Easy going and home to some of the warmest people you’re ever likely to meet, Sikkim comprises vibrant swatches of green with plummeting valleys and dense forests, bordered on the east by the looming white peaks of the Himalayas.

Start your Sikkim experience with a customary visit to bustling Gangtok where you can haggle for local handicrafts in the town market and visit local monasteries.
From here, move on to Pelling to see in all its glory the stride-stopping Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak. Stop by one of Sikkim’s oldest monasteries, and the ‘wishing’ Khecheopari Lake.

If you haven’t had your fill of the mountains, venture out to Lachen from where you can access the impossibly blue Gurudongmar Lake and the picturesque Chopta Valley with its velvety meadows and crisp air. Go up north, this area is known for its vibrant display of rhododendrons and alpine flowers.

As the chill in the air nips at your nose, take a long, deep breath of fresh mountain air and plan for an early retirement in the hills.

You could also begin or end your journey in Darjeeling, the little town in West Bengal with a big stake in the world tea market. Draped in ribbons of green, Darjeeling’s colonial-era architecture and Buddhist monasteries are worth exploring. Spend the night in a luxurious tea plantation retreat, where you can learn the intricacies of tea production and even sample some of the region’s best brews.