Sikkim & Darjeeling is located in the northeastern part of India and is popularly known as Chicken Neck of India, which links the rest of India to the northeastern state of Assam & beyond. It is very strategically located with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China, lying within a driving distance of 1 to 5 hours. It is truly, the only dry port in India.

The area is famous for 3 Ts, (Tea, Timber and Tourism). The place Darjeeling is synonymous with Tea, as it produces the world's best quality Tea, also known as the "Champagne of the East."

Tourism is a major source of livelihood for the people of the area. The government has focused on improving local tourism infrastructure. This is also evident from the fact that this area, is home to tourist attractions such as Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, one of the largest high altitude zoo in India, and only places where conservation breeding of Red Panda, Snow leopard & Tibetan Wolf happens. The area also houses the only skywalk in India, which is located in Pelling, Sikkim. There are many more Tourist places, one comes across while traveling to this area.

The area can be visited throughout the year. One should avoid July & August, as it is the monsoon time.

Sikkim & Darjeeling being a mountain destination, the average temperate ranges between 5° to 24° Celsius in winter & 12° to 29° Celsius in summer, barring places like Kalimpong, Siliguri, which are relatively warm as they are located at a lower altitude.

It is advisable that one should be prepared with layer clothing also in summers and carry heavy woolen in winters.

Itineraries for the area can be scheduled for a minimum of 04 Nights and maximum of 14 Nights. The ideal duration is around 10 Nights (Gangtok – 03Nights, Lachung – 01Nights, Lachen – 02Nights, Pelling – 02Nights & Darjeeling – 02Nights).

Communication plays a very important role in staying connected, wherever one goes. Telecom operators like BSNL, Airtel & Vodafone have good connectivity in our area.

Sikkim & Darjeeling is completely safe when it comes to travel, especially when females are concerned. Women of the area are very active and play a major role in family’s decision making & big contributor to livelihood to the family.

Guests availing the services to Nathula, Baba Mandir, Tshangu Lake & North Sikkim (Lachung, Yumthang Excursion, Yumosomdong (Zero Point), Katau, Lachen, Chopta Valley & Gurudongmar Excursion) are requested to bring / submit the following documents.

1. 06 passport size photographs of each member traveling whether Adult or Child with their name, age & gender written behind each photograph. 
2. Original along with photo Copy of the photo ID of each member traveling, whether adult or child.
3. Valid Passport, Election ID card, Driving License or any documents issued by Central or State Government having Photo, Name and the address will be considered as valid ID Proof only. Aadhar Card & Pan Card are not accepted as valid ID Proof for issuance of Sikkim Restricted Area Permit (RAP).
4. Upon your arrival, our office representative will hand over a blank envelope, in which you will have to put all the above documents and leave it at the Hotel Reception in Gangtok, at the time of check in.
5. In case of Child less than 18 Years of age, who is traveling and does not have Passport, in such case he / she will have to carry his / her School / College ID. In such a case, it is also advisable to carry photo copy along with the original Birth Certificate.

The entry process & documents required, for NRI’s & Foreign Passport Holders, will be the same. Please note the following:

1. For NRI’s - it is mandatory to bring their Passport (in original) along with their PIO (Person of Indian Origin) Card / OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) Card.
2. For Foreign National - valid Indian Visa, is a must. Visa’s can be obtained from Indian embassy in the home country. The facility of E Visa’s is also available for citizens of authorized countries.
3. With a valid Indian visa one can visit Darjeeling & Kalimpong (no special permit required). For visiting SIKKIM, an ILP (Inner Line Permit) is required along with the Visa, which is available at no extra cost. The guest has to mention their desire, to visit SIKKIM, while applying Indian visa.
4. In case, the guest has a valid Indian visa and do not have an ILP endorsed on the Visa, our Trip Leader accompanying the guest will assist in getting the permit organized. This is done upon arrival, at the entry point, namely Siliguri, Darjeeling, Melli & Rangpoo on the basis of following documents:

• a). 06 Passport Size Photographs.
• b). Photocopy of Passport along with Original.
• c). Photocopy of PIO Card / OCI Card  / Visa along with the Original.

5. ILP (Inner Line Permit) is NOT GIVEN upon arrival for: Foreign Nationals from Main land China, Hongkong, Macau, Pakistan, Nigeria & Burma (Mayanmar) are not given ILP upon arrival in Sikkim. They have to procure it along with their Indian Visa at their home town through India Embassy / Consulate.
6. ILP (Inner Line Permit) for Diplomats & Expatriates, are not given upon arrival at Sikkim. They have to procure it through the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi only.
7. For visiting SIKKIM restricted area of Tshangu lake, Lachung & Lachen a separate RAP (Restricted Area Permit) is required and involves additional cost. These guests will not be allowed to visit Baba Mandir, Nathula Pass & Gurudongmar Lake. They will only be allowed to visit up to Tshangu Lake and in North Sikkim their visit will be limited to Chopta Valley, Thangu, Yumthang & Yumesamdong. For visiting the above-mentioned restricted area the group size has to be minimum of 02 members.They will also be required to bring along with them 06 passport size photograph for processing RAP (Restricted Area Permit).

Certain sightseeing, are totally controlled, by the syndicate. We do not have much control over such services. We will request you to bear with such uncalculated situations. FHEs will guide you on such services e.g. Tshangu Lake, Nathula, packages to North Sikkim etc. In particular, when using these facilities, you may have to be careful in dealing with drivers due to lack of access to the tourism industry and practices. They get irritated at times, and may lead to misbehavior. Persons with a knee, heart & blood pressure issue, and children under 05 years of age should avoid going to Nathula, Gurudongmar & Yumosomdong (Zero Point) as it may be of high risk, as medical facilities are also very negligible. High Mountains sightseeing like Tshangu Lake, Yumthang excursion, Gurudongmar excursion has to start early in the morning, where  you can return early. This is designed so that the guest enjoys the activities to the fullest, as in the afternoon the weather gets cloudy & foggy all year round.

1. Tshangu Lake & Baba Mandir

In the event of landslides or any unforeseen reason, where Tshangu Lake & Baba Mandir sightseeing is not possible then an alternative sightseeing will be offered.

2. Nathula Pass

Nathula Pass being a border and restricted area, and at time get closed, due to security reason without prior notice. In such a case, your tour will only be until Tshangu Lake and there will be no refund for unused services.

You can opt for Nathula Excursion by paying an additional cost that varies from month to month. It is not possible to hold a permit at the last moment, and a clear window of 72 hrs with proper documents is required to process the permit. Nathula permit shall be confirmed the day before OR on the day of travel (depending on permit office) and shall be subject to the permit availability. Nathula is closed to visitors on Monday & Tuesday. No refund is granted if the permit is confirmed by Sikkim tourism and the guest are unable to make it, for whatever reason (land slide, heavy rainfall, VIP movement, health problem, etc.).

Nathula Excursion can be guaranteed if you have contacts with the Army or if you are a Government Employee. Please use your sources, so that the permit could be procured. The modus operandi is that one requires vehicle’s number and copy of the driver's license a day before the date of travel. Even after taking the required details in advance, and God forbid, for whatever reason, if driver or vehicle failed to report or changed, then your entire exercise in obtaining the permit will be futile. While coordinating this with the army or some other source, please ask the source to take both the army and tourism permission, this saves a lot of time. Worse case, if all the above goes in vain, please don't get disheartened as you will only miss a 4 km drive as a visit to Baba Mandir takes you to the area where Nathula is located.

3. North Sikkim (Lachung & Lachen)

Lachung operates on package only. All Tours starts from Gangtok and ends at Gangtok and is on Full Board (includes all Meals at the hotel). 1st Day tour of North Sikkim, Meal starts with Dinner at the booked hotel & ends with Packet lunch from the booked hotel on the last day.

Please note that this area is cold all through the year; kindly be advised to be equipped with proper woolen / warm clothing.

Please note that North Sikkim is blessed with Natural Beauty.  The accommodation provided at Lachung will be more like a Tourist Lodge / Guest House / 2*hotel having basic facilities, like

• • Geysers are available but do not work most of the times due to low voltage / power failure. In such cases, warm water is provided in buckets, by the hotels.
  • The food prepared will be fresh, by local trained Sherpa’s, and not by Hotel chef.
  • The rooms have heaters, but due to issues with power, most of the times, the hotel provides a hot water bag in the bed.
  • All forms of single-use plastic bags (bottle & carry bags) are prohibited by the local body. Fine of INR 500.00 to INR 5000.00 can be imposed on the offender by the local authority.
  • The best time to travel to North Sikkim is between mid-February to mid-June & mid-September to mid-December.

As mentioned above we do not work with all hotels, hence we have selected, combined & graded the hotels in such a way, so that the guest get similar standard of services & facilities at every destination / place of retirement other than requested & specific grade.

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 related to blood pressure, breathing, knee & heart  or if you cannot climb higher floors, then we request you to let us know this at the time of confirming the booking / immediately on check-in, 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. DIFFERENCE IN PRICE IF ANY WILL HAVE TO BE SETTLED DIRECTLY BEFORE CHECK OUT.

Most hotels are located in the city, while new and higher level hotels are located a short distance from the city centre. Since the area is backward, it is obvious that the constructions of the hotels are unplanned. This ensures that most of the chosen hotels are situated in the city centre. Such hotels can have a view of the building on the front, beside or behind them. As services are not up to the mark in the area, we have made our hotel selection on the basis of SERVICES provided by them.

Certain Hotels in Grade B1, Grade B Category & all hotels in C, D & LTC Category have system of providing room heater on request, on extra payment basis. This payment is not included in the cost & the user will have to settle it directly with the hotels before check-out. The charge varies from INR 250.00 to INR 500.00 per heater per room per night.

Majority of the hotels follows below mentioned child policy.

• Children above 11+ years will be charged 100% as per EPSR.
• Children of 5+ to 11 sharing parent’s room with bed / rollaway or mattress will be charged as per CWB.
• Children of 5+ to 11 sharing parent’s room without bed / rollaway or mattress will be charged as per CNB.
• Children below 5 years Complimentary without bed (Sharing the parent’s room).

(Hotels are very strict with the child policy. Please carry the age proof so that it can be produced when asked for).

For Extra Person Sharing the Room & Child with Extra Bed, we will provide Extra bed (Wherever Possible), but most of the hotel of our area only provides MATTRESS and ROLL OVERS as a supplement to Extra Bed.

Check in time at Hotel: 1400 Hrs / Check out time: 1100 Hrs. All the bookings are non-transferable & all in-house hotel rules will be applicable during your stay. As per Government norms valid photo ID for all members staying at the hotel is mandatory. For request such as, early check in / late checkout / extending of stay, will completely be on subject to availability.

Indian food is available in Sikkim & Darjeeling but no regional specific cuisines are served. The people of this area are mostly Non Vegetarian. Most of the hotels, serves both Vegetarian & Non-Vegetarian food. The Jain food served by these hotels will be basic & cannot be compared, to the ones available, at the home town of the traveler. For the understanding, the food provided will be pure vegetarian meals, which will not include onion, potato, garlic etc, and items which are grown underground. With changes in food habit globally, few hotels in Sikkim & Darjeeling, are exclusively serving vegetable food to its entire guest.

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. Although Sikkim produces surplus power by means of Hydro Power, these surplus is then to the main grid for utilization by rest of India, but still there is issue with power transmission due to hilly terrain. In case of Load Shedding, we would request you to bear with such situation. We strongly regret the inconvenience. Most of the high-end hotels do have power back system.

As a matter of policy & honest practices we do not use private numbers plate vehicle for Sikkim & Darjeeling operation, we have our own reservation namely.

• God forbid in case of any medical emergency the claim if any, will not be honored by insurance company, if one is using private number plate vehicle.
• As per the law & set principal laid down by Tourism body for correct business practices. We only use Xylo / Innova / Crysta for guests and 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. For quality & operation reason we don’t use sedan car, Tata Sumo, Tempo Traveler`s. As per Motor Vehicle Act capacity of a Luxury Vehicle (Scorpio / Xylo / Innova) is 06 pax including Adult or Child. Also, while opting for Luxury Vehicle please travel light with minimum baggage of one piece per person. However, for comfortable & safe traveling it is advisable to fit in maximum 04 to 05 adult in a Luxury vehicle. In case of excess baggage, the guest will have to opt for an extra vehicle for carrying the excess baggage. The cost for this Vehicle will be borne by guest directly.

Generally in Sikkim & Darjeeling, most of the vehicle we write NAC (Non AC) as because of its location & Altitude, AC are not required. In case guest is insisting on AC, The AC will be on when the Vehicle is on move only. While travelling in the plains the clients would need AC, which will be switch on. When the car is travelling uphill AC will be switch off. Most of the vehicle nowadays does come with music system; it is wise if you can carry personal collection of songs on your pen drive. Yes our fleet of Vehicle do have roof top carrier.

Yes, the vehicles will change sector wise.

The allocated vehicle is exclusively for you but not a disposal, it is strictly as per the itinerary. For extra vehicle usage, supplement cost will be applicable. Yes in case of mechanical failure, we do have the option of changing or upgrading of vehicle on additional cost but in case guest feels that, they want to switch or upgrade the vehicle on tour. Since the Vehicles are limited in number, cancellation rules will be applicable on the complete tour package as vehicle are contracted accordingly plus the cost of new vehicle will be applicable. In case the guest wants the vehicle after scheduled duty, then there will be additional charge of INR 2000 per vehicle for minimum 02 Hrs & INR 4000.00 per vehicle for maximum 04 Hrs)

We do not have a concept of using Driver cum Guide. In our packages, Driver is separate person and Guide (Trip Leader) is a separate person. For Domestic Tourist, Trip leader(Guide) is not compulsory, but in case of big family where 2 or more vehicle are used , it is wise to take the services of Trip leader(Guide) to enhance, travel experience & smooth operational flow of activities. This Trip leader speaks comfortable English and majority of them do understand & speak Hindi. Here we would also like to inform you that the drivers are mainly concern with driving the vehicle with safety & comfort of the guest. They 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 the drivers. Your point of contact is your Trip leader (Guide) or the FHE (File handling Executive), who is pre-assigned for your file.      

As the area is backward & due to unwritten syndicate rules your vehicle & drivers will change for every transfer & sightseeing and even 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. 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.

1. 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.
2. Often in past guests 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).
3. 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 traffic police officer blow his whistle.
4. 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. In case 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.
5. 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.
6. hich will be reimbursed to you immediately at the next station.

We strongly recommend that the guest should opt for MAPAI (Breakfast & Dinner), where they will have option of having lunch in local restaurant during sightseeing.

We don’t have any credit policy hence payment option of upon arrival is not applicable. The very reason for upfront payment is that we also pay upfront payment to hotels & vendors thus commanding better price & services authenticity, which are passed to the end consumer. With us the situation like room bouncing / services disparity is not applicable as we pay way in advance and demand the promised services.

Once the booking are confirmed, all booking confirmation will attract a NON WAVER FEE of INR 5000.00 per amendment + applicable cancellation if any + Difference in amount attracted due to change.

Our FHE (File handling Executive) give a call to the guest, on behalf of our booking office, informing the guest, how to prepare for the tour, what to except, taking extra request for making the tour comfortable.

NJP (New Jalpaiguri) Railway Station – If 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 new exit gate, beside the escalator holding placard in guest you name / or as advised.

IXB (Bagdogra) Airport - Please note that our Executive will hold placard just outside the only exit gate of Bagdogra Airport.

FHE (File handling Executive) will be your one point contact for all matters.

The same is not included as it provides the guest the freedom to choose & pay the monuments entrance fee directly as per their preference. The cost estimate is given as supplement cost in the day wise itinerary.

Many of the guests have mentioned that they have booked the tour very well in advance so why isn’t the best room allotted to them. When the client choose to travel in the month of March, April, May, June, September, October & November, and this happens to be the busiest months for Sikkim & Darjeeling. Kindly be updated that the area of Sikkim & Darjeeling are not developed like many other hill stations of the world. Here we understand very well the size of India & its population. We also understand well that most of India falls under heat wave during summers & spring. There are not many places where one can go for relief. Now even if 0.1% of the population turns up, towards Sikkim & Darjeeling, the area runs out of capacity.  Everything becomes chaotic. Delivering the promised becomes an issue. Patience & understanding becomes an important part in getting the tour organized & making the holiday into a memorable one. This is where our services & we come into counting. 

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.

Tour start and end from New Jalpaiguri Railway (NJP) Station / Bagdogra (IXB) Airport . The 1^st Day tour Meal starts with Dinner at the booked hotel & ends with Breakfast at the booked hotel, on the last day for all the bookings on MAPAI. For APAI 1^st Day tour Meal starts with Dinner at the booked hotel & ends with Packet lunch from the booked hotel on the last day.

In case of any Flight / Train Cancellation has affected the operation of the Tours then the Company will not be responsible for the same and the cancellation as per the policy will be applicable, we will still try our best to help the guest wherever possible to minimize the damages.

The vehicle that picks you will only do the services for that day. The vehicles keep on changing sector & service wise.

Landslide is a common occurrence in hilly areas. Expenses incurred for diversion, due to this or any other unseen, forced reasons will be collected directly as per actual expenditure incurred.

We try our best to assist the guest with minor changes, wherever until & unless it does fetch financial damages. The cost for any alteration if any will be collected directly as per actual expenditure incurred.

Yes one has the option of adding extra sightseeing or add-on tours in due consultation with your file FHE. Our only request that people in mountain sleep early, hence your timely & prior intimation on changes will give the necessary reaction time to the FHE to organize better operation for you. 

We make all 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, you will have to pay the extra against the vehicle charges as advised by the File Handling Executive (FHE). 

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

Due to any unforeseen happening, and for suitable operational conditions, at the time of actual travelling, the itinerary could be altered, changed or removed. All such right are reserved with the operating company.