Gangtok tours
The town on a hilltop at an altitude of 1780 metres and a population of 70,000/- is the capital town of Sikkim.It sprawls down the west side of a long eidge flanking the Ranipul river.
Ever since Gangtok became the state capital,the capital has gone rapid change in its effort to maintain a cosmopolitan look,today the town has developed a flavous of modernity with the hustle and bustle of urban existence.An important transit point on the busy trade route with Tibet at one time,Gangtok today has become the base from which tourists can plan their exploration of Sikkim at the same time providing a breather from the exhibirating experience of rest of Sikkim.
The town has emerged into mainstream of the tourism industry with more and more tourists visiting this Himalayan state every year.All modern facilities in terms of accommodation,transportation and communication are available here.

Places of tourist importance in Gangtok:

Tsongo Lake
The drive from Gangtok takes about 2½ hours by car and distance is close to 40 kms. The lake is about 1 km. long and oval in shape, 50ft deep . This is an alpine zone and snowbound from December to April and the lake is regarded extremely Holy holy and head of all lakes in Sikkim remains frozen from January to April, and attracts 99% of tourists visiting Gangtok, Sikkim. It is also a home of Brahmini ducks besides stopover for various migratory ducks.

Rumtek Monastery
short drive from Gangtok will take you to Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre. Built in 1960 by His Holiness the late 16th Gyalwa Karmapa it is a replica of the original Kagyurpa Monastery in Tsurphu, Tibet, the seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa Rinpoche, head of the Karmapa sub sect of Kargyudpa order of Tibetan Buddhism. It now functions as the headquarters of the Dharma Chakra Religious Centre.

Located within the complex are the main monastery, the memorial stupa of the XVI Gyalwa Karmapa inlaid with gold plate and semi precious stones, Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies and the Jamyang Khang Primary School. The centre houses some of the world's most unique religious scriptures, manuscripts and religious art objects.

A fifteen minute walk downhill from Dharma Chakra Center takes one to the Old Rumtek monastery which was originally built in 1730 by the ninth Karmapa but was destroyed by fire and had to be reconstructed to the present state. His Holiness late Gyalwa Karmapa lived in this monastery till the completion of the Rumtek Dharma Chakra Center.

Nathula Pass
The pass Nathula means the whistling pass. Nathula is the Indo-China border at Jawahar Lal Nehru Road whereby Indian troops and the Red army stand face to face. This is the closest an Indian Tourist can travel and pose a photo or two with the Red Army. The days for tourist visit is restricted and needs to be applied at least 24 hrs in advance and limited days of operation. The days permitted to visit Nathula are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays only. Photography is strictly prohibited in and around Nathula.

Ganesh Tok
It is a very small temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh, a diety worshipped by Hindus. The temple is so small in size that it can hardly accommodate one person and one has to crawl to get inside it. It is located on the hill adjoining the TV Tower. It is on a hillock on Gangtok-Nathula Road. From here one can get a wonderful view of Gangtok town and the Raj Bhawan Complex and on a clear day you get a breathe taking view of Mt. Khangchendzonga.

During the tourist season, a small cafeteria is opened for the convenience of the visitors. Just adjoining the Ganesh Tok is a pinetum garden containing pine trees. A walk on the footpath amongst the pine trees is refreshing.

Hanuman Tok
Situated about 5 km uphill from White Hall on a bifurcation road of the Gangtok-Nathula Highway, is a temple devoted to Hanuman, a God worshipped by the Hindus. On selected points on the road to the temple, breathtaking views of Gangtok and the adjoining rolling hills can be seen.

From the temple itself, the snowy peaks of Khangchendzonga present a panoramic picture. One also gets a birds eye view of the Selep waterworks, which supplies drinking water to the Gangtok town, a few hundred feet in altitude below Hanuman Tok. The temple at Hanuman Tok is maintained by a unit of the Indian Army and can be found to be spick and span.

A short distance before the stair case leading to the Hanuman Temple is the cremation ground of the erstwhile royal family of Sikkim. The cremation ground has stupas and chortens each marking the place where the mortal remains of the departed souls were consigned to the flames.

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