Travel Tips

Travel Tips For foreigners

Foreigners require Inner Line Permit (Sikkim Permit) to enter Sikkim. First 15 days permit is given to any individual intending to visit Sikkim. Sikkim permits are issued from the following offices. Sikkim Tourism Offices: 1. Sikkim Tourism, Panchsheel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. 2. Sikkim Tourism, Middleton Street, Kolkata 3. Sikkim Tourism, Hill Cart Road, SNT complex, Siliguri. 4. Sikkim Tourism, Rangpo Border, East Sikkim. It takes just minimum five minutes to get the permit from any of the Sikkim Tourism Offices.

All Indian missions and posts abroad.

F.R.O. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and CTO. Chennai.
Immigrations officers at the airports at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi.
Extension of permit can be done from the following offices:
1. Foreigners Registration office, 5th Mile
2. Superintendent of Police Mangan, North Sikkim
3. Superintendent of Police Tikchuk, Gyalzing, West Sikkim.

Permits are required to visit the following protected areas beside Sikkim Permit and tour must be organized by Local Travel Agents. Trekking in West Sikkim areas, Tsomgo Lake in east Sikkim, Lachung and Lachen valley and above in North Sikkim. Minimum of two persons are needed to get such permits.
Indian nationals
Require permit from the Police Check Post office in Gangtok to visit the following places. Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir, Lachung, Yumthang Valley and Lachen, Thangu and Gurudogmar Lake. Nathula tour can be availed through regulated tours, which requires permit from Sikkim Tourism, Police Check Post and Army endorses the permit at 5th Mile, J.N.Road. Tour must be conducted by local registered travel agents. Nathula is open on:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Baba Mandir and Nathula are opened for Indian Nationals only.

Sikkim Traveling Tips :

1. It is recommended to attend at least one folk dance or drama while in Sikkim for it is the true mirror of Sikkimese culture.
2. Always make it a point to drink sealed mineral water only as water borne infections are quite common here.
3. It is advised to carry your prescribed medicines as one may not find the same even at the big stores. It becomes all the more necessary for foreign tourists as most of the medicines in India are locally manufactured and it can be difficult to find the same brands for them.
4. The tourists must also not include too many places into their itinerary. A day or half must be kept free to take rest and to shop or explore the place on your own.
5. If you wish to visit any restricted areas, contact the nearest Tourist Office of the Sikkim government about the permits needed.
6. You are also advised to keep photo copies of important travel documents. One set of the same must also be left behind home with the other set kept at a distance from the originals. You must get photocopies of your tickets, credit cards and passport, visa and travelers cheque. You should also carry extra copies of your passport size photographs.
7. It is always advisable to carry a hard suitcase to better withstand the wear and tear.
8. Anti bacterial creams and sun screen lotions must be carried along to avoid the suntan and bacterial infections.
9. It is also advisable to carry the water purification tablets along.
10. The foreign nationals are advised to check out the vaccination requirements before travel. It is mandatory for tourists arriving from a Yellow Fever infected region to carry vaccination certificates with them.
11. Carry traveler's cheques instead of having huge amount of cash.