Thinking of doing 10-15 days in Sikkim. Any advice? It seems like the best place in the world to get a true Tibet/Himalaya feeling without having to deal with Bhutans insane prices or China's tibet restrictions.How would you do a 10 day Sikkim itineraryWhat if you had 15 days?I am trying to decide lol
>>2881277Lately it has been alternating between hazy humid weather and persistent clouds/rain up here. This means snowy peak vistas and brilliant blue skies have been scarce. Many people choose to go in winter despite the bitter cold, because winter often brings blue-sky days of remarkable clarity.BTW you can get a "true Himalaya" feeling in any Himalayan province. I'm not saying you shouldn't go to Sikkim, but touting it as the best place in the world is surely an exaggeration when you have so many other Himalayan provinces with more than their own share of spectacular beauty. Other Himalayan provinces are so much larger and more accessible by public transport as well. Take one example: the skyline of Munsyari with its multiple pointy summits like Pancha Chuli mogs this Sikkim skyline is with its two unremarkable rounded peaks. However, the summits were hidden by cloud for the entirety of my visit. Only on the final morning as I was riding out of Madkote on the bus did I look back and catch a glimpse of a sharp snowy peak against a pale blue morning sky.
I didn't care for Pithoragarh too much. Maybe I've just had enough of India at this point. The town was situated in a high-altitude mountain bowl, but apart from the route heading up to this overlook, there were hardly any natural features worth trekking or exploring in the vicinity. Traffic wasn't horrendous, but the winding valley roads were still very busy. No high peaks in the area, only layer upon layer of forested green hills slashed by the occasional river gorge. Still, if you just want a mountain getaway to live cheap and simple at 6000 feet altitude, with bus trips to more scenic places when it's time to scratch that travel itch, Pithoragarh is not a bad choice.The fir forests near Lohaghat were some of the most beautiful forests I've ever seen. Gigantic old trees high up on a cool mountain. The village is crammed into as little roadside space as possible so as to avoid cutting down any of the firs, which grow right up to the edge of the populated area. The bus passed by some very pleasant nature trails that left the road to enter the forest.
The Himalayas do deserve far more thorough exploration than this dinky little summary trip across the lower mountains of Uttarakhand. You can easily spend months seeing the sights of a single state, provided you have mountain trekking gear and are capable of venturing into the backcountry beyond the end of the road for the local taxis. However, make no mistake. The Himalayas are not easy or comfortable. Flatland India has a much more agreeable climate for leisure living (outside of heat waves). You can expect to be cold and damp for most of the year up here. The mountain village food is okay, not as bad as I feared it would be. >>2881277Many people like to hire a tour guide, but they have the bad habit of promising you all the different viewpoints, then only including a few in the tour and charging you extra for all the viewpoints that you'd actually be interested in seeing.
>>2881277Just go to Garzê in China, over 75% Tibetan population Or Dêqên at the foothills Sikkim has been completely JEETed
>>2881277sikkhim's population was replaced by indians long ago, so it's himalayan only geographically. you might be better off visiting nepal if you don't want bhutan
