Near MAYFAIR Spa Resort & Casino
Nathu La
70 km | Approximately 2 hours 35 minutes
A mountain pass at 4,310 metres on the Dongkya Range, between Sikkim and Tibet. Until the border closed in 1962 it was the main route for the wool, fur and spice trade with Tibet, and it reopened in 2006. Barbed wire separates the two sides at the pass, which is open to Indian nationals only, on a permit obtained a day before travelling. The resort can advise.
Also within reach
Rumtek Monastery
The largest monastery in Sikkim and the seat of the Karma Kagyu school, set on a ridge facing Gangtok across the valley.
Tsomgo Lake
A glacial lake held in a bowl of high ridges on the road to the Nathu La pass, frozen through the coldest months and mirror-still in spring.
Ganesh Tok
A small hilltop shrine above Gangtok with a viewing balcony that opens onto the town below and the Kanchenjunga range beyond it.
Do Drul Chorten
One of the most important stupas in Sikkim, ringed by prayer wheels that visitors turn as they walk its circuit.