Amorous DaleDarjeeling & Sikkim in 14 nights

Welcome to the hills. Your driver meets you at Bagdogra airport or New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station and you drive up to Kalimpong (4,091 ft). Check in; the rest of the day is yours.

After breakfast, a half-day around Kalimpong: Mangal Dham, Deolo Hill, the golf course, Durpin Dara hill and the Pine View cactus nursery (closed Sundays). Then drive to Gangtok (5,500 ft) and check in.

Drive: 53 km. / 3 hrs. one-way After breakfast, an excursion to Tsomgo Lake (12,400 ft; 37 km, about 2 hours from Gangtok), a high glacial lake that often freezes in mid-winter, then on to Baba Mandir (13,200 ft; 16 km, about 1 hour further). Back to Gangtok in the evening.

A full day around Gangtok (about 6 hours): Tashi View Point, Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok for the views, the Cottage Industry and Handicraft Centre (closed Sundays and the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month), the Institute of Tibetology (closed Sundays), Do Drul Chorten, Gonjang Monastery and Banjhakri Falls.

After breakfast, check out with light luggage and drive north to Lachen (8,980 ft), the quieter of North Sikkim's two high villages. Along the way, stop at Naga Falls, the meeting of the Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu rivers at Chungthang, and Bhim Nala Falls. Check in at Lachen for dinner.

After an early breakfast, drive up to Gurudongmar Lake (about 17,800 ft) by way of the Thangu valley (12,795 ft). One of the highest lakes in the world, it is sacred to Buddhists and Sikhs and usually frozen from December to April. The drive takes 3 to 4 hours each way from Lachen. Back at the hotel for lunch; the rest of the day is free. Dinner at Lachen.

After breakfast, drive down the valley to Lachung (8,738 ft). Check in, have lunch and spend the day as you like.

Drive: 51 km. / 3 hrs. one-way After breakfast, drive to Yumthang Valley (12,000 ft), the Valley of Flowers, where yaks graze in summer (26 km, about 1½ hours), and on to Zero Point at Yumesamdong (14,500 ft; 25 km, about 1½ hours more), one of the highest roads in Sikkim, close to the Tibet border. The road is rough, but Zero Point has snow for most of the year. On the way back, stop at the hot spring, known locally for its healing waters. Back at the hotel by the afternoon for lunch; the rest of the day is free. Dinner at Lachung.

After breakfast, drive to Gangtok (5,500 ft). Check in; the rest of the day is yours.

After breakfast, drive to Pelling (6,300 ft; 120 km, about 5 hours) by way of Namchi, for Siddheshwar Dham (Char Dham), a hilltop temple complex with a giant Shiva statue, and the Sai Temple. Check in at Pelling.

After breakfast, a full day around Pelling. In the morning, Darap village, Rimbi Falls, Khecheopalri Lake, the wish-fulfilling lake, and Kanchenjunga Falls. In the afternoon, Pemayangtse Monastery, the ruins of Rabdentse, Sikkim's second capital, the glass Skywalk at Sang-Ngag Choling and the new helipad ground. The evening is free.

After breakfast, drive to Darjeeling (6,950 ft) by way of the Singla check post. Check in; the rest of the day is yours.

An early start at 4 am for sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill (subject to permits or tokens), then back to the hotel for breakfast. From 8.30 am, a day around Darjeeling: the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park (closed Thursdays), Tenzing Rock, the ropeway, the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre (closed Sundays), a tea garden (from outside), the Japanese Temple. The evening is free for shopping.

After breakfast, drive to Mirik (4,902 ft), a small hill town around a lake ringed by forested hills, with Kanchenjunga behind, stopping at Pashupati Market on the Nepal border (the extra vehicle from the border to the market is paid directly). The road runs on through tea gardens, cardamom plantations and pine forest. Check in at Mirik, and in the afternoon visit Sumendu Lake, where you can take a pony ride or a boat (paid directly).

After breakfast, check out and drive to Bagdogra airport or NJP railway station for your journey home.