night life the whole area goes to bed early & wakes up early. We request you to go to bed on time so that next day you can start your tour early.
People availing the services to Nathula, Tshangu Lake & North Sikkim (Lachung, Yumthang Excursion, Yumosomdong (Zero Point), Katau, Lachen, Chopta Valley & Gurudongmar Excursion) are requested to bring along with them :
A) 04 passport size photograph of each member traveling whether Adult or Children with their name written behind each photograph.
B) Photo ID proof in original of each member traveling whether Adult or Children.
C) A list mentioning the Name Age & Gender of all traveler family wise. Also note that incase of more than one family traveling together, please segregate the photograph & the photo copy of the Photo ID, family wise in a separate envelope.
The smaller envelope holding the details family wise will have to be put together into bigger envelope for all families and then sealed with UD Number written on top. For North Sikkim it should be a separate envelope & for Tshangu Lake it should be a separate envelope. After reaching Gangtok this document has to be handed over at the hotel counter & the information on doing has to be passed over the telephone to the FHE.

There will be no refund of any unutilized service in part or in full what so ever may be the reason.

LACHUNG
Lachung operates on package only. All the Tours starts from Gangtok and ends at Gangtok and is on Full Board (includes all Meals at the hotel).
Please note that these areas are cold throughout the year; kindly be advised to be equipped with proper woolen / warm clothes.
ONCE THE PACKAGE IS BOOKED & CONFIRMED NO REFUND WILL BE ALLOWED
Please note that North Sikkim is blessed with Natural Beauty. The accommodation provided at Lachung will be at the best hotels of the area having basis facilities like:
Often due to electricity failure, the geysers do not work. In such case warm water is provided in buckets, by the Hotels.
The food prepared will be fresh, by the local trained Sherpas’s & not by Hotel chef.
There are telephone lines but due to cable fault and weak signal, it is often out of order.
The rooms are having Heaters but due to electricity problem many of times hotel provide Hot water pad in the bed.
The best season for traveling to North Sikkim is Mid February to Mid June & Mid September to Mid December.

Temperature and Rainfall
Average maximum – minimum temperature and the average rainfall over last 10 years at Gangtok and the probability of seeing a clear skies.

Max Average Temp in Celsius 24.3
Min Average Temp in Celsius 15.0
Chances of Clear Skies 35%
Average Rainfall in Cm 54.0

"Send your tour Inquiry on crownholidays183@gmail.com or call on 9723634900.