Kolkata to Sikkim Personal Car Self Drive Tour Guide

We have driven our personal car to Sikkim multiple times in past many years. In this article we shall try to share few key and general details for anyone who wishes to take or drive their own, personal car and self-drive to Sikkim for holiday and vacation.

Part 01 -> Kolkata to Siliguri

Kolkata is a metropolitan city, so many of us will be living at different places and parts of the city. North / South / East or West, wherever you are, ensure to take your preferred route towards VIP (AirPort / Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani) road.

From AirPort (landmark AirPort Gate No 1) take Jessore Road (which is also known as, Krishanagar Road, NH34 / NH12) towards Madhyamgram, Barasat, Krishanagar.

There is a single lane, really poor, under construction section after “Barasat” and between “BaraJaguli”. You should bypass that section via newly constructed Kalyani Expressway. At the time of writing this article, the best option to divert is at “Madhyamgram Chowmatha” (four way junction). However, during peak (office) hours and at night hours, there is a possibility of heavy traffic jam just before the juction. Do consult the Google Maps. In case the junction is showing red in Google Maps traffic, you can also use the “Birati More” leave NH12/NH34 and connect to Kalyani Expressway.

You are driving till Kampa More via Kalyani Expressway and you are taking exit here to use Kachrapara-Haringhata Road to connect up with NH12 / NH34.

Few details about the Road condition and traffic,

VIP Road is Double Lane (2×2) and well paved -> You may encounter traffic at AirPort No.1 Gate before taking NH12 / NH34 (towards Barasat, Madhyamgram Krishnanagar) -> NH12/34 is double lane (2×2) and well paved -> Barati more to Kalyani Expressway is narrow single lane but well paved but you will encounter annoying local street traffic (in case you are taking Barati More diversion) -> Madhyamgram to Kalyani Expressway connection is single lane but really wide and well paved, hwoever beware of Auto Rikshaw (in case you are taking Madhyamgram diversion) -> Entire Kalyani Expressway is really good, almost triple lane 3×3 all the way till Kampa More -> From Kampa More to NH12/34 via Kachrapara Haringhata road is well paved, wide but mix of single and double lane. However, beware of speed breakers.

From BaraJaguli, you should stick to NH12/34 all the way up till Dalkhola and there from Dalkhola till Siliguri via NH27 (old name NH31 or also know as Purnia Siliguri Road). Stick to the main road and take all the bypass. Entire section is almost double lane except few kms before Berhampore Bypass at a railway level crossing and the Farakka Barage crossing.

At the time of writing this article, some sections after Dalkhola then to Kishanganj or Panjipara will offer broken road surface, control your speed in those section.

Where to Eat / Stop / Ladies Toilet

First place after Kolkata to stop for food is at Krishanagar (120kms around 3/4 hours from Kolkata). Here are two family places where you can get breakfast, lunch and dinner along with good (ladies) toilet facilities.

1. Kozee Kuteer -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/gnYL4sQoXMZs2VBs8
2. Mother’s Hut -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/bsDfABFvuvPmpWmQ8

Next stopping option is at Berhampur, another couple of hours from Krishnanagar. Here at two locations which breakfast, lunch and dinner along with good (ladies) toilet facilities.

1. Berhampore Bypass Dhaba -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ms1DNNRXrAvw8gBQ8
2. Pappu Da Dhaba -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/qho1e5gX2hCauSXY6

After Berhampur, another couple of hours drive would take your next food option at Malda, in fact right after Malda Bypass, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner along with good (ladies) toilet facilities.

1. Pardesi Dhaba -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/QktgqQbQGVfmidQZ9

The next option to eat comes at Ghar Dhaba at BP (Bharat Petroleum) CoCo Pump (https://maps.app.goo.gl/7NSZPGrG3nQY2Shs8). But we are advising against it. Its lacking maintenance. We are searching for better alternative at this or after this location, so if you are aware of any, please comment and let everyone know.

Ladies Toilets

All these food joints have really good toilet facilities for Man or Women. But nature can call you at any time and waiting for 2/3 hours for next break may not be possible for all.

What to do in these conditions?

Well for those really bad emergency, try any nearest petrol pump. You may need to stop two three times to find one offering you a ladies toilet but in case person can wait a little, Reliance Jio BP petrol pumps with “Wild Bean Cafes” are your best bet. They are 24×7 operational and offers snacks / drinks along with clean ladies toilets.

How long will it take?

Serious Long-Distance Tourers can do this route within 10 hours with one quick food and another small toilet break. But New Drivers should consider 14/16 hours with multiple breaks and slower cruising speed.

If you a serious tourer with proper headlight setup, you should consider driving this route at night. You wont face local traffic and drive would be much pleasant

During long summer days, it is very much possible to do “dusk to dawn” -> “Kolkata to Siliguri” under full day light.

Siliguri to Gangtok

This is a straight forward mountain drive. From Siliguri you may follow Google Maps to take NH10 all the way up to Gangtok via Sevoke -> Kalimpong -> Rangpo (Sikkim Entry) -> Singtham -> Ranipool.

The road is mostly ok but recent Teesta River Flooding has caused catastrophic damage to multiple large section of this road. You may encounter light traffic jam in these broken sections and low ground clearance small cars may find it problematic. However, ascends or descends and hairpins aren’t that tough to negotiate.

There are no special permits needed for any personal out of state vehicles to cross the Rongpo Sikkim Entry check point and drive up to Gangtok. There may be occasional & routine paper checking at Rongop Entry point but those are rare and similar to what you may find in your local city.

Remember, Aadhaar Card isn’t accepted in Sikkim as ID proof, so don’t forget to carry your & every passenger’s Voter Card or Passport.

Experienced long distance tourers may note, if you are doing a night drive till Siliguri from Kolkata, it is very much possible to continue the drive in the morning till Gangtok without wasting a day in Siliguri Hotel. However, do this only when you do have previous experience a lot of mountain driving since you would be climbing after a full 10/12 hours to long drive.

Sikkim -> 4 Parts (North / South / East West)

From tourism point a view, unofficially, Sikkim is divided into 4 parts. It is advisable by many tourism experts to do each part during each visit for maximum coverage. Unofficially, one may consider state capital Gangtok as the middle point and then divide the destinations as North / South / East / West

Permits

One of the most common questions for any person willing to self drive his or her own personal car / vehicle into Sikkim is about permits. Remember, not all places in Sikkim requires any special permit, but some places do. Details are mentioned below.

Do you need permit to enter Sikkim with your own personal vehicle?

No, you don’t need any extra or special permit to enter Sikkim with your own personal self-drive vehicle. White or Green number plate, personal vehicles are free to enter Sikkim. Just like you may enter or drive in to any other state of India.

West Bengal to Sikkim Entry Checks

There are no special entry checks but just like any other place in India, sometimes special Nakka checking happens for routine vehicle paper checking. Usually, Sikkim traffic police do these checking using Govt India apps (online) to check if your papers are ok and may ask for physical or virtual copy of your drivers license.

However, if the owner, as per the vehicle registration, is not present in the car, you must carry an authorization letter, issued on the name of driver for this drive using that particular vehicle.

Beware, just like any other state of India, they may also check your luggage for any illegal items.

But this kind of checking is really rare for entry into Sikkim for Gangtok route.

Which places in Sikkim requires special permit for self drive personal vehicles?

Almost all places falling to into North or East zone requires special permits for out of state personal vehicles. We shall discuss that in detail later in this article. When we cover these two section.

Gangtok and East Sikim Trip

All places in East Sikkim requires permit and permits are given primarily based on the road condition of the route. East Sikkim route is also known as Old Silk Road. Some of the prominent tourist places that falls into East Sikkim Old Silk route are,

Pangthang Forest / Chhanggu Lake / Nathu La Pass / Baba Mandir / Kupup Lake / Gnathang / Nathang Valley / Thambi & Lungthung View Point / Zuluk / Lingtham -> This entire route itself.

This entire route is high altitude, mostly above 12000ft, reaching it’s highest point at Nathu La Pass at around 14,500ft. Really beautiful place, like what you may see in videos about Le-Ladakh. Rugged & Rocky Mountains with no greenery since you are above the tree line. However, the entire upper section of this route is army area and beware, plenty of boards showing “No Photography & GoPro Allowed”. So be careful with your GoPro / Dash Cams / selfie taking and Vlogging.

During winter time, you may encounter snow and really low & freezing temperatures, down to -15c in the upper high altitude sections.

Where are the permits issued from and how to get the permit for East Sikkim?

There are two entry and exit point for this route. Gangtok and Rongli. Permits are issued from both these places. Permits are issued as is following format,

Gangtok to Rongli (Via Chhanggu / Baba Mandir / Nathang Valley / Zuluk / Lingtham)
Gangtok to Gangtok (Chhanggu / Baba Mandir then return)
Gangtok to Gangtok (Nathu La Pass Return)
Gangtok to Gangtok (Changu Lake / Nathu La Pass / Baba Mandir / Then return)
Rongli to Gangtok (Via Lingtham / Zuluk / Nathang Valley / Baba Mandir / Chhanggu Lake)

You can get permit from,

Gangtok Silk Route Entry Point -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/uSxtP72WTetpMUjS6
Rongli Silk Route Entry Point -> https://maps.app.goo.gl/UyWbgfiu2tomJUjt6

Both these places are open for public service from 6AM in the morning.

What documents are need for Permit?

Vehicle Documents -> Registration Certificate / Tax Paper / RC Book (Smart Card) / Insurance / PUC (Pollution Certificate). You may need to submit 2 copy xrox of each document at the time of permit application. Remember, owner of the vehicle must be present as otherwise, things are complicated since driver or any passenger (who is present) must prove blood relation (Father / Mother / Bother / Sister / Son / Daughter or Wife) with the owner of the vehicle along with an authorization letter on the name of the driver and passenger.

Driver Documents -> Driver License (2 copy xerox) along with 2 copies of passport size picture of the person

Passenger Documents -> Every passenger of the vehicle needs to submit ID Proof (Voter ID or Passport or Central Govt. issued ID Card) along with 2 copies of passport size picture. In case any passenger is Sr. Citizen or having any medical issues, he or she must submit a doctors fitness certificate for high altitude travel. Remember, Aadhaar Card is not accepted in Sikkim.

Cost of Permit -> There are two ways of doing this permit. You can approach the Govt office yourself, in that case permit is free. Apart from xerox costing (after the permit letter issued, you need to make 4 copy xerox of that paper), there are no official Govt fee associated with the permit. But you can also approach via any authorized travel / tourist agent for the permit. In that case, they will charge “service fee” for the job.

Which type of Vehicles are permitted?

Except for Nathu La Pass, all vehicles are permitted.

For Nathu La Pass, only high ground clearance and high engine capacity (1500cc or above) vehicles are allowed. But there is a catch. Since this route receives snow fall and road conditions are horrible along with really stiff climbs or descends, depending on the road condition, they may restrict small cars and only allow SUV or 4WD high engine capacity vehicles. Opposites also happen, during our last trip, our Ford Aspire TDCi was permitted for Nathu La Pass also along with the entire Silk Route.

There are no surety that you may receive the permit on the same day or even if the permit is issued, you would be allowed proceed. Based on the present road condition, permits may be cancelled at the entry points for tourist safety, road closures or adverse weather conditions.

Only Local Vehicles are allowed

This is a myth and lie circulated by locals to ensure their business of tourist cabs are protected. Some of the travel agents or hotel hosts may try to paddle this lie but it is completely false. The only restrictions for permits are on vehicle type at best, since certain routes or road conditions are undoable with low ground clearance small hatchbacks or sedens.

Road Condition

The section between Gangtok and Zuluk is mostly really good. The road is built and maintained by BRO (Army). The road is well paved, wide and ascend or descend angles are very well engineered. Any small or low ground clearance vehicles can negotiate with ease. Barring few places, which may be affected by recent landslides or such events offering under construction bad section. But those are really rare in this section due to quick action by B.R.O. (Border Road Organization)

However, the section between Rongli and Zuluk is maintained by Sikkim State Govt and it is in horrible condition. Any FWD (Front Wheel Drive) will struggle and in some sections, even the RWD high ground clearance SUVs would struggle too. Ascend and Descends are really stiff along with really narrow and really broken roads to be expected in this section.

Route Planning

Either you can drive up to Gangtok from Siliguri and then take permit for this route or you can drive to Rongli from Siliguri and then take permit for this route.

It is possible to drive this route (entry and exit) in a single day but many would prefer night stay at either of Zuluk / Nathang Valley / Lingthum or Kupup and do little bit of local sightseeing. There are no posh hotels in either of these places, you may find some home stays.

Gangtok to Gangtok via Rongli in a single day is very tough but doable. However, it is advisable to attempt this only if you are a seasoned mount driver and have enough experience to drive in mount at night. In case you are attempting Gangtok to Gangtok via Silk Route, take the Pakyong AirPort route after Rongli exit.

Road conditions are excellent up till Pakyong AirPort from Rongli but the section between Pakyong and Ranipool is in really poor condition.

Medical Warning

Don’t take this warning lightly.

This route (East Sikkim, Nathula Pass, Silk Route) is above 12000ft with extreme cold weather and unpredictable adverse weather conditions. There are possibilities of getting stranded for many hours due to bad weather and for Army / BRO rescue help to arrive. Mobile Network availability is very poor and outright not available at most part.

Do not drive or attempt to visit this route with anyone who has any physical / medical condition, old / Sr. Citizens and babies / infants. Route is challenging, time consuming and there are no nearby highend medical facilities. This is India, there will be no helicopter medical rescue and you may watch your love one die right there without any help. Therefore, only attempt to drive this route if you and your accompanying passengers are medically fit for high altitude, low oxygen travel.

During the drive, ask yourself and your accompanying passenger to report any uneasiness early. In case of any unfortunate incident, don’t be shy and approach any police or army checkpoint for help without wasting any time.

Gangtok & West Sikkim

West Sikkim is really green and mesmerizingly beautiful with many small waterfalls and clean air and places. Except for the roads. Baring the northeastern states, this part of Sikkim offers the worst possible roads in all the mountain states of India.

You don’t need any special permit to drive your own vehicle to any place of West Sikkim. Anyone with their personal vehicle can self drive to any place of West Sikkim. Some of the popular night staying tourist destinations of West Sikkim are -> Namchi / Rabangla / Pelling / Yuksom. Apart from that, there are plenty of off beat & untouched locations offering Home Stay for those awesome lonely mountain stays.

Route Planning

Depending on your travel itinerary, you may come to West Sikkim from Gangtok or from Siliguri.

Travel Guide for Self Drive Personal Car to West Sikkim from Kolkata/Siliguri

In case you are driving up from Siliguri, take the NH10 towards Gangtok (Refer to our route above) but right after Kalimpong, you should leave NH10 and use Melli bridge to cross into Sikkim via Melli Entry Point.

Looking at the poor road conditions, we may advise you to select Namchi as your first destination of West Sikkim. After crossing into Sikkim via this Melli Bridge (right after Teesta Bazar), take the NH710 all the way up to Namchi.

Experienced long distance drivers or long drive folks please note, it is possible to do Kolkata to Namchi without any night halt. However, attempt this only if you are a seasoned & experienced long distance driver and have plenty of experience of mountain driving. You may need to do night drive for Kolkata-Siliguri and them attempt this mountains section of Siliguri to Namchi at morning.

You may make Namchi your base, stay there for couple of nights and do the sightseeing drives from there. All sightseeing places in West Sikkim has proper paid parking so you won’t face any issue of parking your car.

After Namchi, you may plan Ravangla then to Pelling and then up to Yuksom with night halts. However, at present, unless you have a high ground clearance SUV and 4WD, we may advise you to drop Ravangla out of your plan and proceed directly to Pelling via Jorethang.

Overall, roads are really bad but small cars can do upto Pelling with careful and patient driving.

Gangtok & North Sikkim

Here is it -> North Sikkim Self Drive – Tour Plan, Route, Road, Itinerary & Permits – Lazy Tourer

Your Views and Questions

If you have any question, feel free to drop it in the comments and if you have any suggestions or information to share with other travers and tourists, please write down in the comments.